Iran signals tougher Hormuz posture as Arab states warn of retaliation

Russia called on Thursday for a safety zone around Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant after a projectile struck near the site earlier this week.

Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said a strike on the Russian-built plant could trigger a catastrophe affecting countries across the Middle East. He said the site holds 72 tons of fissile material and 210 tons of spent nuclear fuel.

“If an incident were to occur, it would be at least regional in scale and would affect a large number of countries in the Middle East,” Likhachev said.

Likhachev urged all sides to make the area “an island of safety” and said Rosatom was planning a further evacuation of personnel, leaving only a few dozen employees at the site.

Iran said on Tuesday that a projectile hit the area near the Bushehr plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency later said a structure about 350 meters from the reactor was hit and destroyed, but the reactor itself was not damaged and no staff were hurt.

Iran’s exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi called on Iranians on Thursday to form local groups to protect the country’s cultural and natural heritage, saying the risk of looting, destruction and seizure could rise after the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.

Pahlavi urged Iranians inside the country to join what he called the “Iran Heritage Unit” to protect sites they believe may be under threat.

“This unit’s task is very simple: each of you, wherever you are in Iran, form a local group, even a small one, with your friends and acquaintances to protect a national site you believe may be at risk,” Prince Pahlavi said.

He added that Iran had experienced damage in 1979, when parts of the country’s natural landscapes and historical sites were harmed or destroyed.

He said Iranians abroad could also join the effort by helping cover possible costs or by raising awareness.

Pahlavi said he would himself join the unit that would be within a network called “Immortal Guard,” and added that it could become a permanent institution for protecting Iran’s national heritage.

The US military is expanding strikes deeper into Iranian territory as part of efforts to degrade its missile, drone and naval capabilities, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said on Thursday.

“CENTCOM remains on plan… and remains unrelenting in our pursuit of Iranian missile capabilities, UAV capabilities and their navy,” Caine said during a briefing.

He said US forces had used 5,000-pound bunker-busting munitions against underground facilities storing coastal defense cruise missiles.

“These weapons are designed to get through concrete… and function after penetrating those barriers,” he said.

Caine said US forces were targeting mine storage sites, naval depots and vessels, adding that more than 120 vessels and dozens of mine-laying platforms had been hit.

“We’re flying further to the east now and penetrating deeper into Iranian airspace,” he said.

He added that A-10 aircraft and Apache helicopters were operating in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas, targeting fast attack boats and Iranian-aligned groups.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that American forces had struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran and its military infrastructure.

“To date, we’ve struck over 7,000 targets… that is overwhelming force applied with precision,” Hegseth said, adding that a new wave of strikes would be “the largest strike package yet.”

He said Iran’s military capabilities were being degraded, with air defenses “flattened” and missile and drone production severely reduced.

“Iran’s defense industrial base… is being overwhelmingly destroyed,” he said, adding that ballistic missile and drone attacks were down about 90% since the start of the conflict.

Hegseth said more than 120 Iranian naval vessels had been damaged or sunk and that Iran’s surface fleet was “no longer a factor.”

He said the campaign’s objectives remain unchanged, including destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, defense industry and ensuring it does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that Washington could in the coming days remove restrictions on Iranian oil already at sea and put the volume at about 140 million barrels.

"In the coming days, we may unsanction the Iranian oil that's on the water. It's about 140 million barrels," he said in an interview with Fox Business.

He added that the United States was not attacking Iran’s energy infrastructure and had allowed Iranian oil exports to continue flowing out of the Persian Gulf.

Bessent also said that the United States still had “plenty more” it could do on oil supply.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday condemned an Iranian strike on a Qatari gas facility.

“I condemn in the strongest terms the overnight Iranian strike,” Starmer said on social media.

He said Britain was working toward a swift end to the conflict, adding that ending the war would help ease cost-of-living pressures.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed regional developments with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt’s state news agency said.