Iran and the US are not engaged in talks and Tehran will not start them as long as Washington breaches an interim deal signed in June, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, adding that messages are being exchanged via intermediaries.
Araghchi repeated Iran’s position that an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz between Tehran and Muscat was in the “final stages” but would not reopen the strategic waterway.
In comments reported by Mehr news agency, he said the agreement would set out the new shipping lanes to be used once the US fulfils other conditions and the strait is reopened to traffic.
Iran president, supreme leader discuss economic and defence strategies
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to discuss the country’s “economic and defence strategies”, state news agency IRNA reported.
Netanyahu vows to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons with or without deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a goal he has long accused Tehran of pursuing, regardless of the outcome of diplomatic efforts involving Washington and Arab states, AFP reported.
“I want to emphasise once again: with an agreement or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.
Iran says Strait of Hormuz to remain closed until US “corrects its behaviour”
The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States “corrects its behaviour”, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported, quoting Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.
Iran says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until its conditions are met
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until its conditions are accepted, as it accused the enemy of shifting its war objectives towards reopening the strategic waterway, PressTV reported.
According to the post on X, IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Mohebbi said the enemy had abandoned all its previous war objectives and was now focusing its efforts on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“The enemy, abandoning all its previous war objectives, has now put all its efforts into opening the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the war,” Mohebbi said.
“We will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the enemy accepts all our conditions,” he added.
“We will continue the resistance until the enemy is defeated,” Mohebbi said.
Iranian commander says US, Israel failed to achieve goals against Iran: report
Brig Gen Hassan Zadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Mohammad Rasulullah Corps in Tehran, said the US and Israel had “completely failed” to achieve their objectives against the Islamic Republic, according to the Tasnim News Agency on Sunday.
The news outlet reported that Zadeh said Iran’s “popular strength and comprehensive readiness of the Basij” had made the country one of the major powers in the region and the world, during a visit to upgraded air defense battalions of the 27th Mohammad Rasulullah Division to assess their readiness.
He also claimed that US and Israeli leaders now had no answers before public opinion, their elites or their own people for their repeated failures.
“Today, only part of the immense capabilities and readiness of the 27th Mohammad Rasulullah Division has been demonstrated in this field,” he added.
Saudi authorities extinguish Jizan Aramco fire, Houthis claim responsibility
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that firefighting teams extinguished a fire that broke out at a Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) facility in Jizan, with the Yemeni Houthis claiming responsibility for attacking the site.
On the X, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said they attacked with a drone, claiming that it was in response to alleged Saudi drone attacks on Yemen’s Saada and Hajjah provinces.
Saudi officials did not respond to the group’s latest statement, but the Saudi Energy Ministry said the incident did not result in any casualties.
Iraqi armed group vows revenge for US-Saudi strikes
The leader of Iraq’s Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba has promised retaliation for joint Saudi-US strikes last month that hit sites of the country’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), of which it is a member, Al Jazeera reported.
In a statement, Akram al-Kaabi said diplomacy with Saudi Arabia is “futile”, and that it must be disciplined “through a suitable military response” to avenge the strikes on the PMF.
“Missiles can only be countered with missiles, and fire can only be met with fire,” he said.
Saudi Arabia and the US Central Command said last month that the joint air strikes targeted militias in Iraq responsible for attacks on American troops and Saudi energy infrastructure.
The PMF, a paramilitary force, said at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded in the strikes.