Dubai entry fees for Iranian trading boats rise more than eightfold

Bahrain's military said on Thursday it intercepted and destroyed several Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting the kingdom, accusing Tehran of continuing what it called a campaign of attacks against civilians.

The Bahrain Defence Force said its air defence systems had intercepted the projectiles and that all military units remained on the highest level of readiness to defend the country.

It urged the public to stay away from suspicious objects that could be remnants of the attacks and report them to the authorities.

The military said targeting civilians and private property with missiles and drones constituted a violation of international humanitarian law.

The tanker Belma had transported at least 38 million barrels of Iranian crude oil before being disabled by the US forces in the Middle East, TankerTrackers said on Thursday.

"Based on our tracking over the years, BELMA (9289491) has transported at least 38 million barrels of Iranian crude oil. A proper cash cow," the vessel-tracking firm wrote on X.

Earlier, US Central Command said a US aircraft disabled the Curaçao-flagged tanker with Hellfire missiles after the vessel ignored repeated warnings while sailing toward Iran’s Kharg Island in an attempt to breach the US blockade.

Iran's army said on Thursday it had no conflict with neighboring countries and warned that if US attacks continued, Tehran's response would go beyond Washington's expectations and could open new fronts.

Army spokesman Amir Akraminia said Iran remained committed to cooperation and "brotherly relations" with neighboring and other Muslim countries, adding that countries from outside the region should engage with Tehran on the basis of mutual respect.

He said "a significant part" of Iran's military capabilities had yet to be used and warned that if US attacks continued, Iran's response would "go beyond the enemy's expectations" and expand the conflict into new areas.

"The armed forces regard protecting Iran's security, interests and dignity as their primary mission," he said, adding they would spare no effort in doing so.

An Iranian military spokesman warned on Thursday that if the United States carried out President Donald Trump's threat to strike Iran's infrastructure, Tehran would attack "all infrastructure" remaining across the region.

"If the recent threats by the empty-headed US president to target the infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran are carried out, then everything that, out of Iran's restraint, has so far remained intact - namely all infrastructure in the region - will be crushed under the powerful blows of Iran's armed forces," Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement.

Zolfaghari also said Iran would not allow the United States "under any circumstances" to intervene in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it "Iran's invincible red line."

Trump said this week the United States would strike Iran's power plants and bridges unless Tehran returned to negotiations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi congratulated Félix Plasencia on Thursday on his appointment as Venezuela’s minister of foreign relations and foreign trade.

Plasencia previously served as Venezuela's representative to the United States.

Araghchi said he hoped the longstanding ties between Iran and Venezuela would deepen during Plasencia’s tenure.

He also thanked outgoing minister Yván Gil for his role in strengthening bilateral relations and wished him success as Venezuela’s new science and technology minister.