Pentagon weighs moves against NATO allies over Iran war rift - Reuters

A senior Iranian official warned that any attack on Iran’s oil infrastructure would be met with strikes on Saudi Arabia’s energy facilities.

“Our list of targets is clear; if any of our oil wells are hit, we will target one of Saudi Arabia’s oil phases and respond accordingly,” Esmail Saqab Esfahani, a deputy to President Masoud Pezeshkian, said.

He added that Iran’s response strategy ranges from proportional retaliation to more severe escalation, describing it as a “ladder” that could intensify depending on the situation.

Talks with Iran should include nuclear experts or risk producing a weaker agreement, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

“If the talks are only about the nuclear and there are no nuclear experts around the table, then we will end up with an agreement that is weaker than the JCPOA was,” she said.

Kallas added that failing to address broader issues such as missile programmes and regional activities could result in “a more dangerous Iran.”

China has urged its citizens in Iran to leave the country or move to safer areas as soon as possible, citing ongoing security risks.

The foreign ministry said the situation remains “complex and volatile” despite partial reopening of airspace, and advised nationals already in Iran to avoid sensitive sites and take extra precautions.

It also reiterated that Chinese citizens should not travel to Iran under current conditions.

A senior Iranian cleric said US President Donald Trump must apologize over the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Ali Shirazi, head of the ideological-political organization of Iran’s police, said Trump “must apologize to the Iranian people and admit before the world that killing our leader was a mistake.”

He also said hostility toward Israel is “a Quranic and unchangeable principle” and warned Iran’s armed forces are ready to deliver a strong response to any enemy action.

US Senator Tom Cotton said on Thursday Iran risks facing military consequences if it tries to prolong negotiations, accusing Tehran of following a “typical” strategy of dragging out talks to gain advantage.

"They can't have long-range offensive strike weapons or support terrorists like Hezbollah and Hamas. These have been his clearly stated goals for a decade. And if Iran thinks they're going to get the better of him at the negotiating table by dragging things out, I think they have another thing coming and that another thing coming may be from the American military," Cotton told Fox.