Iran Foreign Minister Denounces Gulf States over US Attacks

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has demanded clarification on reports that Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was in regular private conversations with Donald Trump, urging the US president to 'hit the Iranians hard'.

Araghchi made the comments after responding to the second US media report in a week claiming the Saudi crown prince's public opposition to the US attacks on Iran did not reflect his private position. 'Stances should be promptly clarified,' he said in a post on X.

Iran has been subject to intense bombardments since the start of the war, with electricity grid infrastructure being hit and power being temporarily lost in eastern parts of the capital. The mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani, said the capital had suffered 13,000 separate attacks, more than half of the total attacks on Iran.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said that 'vessels belonging to countries not involved in the war have been allowed to transit the strait of Hormuz with coordination and permission from Iran's military'. Two Indian-flagged gas tankers bound for Gujarat have been allowed to pass through the strait after direct talks between Iran and India.