Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has strongly protested the "unconventional and undiplomatic" actions of two French diplomats in Tehran during a phone call with French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot.
According to reports by Tehran Times, Araghchi stressed that compliance with host country laws and adherence to diplomatic norms are not optional—they are prerequisites for any foreign mission. He urged Paris to take immediate measures to prevent such behavior from recurring.
The Iranian minister also placed full responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz closure on Washington, calling it a direct result of US violations of the Islamabad MoU.
"The party that deviated from agreements and jeopardized diplomacy must bear the consequences," Araghchi warned.
Strait of Hormuz remained closed and deserted by the vessels. Compounding the woes of the Hormuz, several tankers carrying Saudi crude oil reportedly reversed course on Tuesday after Tehran-backed Houthis declared a blockade on shipping through Bab el-Mandeb, raising fears that the US-Iran war could disrupt a second major energy chokepoint.
Reports has it that multiple U.S. B-1 bombers have taken off from RAF Fairford in the UK after Donald Trump announced the U.S. would strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified nuclear site near Natanz.
Trump said, "We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready," later adding, "We'll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon. There's not a thing they can do about it."
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Israeli intelligence believes Iran moved thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into tunnels beneath Pickaxe Mountain following the June 2025 war. The site is estimated to lie 300–450 feet beneath solid rock, and military experts say even the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator may be unable to destroy the underground complex.
The U.S. has struck Iran for 10 straight nights, but Pickaxe remains untouched. Trump has called it a "nice big fat shot" target. The strategic problem is stark: the U.S. may be able to strike the mountain — but not the nuclear infrastructure buried beneath it. Iran in retaliations struck many targets in the middle east.
Consequenty, New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has approved the use of British military bases by the US for what the UK calls defensive strikes against Iran, Bloomberg reports.
No comments