Iran-US war latest: Trump threatens to abandon allies in Strait of Hormuz and ‘let them be responsible’ for it

Russia believes ⁠that restoring shipping traffic ⁠through ​the ⁠Strait ⁠of ​Hormuz ⁠can ‌only be achieved through ‌negotiations, Russian ‌foreign ⁠ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

The lack of a plan from the US and Israel to deal with the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran was “frustrating”, Britain’s chancellor Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday.

“It is frustrating that there doesn’t seem to be a plan for what to do now after the very predictable closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” Ms Reeves told an event alongside Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo.

Qatar’s minister of foreign affairs appears to have criticised Israel for targeting facilities linked to Iran’s South Pars gas field.

Dr. Majed Al Ansari said in a post on X: “The Israeli targeting of facilities linked to Iran’s South Pars field, an extension of Qatar’s North Field, is a dangerous & irresponsible step amid the current military escalation in the region.

“Targeting energy infrastructure constitutes a threat to global energy security, as well as to the peoples of the region & its environment. We reiterate, as we have repeatedly emphasized, the necessity of avoiding the targeting of vital facilities.

“We call on all parties to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, & work toward de-escalation in a manner that preserves the security & stability of the region.”

We’re hearing from Sweden’s foreign minister that Iran has executed a Swedish citizen on Wednesday, adding that she summoned the Iranian ambassador in Stockholm to condemn the decision.

The person, who has not been named, was arrested in Iran in June of last year and Sweden has repeatedly raised the case with Iranian officials, foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said.

“The death penalty is an inhumane, cruel and irreversible punishment. Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its application in all circumstances,” Stenergard said.

The legal proceedings leading up to the execution did not meet the standards of due process, she added.

The Swedish foreign ministry and the Iranian embassy in Stockholm did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters via phone and email.

Players from Iran’s women national soccer team and their technical staff returned to their country on Wednesday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Several of the players refused asylum in Australia, where they played in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and were offered asylum following fears they could be punished on their return home after refusing to sing the national anthem.

They were welcomed by officials and members of the public at the Turkey-Iran Bazargan border, Fars news added.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday that the crisis in the Middle East would not distract from his country’s support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia.

“We cannot deny that the crisis in the Middle East is monopolising conversation and precisely for that reason, I want to say to the government of Ukraine that nothing and no one will make us forget what is happening in Ukraine,” he said.

“We will keep our support for the Ukrainian people with the same intensity.”

In a post on X, in which he criticised one of his domestic political opponents for failing to clarify whether he supports Donald Trump’s war, Mr Sanchez said: “You cannot encourage someone who sets the fire and then complain about the effects of the smoke caused by that fire.”

Two people were killed near Tel Aviv during an Iranian missile barrage, Israeli officials said.

The deaths brought the toll from missiles fired on Israel to 14, and came after another day of heavy Israeli bombardment of targets in Iran and Lebanon.

“We saw smoke rising from a building with extensive damage and shattered glass,” the Magen David Adom emergency responders said.

The pair had no pulse and were not breathing, it added. “We had no choice but to pronounce them dead at the scene.”

Germany would like to see a change within Iran, but that will not be brought about through military means from the outside, said foreign minister Johann Wadephul in Berlin on Wednesday.

“Given the brutality and ruthlessness of this regime, it is desirable that regime change occur,” said the foreign minister at a press conference with his French counterpart.

“I just believe that this has to develop from within the country, and fortunately there are positive attempts at this,” he said, adding Germany is in discussions with the opposition.