US-Iran War News LIVE: Araghchi Criticizes US Over Security Dialogue Meeting, Says ‘Foreign People Can’t Even Protect Themselves’ | Today’s news
US-Iran War News LIVE: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized US CENTCOM after it convened a regional security conference in Bahrain. He rejected the notion that Western intervention was bringing stability to West Asia, adding that Iran’s armed forces had proven that outsiders could not protect themselves. Araghchi called for peace in the region and said it can be maintained only without any external interference.
Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Hormuz
A week after the US and Iran violated a ceasefire and traded strikes after a cargo ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran again issued a warning to oil tankers traveling through the strategic waterway. The Islamic Republic’s Joint Military Command said on Thursday (local time) that all oil tankers passing through Hormuz must use approved routes or face a “strong response”, a move likely to reignite tensions over the waterway, which is crucial for international energy supplies. The AP reported that while it was unclear why the new warning was issued, a US military statement noted that “the leaders emphasized their shared commitment to free trade across the strait,” which may have infuriated Tehran.
An Iranian statement said: “Any non-compliance, deviation from the designated route or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response by the armed forces, which will endanger the safety of the vessels that violated the rules.”
Tehran prepares to bury Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The Islamic Republic’s ruling clerics are now preparing for days of mass funerals for former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a show of public devotion to the country and proof that its revolutionary fervor is still strong. Khamenei was killed by US and Israeli airstrikes in late February, on the first day of the war. His funeral will begin this weekend in Tehran, with mass processions planned for next week in Qom and Mashhad and ceremonies in Iraq.
Lebanon refuses to give Israel even a single centimeter of territory
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday defended the talks with Israel, saying it was not a betrayal, adding that he would not give up “an inch of Lebanese territory”. His words came after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military would remain “until further notice” in what he described as “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
Aoun said negotiations with Israel were not “treason but a diplomatic war without unnecessary bloodshed”.
