The sixth day of war in the Middle East began with a new escalation: Azerbaijan put its Armed Forces on alert after a drone attack attributed to Iran against an airport and a school, which Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev described as a “terrorist act”.
The Iranian Army denied that the country had attacked and accused Israel of having orchestrated the situation to generate even greater isolation of the Islamic regime.
Attacks on Kurdish groups opposing the regime
Iran claimed attacks on Kurdish positions in Iraqi Kurdistan, where the Komala organizations and the Kurdish Democratic Party – opponents of the regime – are located.
The country accuses the US of arming these groups to widen the crisis inside Iran. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the previous day that “it is completely false that Kurdish forces will be armed with the hope of inspiring a popular uprising in Iran”, after US President Donald Trump spoke to Kurdish leaders about American “bases” in northern Iraq.
European countries send military resources to Cyprus and Eastern Mediterranean
France, Italy and Greece entered into an agreement this Thursday (5) to coordinate the mobilization of their military resources in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, in addition to collaborating to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, according to the Elysee Palace.
French President Emmanuel Macron called Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis this morning to organize the mobilization.
The military contribution of France, Italy and Greece to the defense of Cyprus and stability in the Middle East is part of a context of growing tension in the Eastern Mediterranean, marked by recent attacks linked to the war escalation between Iran and Israel, which has US support.
This week, France announced the sending of a frigate and anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus, in support of the island’s security following the attack on a British military base there. Paris reiterated that its actions seek to defend its interests and those of its partners, without offensive objectives.
Furthermore, France authorized US military planes – except fighters like those taking part in the attacks in Iran – to use one of its air bases on French territory. Sources from the French Army General Staff informed the EFE Agency that permission was granted for “American aircraft in support of operations”, without detailing the models, but insisting on the exclusion of “combat aircraft”.
Italy, in turn, announced the sending of its military Navy ships to Cyprus and the deployment of anti-drone and anti-missile defense systems to Gulf countries that requested support after the Iranian attacks.
Russia distances itself from conflict in the Middle East, but reaffirms economic partnership with Iran
The Kremlin said on Thursday that the conflict over Iran is not its war and that it believes it must look after its own interests.
“The ongoing war is not our war. And we have been clear from the beginning that any war could lead to the destabilization of the region,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told local media. In this way, Russia exempts itself from responsibility for the situation and reiterates that it can do nothing to prevent the conflict.
“Are we capable of stopping this war? No, we are not. Only those who started it can stop it, which, in our opinion, is what they should do,” he said.
Peskov said Russia will likely have to protect its own interests as much as possible, “as cynical as that may sound.”
In turn, Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev said during a visit to the Iranian ambassador’s residence in Moscow on Thursday that Russia intends to continue economic cooperation with Tehran.
The areas of cooperation will not cease, “regardless of the challenges that arise. Therefore, we will continue our work with Iran.”
Iran reacts to US submarine attack on warship: “atrocity”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday that the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, carrying almost 130 crew members, was attacked “without warning” by an American torpedo, calling the episode “an atrocity at sea” and warning that the US “will deeply regret” the offensive.
“The US perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 3,200 kilometers off the coast of Iran. The frigate Dena, which was participating as a guest of the Indian Navy with almost 130 sailors on board, was attacked in international waters without prior warning,” Araqchi said in a message published on the social network X.
“Remember my words: the US will deeply regret the precedent it set,” the chancellor added.
To date, 84 bodies have been recovered. The Sri Lanka Navy maintains active search and rescue operations south of its maritime border.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed the previous day that an American submarine sank the Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and described the action as the first sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II.
