Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has urged Americans to protest President Donald Trump, saying his war in the Middle East has failed, as new US sanctions and fighting in the region continued Tuesday.
The United States imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and entities in Iran, Hong Kong and Pakistan over allegations that they helped Iran obtain weapons and military equipment. The Treasury Department said the measures were part of Trump administration efforts to cut financial support for Iran’s military supply network.
The sanctions came as prospects for renewed diplomacy between Washington and Tehran remained uncertain.
Iran calls on Americans to protest
Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said the war could end only if the United States accepted defeat and withdrew.
Speaking at a news conference in Tehran, Mohebbi read what he described as a “letter to the American people” ahead of the Nov. 3 US midterm elections.
In comments to The Associated Press, he urged Americans to reconsider their leadership and take to the streets to protest Trump’s policies. He accused Washington of using Iran’s nuclear program as an excuse to take the country’s wealth and return it to a colonial status.
Iran’s currency also fell to a new low Tuesday, with traders exchanging more than 2.5 million rials for $1. The currency has repeatedly weakened since the war began in February.
Saudi oil pipeline resumes operations
A major Saudi oil pipeline that was shut down earlier this month after a drone attack has resumed operations, a Saudi government official said.
The official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the 1,200-kilometre (745-mile) East-West pipeline is operating close to pre-attack levels and should return to full capacity within weeks.
Saudi Arabia accused an Iran-backed Iraqi militia of carrying out the drone attack. The pipeline transports crude from oil facilities along the Gulf to export terminals on the Red Sea coast.
Data firm Kpler said tankers loaded about 12.5 million barrels of oil Sunday at the Yanbu export terminal and nearby Al Muajjiz terminal, both supplied by the pipeline.
Pakistan vows to support Saudi Arabia
Pakistan will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Tuesday.
Asif did not say whether Pakistani forces had taken part in airstrikes. He said Pakistan’s military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defence pact involving Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
“I’m not going into detail, but obviously when I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they’ll be available to Saudi Arabia also,” he told reporters in Rome.
Heavy strikes hit Houthi stronghold
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces carried out heavy airstrikes Tuesday in the northwestern province of Saada, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Houthis.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said government forces carried out 35 airstrikes on Houthi positions over 24 hours.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported earlier that at least 20 strikes hit several areas of Saada.
Israeli settlers block Palestinian family from home
More than 100 Israeli settlers clashed with Israeli soldiers who were escorting a Palestinian man back to his home in the West Bank village of Jalud.
Mahmoud Tubasi told the AP that soldiers initially took him to his house, but rioting settlers forced him and his family to leave in a military vehicle. He said settlers have surrounded the house for about two months, preventing the family from returning.
The Israeli military said the overnight operation to return the family “was not completed” and that three officers were injured after settlers threw rocks, blocked roads and set Palestinian property on fire.
Israeli police said three settlers were arrested over the violence. The incident was condemned by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gidon Saar and President Isaac Herzog.
Rights groups have accused the Israeli military of cooperating with settlers, while the military has struggled to contain a recent increase in settler violence.
Israeli strikes kill four in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed four people Tuesday, including a Hamas commander, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials.
An early morning strike on an apartment west of Gaza City killed two people and injured five others, officials at Shifa Hospital said.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted Izz al-Din Bik, a Hamas commander involved in planning attacks and recruiting members. Hamas confirmed his death and said he was one of the main figures involved in overseeing the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people.
Later Tuesday, an Israeli strike in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza killed one person and injured several others, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. Another strike east of Gaza City killed one person, Shifa Hospital officials said.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the afternoon strikes.
The deaths were the latest reported since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago.