NATO’s Rutte says Iran must no longer pose threat

An Iranian conservative political activist has questioned the push to quickly select a new supreme leader, arguing that such a move could deepen divisions at a time when the country faces external military pressure.

Mohammad Mohajeri, writing on Wednesday, said Iran’s leadership institution should remain a symbol of national unity and warned that any decision that weakens the interim leadership council established under Article 111 of the constitution could undermine stability.

He said the country’s immediate priority should be defending Iran amid attacks by the United States and Israel, adding that political disputes over selecting a new leader should be avoided during the current crisis.

In a statement, the spokesperson said no one was killed or injured in the strike on a US diplomatic facility in Dubai and urged media outlets to verify information with official US government sources before publication.

“Any claim that Iran has killed 100 US military or civilian personnel in Dubai is complete disinformation. No one was killed or injured by the strike on the US Consulate in Dubai.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday that a wave of attacks on US bases in Dubai killed more than 100 American military or civilian personnel.

The State Department said the world should condemn what it described as Iran’s “heinous and illegal attacks” on American diplomatic facilities and those of any country.

The department said it is in direct contact with Americans in the United Arab Emirates seeking information and assistance and is facilitating charter flights from the UAE.

It added that it is working through a 24/7 task force and regional teams to ensure Americans have accurate information and access to support. The department has also opened a crisis intake form for Americans in the UAE seeking departure assistance.

Separately, the United Arab Emirates said Iranian attacks since Saturday had killed three people and wounded 78 others.

The UAE defense ministry said those killed included one Bangladeshi, one Pakistani and one Nepali national.

The ministry said air defenses intercepted three ballistic missiles on Wednesday and detected 129 drones, destroying 121 of them while eight fell inside the country.

Since the start of the attacks, the UAE said it had detected 189 ballistic missiles, destroying 175, while 13 fell into the sea and one landed on its territory.

The ministry added that 941 Iranian drones had been launched toward the UAE, with 876 intercepted and 65 falling inside the country. It also said eight cruise missiles were detected and destroyed, and that interception operations caused some collateral damage.

The UAE condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty and international law and said it reserves the right to respond.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday that Ukraine could share know-how on interceptor drones with the Arab states of the Persian Gulf to help boost production.

Kallas also said the European Union is not dependent on oil from those countries, limiting the impact of regional supply risks on the bloc’s energy security.

She also said political space is needed to prevent further escalation in the region and added that there must be room for democracy to get out of the cycle of escalation.

Two senior figures in the Basij student organization at Tehran University and Amirkabir University of Technology were killed in recent Israeli precision strikes on Tehran, Amir Kabir Newsletter reported on Wednesday.

The report identified the dead as Mohammad Mehdi Ozgoli, the head of the Physics Faculty Basij at Tehran University, and Mohammad Mehdi Sharifi, the head of the Aerospace Faculty Basij at Amir Kabir University.

The two had roles in campus control and the suppression of protests, the newsletter said, describing the Basij student organization as an arm of security bodies inside universities.

A missile strike destroyed the 12,000-seat indoor arena at Tehran’s Azadi sports complex on Thursday morning following attacks by the US and Israel, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported.

ISNA said all sections of the indoor hall and surrounding buildings at the complex were destroyed.

Previously there were reports that authorities were using some stadiums and sports venues in various cities to gather and station military and security forces, as well as equipment and vehicles, to shield them from US and Israeli strikes.