Israel removed the names of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf from its list of Iranian officials it wants to eliminate, after Pakistan asked the US not to target them, a Pakistani official told Reuters. “The Israelis had… their coordinates and wanted to eliminate them, we told the US that if they are also eliminated, then there will be no one to negotiate with, so the US asked the Israelis to back down,” the official emphasized.
Iran: Threatens to open ‘new front’ at Bab el-Mandeb strait in case of US ground invasion
It is noted that Iran will open a “new front” in case of a US ground invasion at the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical strait for global maritime traffic that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and by extension with the Indian Ocean, warned on Wednesday (25/6) a military source, cited by the Iranian news agency Tasnim, according to AFP.
The only direct gateway to the Suez Canal, “the Bab el-Mandeb strait is among the most strategic straits in the world and Iran has both the will and the capability to create an absolutely credible threat against it,” the source warned. “If the enemy attempts ground action on Iranian islands or anywhere else in our territory or tries to impose costs on Iran through naval maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, we will open other fronts as a ‘surprise’,” added the military official cited by Tasnim.
“Based on information, Iran’s enemies, with the support of one of the region’s countries, are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands. All enemy movements are closely monitored by our armed forces. If they cross the limits, all vital infrastructure of this country in the region will become the target of unlimited attacks,” wrote Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf on X. White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt reiterated on Wednesday afternoon that the timeline for the war in Iran continues to be four to six weeks.
Asked whether the war would end before President Trump’s visit to China, which is scheduled for mid-May, the White House Press Secretary said that the timeline for the cessation of hostilities remains the same. “Again, as I said, we always calculated about four to six weeks. So you could do the math,” Leavitt said Wednesday at a White House press briefing, according to CNN.
On Wednesday it was announced that the American president’s trip to China, which was postponed after the start of the war with Iran, will take place on May 14-15.
