War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iran executed three men charged over protests this January, authorities have said according to AFP, the latest in a wave of hangings of convicts seen by rights groups as political prisoners against the backdrop of the war.

Mehdi Rassouli, Mohammad Reza Miri and Ebrahim Dolatabadi were executed after being convicted over unrest in the eastern city of Mashhad in January, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency announced.

It was not specified when or where they were executed, but the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Rassouli, 25, and Miri, 21, were hanged at dawn on Sunday at the Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.

Oil prices have risen over 3 per cent after Iran claimed it had struck a US warship and forced it to turn back from entering the Strait of Hormuz, though the US denied that any of its ships had been struck, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures were up $3.64, or 3.4pc, at $111.81 a barrel by 11:24 GMT (4:24pm PKT), having settled down $2.23 on Friday. US West Texas Intermediate was up $3.40, or 3.3pc, at $105.34 a barrel, after a $3.13 loss on Friday.

US President Donald Trump is reportedly “fed up with the ‘no deal, no war’ stalemate in Iran”, according to Axios.

There are concerns that the naval operation he ordered to change that dynamic could ultimately lead back to war.

“The president wants action. He doesn’t want to sit still. He wants pressure. He wants a deal,” a senior US official tells Axios.

A source close to the president describes this as the “beginning of a process that could lead to a confrontation with the Iranians.”

The “humanitarian” mission to free ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz means “if the Iranians do something, they will be the bad guys and we will have the legitimacy to act,” the source contends.

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The UAE has said that Iran fired two drones at a tanker affiliated with its state oil company Adnoc in the Strait of Hormuz, condemning the attack, AFP reports.

“Targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the foreign ministry said, adding there were no injuries.

A US official tells Al Jazeera the claim by Iran of striking an American navy vessel with two missiles is untrue.

“The Iranian Revolutionary Guard fabricated a report of a strike on a US navy ship, and this report is false,” says the official.

Violent clashes have broken out between Hezbollah fighters and invading Israeli forces in the vicinity of the Wadi Raj area, near the southern Lebanese towns of Deir Siryan and Zawtar, Al Jazeera reports citing the Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The report says the ground battle that is still under way involved machine guns and direct shells.

The US Central Command has dismissed Iranian reports of a US warship being struck by the IRGC with two missiles.

In a fact-check posted on X, the US Centcom said, “No US Navy ships have been struck. US forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports”.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has commented on the UAE’s decision to leave Opec, Al Jazeera reports.

Any exit from Opec as a “negative or vengeful reaction toward members is not constructive”, he said. However, the UAE has said its decision was not targeted at anyone.

Baghaei affirmed that Iran would retain its commitments within Opec and accused the UAE of demonstrating “inappropriate behaviour” in assisting Israel and the US during the war against it.

Iran’s navy says it has prevented the entry of enemy warships into the Strait of Hormuz by issuing a “swift and decisive warning”, according to state TV.

Iran’s armed forces issued several warnings today to foreign navies not to cross into the Strait of Hormuz or face a “decisive response”.

Major-General Ali Abdollahi, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, has warned foreign navies against entering the Strait of Hormuz to escort commercial vessels, Al Jazeera reports.

He also said the “criminal leaders and terrorist army of the United States” have “put the security of global trade and economy at risk”.

“Supporters of the evil America should be careful and do not do anything that will lead to irreparable regret,” he was quoted as saying by Fars.

He said the US’s move to “disrupt the current situation will have no result other than complicating the situation and jeopardising the security of vessels” in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Fars news agency, citing local sources, reports that two missiles have hit a US frigate near Jask island after it ignored warnings from the IRGC and disregarded “security protocols” for transit in the Strait of Hormuz.

“According to these sources, the American frigate has been prevented from continuing its course due to these strikes and has been forced to retreat and flee the area,” Fars claimed.

It added that there were no further details at the moment about any damages or any casualties.

Sardar Mohebbi, a spokesman for Iran’s IRGC, has said that any vessels violating “the management process of the Strait of Hormuz” imposed by Tehran “will be forcefully stopped”, Al Jazeera reports.

“There has been no change in the management process of the Strait of Hormuz. Any maritime movement of civilian and commercial vessels that complies with the transit protocols issued by the IRGC Navy and takes place through the specified route in coordination will be safe and sound,” he said in a statement carried by Fars news agency.

