Trump demands China, other nations deploy warships to Strait of Hormuz (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

European countries thought they would get more support for Ukraine by backing the war against Iran, but instead, the conflict resulted in sanction relief for Russian oil imports, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said.

Except for Spain and a few other nations, European countries and the European Union condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which legal scholars have deemed unlawful, by criticizing the Iranian government.

”Europe thought backing illegal war on Iran would win US support against Russia,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X. “Pathetic.”

The Pentagon has approved sending a Marine expeditionary unit and additional warships to the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported citing three unnamed US officials. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has approved a request from US Central Command for the additional assets, including the amphibious assault-ready expeditionary unit, which typically consists of some 5,000 Marines and sailors.

Sirens have blared in Tel Aviv as the Home Front Command instructed residents to seek shelter in a protected space and remain there until further notice. The IDF said it detected several missile launches from Iran – hours after Israel announced a new wave of strikes against Tehran.

“Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said.

Israeli shells reportedly hit a United Nations peacekeeping base near the border village of Mays al-Jabal in southern Lebanon, landing inside the Nepalese battalion’s compound, according to state-run National News Agency.

READ MORE: Ghana protests missile strike on peacekeepers in Lebanon (VIDEO)

There were no immediate reports of casualties or comments from UNIFIL, Nepal, or Israel.

Earlier this week, Ghana urged the international community to condemn another missile attack that injured four of its soldiers serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.

Ghana’s foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, described last Friday’s bombing as “an attack on multilateralism” and “every principle that the UN Charter exists to defend.”

Qatar has ordered evacuations from “a number of specified areas as a temporary precautionary measure, in the interest of public safety until the threat has subsided.”

The Interior Ministry has urged everyone to “rely on official sources for information and to adhere to the issued instructions” – but did not immediately provide any specifics or a list of affected areas.

At least six Iranian civilians have been killed and seven others injured in a suspected Israeli attack on a village in the central Markazi province, according to Fars news.

Tehran is allegedly considering allowing oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz if their cargo is traded in Chinese yuan, rather than US dollars, an unnamed senior Iranian official told CNN.

READ MORE: Iranian envoy signals safe passage for Indian ships through Strait of Hormuz

Responding to a question from an RT India correspondent earlier on Friday, Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, highlighted converging interests between the two countries and when asked directly whether India would receive safe passage through the strait, he replied: “Yes, because India is our friend.”

The United States has been aggressively defending the petrodollar system, utilizing a combination of financial sanctions and military-backed pressure since its establishment in the 1970s. President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused BRICS nations of seeking to undermine the US dollar’s dominance in global trade. Moscow argues Washington itself undermined its currency by using it as a weapon, while Russia and its partners were merely forced to seek alternatives.

At least 13 civilians, including children, were killed by Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Friday evening, according to local health officials.

READ MORE: Michigan synagogue attacker ‘lost family to Israeli attack’ – official

The death toll over the past two weeks has risen to more than 773 people, including over 100 children, and nearly 2,000 injured.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said one of the strikes hit an emergency point operated by the Islamic Health Authority and the Islamic Risala Scouts, killing two rescuers and wounding at least five others. The state-run National News Agency said another six people, including a young girl, were killed when Israeli warplanes struck a house in the city of Nabatieh. Three more people were killed in the border city of Bint Jbeil , while two children were killed in the coastal town of Ghazieh.

The Nepalese consulate in Beirut has condemned the Israeli attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) outpost hosting a Nepalese battalion, calling it a serious breach of international law.

“The Nepalese soldiers participating in UNIFIL have served for many years with a spirit of commitment and discipline to promote peace and stability in southern Lebanon,” the consulate said. It is unclear if anyone was injured or killed.

The US has conducted a bombing raid on Iran’s “crown jewel,” Kharg Island, which handles 90% of the country’s oil exports, President Donald Trump announced in a new post on Truth Social.

READ MORE: Urals tops Brent: Will the US-Israeli war on Iran make Russia richer?

“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump wrote.

The US president claimed that he has chosen not to wipe out Iran’s oil infrastructure on the island “for reasons of decency” – as Brent futures spiked above $103 on Friday. Washington has been struggling to cushion the global economic impact of the war by releasing crude oil from strategic reserves and even temporarily lifting sanctions on Russia.

“However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” he stated.