Abbas Araghchi

Mojtaba was a mid-ranking cleric, but with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps • Iran's ideology frowns on hereditary succession • IDF will 'pursue every successor'

The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia have all come under heavy drone and missile fire from Iran over the past week.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said later on Thursday that four additional Typhoon fighter jets would be sent to Qatar as the conflict in the Middle East escalates.

"Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X/Twitter.

Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that “evidence on the ground” disproved the Iranian claim and decried the strikes as a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty.

The incident marks the first time that NATO member Turkey, Iran's neighbor to the northwest, has been drawn into the expanding conflict between Iran and the US and Israel.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Rubio's statements, saying that the US has "entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel."

Araghchi also claims to have spoken with the Omani and Qatari foreign ministers on the subject of recent attacks by Iranian forces on foreign targets.

These are important talks and come amid tensions between the US and Iran.

“There’s thinking in and around the administration that the politics are a lot better if the Israelis go first and alone and the Iranians retaliate against us," sources told Politico.