“Other maritime movements that are contrary to the principles announced by the IRGC Navy will face serious risks. Violating vessels will be forcefully stopped,” he added.

“It is essential that all shipping companies and transport insurance companies pay attention to the IRGC’s announcements,” Mohebbi was quoted as saying.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has said there is no ceasefire as Israel continues to attack Lebanon, adding that there is no “buffer zone” in the country and there will never be one, Al Jazeera reports.

Qassem said Lebanon needs guarantees for its security and added that while his group is in favour of indirect negotiations with Israel, direct talks would be a gratuitous concession to Israel’s prime minister.

Hezbollah’s leader added that the group would continue its armed resistance to prevent Israel from gaining a foothold in Lebanon.

The Navy of the IRGC has announced the new zone of the Strait of Hormuz, which is controlled by Iran’s armed forces, Fars news agency reports.

The zone begins in the West with a line between the end of Iran’s Qeshm Island and the UAE’s Umm Al Quwain.

It ends with a line between Mount Mobarak in Iran and south of Fujairah in the UAE.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says officials are reviewing a US counter-proposal to end the war, Al Jazeera reports.

“The US message was received through Pakistan, and I will not discuss the details of the issues raised at this time, because these issues are still under review,” Baqaei told reporters at a press conference.

He said the US practice of making “excessive and unreasonable demands” means the proposal “is not easy to review”.

News reports in the media about negotiations over its nuclear programme are “mostly speculation”, Baqaei added.

“The issues raised about enrichment or nuclear materials are purely speculative, and, at this stage, we are not talking about anything other than stopping the war completely, and the direction we will take in the future will be determined in the future.”

Iran’s foreign ministry has reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the country’s national interests, Tasnim News Agency reports.

It stressed that “unconventional negotiating tactics by adversaries will not deter its resolve but instead strengthen its determination”, according to Tasnim.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has held discussions on the evolving regional situation with Norway’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik at the foreign ministry.

Dar underscored Pakistan’s “continued efforts to promote engagement and dialogue for peace and stability in the region and beyond”, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a post on X.

Kravik reiterated Norway’s support for Pakistan’s constructive role and its ongoing efforts toward a peaceful and durable resolution of the conflict, it added.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has emphasised that Tehran has always welcomed constructive engagement from European countries on regional security and nuclear issues, Tasnim reports.

He urged European countries to “reject” US policies and adopt an independent stance.

Israel has attacked Debaal, Qana, Srifa, Qalaouiyah, Zawtar al-Sharqiya, Toulin, Shehour and Braashit in Lebanon, Al Jazeera Arabic reports.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has said that the United States must reduce its demands on the Islamic Republic, with negotiations stalled over ending the two-month-long Middle East war, AFP reports.

“At this stage, our priority is to end the war,” he said in a briefing broadcast by state television.

“The other side must commit to a reasonable approach and abandon its excessive demands regarding Iran.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei has said US allies in the region are aware that the US-Israeli war on Iran is not legal but rather a “unilateral step” that goes against international law, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking at a news conference in Tehran, Baqaei said all countries that have taken part directly or indirectly in the war are “responsible”.

European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have confirmed the war has resulted in “massive costs” for the continent and the world, he added.

In his statement on the evacuation to Pakistan of 22 crew members from an Iranian container vessel seized by the US, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says the actions “surely constitute an important confidence-building measure”.

“The individuals were safely flown in Pakistan last night and will be transferred to today. The Iranian ship is also being backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for its return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” Dar said on X.

He noted that the actions were “being coordinated with the support of both the Iranian and the US authorities” and expressed Pakistan’s appreciation to the US and Iran.

He affirmed that Islamabad “remains committed to facilitating dialogue, diplomacy, and mediation for the regional peace and security”.

Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said that with the United Arab Emirates’ airspace now fully clear, operations and flights are being scaled up in line with routing capacity, Reuters reports.

Despite disruption from the Iran war since the end of February 28, Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports have still supported more than 6 million passengers, over 32,000 aircraft movements, and more than 213,000 tonnes of cargo, with demand for travel through Dubai remaining strong, Griffiths added in a LinkedIn post.