Trump considering a 'massive attack' on Iran in wake of Jordan base bombings

The European Union's European Council announced Friday that it is imposing restrictive measures on six Iranian individuals for "serious human rights violations."

"Today, the EU imposed new restrictive measures on Iranian judges responsible for serious human rights violations, including the persecution of political dissidents and religious minorities," Kaja Kallas, the Vice-President of the European Commission, wrote in an X post Friday.

"We also sanctioned a leading figure of a cyber group who enabled the regime’s repression of information," she added.

"As Tehran intensifies its domestic crackdown, the EU will continue to hold those responsible to account," Kallas concluded.

The judges, according to the council, targeted dissidents such as Nobel Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi, who is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence for what Iranian officials called "collusion against state security."

Mohammadi won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for helping to lead the 2022 protests that followed the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, who died in Iranian police custody after morality police detained her for not covering her hair properly.

The EU has now sanctioned over 269 Iranian officials and 53 entities, according to a Friday EU statement. Those sanctions include asset freezes, travel bans, export bans and more.

Oman's foreign minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi said that the Strait of Hormuz, which his country borders, should remain open and unrestricted during Friday remarks.

"On maritime affairs, His Excellency reaffirmed the Sultanate of Oman's steadfast position that vital waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, remain open and accessible for navigation, free from any measures that would impede freedom of navigation and international trade flows," Oman's Foreign Ministry wrote in a Friday morning post on X.

"His Excellency stressed that international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, constitutes the foundation for maritime security, and that respect for its provisions safeguards freedom of navigation, which holds utmost importance for global trade, food security, and energy security," the post added.

Officials in Oman, which sits across Iran on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz, have discussed with Iran and with European allies the possibility of charging foreign tankers tolls or maintenance fees to use the Strait of Hormuz, though Al Busaidi has publicly downplayed the likelihood of tolling.

Bahrain's Ministry of Interior warned citizens to shelter in place as missile alarms rang in the small Persian Gulf state amid apparent strikes from Iran on Friday.

"The siren has been sounded, Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," the Ministry of Interior wrote in a Friday morning X post.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for Friday attacks on Bahrain and issued a warning to other Gulf States through its media operations center on the social messaging platform Telegram.

"To all citizens and residents of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria: For your safety, you are urged to immediately stay away from military and security bases, facilities, and headquarters, as well as locations where U.S. forces are deployed. Do not approach any area witnessing military movements or exceptional security measures," the message read.

"Immediately maintain a distance of at least 500 meters (1,640 feet) from any covert or concealed accommodations used by U.S. military personnel," the message continued.

"These locations include American hotels, American banks, American companies, high-rise towers, properties owned by the Trump family, and investments associated with them," it concluded

Iran reportedly flew Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisors and munitions to Yemen to assist the Houthi terrorists in attacking vessels in the Red Sea, Reuters reported, citing Yemen's information minister.

The IRGC made the delivery on a July 13 flight from Tehran to Yemen's Red Sea port city Hodeidah, Reuters reported, also citing three other sources, including two Iranian sources.

Between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, including IRGC commanders, were on the flight.

The IRGC brought the Houthi rebels gold to fund the attacks.

Houthi spokesman Abdel Rahman al-Ahnomi, who was on the flight, denied the report as "lies and fabrications," claiming all the flight's passengers were civilians.

The news corroborates statements Secretary of State Marco Rubio made Wednesday.

"They decided to send direct flights from Tehran into Yemen, carrying IRGC elements and others into the country," Rubio told reporters. "And the Saudis responded to it."

The Houthis, an Iranian-backed terrorist group that have been at war with Yemen's government for over a decade, fired rockets at two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday, opening a new front in the Iran war and sending global crude oil prices higher.

Reuters contributed to this post.

Explosions were heard across multiple parts of Iran on Thursday after the U.S. military launched another wave of strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities, according to local media.

An explosion was heard on the southern coast of Qeshm Island, Iran's state broadcaster reported, according to Reuters.

The outlet also said multiple explosions were reported in the southern city of Ahvaz, according to Iran's Fars News Agency.

A separate explosion was heard west of the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran's state broadcaster reported, also according to Reuters.