Kuwait says Iranian attacks endanger civilians, vital sites

A tanker experienced an engine-room fire northeast of Sohar, Oman, prompting an evacuation that left one casualty and two crew members missing, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Wednesday.

UKMTO said all others on board were assisting with the evacuation.

The vessel reported no environmental impact, and authorities were investigating.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that policies pursued by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei were aimed at distancing regional countries from the United States and Israel.

Pezeshkian said the enemy had sought to mobilize Arab and Muslim countries against Iran, but that the effort was being countered.

“The policies being pursued today, and which our dear leader is following, are also defeating this plan, so that regional countries distance themselves from the United States and Israel, and this process is moving forward,” he said.

Pezeshkian said he had met the Supreme Leader every week without exception over the past year and a half.

He also said that Iran’s adversaries intended to fuel internal divisions, arguing that no country could be forced to surrender through bombing or threats.

Commenting on the killing of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he said it was unacceptable that enemy forces could “so easily” kill Iranian commanders and officials.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday that contradictory US messages and repeated ceasefire breaches had damaged the diplomatic process.

Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran’s armed forces “would not hesitate for a moment” to respond whenever they find it necessary.

He said branches of government were fully coordinated and would use diplomacy or military force to defend the country.

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday strongly condemned Iranian missile and drone attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, calling them a violation of the three countries’ sovereignty and a threat to their security and stability.

The UAE foreign ministry expressed full solidarity with Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan and said it supported any measures taken by the three countries to protect their security and stability.

An explosion was heard near Qeshm Island in southern Iran on Wednesday, semi-official Mehr News reported, citing local sources.

The report said the cause was not immediately clear, adding that the sound may have come from a distant blast or activity in the Strait of Hormuz.

The governor of Qeshm said later that no explosion had occurred on the island and that the blast sound heard in the area did not originate there.