Photo AP. Donald Trump stated that Iran offered him to become an Ayatollah
US President Donald Trump reported that he received an offer from Iran to become an Ayatollah, meaning the supreme leader of the country, but he declined the offer, saying, "No, thank you."
“They said, ‘We want you to be our next leader!’ But I replied: no, thank you, I don’t need that! In fact, they are negotiating and really want to reach an agreement,” Trump added, as reported by Bloomberg.
“Hezbollah” launched a rocket attack on the headquarters of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, reports IRNA.
During the night attacks, militants conducted one of the largest bombardments with rockets and drones since the beginning of the conflict, hitting several targets in northern and central Israel. Additionally, Iranian attacks continued in Tel Aviv and the West Bank until dawn.
Thousands of Japanese took to the streets to show their support for the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite the rain.
One day earlier, the foreign ministers of Japan and Iran, Toshimitsu Motegi and Abbas Araghchi, held telephone negotiations during which Motegi expressed serious concern about the ongoing attacks and the deteriorating situation in the region, urging Iran to de-escalate.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed gratitude to Russia for its support, using the Russian language.
In the event of a ground operation by the USA, Iran could seize the coasts of Bahrain and the UAE, which would radically change the balance of power in the conflict, said Iranian national security expert Morteza Simiari in an interview with the state broadcaster IRIB.
According to Israel, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, was killed in an Israeli strike, as reported by the country's Minister of Defense Israel Katz.
Donald Trump explained the reasons why he does not call the conflict with Iran a war.
“I will not use the word ‘war’ as it implies the need for congressional approval. I prefer to call it a ‘military operation’ because that is essentially what it is. It is military destruction,” noted the US president.
The Pentagon is developing plans for a “decisive strike” on Iran, which may include the use of ground troops and large-scale bombings, reports Axios.
Iranian oil revenues have sharply increased as the country has become the sole exporter through the Strait of Hormuz, writes Bloomberg.
Donald Trump has postponed attacks on Iranian power plants for another 10 days.
