Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran “very hard tonight”. seize the country’s Kharg Island and “other infrastructure” in his latest warning to Tehran.
In a post on his Truth Social app, he said:
double quotation mark The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft,. all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT. At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island,. other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Iran’s Kharg Island in the Gulf is an economic lifeline for the country. which handles about 90% of its oil exports.
US president Donald Trump told Fox News. he would “rather not” attack civilian infrastructure in Iran – despite previously threatening to. This comes as the US said it will increase strikes on the Islamic Republic.
“Yeah, but I’d rather not do it, because once you do that, the people suffer,” Trump said when asked if the United States would start attacking power plants. bridges as he has previously threatened.
In the same interview, Trump also said: “The problem is it could be the greatest deal in history. They could wave the white flag of surrender. say ‘Praise be to Allah’ and the fake news would say, ‘It was a great victory for Iran.’ It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. We’re killing them. We’re killing them.”
In further comments to Fox News. Donald Trump said the US “dropped $250m worth of bombs on them [Iran] last night”.
He said the US was “not hitting them hard enough”. also claimed Iran was “in submission, they just don’t know it yet”.
He added: “My preference has always been take Kharg Island … I don’t know. America has the stomach for it.”
The Kuwaiti armed forces said it has responded to 24 Iranian drones in its airspace in the past two days.
“The Iranian aggression resulted in limited material damage without any human casualties,” the army said in a statement on social media.
Kuwait had closed its airspace for several hours this morning as air defence systems engaged “hostile aerial targets”. the military said.
Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran “very hard tonight”. seize the country’s Kharg Island and “other infrastructure” in his latest warning to Tehran.
In a post on his Truth Social app, he said:
double quotation mark The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft,. all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT. At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island,. other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Iran’s Kharg Island in the Gulf is an economic lifeline for the country. which handles about 90% of its oil exports.
The Iranian foreign minister. Abbas Araghchi, said the renewed US strikes against Iran “have rendered the ceasefire ineffective”, according to a statement on his Telegram channel.
Araghchi discussed the latest developments with the EU foreign policy chief. Kaja Kallas, in a phone call this afternoon, where he condemned the US attacks, the statement said.
double quotation mark In this call, our country’s foreign minister strongly condemned the recent US aggression, calling it a clear violation of the UN Charter. international law, and announced that these actions have rendered the ceasefire ineffective and that the US is responsible for its dangerous consequences.
The US has confirmed that it carried out a strike on Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel M/T Jalveer. which according to Central Command (Centcom) was violating the blockade.
Centcom alleged that the ship was attempting to transport Iranian oil through the Gulf of Oman.
According to Centcom, it is the third vessel attacked by the US in the Gulf this week - after the Marivex. Settebello vessels were struck previously.
India’s shipping ministry said all 20 Indian crew members were safe after the Jalveer ship sent a distress call while off Oman’s port of Shinas after a fire broke out. according to Reuters.
Saudi Arabia has lifted its five-year import ban from Lebanon – which marks a significant step in improving relations between countries in the Gulf region. Lebanon.
The ban was introduced in 2021 and initially was only for Lebanese fruits and vegetables, citing drug smuggling concerns. It later extended to all Lebanese products after Lebanon’s information minister at the time criticized Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. the reversal of the ban at the order of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came as a result of “positive steps taken by the Lebanese state.”
The current government of Lebanon. which came to power last year with promises of reform, has sought to rebuild ties with the Gulf countries.
Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan has called on the United States. Iran to halt their new round of attacks, saying it risked an “escalation” in the Middle East war.
“The reciprocal attacks. began two days ago raise fears of an escalation,” Fidan told a press conference during a visit to Sofia. “We recommend that the parties halt their mutual attacks and resume negotiations.”
This comes as Pakistan. a key regional mediator, also said it was “deeply concerned” by the recent escalation in the Middle East.
Tahir Andrabi, foreign ministry spokesperson, said all parties should “adhere to the understanding reached on the ceasefire. end hostilities to widen the space for dialogue and diplomacy.”
A tanker with 20 Indian crew members on board was hit in a suspected US strike off the coast of Oman. Reuters reports.
If confirmed, it would be the third vessel carrying an Indian crew hit by US forces this week.
