Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran will not give in to military pressure, amid renewed threats from the United States and Israel and growing tensions in the region.
Speaking after a tense Brics meeting in New Delhi, Araghchi told IRNA that Iran was accustomed to such threats.
“We are used to these threats,” he said.
“They have been repeating their threats in various forms and ways for a long time, but they themselves know that they have not and will not get any results from these threats and even from the war they launched.”
He stressed that there was no military solution to disputes involving Iran and said Tehran would “not bow down”.
Araghchi added that opposing countries should seek solutions through diplomacy rather than military confrontation.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) announced on Thursday that naval forces had permitted several Chinese vessels to transit through the strategic Strait of Hormuz overnight.
The statement came amid reports of maritime incidents near the Gulf, including claims that a ship anchored off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates had been boarded and redirected towards Iran, while another Indian cargo vessel carrying livestock from Africa to the UAE sank off the coast of Oman.
“It was ultimately concluded that a number of Chinese ships requested by this country would pass through this area after an agreement on Iran’s strait management protocols,” the IRGC said.
Iranian state television reported that “more than 30 ships” had crossed the strait, though it remained unclear whether all were Chinese vessels.
British maritime security agency UKMTO reported that “unauthorised personnel” boarded a vessel anchored near Fujairah and steered it towards Iran.
Maritime security firm Vanguard also said the vessel was reportedly taken over by Iranian personnel while at anchor.
Shipping analytics company Kpler stated that around 10 ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours, a slight increase from the five to seven ships seen daily in recent weeks.
India’s foreign ministry condemned the attack on an Indian-flagged vessel near Oman as “unacceptable” after maritime security agencies reported the cargo ship had sunk.
Vanguard identified the vessel as MSV Haji Ali, carrying 14 crew members, and said it sank near Limah, Oman, south of the Strait of Hormuz, following an explosion.
“All Indian crew on board are safe, and we thank the Omani authorities for rescuing them,” India’s foreign ministry said.
The UAE also strongly condemned the incident, describing it as a “terrorist attack” in a statement issued by its foreign ministry.
