6:57 a.m. – Rubio opposed to allowing Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that allowing Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz would create a “dangerous precedent” with consequences even beyond the Middle East, where Tehran and Washington have resumed hostilities.
“If we set a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide to control an international waterway, charge a toll and blow up boats if they don’t pay, we will set a very dangerous precedent that will be repeated in other parts of the world, including in this region,” Marco Rubio said during a meeting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila, Philippines.
6:41 a.m. – Trump is “not done at all” with Iran
The US president said the United States was “not done at all” with Iran, and warned the next target could be a secret underground nuclear complex in Kolang Mountain in the center of the country.
Iran will strike all American and allied interests in the Middle East if this threat is carried out, responded the command of the Iranian armed forces, Khatam al-Anbiya. Donald Trump also assured that the United States would react against the Houthis if the group of Yemeni rebels, an ally of Iran, attempted to block maritime traffic in the Red Sea.
The night’s news
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The US defense secretary has estimated that the war in Iran is expected to cost the United States $37.5 billion through the end of September, an increase of almost 30% from the last estimate of $29 billion.
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New American strikes: The United States launched a new round of strikes in Iran for the “eleventh consecutive night”.
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Resumption of direct United States-Lebanon flights, suspended for more than 40 years: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was received Tuesday at the White House by Donald Trump, who said he wanted to “help a lot” Lebanon, at a time when an agreement with Israel sponsored by Washington enters its first phase.
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The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest against an attack which targeted a Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz the day before, leaving several injured.
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The Iranian charge d’affaires in France was summoned after the Quai d’Orsay denounced an attack on two French diplomats stationed in Tehran.
