TEHRAN -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday warned that any attack on Iran's oil and energy infrastructure would trigger retaliation against regional facilities linked to U.S. companies.
In an interview with U.S. broadcaster MS Now, Araghchi responded to Friday's U.S. strike on Kharg Island, Iran's southern strategic oil terminal, and to President Donald Trump's threat to target the island's oil infrastructure if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. (Iran-U.S.-Warning)
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CAIRO -- The Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route, remains open and under Iranian control, a senior Iranian commander said on Saturday, amid rising tensions with the United States and its allies.
Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, said in a statement that claims by the United States about destroying Iran's navy or providing safe escort for oil tankers were false, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. (Iran-Hormuz Strait-Control)
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JERUSALEM -- Representatives from Israel and Lebanon are expected to meet for a round of talks in the coming days amid the intensified fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported Saturday.
The newspaper cited a source familiar with the matter as saying that Israeli former minister Ron Dermer, who was asked to handle the "Lebanon file" by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will meet with Lebanese representatives for direct negotiations. (Israel-Lebanon-Talk)
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BAGHDAD -- A drone struck the United Arab Emirates consulate in Erbil on Saturday, wounding two security guards and damaging the building, a security source said.
The attack hit the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The Kurdistan regional presidency strongly condemned the strike. (Iraq-UAE Consulate-Drone Attack)
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JERUSALEM -- The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Saturday that it dismantled the primary research center of the Iranian Space Agency in Tehran.
The Israeli army claimed that the center, struck on Friday evening, contained strategic laboratories used for research, including developing military satellites for surveillance, intelligence collection, and directing fire toward targets across the Middle East. (Israel-Tehran-Attacks) ■
