Middle East

Iran's defense minister held talks with his Kuwaiti, Omani and Qatari counterparts, arguing that an "American-led military alliance will only increase the insecurity in the region under the pretext of securing shipping."

Tehran's Washington-blacklisted top diplomat said that this time the U.S. was using "economic terrorism" by "violating a historic nuclear deal & punishing those who seek to adhere to it."

Iran's navy chief called the U.K.'s decision to join the U.S. in the Persian Gulf "a big bluff and a deceitful act that tries to make this region look unsafe, even though it is secure."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, recently sanctioned by the U.S., warned that global "commerce & power are shifting" away from the West.

Kushner reportedly did not meet with any Palestinian leaders, who believe his peace plan favors Israel.

Hawaii Representative and presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard has long opposed U.S.-sponsored regime change, but her opponents keep focusing on a fateful 2017 meeting in Syria.

"Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.

Germany's top diplomat said "there is no military solution" as the U.S. and Iran attempted to secure support for rival visions on how to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

The Trump administration has been accused of illicitly transferring nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, which has threatened to build a nuclear bomb if Iran did.

Top officials from the United Arab Emirates and Iran held rare talks just as the United States was trying to isolate the Islamic Republic through "maximum pressure."

The U.S. embassy in Berlin criticized a German politician opposed to sending ships to the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran touted newfound ties with Russia and sought more Chinese support.

The head of Iran's navy said a recent memorandum of understanding with Russia "may be considered as a turning point in relations of Tehran in Moscow."

A senior Russian military official claimed that the U.S. was using insurgents to sabotage Syrian government oil and gas facilities while looting such natural resources from areas under the control of its allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin abolished "some special economic measures" against Turkey, just as his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump was reportedly fighting to stop new sanctions against Ankara.

Iran views itself as the natural protector of the Persian Gulf and a greater U.S. or U.K. presence there could increase the chances for conflict, either by design or miscalculation.

"I remember it clearly that Mr. Pompeo said in public in a speech at Texas University that 'we lie, cheat and steal, and this is the glory of experiment of America,'" a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi traveled to Tehran to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in hopes of finding "ways to defuse the current crisis" between the U.S. and Iran.

"History teaches that the emergence of American military groups in any region has long been not so much a factor of security as an increased risk of conflict," a senior Russian lawmaker argued.

The U.K.'s foreign minister "expressed extreme disappointment" at the oil tanker seizure, while his Iranian counterpart said the move was legal, unlike the "piracy" that targeted his own country's ship.

"We can see once again that the situation is not just explosive. It is fraught with an outbreak of conflict," a senior Russian diplomat said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that the U.K,-flagged Stena Impero was seized due to "non-observance of the laws and regulations," the latest oil tanker incident in the Persian Gulf.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards published footage purporting to show that the USS Boxer did not down its drone, contrary to U.S. claims.

President Donald Trump said that the USS Boxer shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz about a month after the Revolutionary Guards downed a U.S. Navy drone nearby

As the U.S. and Iran approach a crisis reminiscent to the tanker wars of the 1980s, its becoming increasingly clear that a "multipolar" world is forming.

"The responsibility for the possible catastrophic consequences will rest with the United States," Russia's top diplomat warned.

Javad Zarif hit out at the U.S., claiming Iran has only built a potent military because America is arming its rivals.

UAE-based oil tanker Riah disappeared Saturday in the Persian Gulf, now Iran says its rendering assistance to such an international vessel.

Iran's top diplomat recently said his country's missiles would only be up for debate if U.S. weapons left the region, a scenario called "hypothetical" by Tehran's U.N. mission.

The U.S. claimed to have support from China, which said "that the 'maximum pressure' exerted by the U.S. is the root cause of the recent crisis" with Iran.

The EU considers Iran's heightened uranium enrichment to be "reversible" and not a "significant" breach of the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned entirely by the United States.