Iran criticizes Trump's threat to use frozen assets for shipping damage, warning of global instability amid escalating military tensions.
Iran condemned US President Donald Trump's threat to seize frozen Iranian assets to pay for shipping damage, calling it an 'incendiary precedent,' reports Lyons' Euronews.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that 'any and all damages done to ships, cargo, or anything related thereto' would be covered by Iranian funds held under US control. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that confiscating another nation's assets for unrelated claims would destabilize global norms and warned of ensuing chaos.
The exchange came as the US launched its 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, hitting military and commercial sites in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, and areas near Andimeshk, Omidiyeh, and Firuzabad. Iranian media reported explosions at ports and naval facilities, including drone boats capable of attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
A new front has emerged with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis threatening to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key Red Sea trade route. Trump warned of 'major military punishment' if the Houthis continued attacks, stating that Iran would be held responsible as their proxy.
The Houthis claimed they closed Bab el-Mandeb to Saudi-linked shipping in retaliation for the kingdom's blockade and an airstrike on Sanaa airport. The strait carries about 12 percent of global trade, raising fears of wider disruption to energy exports and shipping flows.
