Trump says we're 'blowing up the whole country' if Iran doesn't make deal in 48 hours

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that the U.S. and Israel's "illegal military action" against Iran is the "root cause of the obstruction of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."

"Only a ceasefire that achieves peace and stability in the Gulf region can fundamentally safeguard the safety and unimpeded flow of international waterways. All parties should work together to de-escalate the situation and prevent regional instability from having a greater impact on global economic and energy security," Mao said at a press briefing.

-ABC News' Karson Yiu

The Israel Defense Forces said in a post to X on Thursday that emergency responders were deployed to sites in northern Israel where there were reports of projectile impacts.

Both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia reported fresh Iranian attacks on Thursday morning.

The UAE's Defense Ministry said in a post to X that its air defenses were "engaging with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran."

The Saudi Defense Ministry reported the downing of at least five drones and one ballistic missile since midnight on Wednesday.

The U.S Embassy in Baghdad on Thursday urged all American citizens to leave Iraq immediately citing the danger that "Iran-aligned Iraqi terrorist militias may intend to carry out attacks in central Baghdad within the next 24 to 48 hours."

The embassy alert said that Iran and its allied Iraqi groups have carried out "widespread attacks against U.S. citizens and U.S.-associated targets throughout Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan region."

"Terrorist militias have targeted Americans for kidnapping, and U.S. citizens should leave Iraq immediately," the alert said. "The government of Iraq has not been able to prevent terrorist attacks that occur within Iraqi territory or launch from it."

The warning follows the kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad earlier this week.