Iran

[angelburst29]

Trump is "on the fence" with the decision - if he would back "the use of force" to protect the Gulf oil supplies. I imagine, the Israeli's and the Pentagon are probably furious that Trump isn't towing the line?

Trump creates doubt over use of U.S. force to protect Gulf oil

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was prepared to take military action to stop Tehran from getting a nuclear bomb but left open whether he would back the use of force to protect Gulf oil supplies that Washington fears may be under threat by Iran.

Pompeo: U.S. President Trump does not want war with Iran

The United States will maintain its pressure campaign on Iran and continue to deter aggression in the region but does not want the conflict with Tehran to escalate, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday.

U.S.'s Hook to meet European officials on Iran in Paris next week

U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook plans to travel to Paris next week for talks about Iran with senior British, French and German officials, a senior European diplomat and another source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Russia to Washington: Drop Middle East troop plan and stop provoking Iran

Russia told the United States on Tuesday to drop what it called provocative plans to deploy more troops to the Middle East and to cease actions that looked like a conscious attempt to provoke war with Iran.

Kremlin calls for restraint in Middle East after U.S. troop move
The Kremlin called for restraint from all sides in the Middle East on Tuesday and said it did not want to see destabilizing moves in the region after the United States announced it would deploy more troops there.

Iran says if it decides to block Strait of Hormuz, it will do it 'publicly': Fars

Iran's military denied on Monday being behind attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week, and said if it decided to block Strait of Hormuz, a vital gateway in the Gulf for the oil industry, it will do it publicly.

Don't open 'Pandora's Box' in Middle East, China warns

The Chinese government's top diplomat warned on Tuesday that the world should not open a "Pandora's Box" in the Middle East, as he denounced U.S. pressure on Iran and called on it not to drop out of a landmark nuclear deal.

Merkel: Iran must uphold nuclear deal, or face consequences

Germany is doing all it can to defuse heightened tensions with Iran in a peaceful way, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, adding, however, that Iran must stick to the 2015 international nuclear agreement.

Iran will not wage war against any nation: Iranian president

Iran will not wage war against any nation, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, a day after the United States announced the deployment of more troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington.

 

[goyacobol]

Germany is doing all it can to defuse heightened tensions with Iran in a peaceful way, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, adding, however, that Iran must stick to the 2015 international nuclear agreement.

Maybe, possibly being forced to pressure Iran has something to do with Merkel's recent shaking episode. Some have to know the stakes are getting very high.

 

[angelburst29]

June 19, 2019 - Saudi Arabia calls to secure regional waterways
Saudi Arabia calls to secure regional waterways

Oil tanker at a port [REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo]

Saudi Arabia yesterday called on the International community to take firm measures to secure the waterways in the region.

This came during the weekly session of the Saudi cabinet, chaired by King Salman at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The United States and some Gulf countries have accused Iran of targeting commercial ships and oil tankers in Gulf waters, a charge denied by Iran.

In response, Tehran has also offered to sign a Non-aggression Agreement with the Gulf States.


June 19, 2019 - Israel to cut $223bn from Ministries' budgets to pay for Defense Ministry
Israel to cut $223bn from ministries’ budgets to pay for defence ministry

Israeli Shekels [File photo]

Israeli government is to cut 800 billion shekels ($221.7 billion) from the budgets of its ministries and transfer the funds to the Ministry of Defense, Channel 2 reported yesterday.

According to an Israeli defense institute, the Defense Ministry needs more money to continue building the separation wall along the eastern side of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government is planned to approve the measure during the next weekly meeting which takes place on Sunday, Al-Wattan Voice reported.

In addition, Israeli TV said that the government would approve more cuts estimated at 700 billion shekels ($194 billion) after the elections in September to pay for the deficit in the budget of the Defense Ministry.

(Comment: $221.7 billion + $194 billion to the "DEFENSE Ministry" to build a separation wall? They must be using Gold-bullion ... bricks? Nice way of camouflaging Military spending for more missiles, bombs, planes and Uranium processing?)

U.S. Navy says mine fragments, magnet point to Iran in Gulf tanker attack

The United States Navy on Wednesday displayed limpet mine fragments and a magnet it said it had removed from one of two oil tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week, saying the mines bore a striking resemblance to Iranian ones.

