+++ Iran-Krieg +++: Iranischer Außenminister: Diplomatie könnte wieder in Gang kommen

Iranischer Außenminister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed reports of a plot to assassinate the younger son of US President Donald Trump as false, according to a statement made in a Lebanese TV interview. The US Secret Service had revealed on Tuesday that they had been shown an Iranian state television video depicting an attempted assassination of Barron Trump.

Trump later stated on Wednesday that he believed Ayatollah Hassan Rouhani, Iran's supreme leader, is "very seriously injured," but not dead. Rouhani became the supreme leader of Iran after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed at the beginning of the war. The younger Khamenei has not appeared in public since then. The US has announced plans to economically isolate Iran with new sanctions, including those targeting Iran's trading partners.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that anyone engaging in trade with Iran would feel the full force of US power, aiming to cut off Iran's revenue sources. Mnuchin did not comment on whether this would extend to China, which is the main importer of Iranian oil. Three additional buildings in the Gaza Strip were reportedly struck after evacuation warnings were issued.

Israeli military officials stated they had attacked targets in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City and Deir al-Balah after previous warnings. They claimed these were two Hamas weapons stores stored in mosques, though they provided no evidence and explained that dozens of Kalashnikov rifles, magazines, and other military equipment were seized.

Iran continues to block maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz with threats and attacks on ships. The Straits of Hormuz are a crucial passage for oil, gas, and fertilizer exports from the countries around the Persian Gulf, with global economic implications. Teheran demands that ships take only Iran-designated routes along its coast, asserting that only the route designated by Tehran is safe.