Middle East War: US signals restraint as Iran warns of retaliation
Strait of Hormuz tensions persist, and violence continues in Gaza
he Middle East war heads into a tense weekend as Washington signals restraint but the region remains on edge. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said further military action against Iran was unnecessary, arguing economic pressure was weakening Tehran. Iran, however, warned the United Nations that renewed attacks would trigger retaliation and said nuclear monitoring cannot resume under military threats. American forces reported intercepting two Iranian drones heading towards Bahrain, disputing Tehran’s claim that it hit a US radar installation. Meanwhile, Iran claimed a tanker struck a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, while Israeli shelling killed three Palestinians in Gaza.
Yemen's Houthi group said it had launched fresh drone attacks against a major airport and oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, alongside a series of strikes on Saudi-linked military positions in Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea was quoted in the report on Friday (local time) as saying that one drone had targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, while two others struck Pumping Station No. 3 along the East-West oil pipeline east of the city.
US President Donald Trump will discuss the Iran war with his Chinese and Russian counterparts in trilateral talks in China next week, but is not expected to talk about Russia's war on Ukraine, a senior US official said Friday.
"I think the president does intend to talk about Iran in the trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin," the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters on a call ahead of Thursday's meeting in Shenzhen.
But Washington has a "whole other track" of negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow, the official added. "China is not really a part of that track, so it doesn't seem appropriate to have the Ukraine discussion there."
Day 258: Turkey, Qatar sign defence pact
Day 256: Iran warns US as Gaza crisis deepens
Day 253: UAE rescues 22 crew in Gulf of Oman
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