US envoy says Trump will enforce Iran nuclear ‘red line’

Iranian lawmaker Esmail Kowsari warned that Iran would target the infrastructure of Arab states astride the Persian Gulf unless they stopped US President Donald Trump and expelled American forces from the region.

“The countries south of the Persian Gulf are not thinking of their own interests and must stop the wicked US president, expel the Americans from the region and send them back to the land of cattle herders,” Kowsari said.

“Otherwise, Iran will target their infrastructure,” he added.

Shrapnel from an Iranian ballistic missile hit an Israeli air force base in northern Israel on Sunday night, CNN reported, citing an Israeli source and a military source.

IRGC had said it struck the Ramat David air base in northern Israel in one of the first rounds of ballistic missile fire on Sunday night.

CNN cited an Israeli military source as saying a piece of the missile hit a structure at the base, and that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was still investigating the extent of the damage.

The UN nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a US-backed resolution requiring Iran to declare its remaining enriched uranium stocks and allow inspectors to verify them, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing diplomats.

The resolution, submitted by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, passed with 21 votes in favor, three against and 10 abstentions, diplomats at the closed-door meeting said.

Russia, China and Niger voted against the resolution, while Venezuela was not allowed to take part, the diplomats said.

The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, saying Tehran bore full responsibility for the attacks and their repercussions on regional security, navigation and energy supplies.

“The security of the GCC states is indivisible, and any attack against one of them is an attack against them all,” the GCC Ministerial Council said.

The council said the attacks amounted to “a blatant aggression against the sovereignty of states, the security of their peoples and the safety of their territories,” as well as a violation of international law and the UN Charter.

It said the GCC states had the right to defend themselves individually and collectively under Article 51 of the UN Charter, and urged the Security Council and the international community to condemn the attacks and hold those responsible accountable.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to “fight” for a country free of Hezbollah and Iran, saying Israel could not move forward without arrangements to protect its security.

“Israel cannot accept any attacks on our citizens, any attacks crossing our borders… We have the full right to defend ourselves, and so long as there is no clear arrangement that protects our nation, it will be impossible to move forward. So it’s in your hands, fight for it,” Herzog said.

He said Lebanon “must remain free from the influence” of Iran and Hezbollah.

“There is no greater dream than for Israelis to be able to get in a car and drive to Beirut; it depends only on you. Denounce Hezbollah from among you, remove Iran and its proxies. Do not be afraid - say it and act,” Herzog said.