Video: Basij forces take shelter under bridge in Shiraz

A group of Western and regional countries condemned Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels and civilian infrastructure and its effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, in a joint statement released by the United Arab Emirates.

The joint statement was signed by the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Romania, Bahrain, Lithuania, and Australia.

The statement called on Iran to immediately stop threats, mining, drone and missile attacks, and attempts to block commercial shipping.

“We express our deep concern about the escalating conflict. We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping, and to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2817,” it read.

The countries said freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law and warned that disruptions to shipping and energy supply chains pose a threat to global security.

“The effects of Iran’s actions will be felt by people in all parts of the world, especially the most vulnerable,” said the statement.

The countries further called for an immediate moratorium on attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities, and said they were ready to support efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait.

The statement also welcomed coordinated releases of strategic oil reserves and pledged support for countries most affected by the disruption.

The head of US Central Command said American forces have struck more than 8,000 targets in Iran since the start of the war, adding that Iran’s military capabilities are steadily weakening.

“So far, we’ve struck over 8,000 military targets, including 130 Iranian vessels, constituting the largest elimination of a navy over a 3-week period since World War II,” Adm. Brad Cooper said, adding Iran’s navy is no longer operating, its aircraft are grounded, and its ability to launch missiles and drones has sharply declined.

Israel’s military said an Iranian surface-to-air missile was launched at one of its aircraft during an Israeli air force operation in Iranian airspace, but caused no damage and did not disrupt the mission.

The military said the crew acted in line with operational procedures and completed the mission as planned.

It added that since the start of Operation Roaring Lion, there had been multiple attempts to target and shoot down Israeli fighter jets over Iran, and said Israeli air crews had dealt with those threats successfully.

Strikes in Iran would intensify this week, as Israel and the United States press their campaign against the Islamic Republic, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.

“This week, the intensity of the strikes that the IDF and the US military will carry out against the Iranian terror regime and the infrastructure it relies on will significantly escalate,” Katz said during an assessment with military officials.

Katz said Israel was “determined to continue leading the offensive against the Iranian terror regime, to decapitate its commanders and thwart its strategic capabilities, until every security threat to the State of Israel and to US interests in the region is removed.”

“The IDF is strong, and the Israeli home front is strong, and we will not stop until all war objectives are achieved,” he added.

“The threat level from the Iranian government and its actors is assessed as very high, and we are on full alert,” a spokesperson for Germany’s Interior Ministry said in response to Iran International on Saturday.

Federal and state security agencies, the spokesperson said, have adjusted protective measures for Jewish communities and Israeli and Jewish institutions since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, strengthening them where necessary.

According to the ministry, German security bodies are continuously reassessing the threat environment, maintaining a heightened state of readiness, and adapting protective measures as needed.

Berlin flags transnational repression risks

German security agencies are in close coordination with each other, state authorities, and international partners, sharing intelligence on potential threats, the spokesperson said.

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“There is also close cooperation between the federal government and the states on the issue of transnational repression,” the spokesperson added.

Monitoring, pressure, and targeting of opposition figures beyond national borders remain part of the activities of Iranian state actors, the spokesperson said.

Responding to threats by Iranian officials against Persian-language media, the spokesperson said the German government treats any activities by foreign state bodies or affiliated actors on its soil with utmost seriousness and does not tolerate them.

The Interior Ministry is working with security agencies and in coordination with the Foreign Ministry to counter transnational repression, according to the statement.

Shooting in Netherlands coincides with warning

The comments came as a 36-year-old Iranian man opposed to the Islamic Republic was shot and seriously wounded in the Netherlands on Thursday morning.

Information received by Iran International identified the man as Mohi Shafiei, a monarchist activist and a member of the Dutch police, who is currently hospitalized.

It remains unclear who carried out the attack.

Dutch prosecutors said “all possible scenarios” are being considered. The country’s justice minister said security measures had been taken in light of the officer’s background.

History of overseas targeting

The warning from Berlin comes after Mohsen Rafiqdoust, the first minister of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said in March 2025 in an interview with the Didban Iran website that he had overseen operations targeting opponents abroad in the years following the 1979 revolution.

German newspaper Welt also reported in December 2025 that Iranian intelligence services had expanded pressure tactics into Germany by threatening the families of Iranian migrants inside Iran, coercing some exiles into cooperation.