Iran has warned European nations to stay out of the conflict with the United States and Israel, or face “retaliation”. The warning came from Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, who accused the US and Israel of committing “clear war crimes and crimes against humanity” in their attacks on Iran.
Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, Iravani said that at least 1,332 Iranian civilians had been killed so far in the US-Israeli war on Iran, with thousands more injured. He described the attacks as “indiscriminate” and “deliberately” targeting densely populated civilian areas and infrastructure, including schools and medical facilities.
Iravani also criticised Donald Trump’s comments about choosing Iran’s next leader, calling it a violation of the principle of non-interference. “Iran is a sovereign and independent state,” he said. “It does not accept, and will never allow, a foreign power to interfere [in its affairs].”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Iranian military told state television that Iran does not plan to close the Strait of Hormuz, but will target any ship belonging to Israel or the United States that attempts to cross. Traffic through the strait, a vital shipping route for a fifth of the world’s oil, has drastically reduced since the conflict began, driving oil prices past $90 a barrel.
In a separate development, Qatar’s defence ministry reported that its air defence systems intercepted nine out of ten Iranian drones launched towards the country on Friday, with the tenth hitting an uninhabited area and causing no injuries. The US embassy in Baghdad had earlier warned that Iran-aligned militia groups may target hotels frequented by foreigners in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
