Iran's Araghchi says US bases in regional countries are legitimate targets

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Iran "warned regional states that US bases used for any aggression against Iran" were "legitimate targets."

According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) posts on X, he also said that “standing against the world’s greatest power, equipped with nuclear weapons, for 40 days is no joke,” and that “the world has realised the true power of the Iranian nation.”

The Iranian foreign minister also said” We are committed to fostering sustainable, constructive ties with Saudi Arabia.”

Israeli army warns residents of 3 Lebanese towns to evacuate despite renewed ceasefire

The Israeli army on Friday issued an urgent evacuation warning to residents in the Lebanese towns and villages of Arnaya, also known as Arnaba, Anqoun, and Kfar Fila, despite the renewed ceasefire.

The army told residents to evacuate their homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters away from the towns and villages to open areas.

The warning came despite a fragile ceasefire in place since April 17, which Washington extended until early July, and amid continued diplomatic efforts to preserve it and prevent its collapse.

Israel kills 4 in a dozen attacks on southern Lebanon

Israel killed four people and wounded at least 14 others Friday in a dozen attacks on Lebanon, despite efforts to shore up a ceasefire, according to an Anadolu tally based on statements from Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

The tally covered attacks reported as of 1:12pm PKT.

In the Nabatieh province, one person was killed and another wounded when an Israeli strike targeted a building near a police station in the town of Doueir, destroying it.

Three more people were killed in another Israeli strike on the same town, raising the death toll there to four, the agency reported.

Israeli drones also launched a series of strikes on the towns of Habboush and Abba, as well as on a motorcycle near the Popular Aid junction, wounding one person.

The escalation also included artillery shelling that targeted Kfar Rumman, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, and the outskirts of Choukin and Mayfadoun, while an Israeli drone struck the area around the Harouf-Toul roundabout.

In Tyre, 12 people were wounded in a strike near Jabal Amel Hospital that destroyed a building belonging to Bank Audi. Civil defence teams transferred the wounded to the hospital, the agency reported.

The attacks came despite a fragile cease-fire in place since April 17, which Washington extended until early July, and amid continued diplomatic efforts to preserve it and prevent its collapse.

Netanyahu reportedly said ‘no agreement’ while Hezbollah opposed to Lebanon ceasefire

Israeli media outlet Ynet reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s government has not yet approved the implementation of a "ceasefire" between Israel and the Lebanese government, according to Al Jazeera.

“There is currently no agreement; Hezbollah is opposed, and therefore I am not making a decision. If they agree, I will bring it to your approval,” Netanyahu is reported to have said at a security cabinet meeting on Thursday evening.

Israeli army claims Hezbollah commander killed in Lebanon

The Israeli army claimed that it killed Abdul Harb, a commander in Hezbollah’s engineering unit, in a strike last week. The Lebanese group has not confirmed the killing, according to Al Jazeera.

In a statement on X, the army claimed Harb was involved in assembling and activating explosives aimed at Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.

It described him as a senior Hezbollah commander who had been involved in attacks on Israeli forces since the 2006 Lebanon war.

The Israeli army also said its air force struck and destroyed a launcher overnight, claiming Hezbollah fighters had used it to fire rockets at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

Iran says Strait of Hormuz to be managed jointly with Oman under international law

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Iran and Oman will jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz in line with international law.

In remarks carried by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, citing Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen TV, Araghchi said Iran and Oman, as the two countries bordering the strategic waterway, have the “natural right” to coordinate and make decisions regarding its management.

He said Tehran would exchange views with Gulf countries over developments related to the strait but stressed that decisions concerning its administration would ultimately be made by Iran and Oman.

Araghchi said efforts by both sides are aimed at ensuring safe passage for all ships through the strait in accordance with international law.

In the same interview, Araghchi said communication with Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains ongoing and that his directives are received “in due time” and implemented precisely.

He also said there is broad national consensus around Iran’s leadership and that state affairs are proceeding “in a very good direction.”

Tehran says Germany’s UNSC seat loss reflects ‘global outrage’ over Gaza, war on Iran

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmael Baghaei has said Germany’s recent failure to secure a non-permanent seat on the powerful UN Security Council amounts to “a stark rebuke from the international community” driven by “growing global outrage” over Berlin’s policies on Gaza and Iran, as per Al Jazeera.

Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, writing on X, accused Germany of “irresponsible, hypocritical, and complicit” behaviour, saying it has “consistently justified the genocide of Palestinians” and is “one of the largest suppliers of lethal weapons to Israel”.

“When the Israeli regime launched its aggression on Iran, Berlin refused to condemn it,” Baghaei wrote.

“Instead, it shamelessly described it as ‘dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us’.”

“The world is changing,” Baghaei stated.

“Nations are no longer judging governments by their lofty rhetoric about international law, but by their actual behaviour. Those who choose to ignore this shift will inevitably pay a heavy diplomatic price.”

Top Iranian military adviser says missiles were ready after Israeli threats to Beirut’s southern suburbs

A top military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said on Thursday that missiles were ready to be launched after Israeli threats to target Beirut’s southern suburbs, reaffirming support for Hezbollah.

Read: Kuwait airport attack kills one, injures at least 63, damages terminal building

In an interview with Iranian state television, Mohsen Rezaei said Israel sought to pressure Lebanon in an attempt to influence negotiations with Iran.

