Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war, saying that the leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used, and that attacks on Iran’s Gulf Arab neighbors will continue.
Khamenei did not appear on camera. Israeli intelligence assessed that he was likely wounded in the war’s opening salvo. Khamenei also called on Gulf Arabs to “shut down” US bases, saying promised US protection is “nothing more than a lie.”
Israel’s military said it had begun a new wave of strikes in Beirut on Thursday. It came less than two hours after the military warned residents of a large swath of southern Beirut to evacuate north. Over 800,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced over the past 10 days in the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, part of the wider Iran war.
The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil briefly topped $100 a barrel early Thursday, just days after it spiked near $120 in the latest jolts to financial markets and the global economy as a whole.
The UN refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the ongoing war. It said most have fled from Tehran and other major cities toward the north of the country or rural areas.
UN chief renews call for end to war, return to negotiations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the US-Israeli military strikes, followed by Iran’s retaliatory attacks, have caused “immense suffering” and pushed the region to a breaking point.
“And as always, the most vulnerable are being hurt first and worst,” Guterres said. “De-escalation and dialogue are the only way out.”
He made the comments in the Turkish capital where he received the country’s peace prize on behalf of global UN staff.
Russia and China clash with US and its allies over Iran’s nuclear ambitions
US Ambassador Mike Waltz told the UN Security Council that Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons to produce and accumulate uranium enriched up to 60%, which is near weapons-grade.
The United Kingdom’s acting ambassador, James Kariuki, said there is “no credible civilian justification” for Iran possessing more than 400 kilograms (about 880 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, adding the stockpile erodes confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and led to the “snapback” of U.N. sanctions last September.
But Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the US and its allies of whipping up “hysteria” about Iran seeking a nuclear weapon to justify “yet another military venture against Tehran” and escalate tensions.
China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong said Iran has repeatedly reaffirmed it does not seek nuclear weapons and that its “sincerity should be taken seriously.” (AP)
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