Iran talking to Russia and China in case EU nuclear deal efforts fail: TASS


Iran is in talks with Russia and China on a possible settlement mechanism in case discussions with EU over a nuclear deal fail, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security council, Ali Shamkhani, said, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

Kuwait's ruler in Baghdad amid rising Gulf tensions


Kuwait's ruling emir arrived on a state visit to Iraq on Wednesday and is expected to discuss escalating regional tensions after attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.

France, Germany to increase efforts to reduce Iran tensions, avert war: ministers
France and Germany will increase their efforts to reduce tensions over Iran, but time was running out and the risk of war could not be ruled out, their foreign ministers said on Wednesday.

Iran says it will not give Europe more time to save nuclear deal
Iran said on Wednesday it would not give European powers more time beyond July 8 to save its nuclear deal by shielding it from U.S. sanctions.

Iran's President Rouhani says scaling back nuclear commitments is a 'minimum' measure

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday pulling out of some commitments under the nuclear deal was a "minimum" measure that Tehran could adopt a year after the United States withdrew from the accord and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Iran says there will be no war with United States: IRNA

There will not be any military confrontation between Iran and the United States, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council was quoted as saying on Wednesday by state news agency IRNA.

 

[Windmill knight]

As you have probably heard already, Iran has shot down a Global Hawk drone, claiming it was flying over its territory, while the US says it was in international airspace. Trump tweeted:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1141711064305983488

“Big Mistake”: U.S. Is Preparing To Respond To Global Hawk Shootdown

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had made a “big mistake” when it downed an RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned...

southfront.org

where we read:

A U.S. official told CNN that Trump will hold a meeting to discuss a response to Iran’s action. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and incoming Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper are both expected to attend the meeting. Meanwhile, National security adviser John Bolton will be holding another meeting with Pentagon officials, according to the CNN.

Following his early statement, Trump was asked by CNBC if the U.S. is indeed considering a military response against Iran. The president answer was “you’ll soon find out.”

However, Trump's tone is very different in this video:

My bet is nothing will happen, and if it does, it will be more of a symbolic gesture to reassert American might.

 

[mkrnhr]

Trump became a Bush/Obama. After failing in domestic issues, notably the borders, he may fall into the temptation of a military adventure. Even if it's not an open war at first, it could cascade into something of that nature with time. After all, he doesn't control every aspect of US policies.

 

[Glenn]

Trump became a Bush/Obama. After failing in domestic issues, notably the borders, he may fall into the temptation of a military adventure. Even if it's not an open war at first, it could cascade into something of that nature with time. After all, he doesn't control every aspect of US policies.

I think that they (the US) would go the safest route, if they were to do something, and just launch some cruise missiles into Iran, like they did in Syria. But that could be risky as Iran could then take out any aircraft carrier in the area, as they certainly have the missiles to do it. Iran is no patsy, and the US knows it. So I think that nothing will come of this, at least in the form of an outright attack or retaliation.

 

[bjorb]

So I think that nothing will come of this, at least in the form of an outright attack or retaliation.

I agree and I think it's possible that the US simply underestimated Iran's military capabilities on this one. Believing it could penetrate Iran's air-defence while gathering info without them being capable of hitting the drone.

The downed drone was a RQ-4A Global Hawk and is one of the most advanced high-altitude drones being employed operationally by the US. (unit cost of $123 million) It's max ceiling height is 13.2 miles (19.8 km) The drone does not have any stealth capabilities or high-end countermeasures, leaving it vulnerable to any air defense systems that can hit high-altitude targets.

Iran said they shot down the US drone with an upgraded Khordad missile-defense system, which can detect and track targets 95 miles (152.8 km) away and down them at a height of roughly 15 miles. (24.1 km)

Apparently they weren't kidding. Iran's domestic produced weaponry might be better then many anaylist believe it to be.

Anyhow, Iranian military posted video footage on social media of the missile launch and the explosion at the moment of interception of the drone.

 

[goyacobol]

Anyhow, Iranian military posted video footage on social media of the missile launch and the explosion at the moment of interception of the drone.

All I could think of watching the video was...

Session 28 August 1999:

Q: Okay, you have repeatedly, in the past year, alluded to something that we are supposed to be watching for, that we are supposed to 'enjoy the show,' and all that sort of thing. Now you have made this remark about 5th density, where 3rd density goes at death. Are you suggesting that a lot of folks are going to check out?

A: Maybe we were trying to Lighten things up a bit!

Q: That's all fine and good, but I just want one word here, a clue about what is coming down in the near future that you are making all these hints about... just a one word clue?

A: KABOOM!

Keep in mind this is for entertainment purposes only I am not making light of the seriousness of the situation/situations.

 

[angelburst29]

My bet is nothing will happen, and if it does, it will be more of a symbolic gesture to reassert American might.

It looks like Trump is doing his part in trying to calm down the Pentagon's war drums. Trump has already told Shanahan and Pompeo - NO war with Iran. Now, he's pulling back on his initial approval of military strikes.

Trump pulls back from launch of military strikes on Iran after initial approval: NYT

U.S. President Donald Trump approved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching the attacks, the New York Times said.

Trump says hard to believe Iranian shooting down of U.S. drone was intentional

U.S. President Donald Trump played down Iran's downing of a U.S. military surveillance drone on Thursday, saying he suspected it was shot by mistake and "it would have made a big difference" to him had the remotely controlled aircraft been piloted.

Iran's Zarif tweets that downed U.S. drone took off from UAE
Iran's foreign minister said on Twitter that a U.S. military drone that was shot down by Tehran on Thursday had taken off from the United Arab Emirates.

Trump calls Iran's shooting down of U.S. drone fly in ointment
President Donald Trump on Thursday called Iran's shooting down of a U.S. military drone a new fly in the ointment and said it could have been a mistake.

Iran's Zarif says U.S. lying about drone being hit over international waters

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter on Thursday that the United States is lying over its drone being hit by Iran in international waters, saying Tehran will take the matter to the United Nations.

Iran's IRGC says downing of U.S. drone carried a message to Washington: TV
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards warned on Thursday against any aggression against Tehran, state TV reported, saying that the downing of a U.S. drone carried a "clear message" to Iran's arch enemy, the United States.

Iran's IRGC says downed drone had turned off its 'tracking equipment': IRIB
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said that a U.S. drone shot down on Thursday had turned off its identification transponder, the state broadcaster IRIB reported.

U.S. regulator bars airlines from flying over some Iran-controlled airspace

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday issued an emergency order prohibiting U.S. operators from flying in an overwater area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman due to heightened tensions.

 

[angelburst29]

Iran shot down a $176 Million U.S. Drone. Here's what to know about RQ-4 Global Hawk
Iran Shot Down a $176 Million U.S. Drone. Here's What to Know About the RQ-4 Global Hawk

A few days ago, the U.S. officials also accused Iran of firing missile at a different drone that had been responding to the attack on the tankers. But what exactly is an RQ-4A drone, and why does this attack matter? TIME spoke to drone aircraft experts to find out what you need to know.

In technical terms, the drone that Iran shot down was a U.S. Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS-D) aircraft, which is a Navy version of the Air Force’s high-flying RQ-4A Global Hawk. In simple terms, it is an unmanned aircraft that is intended for surveillance at sea.

Unlike the missile-launching MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones that are used to conduct airstrikes, Global Hawk drones are unarmed are used only to collect information.

To do this, they fly at altitudes of up to 60,000 feet–– almost twice as high as a commercial airliner. At that height, the drone can see beyond the curvature of the Earth.

“This drone typically has as its most important defense altitude,” says Amy Zegart, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies. “It flies at a very high altitude, so the fact that the Iranians were able to shoot it down shows that they have some pretty significant capabilities. In some ways, the shoot down is a signaling mechanism to the United States that Iran is more capable than we might have assumed.”

Global Hawks are also expensive, says Zegart. The cost of a single drone was more than $176 million in 2011, according to the military––more than 10 times the price of drones like the Predator and Reaper.

Global Hawks may be used for surveillance, but they’re not considered to be stealth aircraft. The drone has a 130-ft wingspan, similar to a Boeing 737 passenger jet. It is large, heavy and slow compared to combat aircraft, Dan Gettinger, the co-director of the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College, tells TIME.

“They’re not fast. They have a high profile––they’re easily observable on radar. They’re purposely designed to fly slowly at high altitudes. They’re able to essentially loiter over an area and collect as much data as possible,” Gettinger says.

Such an aircraft would be carrying advanced technology such as high definition and infra-red cameras, as well as sensors that can intercept telephone and radio chatter.

Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies tells TIME that this kind of aircraft would be sent on missions to conduct maritime surveillance or to peer inside a country from outside its borders.