Three Indian seafarers were killed after a US strike on the oil tanker Settebello off Oman’s coast on Tuesday. an Indian official said (see post at 08:06 ). On Monday. an Indian crew of the sanctioned Marivex oil tanker put out a distress call after the ship was hit by a US missile.
In today’s incident. India’s shipping ministry said all 20 Indian crew members were safe after the Guinea-Bissau flagged Jalveer sent a distress call while off Oman’s port of Shinas after a fire broke out, according to Reuters.
The ship was attacked by the US navy, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.
The US Central Command did not immediately comment on the report. It previously said the Marivex. Settebello failed to follow directions as US forces enforced the American blockade on Iranian ports.
These images from the newswires show the aftermath of an Iranian drone attack in Bahrain. where authorities say an 11-year-old girl was injured:
Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA). a government agency set up on 5 May to oversee transit through the strait of Hormuz, announced the key waterway is “closed until further notice”, blaming US strikes in the region.
In a statement carried on Iranian media, the PGSA said: “Due to the tensions created by the US aggression forces in the region. the announcement by the Iranian armed forces last night, the strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice. ”Applicants who have received a pass are asked to be patient and await further guidance from the PGSA.”
The announcement came shortly after an Iranian official accused the US of striking a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman this morning.
Reza Shahidian. governor of Sirik in the southern Hormozgan province, located on the stores of the strait of Hormuz, said the ship was “carrying essential goods” when it was hit while travelling from an Omani port, according to Iranian media.
He added that the crew had been rescued and taken to Oman.
Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strait will be “closed to all vessels”, a claim which the US Central Command rejected, saying commercial ships continue to transit in. out of the strait.
The US has launched a wave of strikes across southern Iran for a second consecutive day. Although there have been several breaches since a ceasefire was agreed between the two sides in April, the attacks this week – launched after the downing of a US helicopter over the strait of Hormuz – represent the most serious. extensive breakdown of the truce to date.
Here, Jonathan Yerushalmy explains what led to the attacks, what officials are saying and whether the deal can survive:
Some media reports suggest negotiations between the US and Iran are ongoing despite strikes launched by both sides this week.
Talks to reach a deal are still on track after overnight negotiations. CNN reported, citing a diplomatic source with knowledge of the situation.
This was followed by a report by Reuters that efforts to reach a preliminary deal have intensified as negotiators discuss a mechanism to release frozen Iranian funds, Iranian sources. a European official told the news agency.
Reuters quoted one of the Iranian sources saying: “Iran wants $6b to $12b of its frozen funds to be released to Tehran, while Washington wants to release funds in stages for humanitarian goods. rejects returning funds to Iran outright.”
The Iranian foreign ministry has condemned the latest US strikes on Tehran. saying the attacks have rendered the ceasefire as “practically meaningless”.
In a statement carried by Iranian media, the ministry said:
double quotation mark The illegal. criminal attacks by the US in recent hours are not only a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and the fundamental rules of international law regarding respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, but have also rendered the ceasefire [of 8 April] practically meaningless.”
The Jordanian military said its air defence systems intercepted 20 missiles launched from Iran this morning. according to the state-run Petra news agency.
“At dawn on Thursday, Jordanian air defence systems. the Royal Jordanian air force intercepted and shot down 20 missiles that had been launched from Iran towards the Azraq area in Zarqa governorate,” a statement quoted a military official as saying, referring to an area about 50 miles east of the capital Amman.
“The interception resulted in the fall of missile debris in the area,. no injuries or material damage were reported,” the statement added.
The Pakistani foreign ministry said the country will continue with mediation efforts to end the war despite an escalation in hostilities between the US. Iran.
“Pakistan remains deeply concerned at the situation in the region marked by recent escalation. We appeal to the parties to adhere to the understanding reached on the ceasefire,” the ministry spokesperson. Tahir Andrabi, told reporters in a briefing today.
“Pakistan reaffirms its support for the peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues. We are of the view that diplomacy. dialogue should be the guiding principles for achieving a negotiated settlement of all contentious issues in accordance with the rights and responsibilities of the relevant parties.”
Bahrain’s interior ministry said an 11-year-old girl was injured from falling debris after Iranian drones were intercepted by air defences in the capital Manama. Hamad Town.
The incident also damaged several vehicles. homes, the ministry said in a post on X, with pictures showing scorched cars and buildings.
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