A new surface-to-surface 4th generation Khorramshahr ballistic missile called Khaibar with a range of 2,000 km is launched at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this picture obtained on May 25, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS <\/p>\n
An Iranian lawmaker said Tehran would respond in kind if the US used a nuclear weapon against Iran, commenting on a media report about the possibility of such an attack, according to local media on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Fada Hossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament\u2019s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, made the remarks in an interview with Iranian news outlet Khabar Online.<\/p>\n
Asked how likely he considered a US nuclear attack on Iran, Maleki said: \u201cI do not rule out an ill-considered action by (US President Donald) Trump, but I do not think he would dare to do such a thing, because such an action could plunge the world into a dangerous war.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf such an action is taken, the Islamic Republic of Iran will also respond, and its reaction will be proportionate to the type of weapon used against Iran,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Pressed on whether this meant Iran would use a nuclear weapon if the US attacked Iran with one, Maleki replied: \u201cWhatever the US uses, Iran will respond to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maleki did not explicitly say that Iran possesses nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n
The lawmaker also warned Washington against further military action, saying Iran has \u201cmultiple options\u201d at its disposal and that any US move could draw a response \u201cat the same level or even beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of Iran\u2019s weapons and military capabilities have not yet been unveiled,\u201d Maleki said, arguing that Tehran has moved from a defensive posture to what he described as \u201cactive and offensive deterrence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning to stalled Tehran-Washington talks, Maleki accused Trump of failing to honour commitments under the memorandum of understanding between the two sides.<\/p>\n
He said Iran would not return to negotiations unless Washington abides by its previous commitments, adding that issues, including the Strait of Hormuz, would otherwise remain unresolved.<\/p>\n
Maleki said Iran\u2019s talks with Oman are a separate bilateral track, adding that Tehran rejected US participation in those discussions.<\/p>\n
Iran’s armed forces warn Gulf countries against assisting US military<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s armed forces warned Gulf countries on Wednesday against assisting the US military, saying it would be tantamount to joining American military operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wish to warn that any assistance or facilitation provided to the aggressor US military amounts to participation in the US military operation,\u201d armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi said, according to Iran\u2019s Mehr news agency.<\/p>\n
Former Iranian leader Khatami rejects calls for conflict with US<\/p>\n
Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has warned that some in Iran believe the nation\u2019s \u201clife and survival lie in war,\u201d openly questioning the logic behind that stance, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iran\u2019s Fars news agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome say: \u2018First, we will teach America a lesson here, then we will go to the heart of America and fight it there.\u2019 But what reality is this based on?\u201d Khatami asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy feelings were also wounded when they killed our commander, and one\u2019s eyes could almost weep blood. But governing a society cannot be based on raw emotion,\u201d he added. \u201cWe must consider what serves the ultimate interests of the country, the system, and Islam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hormuz traffic slows as uncertainty over waterway persists<\/p>\n
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed, data showed on Wednesday, as most shipowners avoided the \u200bkey waterway due to a lack of clear signalling about its reopening after a blockade during the\u00a0Iran war.<\/p>\n
Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, Kpler data showed by 07:58am PKT, down from \u200bnine a day earlier and below the 10-day daily \u200baverage of 11.<\/p>\n
Inbound traffic included an empty very large crude \u2060carrier that followed the Omani side of the strait, as \u200bwell as two tankers, one of medium-range and the other intermediate, \u200bthe data showed.<\/p>\n
Two medium-range fuel tankers and a post-Panamax vessel exited the strait.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, US\u00a0President Donald Trump said no talks were taking place with \u200bIran and insisted the Strait of Hormuz was open, contradicting \u200bIran’s assertion that it remained shut to shipping.<\/p>\n
The waterway handled a fifth of \u200cthe \u2060world’s shipments of crude oil and liquefied natural gas before the war.<\/p>\n
As security concerns curb oil shipments to the world’s largest importer,\u00a0two Chinese shipping giants\u00a0that used to carry half its imports \u200bof Middle Eastern \u200boil before \u2060the war have kept their tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb since \u200blate July, say tanker tracker Vortexa and a ship \u200bbroker.<\/p>\n
At \u2060the Bab el-Mandeb strait on the Red Sea, where Yemeni Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia on July 20, Kpler \u2060data showed \u200b30 weekend transits by commodity vessels, \u200bup from 19 in the prior week.<\/p>\n
There were no tracked Saudi oil shipments.<\/p>\n
South Korean minister says Trump appears to be pressuring Seoul over Iran, investment <\/p>\n
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump’s order to curb joint military drills appeared aimed in part at pressuring Seoul to support US efforts in the Iran war, alongside other unresolved issues such as investment.<\/p>\n
“I think President Trump’s message includes pressure over several pending issues concerning the South Korean government, as well as a message to North Korea and an intention by the United States to break a stalemate in the Iran war,” Cho said.<\/p>\n
One potential source of friction could be South Korea’s pledge to invest $350 billion in the United States under a trade deal signed last year, Cho said.<\/p>\n
Seoul has yet to announce details of the investment plan, although Cho said Washington had sent Seoul a proposal outlining projects that could be considered.<\/p>\n
“We could not move faster on the investment plan as we had to consider factors such as commercial viability and take legal procedures,” Cho said. He cited other unexpected problems, without elaborating.<\/p>\n
South Korea and the United States announced on Wednesday that they will shorten annual military drills to five days from 11 and scale back some field training, following Trump’s order on a substantial reduction in US participation.<\/p>\n
South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who attended the same hearing, said he believes Trump was moving closer to potentially arranging a new meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by curtailing exercises that have long angered Pyongyang.<\/p>\n
UAE says two missiles detected earlier launched from Iran <\/p>\n
The United Arab Emirates’ defence ministry said on Tuesday that it had detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran, the first such incident reported since a May 4 strike on the Fujairah port.<\/p>\n
In a statement later, the ministry said the missiles targeted “maritime traffic” based on its assessments. Both missiles fell into the sea, it said.<\/p>\n
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected early on Wednesday the statement by the UAE, describing it as “baseless.”<\/p>\n
In a statement issued after the missile threat, the UAE said it had suspended all trade activities, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice, citing an escalation that it said undermined regional and international peace and security.<\/p>\n