Russia, China, and Iran Conduct Joint Naval Drills in Gulf of Oman

Iranian officials have responded sharply to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks regarding military action against Iran, which he described as a commitment to "finish the job." This statement was made during a joint conference with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem on February 16, 2025. "Threatening others is both a gross violation of international law and the United Nations Charter," stated Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, who emphasized that “Israel can’t do a thing” against Iran.
Netanyahu asserted that Israel had delivered significant defeats to Iran’s influence in the region, particularly against groups allied with Tehran such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Huthi rebels, which he refers to as Iran's "terror axis." The rising tensions come amid renewed U.S. policies under President Donald Trump, who has reinstated a "maximum pressure" strategy on Iran following the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. Trump, along with Rubio, characterized Iran as a leading source of instability in the Middle East and emphasized that Tehran would not acquire nuclear capabilities.