Iran's stance against the development of nuclear weapons will not significantly change, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Wednesday (18 March), cautioning that the new supreme leader is yet to publicly express his view on the matter.
Araghchi said Gulf countries would have to draft a new protocol for the Strait of Hormuz after the war ends. He added that safe passage must be ensured under conditions aligned with Iranian and regional interests.
Iran shut the vital energy gateway, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied gas passes, saying it "won't even allow a litre of oil" to reach the U.S., Israel and their partners.
Speaker of the Iranian parliament Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf had also earlier tweeted that the strait’s situation will not return to its pre-war conditions.
The U.S. has sought to build a naval coalition to escort vessels navigating the strait, with most NATO allies refusing to get involved in military operations against Iran.
NATO-member France said it would only consider a joint international coalition to secure passage through the strait following a ceasefire and prior negotiations with Tehran.
Araghchi added that an end to the war was only conceivable if the conflict is permanently over throughout the region and Iran receives compensation for damages incurred.
Asked about Iranian strikes in the Gulf not only targeting U.S. military bases but also impacting residential or commercial areas, Iran's foreign minister said this was because U.S. forces relocated to urban areas.
"Wherever there were American forces gathering, wherever there were facilities belonging to them, they were targeted. It is possible some of these places were near urban areas," the top Iranian diplomat said.
Araghchi acknowledged that regional countries are "upset and their people have been harmed or bothered" by Iranian strikes, but added that the blame lay entirely with the U.S. for starting the war on 28 February.
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has cleared the criminal record of former soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian in the West Bank in 2016.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
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The death toll in a suicide attack at a police compound in northwest Pakistan has reached 31, AFP reported on Saturday, citing a police official.
Azerbaijan has rejected France’s justification for advising its citizens against travel to the country, after Paris cited risks of arbitrary detention and unfair trials.
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