Iran threatens to hit USS Abraham Lincoln if it comes within missile range

Iran war has disrupted global helium supplies, raising concerns for semiconductor manufacturing and healthcare systems that rely on the gas, the Financial Times reported,

The FT said output has fallen as Iranian strikes and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have curtailed exports from the Persian Gulf, a key source of helium, which is used in chipmaking and MRI scanners.

According to the report, Air Liquide warned customers it may not be able to fulfil orders, while industry figures said supply chains were tightening and prices had surged, with some contracts nearly tripling compared with pre-war levels.

The report added that Qatar, which accounts for roughly a third of global helium production, has seen output hit by the conflict, while buyers in Asia and elsewhere are scrambling to secure alternative supplies.

Analysts and industry experts told the FT that prolonged disruption could begin to affect chip production and force some medical systems to shut down, although critical sectors are likely to be prioritized for deliveries.

A senior Iranian army commander said the Iranian people would decide when the war ends and issued a direct threat against US forces, warning that American troops would face deadly consequences in any ground confrontation.

The commander of the army’s northwestern headquarters said Iran’s armed forces had adjusted their tactics since the start of the war to deliver what he described as crushing responses to each attack.

He also said that major powers now need Iran’s permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and accused the enemy of turning to psychological warfare by alternating between talk of agreements, negotiations, attacks on infrastructure and ground invasion.

He mocked US special forces and said Iranian forces had not forgotten earlier encounters with American troops, before warning that Iran was sharpening its knives and would “cut the throats” of US soldiers.

He also addressed Donald Trump directly, saying American graves were ready if US forces entered the fight.

Witnesses told Iran International that Iraqi forces had been stationed in residential housing used by Revolutionary Guards personnel on Autobusrani Street in Bandar Abbas.

The report came a day after multiple images circulated showing Iraqi forces parading in Iranian streets, particularly in Khorramshahr, where men riding in Toyota Hilux vehicles and carrying Iraqi flags were seen moving through the city.

The Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militia, which has been accused of taking part in the January crackdown in Iran, has come under intensified attack in Iraq over the past week.

A senior Iranian official warned that any US move to seize Iranian islands would bring a forceful response from the Islamic Republic and heavy losses for American forces.

Gholamreza Mesbahi-Moghadam, a member of the Expediency Council, said sending troops to Iranian islands would amount to “collective suicide” and said US forces would face a decisive response if they entered them.

He also said Iran should perhaps have used the Strait of Hormuz years earlier as a strategic gateway to prevent entry by countries hostile to the Islamic Republic.

Pakistan hosted talks in Islamabad on Saturday with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to discuss regional de-escalation amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the gathering.

The meetings come as regional powers step up diplomatic contacts in search of ways to contain the fallout from the war.