President Donald Trump said the U.S. "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran", reiterating vows to increase the ferocity of attacks on its infrastructure, as dozens of countries sought ways to restart vital energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz
Nearly five weeks after it started with a joint U.S.-Israeli aerial assault, the war in Iran continues to spread chaos across the region and roil financial markets, raising the pressure on Trump to find a quick resolution to the conflict.
Trump has stepped up his rhetoric in recent days as negotiations conducted via intermediaries with new leaders in Iran show limited signs of progress.
The U.S. military "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants," Trump wrote on social media late on Thursday, adding that Iran's leadership "knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!"
He earlier posted video of the U.S. bombing a newly constructed bridge between Tehran and the major northwest suburb of Karaj. The B1 bridge was scheduled to open to traffic this year. According to Iran's state media, eight people were killed and 95 others were wounded in the U.S. attack.
"Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender," Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a statement.
Satellite images also showed smoke rising from the port in Qeshm, an Iranian island strategically located in the Strait of Hormuz, earlier this week.
More than 100 American international law experts said on Thursday the conduct of U.S. forces and statements by senior U.S. officials "raise serious concerns about violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes."
A letter signed by the experts particularly noted a mid-March comment from Trump where he said the U.S. may conduct strikes on Iran "just for fun." It also cited comments from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth from early March in which he said the U.S. does not fight with "stupid rules of engagement."
In a speech on Wednesday night, Trump repeated his threats against Iran's civilian power plants and gave no clear timeline for ending hostilities. That drew vows of retaliation from Iran, weighed on global share prices and sent oil prices surging on concerns the Strait of Hormuz would remain largely closed.
Britain chaired a virtual meeting on Thursday of some 40 countries to explore ways to restore freedom of navigation that did not produce any specific agreement, although participants agreed that all nations should be able to use the waterway freely, one official said.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to vote on Saturday on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the strait, diplomats said, but veto-wielding China made clear its opposition to authorising any use of force.
Any military action would be "legitimising the unlawful and indiscriminate use of force, which would inevitably lead to further escalation of the situation and lead to serious consequences," China's UN envoy Fu Cong told the Security Council on Thursday.
Iran has effectively shut down the strait, which normally carries about a fifth of the world's total oil trade, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks that began on 28 February.
Tehran offered a competing vision for future control of the strait, and said it was drafting a protocol with neighbouring Oman that would require ships to obtain permits and licences.
The European Union's Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas pushed back against Tehran's plan, saying Iran cannot be allowed to charge countries a bounty to let ships pass. "International law doesn't recognise pay-to-pass schemes," wrote Kallas on social media.
There are fears the conflict may leave Iran with a stranglehold over Middle East energy supplies now that it has shown that it can block the Strait of Hormuz by targeting oil tankers and attacking Gulf countries hosting U.S. troops.
Gulf states say they reserve the right to self-defence but have refrained from responding militarily to repeated Iranian attacks over the past month, seeking to avoid escalation into a far more devastating all-out Middle East war.
Kuwait reported that its air defences were working to intercept missiles and drones twice on Friday.
Thousands of people have been killed and tens of thousands injured across the Middle East since the war began, with the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies delegation saying on Thursday that medical needs were rising exponentially and supplies could run low.
Fuel shortages have already caused economic strains across Asia and are expected to bite in Europe soon, while a report by two UN agencies warned a sharp economic slowdown could spark a cost-of-living crisis in Africa.
Kazakhstan is open to expanding its oil export routes through Azerbaijan and advancing joint energy infrastructure projects across the Caspian region,...
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praised Georgia for resisting Western pressure (30 May), defending its national interests and pu...
More than 1,500 pages of government documents relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment and tenure as UK ambassador to the U.S. have been published, r...
As Armenia approaches parliamentary elections, Russia appears to be increasing political and economic pressure on Yerevan, signalling that closer inte...
Afghanistan’s consul general in Mashhad and the governor of Iran’s Khorasan Razavi province have discussed expanding trade, improving border trans...
Kazakhstan is open to expanding its oil export routes through Azerbaijan and advancing joint energy infrastructure projects across the Caspian region, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov told AnewZ in an exclusive interview in Baku.
As Armenia approaches parliamentary elections, Russia appears to be increasing political and economic pressure on Yerevan, signalling that closer integration with the EU could lead to significant changes in labour, transport and energy arrangements between the two countries.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has withdrawn the appointment of a senior U.S. official to a top leadership role because of delays in U.S. payments, according to a statement published on Monday (1 June).
Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into a passenger bus crash in southwestern Türkiye that killed eight people and injured 33 others over the weekend.
U.S. rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, performed to a crowd of 118,000 people in Istanbul on Saturday night, marking his first concert in Europe in more than a decade, despite being barred from performing in several countries over past antisemitic remarks.
Okinawa lost transport links and suffered widespread power outages on Monday (1 June) as Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi brought destructive winds and heavy rain to Japan's south-western islands.
Donald Trump said he is “in no hurry” to reach a deal with Iran, insisting the U.S. is slowly getting what it wants. He warned military action remains an option if talks fail. Meanwhile, U.S. forces said they fired a missile at a vessel trying to breach Washington’s blockade of Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held talks with Lebanese President and Israeli Prime Minister on efforts to ease tensions between Israel and Lebanon. According to a U.S. official, Washington has proposed a plan aimed at achieving a gradual de-escalation of hostilities.
The World Health Organisation’s designation of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is a stark reminder that Ebola remains a persistent global health threat rather than a disease of the past.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Monday they targeted the source of an attack on a telecom facility on Sirik Island near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Iran really wanted to make a deal with the U.S. and that it would be a good one for Washington and its allies, President Donald Trump said on Monday.
Iran has strongly condemned U.S. threats to impose sanctions on and bomb Oman following reported talks between Muscat and Tehran on jointly overseeing the Strait of Hormuz, reiterating that the Islamic Republic’s actions in the strategic waterway are “lawful”.
The United States has warned Oman against supporting any effort to impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington would penalise any parties involved in facilitating such a system.
The Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps of Iran (IRGC) said it carried out a retaliatory attack on a U.S. airbase in the early hours of Thursday. The airbase was used to target a ground control station on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport in Hormuzgan Province, which faces the Strait of Hormuz.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment