Reactions and statements from the international community
Israel has vowed to intensify military strikes against Iran, amid concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s potential unilateral ceasefire initiative, according to reports by Yedioth Ahronoth and Anadolu Agency.
On Wednesday evening, explosion sounds were heard in Mashhad, Iran, and air defense systems were activated after what Iranian media reported as an airstrike near Mashhad airport. The security deputy of the Razavi Khorasan Governorate confirmed a projectile hit near the airport perimeter, with defenses responding.
According to a JPost report based on Western intelligence, Mojtaba Khamenei has reduced bureaucratic hurdles, enabling faster decision-making and more rapid operational launches.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) falsely announced that a U.S. F/A-18 fighter was shot down over Chabahar using advanced air defense systems. U.S. Central Command confirmed that no U.S. fighter aircraft have been shot down by Iran.
Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, cited a military source threatening that if the United States launches a ground attack on Iranian islands, Iran will target the Bab al-Mandab Strait; the Pentagon has ordered the deployment of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, in addition to the recent dispatch of thousands of Marines and sailors aboard the USS Boxer.
Long queues of vehicles formed at gas stations in Indian states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana on Wednesday due to fuel shortages caused by disruptions in energy transit through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting from the ongoing U.S. and Israeli conflict with Iran. India imports approximately 90 percent of its crude oil and nearly half of its liquefied gas needs, with much of it passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, cited a military source stating that Iran will respond to any enemy actions on its islands or territories by opening additional fronts, increasing the enemy's costs. Tasnim also reported that Iran has the capability to produce a credible threat against the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The president of the International Chamber of Commerce, John Denton, warned on Wednesday that the ongoing war between the United States and Israel against Iran, which began on March 29, 2025, could trigger "the worst industrial crisis in living memory" due to disruptions in energy and agricultural supply chains.
![@Shin: IRGC Khatam Al Anbya Terror Organization's spokesman:
"The status of the Strait [of Hormuz] will not revert to its previous state. Events will unfold according to our strategic will."](https://pub-4357b54df55146feb8261be683c32511.r2.dev/thumbnails/1774456240267-5dd13ef0275d7352-HEROqD-XcAA2xqU.webp)
The spokesman for the IRGC Khatam Al Anbya Terror Organization stated that the status of the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its previous state and that future events will be determined by their strategic will.
Ibrahim Zulfaqari, spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Central "Khatam al-Anbiya" Headquarters, threatened U.S. military forces, urging local populations to report American commanders and soldiers and demanding the expulsion of Americans from the region for "their own security."
In Sardar Jangal Intersection in western Tehran, Iran, IRGC units equipped with machine-mounted suppression devices are deployed against the domestic population, not against external threats.
Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of Britain, responded to a question from Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith about designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group, stating that while the British government has sanctioned the IRGC, it lacks legal authority to officially label government institutions as terrorist. Duncan Smith argued that the IRGC is responsible for global antisemitism and extremist attacks and urged the Labour Party to expedite the process, citing examples from other countries like the United States and Saudi Arabia.
