TEHRAN/WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Tensions between Iran and the United States have escalated in recent days amid military clashes and maritime incidents near the Strait of Hormuz, while regional countries stepped up diplomatic efforts to ease the situation.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Saturday its aerospace division has established underground missile and drone production facilities and is continuously increasing the range of its missiles.
"We will not stop in this regard," IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi told a press conference, adding that the corps is prepared to defend the country "without any geographical limitation" if the enemy renews strikes.
His remarks come amid heightened U.S. threats of military action against Iran, and as the U.S. Army reportedly carried out "minor" attacks targeting Iran's southern Qeshm Island.
Earlier on Saturday, local media reported that two missiles hit Qeshm Island, while Iran's air defence force shot down two U.S. MQ-9 drones.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that U.S. forces launched new strikes targeting Iran's air defense systems, describing the military action as "minor."
This was the second strike reportedly carried out by the United States against the Iranian island this week. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported Tuesday that the United States attacked the island on Monday.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Friday that the United States is offering a reward of up to 20 million U.S. dollars and "possible relocation" for information about Iran's nuclear program.
Iran has said that uranium enrichment is an "inseparable" part of the country's nuclear industry, and that Iran's nuclear program is in compliance with its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Tensions at sea also escalated around the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said on Friday morning that two "violating" oil tankers seeking to transit the strait through an "unauthorized" route caught fire after hitting naval mines.
Its navy warned that bids by CENTCOM forces to compel oil tankers to cross the waterway through the mined route will lead to nothing but "consecutive and abject" defeats.
As hostilities intensified, regional countries stepped up diplomatic efforts to avert a wider conflict, while Tehran engaged in active outreach to secure strategic support and coordinate de-escalation steps.
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Mohsen Rezaei met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, delivering a message from Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Rezaei said Putin strongly condemned the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and expressed his country's readiness to provide any assistance necessary to help bring the war to an end.
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday held several phone calls with his counterparts from Oman, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Kuwait to discuss ongoing diplomatic processes.
During a phone conversation, Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi stressed the importance of consolidating sustainable understandings to ensure maritime security, end the state of war and prevent renewed confrontations in the region.
In Doha, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke by phone with Trump on Friday to discuss ongoing diplomatic efforts to ease regional tensions and reach a comprehensive agreement to end the crisis.
To facilitate direct engagement, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein proposed on Friday the establishment of a regional foreign ministers' committee to visit Tehran and Washington to help de-escalate regional tensions and resolve existing differences.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, held phone calls on Thursday and Friday to review joint efforts to defuse tensions, calling for restraint and dialogue to avoid further escalation.
Despite the diplomatic flurry, Iranian officials maintained that progress depends on concrete U.S. actions. SNSC Deputy Secretary Ali Bagheri Kani said Friday that Iran needs to see practical measures by the United States rather than mere "paper commitments," stressing that efforts must be made to make the United States implement Iran's proposed plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.■
