(today)
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has condemned the US attack on areas near Iran’s Bandar Abbas, and expressed solidarity with Oman after “US officials’ threats” in a statement delivered on Thursday.
This follows US President Donald Trump’s threats to “blow up” Oman if it joins Iran in imposing fees on the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that, they’ll be fine.”
Oman, a strategic partner of the U.S. for more than 50 years, has played a key role in efforts to mediate a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran.
(3h ago (19:00 GMT)
The US president says he was asked by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan “to hold off on our planned Military attack” on Iran, “which was scheduled for tomorrow”.
Trump said the Gulf leaders had noted “that serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond”.
“This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is planning to invite representative from four Gulf states to the summit in Ankara with the Iran war and the transatlantic rift likely to loom large over the talks, said people familiar with the matter.
The countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — are all members of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, a partnership between NATO and non-members in the broader Middle East.
Bloomberg reported that the United Arab Emirates unsuccessfully attempted to persuade fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council to join a coordinated military campaign against Iran during the early stages of the US-Israeli war.
According to the report, Abu Dhabi sought support from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman for a joint response following Iranian retaliatory missile and drone strikes across the region.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has spoken with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to address recent Iranian missile and drone strikes, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
During the call, the crown prince conveyed Riyadh’s position on the attacks and reiterated support for the United Arab Emirates.
Qatar’s emir, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has condemned Iranian missile and drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates during a phone call with President Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, according to an official statement.
The emir criticised the strikes, saying they targeted civilian sites and infrastructure.
(December 16, 2023)
Israeli leaders believed that Hamas was more interested in governing than fighting. By the time the agents discovered the ledgers in 2018, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging the government of Qatar to deliver millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. He gambled that the money would buy stability and peace.
Mr. Levy recalled briefing Mr. Netanyahu personally in 2015 about the Hamas portfolio.
(April 27, 2026)
Sources close to these diplomatic efforts told Al Jazeera that senior intelligence officials from several countries were present at the Muscat talks.
In a statement released on the 40th day since the assassination of former Supreme Leader, Khamenei affirmed that Tehran “considers all resistance fronts as a unified entity,“ adding that Iran is still awaiting an appropriate response from neighbors “so that we may show you our brotherhood and goodwill.”
(today)
Several Gulf nations, including Bahrain, the UAE and Kuwait, have also reported missile and drone attacks on their territories, hours after Iran and the US announced a two-week ceasefire.
Production Date
07 Apr 2026
Video Length
02:51:06
Audio Language
Arabic
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English
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Original
The draft resolution prepared by Bahrain and supported by the United States received 11 votes in favor, two against and two abstentions.
(…)
In 2011, NATO obtained the green light to intervene in Libya when Russia abstained from a vote. Moscow later fumed that this had led to the fall of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
In his post in Arabic, he implored regional leaders to take immediate diplomatic action. „Please, once again, do everything in your power before this madman turns the region into a ball of fire,“ the former IAEA chief wrote, directing his remarks at the neighbouring Gulf states.
The warning follows a sharp pivot in Washington‘s rhetoric, where Trump threatened the destruction of essential Iranian infrastructure and the forced reopening of the Strait of Hormuz if a peace agreement is not reached within the specified deadline.
ElBaradei also questioned the role of international institutions in preventing an all-out war. In a separate post written in English and addressed to the United Nations, he asked if „nothing can be done to stop this madness?“
#Damascus #USEmbassy #IranUSWar
Hundreds Protest in Damascus, Storm UAE Embassy & Raise Palestinian Flag | Breaking News
Syrian protesters gathered outside the UAE embassy in Damascus to express unwavering solidarity with Palestine, vehemently opposing the newly approved Israeli law permitting the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners alongside the ongoing closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
A Reuters reporter saw dozens of protesters gathering outside the UAE‘s embassy in Damascus at midday on Friday, including some chanting „the Zionist embassy“.
According to a report by Reuters, the situation escalated when a group split from a larger pro-Palestinian protest at Umayyad Square and attempted to move towards the embassy. A Syrian security official said forces intervened to stop them.
“Internal security forces prevented them from doing so and dealt with the situation,“ the official said, speaking anonymously.
Nicole Grajewski, the author of Russia and Iran: Partners in Defiance from Syria to Ukraine, said that Iran does not possess the Wing Loong Drone in its arsenal.
Neither the US nor Israel is known to operate Wing Loong II drones, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE have them in their arsenal.
The Wing Loong drone has featured prominently in Sudan’s civil war, where the UAE has deployed them in support of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, according to The New York Times.
The actual vote on the resolution, which was drafted by Bahrain with the support of the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, is expected to be scheduled for Friday. But it remained unclear whether extra hours of diplomacy would bring the three veto-holding countries on board.
Russia, China and France are among the five permanent members of the council with veto power. There were also divisions over the resolution among the 10 nonpermanent members, according to diplomats.
Arab nations, led by Bahrain, seeking UN Security Council authorisation for military intervention to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have faced a major setback as Russia, China and France vetoed the proposed resolution.
The strategic Strait of Hormuz—through which approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supplies transit—was closed by Iran on 28 February 2026 amid escalating conflict with the United States and Israel.
The initial draft, seen by The National, explicitly cited Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, which grants the Security Council authority to impose measures ranging from sanctions to military action.
Arab officials said their efforts to broker an understanding between Tehran and Washington have so far failed to yield results.
Baghaei confirmed that Iran has received messages through some friendly countries over the past few days regarding the US request for negotiations to end the ongoing war. He said Iran has responded appropriately and based on the Islamic Republic’s principled positions.
Mar 11, 2026 #UNSecurityCouncil #MiddleEastCrisis #IsraelLebanon
Amir‑Saeid Iravani, Ambassador of Iran to the United Nations, delivered remarks during a session of the United Nations Security Council at UN headquarters in New York City addressing the escalating situation in the Middle East. Iran’s envoy condemned military strikes against Iran and warned that continued aggression threatens regional and global stability. He urged the international community to uphold international law and the UN Charter while emphasizing that Iran will defend its sovereignty and people if attacks continue. Iran’s delegation also called for diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation and protect civilians across the region.
“Accordingly, we do not recognize the Council’s action today. We consider it unjust and unlawful, inconsistent with the United Nations Charter and international law, and an action that completely disregards the established principles governing the determination of acts of aggression and breaches of the peace,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Iranian envoy blasted the Security Council members that voted in favor of the resolution, particularly the European ones, saying they have demonstrated that their claims of defending the UN Charter and international law are nothing more than empty words.
“Their hypocritical and irresponsible conduct once again demonstrates that political considerations take precedence over their professed commitment to international law and the UN Charter,” he noted.
The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday (March 11) adopted a resolution urging Iran to stop its attacks on Gulf nations, but the text avoided mentioning recent US or Israeli strikes on Iran, drawing sharp criticism from Tehran.
The resolution passed with 13 votes in favour, while veto-holding members China and Russia abstained. It “demands the immediate cessation of all attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.”
Der UN-Sicherheitsrat hat am Mittwoch mit klarer Mehrheit eine Resolution angenommen, in der ausschließlich die Angriffe des Iran auf die Golfstaaten verurteilt werden – nicht jedoch die vorangegangenen Angriffe der USA und Israels auf den Iran. China und Russland haben sich enthalten.
Presented by Bahrain and co-sponsored by 135 countries, the resolution emphasized „strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence“ of the GCC states and Jordan.
It strongly condemns the „egregious attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against“ the Gulf countries and Jordan, emphasizing that the attacks „constitute a breach of international law and a serious threat to international peace and security.“