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President Donald Trump took to Truth Social Tuesday morning to declare that China can now resume purchasing oil from Iran, adding that he hopes Beijing will also buy "plenty" from the US.
“China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the US, also. It was my Great Honor to make this happen!” Trump wrote.
The post comes as a fragile ceasefire holds between Iran and Israel, following weeks of escalating military conflict.
Iranian news outlet Farda reported that a number of soldiers, officers, and military officials have recently failed to report to duty or have refused to follow orders.
According to the report, some personnel have fled their posts and gone into hiding.
The report added that in response, senior judiciary officials within Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff have issued harsh warnings to various branches, saying that “any disobedience or desertion will be considered a serious blow to the Islamic Republic’s security and treated as treason—whether motivated by aiding the enemy or personal reasons.”
Iranian media reported on Tuesday that Alireza Lotfi, the deputy chief of the Intelligence Organization of Iran’s Law Enforcement Command, was killed in an Israeli strike.
According to the reports, Lotfi was killed in Monday’s attacks across Tehran.
Israel says hundreds of members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard were killed in coordinated strikes on multiple targets in Tehran on Monday.
On that day, Israel targeted several Revolutionary Guard, Basij, and Law Enforcement positions in the Iranian capital.
Qatar's Prime Minister said on Tuesday that Tehran's missile strike on a US airbase in Qatar had left a mark on bilateral relations, but expressed hope that diplomacy would prevail and regional ties would normalize.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Doha alongside Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called Iran's missile attack a violation of Qatari sovereignty and said legal and diplomatic steps would be taken in response.
“What happened will definitely leave its scar on the relationship,” Al Thani said. “But I hope that in time everyone learns the lesson that neighborhood relations must not be violated or undermined.”
Iran launched missiles at the US-operated Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday, in retaliation for American attacks on its nuclear sites. No casualties were reported.
Al Thani said that at the request of the US, Qatar had contacted Iranian officials to explore the possibility of a full ceasefire, which he said contributed to the American announcement of a truce. He welcomed the ceasefire and urged all sides to return to diplomacy.
He also confirmed that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to express regret over the attack, saying it was not intended to target Qatar as a state.
“We made it clear to him that Qatar is a neighboring country that has always maintained good relations with Iran,” Al Thani said.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not want to see "regime change" in Iran, warning that such an outcome would lead to chaos.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to a NATO summit, Trump said Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon.
He also said Russian President Vladimir Putin had called him and offered to help de-escalate tensions with Tehran.
