Fuel tank hit at Oman’s Duqm port in drone attack

President Donald Trump is open to supporting groups in Iran willing to take up arms to dislodge the regime, an idea that could turn Iranian factions into ground forces at least rhetorically backed by Washington, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.

The officials said Trump has spoken with Kurdish leaders and is engaging other local figures who could seek to exploit Tehran’s weakness, though no final decision has been made on whether the United States would provide arms, training or intelligence support.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi held a phone conversation to discuss the situation in Iran and ongoing regional developments.

According to statements released following the call, the two ministers expressed support for an early cessation of hostilities and a return to a political and diplomatic settlement.

Russia and Oman said they are prepared to facilitate efforts aimed at finding peaceful solutions based on international law.

The two sides also stressed the need to take into account the legitimate interests of all Arab countries of the Persian Gulf in any future arrangements.

A senior adviser to the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Tehran would strike regional economic and oil facilities if its main centers are attacked.

“America is thirsty for oil. Let them know that for now we have closed the Strait of Hormuz and will not allow ships to pass. We have also announced to the world that any country that wants to take fuel from here, we will strike.” Ebrahim Jabbari said.

“So far, we have hit several ships,” he added.

Iran’s Defense Ministry spokesman said the country’s military capabilities would soon force its adversaries into a deadlock and compel them to stop the war, the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Reza Talaei-Nik said Iran’s “jihadi will,” tactical capabilities and weapons power are at a level that will leave the enemy facing a stalemate in the coming days and ultimately force a halt to the fighting.

He added that Iran’s “offensive defense" would continue with strength.

Israel’s air force struck the building housing Iran’s Council of Experts in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday in an attempt to disrupt the process of appointing a new supreme leader, Axios reported, citing an Israeli defense official.

The official said the strike occurred while votes were being counted and that the aim was to prevent the clerical body from selecting a successor to former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on Saturday in the first wave of Israeli strikes.

"We wanted to prevent them from picking a new supreme leader," Axios quoted the unnamed Israeli official as saying.

It was not immediately clear how many of the council’s 88 members were in the building at the time or the extent of the damage, the report said.