Iranian armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi warns “any assistance or facilitation provided to the aggressor US military amounts to participation in the US military operation”.
Denies talks with Iran, says naval blockade remains in full force, with strait open; Tehran reiterates waterway will stay closed until Washington meets its demands.
Says Tehran unlikely to accept the deal Washington wants, demands its surrender; threatens to bomb Oman over Hormuz; UN calls for return to talks, restraint as regional conflict spreads.
Urges Americans to accept higher gas prices to stop Iran going nuclear; UAE accuses Tehran of attacking two vessels; shipping in the strait comes to near standstill.
Tankers in Red Sea switch off tracking to evade attacks; conflicting data clouds scale of export disruption; Tehran says no major progress in talks with Washington.
Hardline consensus on Hormuz remains intact, but the person now responsible for translating that consensus into policy carries considerably greater military authority, political experience and institutional weight.
Says Oman, other "brotherly states" leading different aspects of diplomacy; insists Islamabad is focused on settlement rather than "individual symptoms of crisis".
