Turkey Insists New Pact Not Targeting Iran, Says Egypt Could Eventually Join
Updated
As the conflict in the Persian Gulf continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL's Central Newsroom and Iranian service, Radio Farda, deliver ongoing updates and analysis.
Key Takeaways
- Turkey's foreign minister claimed a defense agreement signed by Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia is not targeting Iran, although he said it is technically the same as NATO's Article 5 mutual defense pact that means an attack on one is an attack on all.
- Oman condemned the latest attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz -- suspected to have been carried out by Iran -- even as it said talks were “positive” and "constructive" with Tehran aimed at reaching agreement on a new route through the crucial waterway.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said that Iran and Oman are "very close" to reaching an agreement on a new route through the Strait of Hormuz.
- The US Treasury Department has targeted three Iranian foreign currency exchange houses and their associated front companies.