US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today that the coming days will be decisive in the attacks on Iran and warned Tehran that the conflict will escalate if it does not reach a deal with the United States (US).
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded with a new threat, saying that starting tomorrow they will target US companies in the region in retaliation for the attacks on Iran, naming 18 companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing.
Iran earlier set fire to a fully loaded tanker at sea off Dubai, the latest attack on merchant ships in the Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel carried out attacks on February 28, Reuters reports.
US President Donald Trump threatened yesterday to destroy Iranian energy facilities if Iran does not agree to a peace deal and open the strait, a key shipping route for global oil shipments that Iran has effectively blocked.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Iran is not seeking just a ceasefire, but a complete end to the war in the region. He stressed that any end to the conflict must include guarantees against future attacks and compensation for damages.
Araghchi clarified that contacts with the United States do not constitute negotiations, but are limited to an exchange of messages – directly or through regional intermediaries.
He continues to receive messages from US envoy Steve Witkoff, but stressed that this should not be interpreted as formal negotiations.
The messages are transmitted through the Iranian Foreign Ministry, with the coordination of security agencies, within the official state system under the supervision of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
They include warnings and mutual positions, which are transmitted through specific channels.