He warned Israel to leave Lebanon, saying the country would be “an inseparable part of any agreement.”

Rezaei said Iran remains committed to supporting its allies, particularly Hezbollah, which “sacrificed lives” during the recent war.

“A state that does not support its allies loses credibility,” he added.

The Iranian official also warned that any confrontation would place northern Israel under conditions “far more difficult” than those seen during the 40-day war.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Rezaei described the strategic waterway as “a strong deterrence arm” in Iran’s hands.

“The Strait of Hormuz is open for trade, not for military presence,” he said, accusing Washington of maintaining maritime pressure despite the continued movement of commercial shipping.

Rezaei also called for the release of at least $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds to help build trust in negotiations.

US House blocks Lebanon war powers resolution

The US House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a war powers resolution aimed at preventing US military involvement in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, where airstrikes by Israel have killed thousands since early March.

Read more: US House votes to rein in Trump war powers

The "Lebanon War Powers Resolution," introduced by Representative Rashida Tlaib, failed in a 92-324 vote, with two members voting present. The measure sought to direct the president to remove any US armed forces present in Lebanon out of the country within seven days of adoption.

Following the vote, Tlaib expressed deep regret over the outcome but vowed to press forward with her efforts. In a statement, she said her resolution was a critical step toward ending US participation in "the Israeli apartheid regime's ongoing brutal invasion, indiscriminate bombing, and ethnic cleansing campaign in Lebanon."

While Tlaib lamented that "far too many" of her colleagues failed to recognize the severity of the situation in Lebanon, she expressed gratitude to the lawmakers who voted in favor of the measure.

"This fight is not over," Tlaib said. "The Lebanese people continue to be subjected to violent forced displacement, illegal military occupation, and deadly US-funded bombs."

She added that she looks forward to House Democratic leadership "swiftly delivering on their promise to support H.Con.Res. 108, a new Lebanon War Powers Resolution, and reassert Congressional authority to put an end to US. participation in this unjust invasion."

Earlier Thursday, House Democratic leadership had announced that they would vote against Tlaib’s initial resolution, opting instead to signal support for another war powers resolution that Tlaib introduced on Wednesday.

"We stand with the Lebanese people, the government of Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces in their efforts to live peacefully and defeat Hezbollah, a violent terrorist organization that is a sworn enemy of the United States," Democratic leaders said in a joint statement.

The statement also emphasized that they did not support any effort by the Trump administration to entangle the United States in a war in Lebanon or other parts of the Middle East. It noted that "currently, there are no US service members involved in combat operations or hostilities in Lebanon."

The vote comes a day after Lebanon and Israel agreed to renew their fragile ceasefire and establish “pilot zones” placing the Lebanese army in exclusive territorial control, with all non-state actors excluded.

The agreement was announced in a joint statement released following a fourth round of US-mediated talks held at the State Department on Wednesday.

Trump says he does not need deal with Iran to get enriched uranium

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that Washington did not need a deal with Iran to get enriched uranium from the country.

Also read: Trump says US to remove Iran's high-level enriched uranium in ‘near future’

"We could get it right now. I don't think they could stop us if we wanted, but there's no reason to. It's entombed," he told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump also said that he did not want to meet with Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

But he added that if Washington and Tehran reached a deal, it was possible that the two would meet and added: "If it happened ... I'd be respectful".

More 'moderate shooting'

Along with Lebanon, residents of Gaza, northern Israel ​and Kuwait have all been under fire this week, despite US-arranged ceasefires that Trump said on Wednesday involved "shooting in a more moderate manner," rather than a total halt to fighting.

Iranian and US forces traded attacks in the Gulf on Wednesday in one of the most intense bouts of fighting since early April, when a ceasefire halted large-scale hostilities.

Iranian forces struck Kuwait's airport, killing one ​person and injuring more than 60, authorities said, while the US military launched strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.

In Oman, an alleged drone attack forced the suspension ​of oil loading at the Mina al Fahal terminal after an explosion, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

A fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies ‌go through the ⁠strait in normal times, but it has been largely closed since the war began three months ago.

Iranian oil exports have fallen to their lowest in six years, shipping data show, but global oil prices fell about 3% on hopes that the Lebanon ceasefire could help Washington and Iran find a diplomatic off-ramp from their war.

There has been little evidence of diplomatic progress, though Trump has repeatedly declared since late March that a deal is close.

Trump, under pressure at home to bring down fuel ​prices ahead of November's congressional elections, received ​a rare rebuke from the House ⁠of Representatives on Wednesday, when it voted to block him from continuing the war, a largely symbolic gesture as Trump is unlikely to sign it into law.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that Iran's enemies had already been defeated on ​the battlefield and were now seeking to sow internal divisions.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since he succeeded ​his father, who was ⁠killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Tehran wants access to billions of dollars in oil revenue, waivers on sanctions on crude exports, a lifting of a US blockade on its ports and leverage over the strait.

Trump, who has said his top priority is to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, told reporters Washington did not ⁠need a deal ​with Iran to get enriched uranium from the country.

"I don't think they could stop us if ​we wanted, but there's no reason to," he said in the Oval Office. "It's entombed."

Iran says its atomic program is for peaceful purposes.

The UN nuclear watchdog said on Thursday it found Iran's nuclear program largely ​unchanged despite three months of war.