“The range of the sensors onboard would allow you to see, certainly, areas of Iran of interest, while you’re still in international airspace,” Barrie says.

What happened to the drone?
The U.S. and Iran are telling conflicting stories. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said that it shot down the aircraft over Iranian airspace. Revolutionary Guard’s Commander and Chief Hossein Salami said on Iranian TV that the U.S. aircraft crossed a “red line” and that Iran sent a message that it will respond to aggression, according to Reuters.

“Iran is not seeking war with any country, but we are fully prepared to defend Iran,” Salami said.

The U.S. Central Command, which is in charge of military operations in the Middle East, says the drone was attacked in international airspace at the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. The Strait is especially significant because much of the world’s oil supply flows through it.

“Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false. This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace,” Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, said in statement Thursday.

Zegart warns that while the diplomatic situation isn’t as dire as it would be if an aircraft with American pilots had been shot down, she considers Iran’s attack to be an aggressive move for Iran, especially since the drone wasn’t carrying weapons.

“It’s a signaling device that Iran has capabilities that we might not have anticipated before––but it’s certainly less aggressive than shooting at something that would risk human lives,” said Zegart.

U.S. efforts to collect surveillance don’t mean that the drone was being used in an aggressive way, she says.

“Regardless of where you come down on is this international airspace or Iranian airspace, this was not an escalatory move by the United States. It was an escalatory move by Iran,” Zegart says. “You can imagine in some circumstances, gathering intelligence can be deescalating, because everyone has a better picture of what’s going on on the ground. So the simple fact of sending a surveillance drone over a conflict area does not in itself lead to escalation necessarily.”

Zegart warns that the situation is “very dangerous” and that the Trump Administration should take the potential for escalating tensions seriously.

“The President’s use of Twitter is perhaps the biggest wildcard here,” says Zegart. “There are a lot of mixed messages coming out of the Administration whether you’re listening to the National Security Adviser or the President or the Secretary of State. So messaging discipline––which has never been a hallmark of this administration––is all the more important with this particular adversary. I think we can’t assume that an adversary like Iran is going to discount what the President says on Twitter is just Trump being Trump.”

Beyond the current situation, Gettinger, of the Center for the Study of the Drone, argues that the U.S. is likely to see more incidents like this. Drones are becoming increasingly popular in regions with high political and military tensions.

Factbox: The Global Hawk drone shot down by Iran

Iran on Thursday shot down a U.S. military drone it said was on a spy mission over its territory. Washington said the aircraft was targeted in international air space in "an unprovoked attack."

 

[Eulenspiegel]

Hilarious stories just seem to pile on each other. It is a spy drone. What would it be doing over international waters if its sole purpose is to spy for military intelligence?

 

[Windmill knight]

Apart from the NYT reporting that Trump had approved strikes on Iran but pulled back in the last minute, we got this from Reuters:

Exclusive: Trump warned Iran via Oman that U.S. attack was imminent, called for talks - Iranian officials

Iranian officials told Reuters on Friday that Tehran had received a message from U.S. President Donald Trump through Oman overnight warning that a U.S. attack on Iran was imminent.

www.reuters.com

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian officials told Reuters on Friday that Tehran had received a message from U.S. President Donald Trump through Oman overnight warning that a U.S. attack on Iran was imminent.

“In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues ... he gave a short period of time to get our response but Iran’s immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei to decide about this issue,” one of the officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The second official said: “We made it clear that the leader is against any talks, but the message will be conveyed to him to make a decision ... However, we told the Omani official that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences.”

It looks like they are really putting pressure on him but so far he is not giving in.

 

[Cosmos]

My bet is nothing will happen, and if it does, it will be more of a symbolic gesture to reassert American might.

Yes that was my bet too. If anything I think Trump would consider another symbolic attack like in Syria to keep the warmongers at bay.

Trump became a Bush/Obama. After failing in domestic issues, notably the borders, he may fall into the temptation of a military adventure. Even if it's not an open war at first, it could cascade into something of that nature with time. After all, he doesn't control every aspect of US policies.

I have to disagree. I still see no sign (actual deeds) of Trump becoming a Bush or Obama. I think his basic makeup can not be compared to those two people. I still think a war is about the last thing he will ever consider and I think there is a good likelihood that he will carry through this term and likely a second one without starting any open war anywhere, while trying to step down foreign meddlings. I'm still pretty impressed on how he manages this against all odds and pressures.

