Dozens of vessels including Chinese-owned have passed through the Strait of Hormuz under Iran’s “management protocols”, the Revolutionary Guard says, as Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discuss the crucial waterway.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi has denounced the US and Israel for “expansionism and warmongering” saying instability in the Middle East is a “lose-lose proposition for all sides – including the aggressors”.
Several Israeli civilians have been wounded and evacuated to a hospital for treatment after an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah slammed into Israeli territory.
The Israeli prime minister’s office says Benjamin Netanyahu “secretly visited” the United Arab Emirates during attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran – a statement the UAE’s Foreign Ministry denied.
Meanwhile, a senior US naval official says Iran’s ability to threaten Gulf states and US interests in the Middle East have been dramatically reduced.
“Iran has a significantly degraded threat, and they no longer threaten regional partners, or the United States, in ways that they were able to do before, across every domain,” Admiral Brad Cooper told a US Senate committee.
“They’ve been significantly degraded.”