Tehran, May 7 — Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared before the Iranian parliament on Thursday to explain the government's response to remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump, who declared this week that Iran had been effectively 'dismantled' as a military power, with its navy and air force crippled following recent U.S. and Israeli operations. Hardline lawmakers demanded clarification on the status of Iran's defense infrastructure and pressed the government on whether backchannel negotiations were underway.

The session grew heated as conservative parliamentarians accused the Pezeshkian administration of failing to communicate the true state of Iran's deterrence capabilities to the public. Several members called for a formal emergency session of the Supreme National Security Council, which oversees Iran's military and nuclear strategy. State media broadcast portions of the session, though feed cuts suggested portions of the debate were kept from public viewing.

In Washington, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reiterated that U.S. forces in the region remained in a high-readiness posture, with what officials described as 'Project Freedom' assets—believed to be carrier strike groups and long-range bomber deployments in the Persian Gulf theater—remaining on standby. The Pentagon declined to specify which assets were involved but confirmed that contingency planning remained active.

European foreign policy officials, including EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, issued a statement urging all parties to pursue diplomatic channels and warning that further escalation risked destabilizing energy markets and triggering a wider humanitarian crisis. The EU statement called for Iran to grant immediate access to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to verify the condition of nuclear facilities, some of which have been reported damaged in recent strikes.

Crude oil prices held above $94 per barrel on Thursday as markets continued to price in supply risk from the Persian Gulf. Shipping insurers confirmed elevated war-risk premiums on tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, though the waterway remained open to commercial traffic. Analysts said the next 72 hours of diplomatic signaling from both Tehran and Washington would be critical in determining whether the current standoff stabilizes or escalates further.