War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a professor at the University of Applied Sciences and Technology in Tehran, tells Al Jazeera that “Iran earns nothing” from participating in the talks any more and “stands to lose a lot”.

Khoshcheshm notes that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the midst of the war shot up oil prices and came to be Tehran’s biggest weapon in the conflict.

“That mounted pressure on Trump at home, and he failed repeatedly to reopen this strait through military means,” he says. “Iran, a vast country, has taken measures to compensate by other means, including activating its land borders.”

The analyst argues that the waterway has been “under Iranian control for centuries, ever since this country was created”.

“This shouldn’t be the other way around after the war, and Iranians will not tolerate that. Iran is not going to take part in the talks unless the US backs down [from the Strait of Hormuz].”

A US military delegation has met with Lebanon’s army in Beirut to discuss the implementation of Israel’s withdrawal from one of the “pilot zones” in occupied territory, a Lebanese military official tells AFP.

“The American military delegation arrived and began meetings with the Lebanese army command to discuss the mechanisms for implementing the first pilot zone from which the Israelis will withdraw, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy,” the official says, requesting anonymity.

“This is the main objective the American military delegation is bringing to Lebanon … it is the translation and implementation of the framework agreement.”

The official adds, “The first pilot zone will launch in a matter of days, and further pilot zones are being mapped out and planned.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in Oman to discuss arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, with Washington seeking a public pledge of free, secure transit, Reuters reports.

No US attacks were reported on Friday or early Saturday, however, and a senior Iranian source tells Reuters a call between Iran, the US, Qatar, and Pakistan had been agreed and mediators were trying to arrange it for Saturday while Araghchi is in Oman.

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Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, says Tehran will stop honouring its memorandum of understanding with the US if the latter’s attacks continue, accusing Washington of a “flagrant violation” of the UN Charter over attacks on Iranian islands and southern cities on July 7 and 8, Al Jazeera reports.

“Should the United States continue to violate its obligations under the MoU, Iran will no longer be bound to fulfil its obligations under the MoU,” he tells reporters outside the UN Security Council, adding that Tehran remains committed “provided that the United States fully and faithfully complies with its own obligations”.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan express concern over escalating tensions between Iran and the US, particularly after the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the FO says.

The pair “agreed that the renewed conflict serves no one’s interest and undermines efforts toward regional peace and stability” during a phone call, the FO writes on X.

“The Saudi foreign minister shared the kingdom’s perspective on ongoing diplomatic efforts and emphasised the importance of de-escalation and continued dialogue,” the statement reads.

“DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and allow mediation efforts the necessary time and space to achieve a peaceful and meaningful outcome.”

An Israeli airstrike has targeted the town of al-Mansouri in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera correspondents on the ground report.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has had a telephone conversation with Maldivian Foreign Minister Dr Iruthisham Adam, the Foreign Office (FO) says.

“The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments. Foreign Minister Adam appreciated Pakistan’s role in mediating the Iran-US conflict,” the FO writes on X.

“While reaffirming their shared commitment to further strengthening the longstanding bonds of friendship and cooperation between Pakistan and the Maldives, the two leaders agreed to remain in close contact.”

The website of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, with the address rahbar.ir, has been launched, Tasnim reports.

Two members of Iran’s security forces were killed in an attack in the northeast city of Mashhad, where the funeral of late supreme leader Ali Khamenei was held, AFP reports, citing Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

The two people killed were “members of the Basij forces”, a paramilitary force affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Iranian military, Tasnim said.

Tasnim did not specify the date of the incident or the identity of the attackers, but said that “the perpetrator or perpetrators of this act will be punished”.

According to the agency, the two men were killed while “patrolling in the city of Mashhad, about fifteen kilometres (nine miles) from the shrine” of Imam Reza, where Ali Khamenei was buried.

“A pedestrian was also wounded by the attackers and taken to hospital,” the Iranian agency added.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah discussed the latest regional developments during a telephone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

According to the Saudi foreign ministry, the two sides underscored the importance of continuing coordination and consultations to promote security and stability across the region.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said that avenging his slain predecessor and father was “the demand of the nation” and “must certainly” take place, according to a written message released on his Telegram account, Reuters reports.