It looks like Trump is doing his part in trying to calm down the Pentagon's war drums. Trump has already told Shanahan and Pompeo - NO war with Iran. Now, he's pulling back on his initial approval of military strikes.

Yes and he quite sensibly explained it in the following way on twitter:

President Obama made a desperate and terrible deal with Iran - Gave them 150 Billion Dollars plus I.8 Billion Dollars in CASH! Iran was in big trouble and he bailed them out. Gave them a free path to Nuclear Weapons, and SOON. Instead of saying thank you, Iran yelled Death to America. I terminated deal, which was not even ratified by Congress, and imposed strong sanctions. They are a much weakened nation today than at the beginning of my Presidency, when they were causing major problems throughout the Middle East. Now they are Bust!

On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!

He saw no rational to kill 150 people because of an unmanned drone. That says a lot... At the same time this will probably make the war hungry deepstaters consider other methods in the future that involve deaths of people including americans to increase the pressure on him to start a war.

It looks like they are really putting pressure on him but so far he is not giving in.

Exactly, and so far it is quite a miracle in my book. As I argued, I think Trump is willing to say the most outrages BS things if that means that it decreases the risk and pressure of being pulled into anything like this. Actions count, not words. And so far he is pretty good at it, or at least a Million times better than pretty much any other president before. Or so it seems.

 

[angelburst29]

Apart from the NYT reporting that Trump had approved strikes on Iran but pulled back in the last minute, we got this from Reuters:

Exclusive: Trump warned Iran via Oman that U.S. attack was imminent, called for talks - Iranian officials

Iranian officials told Reuters on Friday that Tehran had received a message from U.S. President Donald Trump through Oman overnight warning that a U.S. attack on Iran was imminent.

www.reuters.com

The Russian news agency TASS also made mention of the Reuters article:

Iran receives likely attack warning from US — Reuters
Iran receives likely attack warning from US — Reuters

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei © EPA-EFE/HO

MOSCOW, June 21. /TASS/. The Iranian leadership received an overnight warning from US President Donald Trump of a likely attack against Iran, Reuters quoted Iranian government sources as saying.

This morning, Friday June 21st, Reuters published a short article - stating "Iran had reframed from shooting down an accompanying plane with passengers" when it took down the drone - claiming it came from the "Tasnim" news site? Southfront even quoted the article, along with the WaPo and other news sites, that picked up the Reuters article from a general news pool. I even came across a U-tube clip.

Problem I'm having - I went to the Tasnim news site - and I haven't been able to find any information to verify Reuters claim of a "accompanying plane"? Nothing on TASS, either? Maybe, I over looked something?

Iran says it refrained from shooting down U.S. plane with 35 on board: Tasnim news
LONDON (Reuters) - Iran refrained from shooting down a U.S. plane with 35 people on board that was accompanying the downed drone in the Gulf, a Revolutionary Guards Commander said on Friday.

Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division, was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency: “With the U.S. drone in the region there was also an American P-8 plane with 35 people on board. This plane also entered our airspace and we could have shot it down, but we did not.”

IRGC Commander Says Iran Refrained From Shooting Down Second U.S. Plane (June 21, 2019)
IRGC Commander Says Iran Refrained From Shooting Down Second U.S. Plane

Iran says it refrained from blowing up US plane carrying 35 people

Published on Jun 21, 2019 (1:41 min.)

This from TASS - nothing on an accompanying plane?

Senior Russian diplomat says US, Iran are on the brink of war (June 21, 2019)
Senior Russian diplomat says US, Iran are on the brink of war

Reports on Tasnim:

Iran Displays Wreckage of Downed US Drone (+ 14 Photos - June 21, 2019)
Iran Displays Wreckage of Downed US Drone (+Photos) - Defense news - Tasnim News Agency

- Defense news -
The IRGC Aerospace Force held a press briefing on Friday, displaying some parts of the US stealth drone’s wreckage.
According to the force, the downed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was a Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton.

Video Shows Iran's Khordad 3 Air Defense Missile Downed US Drone (June 21, 2019)
Video Shows Iran's Khordad 3 Air Defense Missile Downed US Drone - Defense news - Tasnim News Agency

- Defense news -
The Iranian military has released video that shows the moment an indigenous Khordad 3 air defense system of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Forces fires a surface-to-air missile at an intruding US spy drone.

