TEHRAN/UNITED NATIONS/JERUSALEM/ANKARA/MOSCOW/MANAMA/WASHINGTON - Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad-Reza Aref said on Thursday the administration has declared the coming week as the "Week of National Unity and Solidarity for Iran," according to the official news agency IRNA.

Aref said he had made the decision on behalf of the administration and was inspired by the first message of Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The message was released earlier in the day and highlighted the need to maintain unity among the Iranian people.

Aref said, as stressed by Iran's supreme leader, the people's "effective presence on the scene and maintaining national unity" are the most important props for the country's power and security.

On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the Middle East. 

'Inherent right'

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations, said Thursday that it is his country's "inherent right" to preserve peace and security in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iravani told reporters that Iran "fully respects and remains committed to the principle of freedom of navigation under the law of the sea."

US-owned tanker 

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel linked to the United States had been struck in the Gulf after ignoring warnings from Iranian naval forces.

In a statement carried by its official outlet Sepah News, the IRGC warned that oil tankers and other vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz must comply with Iran's passage regulations, saying US "aggression" had created insecurity in the waterway. Ships that failed to comply risked being struck by "stray projectiles," it said.

The IRGC also said that its Navy has hit the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain's Mina Salman port with missiles and drones.

USS Gerald R. Ford 

Meanwhile, two sailors aboard USS Gerald R. Ford were injured when a fire broke out in the main laundry spaces of the aircraft carrier operating in the Red Sea, the US Navy said Thursday.

"On March 12, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) experienced a fire that originated in the ship's main laundry spaces," the US Naval Forces Central Command said in a post on X.

The fire was not combat-related and has been contained, according to the post.

Taleghan facility

Also on Thursday, the Israeli military said it had struck the Taleghan facility in Tehran, describing it as a site used in Iran's efforts to advance its nuclear capabilities.

In a statement, the military said the strike targeted the Taleghan compound in recent days. It said the facility had been used in recent years to develop advanced explosives and conduct experiments linked to the AMAD project, which Israel describes as a covert Iranian program to develop nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says the AMAD project operated between 1989 and 2003, though Israel alleges some of its activities have continued.

'Regime change'

Iran's territorial integrity must not be questioned, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, warning against pursuing "regime change" in Iran.

"This war needs to stop as soon as possible. There should be no problem regarding Iran's territorial integrity, and goals such as regime change should not be pursued. The region must return to normal as soon as possible," Fidan said at a joint press conference with visiting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in the capital Ankara.

Russia 'is concerned over ME conflict'

Russia is deeply concerned over the uncontrolled escalation of the Middle East conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

Zakharova told a press briefing that the military adventure by the United States and Israel against Iran has destabilized the entire Middle East region.

Suspicion of spying 

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said Thursday that four citizens have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

The four detainees, three men and one woman, allegedly communicated with operatives linked to Iran, the ministry said.