The war with Iran continued to escalate as Azerbaijan, a key US ally, announced on Thursday that an Iranian-launched drone had struck an airport in the Nakhchivan region and that US and Israeli forces had struck more targets inside Iran.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said it had asked for an explanation after a drone crashed into the airport’s main terminal building and another landed near a school, injuring two civilians.

Also on Thursday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed in a statement that the Iranian navy had attacked an American oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf. The United States had no immediate comment.

The claims came after fighting disrupted commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Traffic through the usually busy shipping route decreased in the first days of the conflict after Iran declared the route closed and attacked some ships attempting to pass through it.

Overnight, U.S. Central Command and the Israeli military announced they had carried out new attacks inside Iran. The Israeli military announced Thursday that its air force had removed a ballistic missile launcher that was ready to fire on Israel near the city of Qom. It also said it had attacked Iranian air defense systems in Isfahan.

According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, more than 920 people have been killed in Iran since the attacks began, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. hundreds of people At a girls’ school.

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China urges return to negotiations and appoints special envoy

China has urged Iran and the United States to return to negotiations as the war over Iran rattles global energy markets as the conflict escalates.

China is the world’s largest importer of oil and gas, and crude oil prices rose 10% and natural gas prices rose even more. Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — through which about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and natural gas typically passes — It’s already withered.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister that “indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable” and that non-military targets should not be attacked.

China announced on Thursday that it would send Zai Jun, who has been working in the Middle East as a Chinese envoy since 2019, to the region to help mediate disputes. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not provide any details and did not specify which countries the special envoy would visit.

Iranian foreign minister says US “deeply regrets” sinking of Iranian warship

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of escalating the conflict after the Iran war. Sinking of Iranian naval ship Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka. In a post on X on Thursday, Araghchi called it an “atrocity at sea” and warned that the United States “will bitterly regret” sinking the frigate Dena, an Indian Navy passenger ship that was attacked in international waters without warning.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the United States was behind the sinking of the Iranian ship, saying the ship was hit by a U.S. submarine and was the first to be sunk by a torpedo since World War II.

The Sri Lankan Navy said it had rescued 32 people from the sea where the ship sank and recovered 87 bodies. Associated Press reported.

The United States has 50,000 troops, more than 200 fighter jets and two aircraft carriers in the region, U.S. officials said. CENTCOM Director Adm. Brad Cooper said this week that U.S. and Israeli strikes have hit nearly 2,000 targets and severely degraded Iran’s air defenses and missile-launching infrastructure.

Israel details reasons and goals for Iran war

New details are emerging about the reasons and objectives of Israel and the United States’ attack on Iran.

Caroline Glick, the Israeli Prime Minister’s international affairs adviser, told NPR that Israel knew five days in advance that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei would meet with Iranian officials this Saturday.

That was one of the factors that led the United States and Israel to launch attacks on Iran on the same day, she said.

Other reasons included President Trump’s concerns that Iran would attack U.S. forces and take its missile and nuclear programs deep underground, where they would be safe from attack, she said.

Glick said he had not set a schedule for the surgery, but agreed to it. President Trump’s statement It was announced earlier in the week that the project was “ahead of schedule.”

“We’re ahead of schedule on almost all of our goals, or all of them,” Glick said. “We are very happy with the pace of work.”

He said Israel’s aim was to create an environment in which Iranians could overthrow the regime through protests. Human rights groups claim Iranian authorities killed thousands of Iranian protesters earlier this year. “I’d like to see a situation where they can do something like that without getting mowed down,” Glick said.

He said he knows American public opinion is divided on support for the war, but believes a successful campaign will help persuade those who don’t support the war.

More than 80,000 people have been evacuated in Lebanon. Qatar evacuates area near US embassy

In Lebanon, aid groups say conditions are worsening for families fleeing attacks in the south, near the border with Israel. More than 80,000 people have evacuated, many of them staying in evacuation centers within schools or sleeping in cars, Lebanese officials said, adding that capacity is strained.

Qatari authorities evacuated residents from a building near the US Embassy in Doha. in Statement regarding XQatar’s interior ministry said the evacuation was a “temporary precautionary measure”.

House vote on war powers bill scheduled

In Washington, the House is scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill aimed at limiting President Trump’s ability to escalate the war without Congressional approval.

The bill is widely expected to fail on similar grounds. Efforts in the Senate failed Move on to Wednesday. The vote was 47-53, largely along party lines.

The measure was created under the War Powers Act of 1973, a Vietnam-era law designed to provide Congress with a check on the president’s executive war powers. It requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of sending U.S. troops to a conflict and to end the deployment within 60 days unless authorized by lawmakers.

Identities of six dead US soldiers revealed

The Department of Defense releases everyone’s names. 6 US soldiers killed Since America and Israel attacked Iran. They were members of the Army Reserve and were killed in a drone attack in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait on Sunday. Department of Defense he said on Tuesday.

• Captain Cody A. Koch, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida;
• Sergeant 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.
• Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
• Sergeant Declan J. Cody, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa
• Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa
• Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California.

All six soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa. The ministry said the attack was under investigation.

Daniel Estrin contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Israel, Dury Bouskarren from Istanbul, Turkey, Hadir Alsharchi from Beirut, Lebanon, Jennifer Pack from Beijing and Ayana Archie from Washington, DC.