India says MT Jalveer attacked by US Navy

Three Indian seafarers initially reported missing after an incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello have been confirmed dead, Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday.

Sonowal said the bodies had been located and identified, calling the deaths a “profound loss” to India’s maritime community.

He said officials had been directed to arrange the immediate repatriation of rescued crew members and the swift return of the bodies for final rites.

Kuwait’s foreign ministry condemned on Thursday continued Iranian attacks on the country.

The ministry said the repeated attacks reflected an organized aggressive approach and amounted to a violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty, international law and the UN Charter.

It said Kuwait retained the full right to take all necessary measures to protect its security and defend its territory and vital facilities.

Saudi Arabia condemned on Thursday repeated Iranian attacks targeting Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, saying they violated the sovereignty of neighboring Arab states and increased regional tensions.

The Saudi foreign ministry urged calm and restraint, and called for an immediate halt to military operations and a return to diplomacy.

It welcomed mediation efforts led by Qatar between the United States and Iran, saying they could help spare the region and its people a return to war and restore security and stability.

The US State Department is investigating NIAC founder Trita Parsi and weighing whether to revoke his green card, The Free Press reported, in a case that revives long-running questions over Tehran’s influence in Washington.

The report, by Jay Solomon, said US officials and documents reviewed by The Free Press show Parsi has become a target of the State Department investigation as Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeks to counter Iranian influence inside the United States.

Parsi, 51, was born in Iran, raised in Sweden and has lived in the United States for more than 25 years. He is a green-card holder and co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington think tank that argues for diplomacy, military restraint and a smaller US military role overseas.

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A senior Iranian armed forces spokesperson said on Thursday that the forces were fully prepared, and the country’s military power was far greater than during the 12-day war.

Abolfazl Shekarchi rejected what he called enemy claims that Iran’s defense equipment had been destroyed.

He added that Iran’s armed forces had inflicted heavy losses on the US.