Regional
Middle East nations condemn Iran’s missile and drone attacks
A coalition of regional and international partners has issued a joint statement strongly condemning what they described as indiscriminate and reckless missile and drone attacks carried out by Iran across multiple countries in the Middle East.
In the statement released Monday, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States denounced the strikes as a serious violation of sovereignty and a threat to regional stability.
The countries said the attacks targeted sovereign territories across the region, including Bahrain, Iraq — including the Kurdistan Region — Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. According to the statement, the strikes endangered civilian populations and caused damage to civilian infrastructure.
Describing the actions as a “dangerous escalation,” the joint statement emphasized that targeting civilians and states not directly engaged in hostilities constitutes reckless and destabilizing behavior.
The signatories reaffirmed their commitment to defending their citizens, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, underscoring what they described as their right to self-defense in response to the attacks.
They also highlighted the role of coordinated air and missile defense systems, crediting joint defense cooperation with preventing more extensive casualties and destruction.
The statement reflects growing regional concern over rising tensions and the potential for further escalation in an already volatile security environment.
Iran has sent the United States a nuclear proposal via Qatar, to be discussed only after Washington meets Tehran’s seven demands, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the US was reviewing the proposal but declined to provide further details.
Mediators have intensified efforts to end the war between Iran and the United States amid fears it could reignite after the US midterm elections, with Trump on Tuesday declining to rule out a resumption of combat operations after the vote and Iran planning wider retaliation if war resumes.
Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei had said earlier on Thursday, during a visit to Russia: “On the issue of diplomacy, we have announced seven conditions to the Americans. As long as they do not execute our seven conditions, we will neither open the Strait of Hormuz nor have negotiations”.
Iran has demanded the lifting of US sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and war reparations, among other conditions, while Washington has said nuclear issues must be part of any initial negotiations.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, and Iran responded with strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases. Conflict also erupted in Lebanon between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, and more recently spread to Yemen, from where the Iran-aligned Houthis have struck energy facilities, airports and other targets in Saudi Arabia.
Regional
Iran says US voted ‘No to War’ after Republican midterm losses
The comments came after US President Donald Trump acknowledged that the war with Iran and rising petrol prices had contributed to the Republicans’ poor election performance.
Saudi Arabia and Syria signed a cooperation agreement between the two countries’ defense ministries on Wednesday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported, as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group continues its missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.
The agreement was signed during a visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Riyadh, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It was their second meeting in Saudi Arabia in less than a month, according to Reuters.
No details were provided on what the agreement entails. Reuters reported last month that Syria was carefully weighing providing military assistance to Saudi Arabia amid the kingdom’s escalating war against the Houthis in Yemen.
A Syrian diplomat said at the time that any request for military cooperation or exchange of expertise “would take place exclusively through official channels and within the framework of the bilateral agreements governing relations between our two brotherly countries.”
Saudi Arabia has been requesting assistance far and wide, from the US to Europe and the Middle East, for both defensive and offensive support in a renewed war against the Houthis.
The two countries also signed several other agreements during Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has been providing financial assistance to Syria and played a key role in re-establishing Damascus’ ties with world powers after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
The Saudi Fund for Development signed six agreements with Syria’s Finance Ministry on Wednesday for the provision of concessional development loans worth over $403 million to support development and service sectors in Syria, the Syrian ministry said.
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