Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has promised to avenge the killing of his father, while U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran and Washington had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said it has temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz "until further notice," according to state broadcaster IRIB.
The IRGC said the move was in response to what it described as foreign interference and attempts to establish an "illegal route" for shipping through the strategic waterway.
It added that several vessels ignored warnings to alter course, with one ship stopped after warning shots were fired.
The IRGC said no vessels would be allowed to transit the strait until U.S. interference ends and warned that any further attacks or violations would be met with a forceful response.
The Israeli military said it carried out a strike targeting Hezbollah operatives it claimed were transferring anti-tank missiles within Israeli-held territory in southern Lebanon, which it describes as a "security zone."
The military said several people were targeted after they were identified moving weapons, but did not specify the number of casualties.
Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon have intensified since Thursday (9 July) night, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.
Seven people have been wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the southern Lebanese town of al-Mansouri, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).
NNA said five of the injured were taken to hospital, while two were treated at the scene. The agency reported that Israeli strikes repeatedly targeted al-Mansouri throughout the day.
Iran's and Oman's foreign ministers exchanged views on "appropriate mechanisms" to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The discussions took place in accordance with Article 5 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU), Iran's Foreign Ministry said. These talks focused on maritime navigation and implementing the agreed framework governing transit through the strategic waterway.
Iran's acting defence minister Majid Ibn al-Reza said the country's investment in technology enabled it to triple its drone production capacity during the war.
Al-Reza, quoted by Iran's Tasnim news agency, said defence production continued uninterrupted throughout the conflict.
He described investment in modern technologies and domestic expertise as the foundation of Iran's defence capabilities.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Oman to negotiate safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz with Omani officials. The U.S. demands that Iran ensure open, toll-free lanes and halt attacks on commercial vessels. The talks follow last month’s interim deal, aiming to ease a conflict now in its fifth month that has killed thousands and disrupted global energy markets.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has pledged to get revenge for the assassination of his father, the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes at the end of February.
Khamenei said that revenge was demand of the Iranian nation and "must certainly" take place.
He added that Iran pledged to avenge the "blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced perpetrators."
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the latest regional developments in a phone call, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.
The statement, posted on X, highlighted the importance of "continuing coordination and joint consultation to achieve security and stability in the region."
No further details were revealed regarding the content of the discussions.
A U.S. official has told U.S. news outlet ABC News that any deal with Iran would require Tehran to hand over highly enriched uranium presently buried under rubble due to U.S. strikes.
"Either they're going to give us the nuclear dust or we have very low-cost military options to ensure that it remains buried underground forever," a U.S. official said.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) must answer for its role in supporting "military aggreession against Iran," Tehran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has said.
He made the remarks in a post on X, in which he indicated that Washington's easing of export control restrictions on the UAE was evidence of its role in the conflict.
"This is an official admission from Washington and an Abu Dhabi scandal document, carrying direct international responsibility and legal consequences. The UAE must be held accountable," Gharibabadi wrote.
An explosion heard in the eastern part of Tehran province was caused by the controlled disposal of ammunition remaining from the war, Iranian state media, citing a local official, said.
The official said the operation posed no threat to citizens and that no incident had occurred.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian state media reported that an explosion was heard in the eastern part of Tehran province, with residents of Pakdasht and Qiyamdasht reporting the blast while its source and exact location were not immediately known.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the country’s armed forces are closely monitoring enemy activities across its borders, coasts and strategic locations.
In a post on X, Baghaei praised the military’s vigilance, saying its efforts help protect Iran’s security and stability.
He added that these forces “safeguard the security and tranquillity of dear Iran” through their actions.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a call with U.S. President Donald Trump, during which they discussed regional developments, including talks between Washington and Tehran, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The SPA reported that the call covered "relations of cooperation between the Kingdom and the United States of America and ways to support them in several fields."
The two sides also "discussed a number of regional and international issues and exchanged views on them," it said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had ordered the military to be prepared to launch strikes against Iran if the Iranian government carried out or attempted an assassination of the president.
"1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!," he said in a Truth Social post.
The sanctions targeted Dubai-based Iranian banker and businessman Ali Ansari, who was previously sanctioned by Britain for supporting Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and other entities.
The Treasury Department said Ansari had diverted publicly funded wealth into an extensive overseas portfolio of real estate and commercial holdings to enrich himself, government elites and the IRGC.
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also targeted three Iran-based exchange houses and foreign "front companies" that it said moved billions of dollars annually on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks, using layers of shell companies to obscure the government's illicit activity.
Pakistan and the U.S. made progress toward a reciprocal trade agreement during talks held in Washington on Thursday and Friday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said.
Islamabad's delegation was led by Pakistan Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul, who categorised the talks "as positive" and said he "appreciated the significant progress made during the negotiations."
U.S. officials said conversations between the two countries had been productive in recent days. They made the comments to a small group of reporters in a conference call.
"What we're demanding is that the Iranians issue a public statement that acknowledges all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open and they're not shooting at ships anymore. They're either going to give us that statement or we're not having a good outcome for them," one official said.
Iran has told Washington that recent attacks on shipping in the Strait were from "an errant part of their system," one senior official said
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Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of U.S. intentions, a senior Iranian source told on Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that there is a good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran, but warned that Washington would resume military operation if negotiations fail.
A New York school district has put plans to introduce a humanoid robot into classrooms on hold after fierce criticism from teachers, Indigenous community members and state education officials over the use of artificial intelligence in schools.
A known Islamist suspected of driving a minivan into a crowd near a major LGBTQ Pride gathering in Berlin was shot dead during a police operation at an allotment garden complex, broadcaster RBB reported on Sunday.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on Saturday for Russia and Ukraine to freeze the conflict and return to peace talks, saying a negotiated settlement remained possible despite the entrenched positions of both sides.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that there is a good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran, but warned that Washington would resume military operation if negotiations fail.
A majority of Americans believe the ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran has proved more challenging than the Trump administration expected, according to a new CBS News/YouGov survey.
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of U.S. intentions, a senior Iranian source told on Sunday.
An Israeli airstrike on Saturday (25 July) has killed the head of the Hamas-run police force in northern Gaza, Brigadier-General Abdel-Nasser Al-Maqadma, according to Gaza's interior ministry and local medics.
The U.S. military said it completed a fresh wave of strikes on Iran late on Thursday, marking the 13th consecutive night of American attacks. The latest operation lasted more than two hours, according to U.S. Central Command.
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