Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi held talks by phone with his Turkish and Saudi counterparts on the latest diplomatic efforts to ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.
Araghchi discussed bilateral issues and the latest regional developments separately with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Saturday night, the report said.
The three Foreign Ministers also consulted on the progress of diplomatic efforts to promote stability in the West Asia region and address insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz resulting from what Iran described as “aggressive actions” by the United States, according to the report.
The calls came after a series of naval confrontations between Iran and the United States earlier Saturday, Xinhua News Agency reported.
US Central Command said Saturday on social media platform X that US forces had struck three Iranian crude oil carriers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “launched ballistic missiles toward two US Navy warships patrolling regional waters.”
“A US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks. No American personnel were harmed,” it said.
The IRGC Navy later confirmed the US strikes, saying it had targeted three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and three US-affiliated vessels elsewhere in retaliation.
In a statement published early Sunday by its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said its aerospace forces had fired several ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer in the preceding hours, alleging that the vessels had harassed Iranian ships and participated in a naval blockade against Iran.
The IRGC also said its naval forces had attacked a US Army unmanned surface vessel that attempted to enter a protected area of the Strait of Hormuz.
(IANS)
