Iran emphasizes its strategy to respond to US and Israel bombings by attacking the international economy. The new Supreme Leader of the country, in the first speech attributed to him, has called for keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed, where traffic has been paralyzed since the days following the start of this war in the Middle East. This blockade has caused the Brent crude oil barrel from the North Sea to surpass $100 on Thursday morning, despite the unprecedented intervention of major powers in the market.
This would be the first message from Ayatollah Mojtaba Jamenei, appointed successor to his father, who lost his life in the US and Israel attacks. The new leader was also injured in that bombing, and his real condition is unknown since he has not been seen since then, and the message on Thursday was read on Iranian state television over a still image.
The first speech attributed to the new Supreme Leader of Iran calls for keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed
First speech attributed to Ayatollah Mojtaba Jamenei. After his condition has not been clarified following being injured in the attack that killed his father and predecessor, the new Iranian Supreme Leader has called for keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed. This is, as he said, a pressure measure that would further accentuate the strategy of strangling the international economy. He has also urged to close all US bases in the area, ensuring they could be attacked. He has also promised to avenge those who died in the war.
It is worth noting that he has not appeared in person, but the message was read on state television over a still image.
Iran threatens to attack the region's power infrastructure if the United States does the same.
Iran will attack the region's power infrastructure if Donald Trump fulfills his threats to attack Iran's, promised on Thursday the head of the Iranian National Security Council, Ali Larijani. "If they do, the entire region will be plunged into darkness in less than half an hour, and darkness offers many opportunities to target US soldiers," he wrote in X.
US President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that US forces could shut down Iran's power supply "in an hour."
Evacuation orders in Israel now extend to 10% of Lebanese territory
The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders on Thursday for southern Lebanon, which practically double the area that residents must leave, indicating that they must move north, beyond the Zahrani River.
The new areas, marked in red on a map published in X by a military spokesperson, mean that the Israeli army has ordered the evacuation of 10% of Lebanese territory.
The Israeli army says it has disabled more than 250 Iranian drones
Israeli forces have destroyed more than 250 drones from the Iranian regime as well as hundreds of missile launchers in recent days, detailed a military statement on the thirteenth day of the offensive.
"More than 250 aircraft have been dismantled throughout Iran. In addition, many commanders and operators of these arsenals responsible for numerous launches towards the State of Israel were eliminated," the text adds.
Meanwhile, Iran launched last night and early Thursday a new wave of attacks against Israel and countries in the Persian Gulf, hitting a building in Dubai, the capital of the UAE, as well as fuel tanks at facilities near the capital of Bahrain and a building in Kuwait.
Hezbollah launched its largest offensive against Israel last night, with 200 projectiles and 20 drones
The Israeli army said on Thursday that the Shiite group Hezbollah carried out last night, in coordination with Iran, its largest offensive against Israel since the start of the war, with 200 projectiles and 20 drones launched against the northern Israeli territory, according to spokesperson Nadav Shoshani.
"It was Hezbollah's largest bombardment since the start of Operation Roar of the Lion. It was a combination of rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles, and different types of missiles, such as anti-tank missiles and rocket launchers," Shoshani said in a virtual meeting with foreign press.
The attack began around eight in the evening and continued throughout the night, with alarms sounding intermittently in the north of Israel, its border area with Lebanon.
US says its military forces are "not ready" to escort ships in Hormuz
US military forces are "not ready" at this time to escort tankers through the strategic Strait of Hormuz because all their resources are mobilized in attacking Iran, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday.
"It will happen relatively soon, but it cannot happen now. We are simply not ready," said Chris Wright to CNBC. "Right now, all our military resources are focused on destroying Iran's offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies those offensive capabilities."
Wright added that it is "quite likely" that these escort operations will take place towards the end of this month.
A German Hapag-Lloyd ship damaged by shrapnel in the Strait of Hormuz
A ship from the German freight transport company Hapag Lloyd, the 'Source Blessing,' was damaged on Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by shrapnel, although no crew members were injured, a company spokesperson told EFE.
Esmail Baghaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson: "They have killed our Supreme Leader, did they think we would remain inert?"
Exclusive interview of Corriere della Sera with Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, responds from Tehran after days of waiting. "I have ten minutes," he says. He remains on the phone for almost an hour.
A shameful aggression carried out by two nuclear-armed regimes. We had just concluded the third round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva and agreed on the next one, and suddenly they attacked.
We were on alert for the possibility of a repeat of what happened in June. But we decided to commit again, and for the second time in nine months, they betrayed the diplomatic process. They committed a massacre in Minab.
Greece confirms one of the tankers attacked in Iraq is Greek-owned
One of the two tankers attacked last night by Iran in Iraqi waters in the Persian Gulf is Greek-owned, although it was sailing under the flag of Malta, according to the newspaper 'Ekathimerini' in Athens on Thursday.
The ship 'Zefyros,' with a crew of 22 Georgian citizens, was conducting a ship-to-ship cargo transfer within Iraqi territorial waters when the attack occurred late Wednesday.
The other attacked vessel is the 'Safesea Vishnu,' a 74,000-ton tanker, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.