IRGC Reveals More Details of Downing US Drone (June 20, 2019)
IRGC Reveals More Details of Downing US Drone - Politics news - Tasnim News Agency

Iran Vows Decisive Response to US Retaliation for Drone Downing (June 21, 2019)
Iran Vows Decisive Response to US Retaliation for Drone Downing - Politics news - Tasnim News Agency

Iran Summons Swiss Envoy over US Drone Airspace Violation (June 21, 2019)
Iran Summons Swiss Envoy over US Drone Airspace Violation - Politics news - Tasnim News Agency

US Spy Drone Downed after Iran’s Several Warnings: Commander (June 21, 2019)
US Spy Drone Downed after Iran’s Several Warnings: Commander - Defense news - Tasnim News Agency

 

[angelburst29]

Airlines avoid parts of Iran-controlled airspace after U.S. regulator's order

Some global airlines are re-routing flights to avoid Iran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman, they said on Friday, after the U.S. aviation regulator barred its carriers from the area until further notice.

Factbox: International airlines' response to FAA on Iran airspace

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency order on Thursday prohibiting U.S. air carriers from flying in Iran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman due to heightened tensions.

Emirates re-routing flights away from possible conflict areas in Gulf
Emirates Airline is re-routing flights away from areas of possible conflict in the Gulf, a spokeswoman for the Dubai-based company said on Friday, amid growing military tension between Iran and the United States in the region.

British Airways says will follow U.S. guidance to avoid parts of Iranian airspace

British Airways said on Friday it will adhere to guidance from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to avoid parts of Iranian airspace and its flights will continue to operate using alternative routes.

Australia's Qantas directs flights away from Strait of Hormuz

Australia's flag carrier, Qantas Airways Ltd, said on Friday that its flights over the Middle East would avoid the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman following the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone in the region.

KLM avoiding parts of Iranian airspace

Air France-KLM's Dutch subsidiary KLM is avoiding flying over parts of Iran as a precautionary measure, a spokesman said on Friday, confirming a report by the Netherlands' state broadcaster NOS.

Trump says he's not looking for war with Iran: NBC News interview
President Donald Trump said on Friday he is not looking for war with Iran, but he warned that if a conflict did occur it would result in "obliteration."

U.S. asks U.N. Security Council to meet on Iran on Monday
The United States has asked the United Nations Security Council to meet on Iran behind closed-doors on Monday, diplomats said.

Russia will help Iran with oil if payment channel not launched: Ryabkov
Russia is ready to help Iran with oil exports and its banking sector if the Instex European payment system is not launched, Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Friday.

Ashena, adviser to Iranian president, says Trump should ease sanctions to avoid war
An adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday if U.S. President Donald Trump does not want war with Tehran, he should ease sanctions, as tensions rise between the countries following the downing of a U.S. drone by Iran.

EU concerned over Gulf developments, but sees no need to intervene
European Union leaders are very concerned about the tensions between Iran and the United State in the Gulf, but see no reason to intervene with a specific statement of their own, their chairman Donald Tusk said on Friday after an EU summit.

Iran says it 'responds to diplomacy with diplomacy, war with firm defense'
Iran "responds to diplomacy with diplomacy ... war with firm defense", Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Friday on his Twitter account, reacting to remarks by U.S. envoy on Iran Brian Hook.

U.N. chief Guterres calls for 'nerves of steel' in the Gulf

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, commenting on Friday on the situation in the Gulf, said "I have only one strong recommendation: nerves of steel", U.N. spokeswoman in Geneva Alessandra Vellucci said.

UK in regular contact with U.S. over Iran, urges de-escalation
Britain is in regular contact with the United States over the situation in Iran and has continuously called for de-escalation on all sides, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday.

U.S. envoy says important to de-escalate tension with Iran

The United States envoy on Iran, Brian Hook, said on Friday it was "important we do everything" to de-escalate tensions with Iran.

U.S. envoy for Iran meets Saudi deputy defense minister in Riyadh
U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday, the minister tweeted.

Kremlin calls for restraint in U.S.-Iran row
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday urged all sides to show restraint in the situation around Iran and said Moscow was concerned about rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.

America is trying to create 'Iran phobia': Iran's defence minister

The United States is trying to create "Iran phobia", Iran’s defence minister Amir Hatami said on Friday, according to the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA).