Iran official warns of retaliatory strikes on Saudi oil sites

Talks with Iran should include nuclear experts or risk producing a weaker agreement, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

“If the talks are only about the nuclear and there are no nuclear experts around the table, then we will end up with an agreement that is weaker than the JCPOA was,” she said.

Kallas added that failing to address broader issues such as missile programmes and regional activities could result in “a more dangerous Iran.”

China has urged its citizens in Iran to leave the country or move to safer areas as soon as possible, citing ongoing security risks.

The foreign ministry said the situation remains “complex and volatile” despite partial reopening of airspace, and advised nationals already in Iran to avoid sensitive sites and take extra precautions.

It also reiterated that Chinese citizens should not travel to Iran under current conditions.

A senior Iranian cleric said US President Donald Trump must apologize over the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Ali Shirazi, head of the ideological-political organization of Iran’s police, said Trump “must apologize to the Iranian people and admit before the world that killing our leader was a mistake.”

He also said hostility toward Israel is “a Quranic and unchangeable principle” and warned Iran’s armed forces are ready to deliver a strong response to any enemy action.

US Senator Tom Cotton said on Thursday Iran risks facing military consequences if it tries to prolong negotiations, accusing Tehran of following a “typical” strategy of dragging out talks to gain advantage.

"They can't have long-range offensive strike weapons or support terrorists like Hezbollah and Hamas. These have been his clearly stated goals for a decade. And if Iran thinks they're going to get the better of him at the negotiating table by dragging things out, I think they have another thing coming and that another thing coming may be from the American military," Cotton told Fox.

Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said on Thursday Iran is misjudging President Donald Trump’s commitment to victory, warning that expecting him to “blink” would be a mistake of “historic dimensions.”

“Iran is grossly misjudging the President of the United States’ commitment to victory against Iran. It thinks President Trump will blink because The New York Times says so. This will be an error of historic dimensions,” he posted on X.