“We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,” Khamenei said in the message.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei recalled that the former Supreme Leader’s life and leadership were shaped by the principles of Imam Hussain.

“The Islamic Revolution of Iran was fundamentally Hussaini in nature, built and nurtured upon the slogans and principles of Imam Hussain (pbuh). The martyred Leader of Iran also grew under these very same principles,” he said in his message.

A legislator from Hezbollah’s political wing has highlighted Iran’s unflagging support for Lebanon, saying Tehran has emphasised an end to the Israeli regime’s military offensives in Lebanon alongside ending the war against itself as one of its primary demands in the agreement with the United States, Press Tv reports.

“The first clause of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States underlines ending the Zionist regime’s military operations against Lebanon, and ensuring the withdrawal of occupying forces from all occupied Lebanese territories,” Hassan Fadlallah, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, stated.

Iranian media will shortly release Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s message on the funeral and burial of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Israeli army has targeted the Hula municipality in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh district, blowing up homes, according to the National News Agency.

A drone attack in the municipality of Kfar Tebnit has also been reported.

Iranian authorities have said the bridge in Golestan province’s Aqqala County, damaged in an earlier US strike, has reopened for operations, reports Iran’s Radio and Television News Agency, according to Al Jazeera.

Ali-Asghar Tahmasbi, the governor of Golestan, said the reopening of the damaged bridge less than 24 hours after the attack “is the province’s practical response to the threats and actions of the enemies”.

Iranian state media had previously reported that a railway bridge near Aqqala was hit early on Wednesday, damaging the Gorgan-Incheh Borun railway line, a part of Iran’s northern rail connectivity with Turkmenistan and wider Central Asian networks.

Iranian judiciary’s head Mohseni-Eje’i has said a “war crime has been committed against our country and our people by the United States and the Zionist regime”, ISNA reports.

“We are determined to prosecute and punish the war criminals. The criminals must be both punished and paid compensation commensurate with the crime they committed,” he was quoted as saying.

ISNA, citing the judiciary, said Mohseni Ejei met with a group of experienced and prominent international and foreign lawyers and jurists in order to diligently pursue the case of war crimes allegedly committed by the US and Israel against Iran.

He said: “The Zionists have been engaged in crimes, massacres, genocide, and infanticide in Palestine and Lebanon for nearly eight decades; we will fight the savage and savage Zionists with all our might, and wherever the flag of the fight against these anthropomorphs is raised, we will not hesitate to accompany and assist.”

He asserted that the “criminals should also be sure that we will recover from them the damages they have inflicted on the Iranian nation”.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva has filed a formal complaint with the International Intergovernmental Organization for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF), demanding urgent action over US attacks on the country’s railway infrastructure, including a strike on a railway bridge in Golestan province, Press TV reports.

“The attack is yet another example of strikes against facilities serving public transport, economic activities and regional connectivity,” the letter stated, urging OTIF to pursue the matter seriously through its legal and institutional mechanisms.

A commemorative ceremony in honour of Iran’s martyred supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was organised on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the Imam Reza Shrine, Fars news agency reports.

It further says that the ceremony will also be held tonight and on Sunday night.

An Israeli drone has dropped a sound bomb on the municipality of al-Mansouri, in southern Lebanon’s Tyre district, the country’s National News Agency reports, according to Al Jazeera.

Governor of Iran’s Pakdasht city says the explosion sounds in the eastern part of Tehran province were related to a controlled operation to destroy explosives, according to Fars news agency.

“The sounds that were heard were the result of a controlled operation to dispose of munitions left over from the war,” the governor says, adding there was no incident or threat to the public.

The report adds the operation was pre-planned and carried out in full compliance with all safety regulations.

Residents of Iran’s Pakdasht and Qiamdasht report they heard sound of explosions from the eastern part of Tehran, according to Fars news agency.

The source and exact location of the explosions have yet to be determined, the news agency says.