Kayhan daily slams Trump over Persian Gulf remarks, calls US a ‘pirate state’

“We hope that India and Pakistan will prevent the escalation of tension in the region,” Araghchi said, according to Iranian state media. “Our region needs peace, especially to expand economic cooperation between regional countries, and we hope this will happen.”

The visit, planned before the attack, is focused on co-chairing the Iran-India Joint Commission meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

India is a key trading partner for Iran, in spite of global sanctions, and the upcoming talks are expected to cover trade, energy, and infrastructure cooperation.

Araghchi arrived in India after meetings in Islamabad earlier this week, where he held talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The diplomatic trip comes days after India launched airstrikes on what it said were “terrorist camps” in Pakistan in response to the attack in Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley, which killed 26 civilians, including 25 Indian tourists.

Pakistan denied involvement and said the Indian strikes killed at least 31 civilians, vowing to respond.

Iran has offered to mediate between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, though New Delhi has rejected third-party involvement, according to local media.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz escalated tensions with Iran on Thursday, warning that Israeli forces could strike Tehran as they have targeted Iranian allies across the region.

“What we did to Hezbollah in Beirut, Hamas in Gaza, Assad in Damascus and the Houthis in Yemen—we will also do to you in Tehran,” Katz said in a message posted in Hebrew on X.

“I warn the Iranian leadership that funds, arms and operates the Houthi terrorist organization: The proxy method is over and the axis of evil has collapsed. You bear direct responsibility.”

“The Houthis will absorb heavy blows from Israel if they continue firing toward us,” Katz added. “The Israeli military is prepared for any mission.”

The warning came after a Houthi ballistic missile injured six people at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday, prompting Israeli strikes on key military infrastructure in Yemen.

Despite a US-backed ceasefire, the Houthis have vowed to continue attacks.

Leading Senate and House Republicans are rallying behind a pair of draft letters urging Trump to reject any nuclear agreement with Iran that allows for continued uranium enrichment, calling instead for the complete dismantlement of the country’s nuclear program, according to documents obtained by the Jewish Insider.

The letters, nearly identical in content, reflect a coordinated effort by GOP lawmakers to press the Trump administration to adopt a hardline position as discussions over a potential new nuclear deal continue.

Lawmakers argue that the original 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) failed due to inadequate verification protocols and its allowance of Iranian enrichment—elements they say must be permanently discarded.

The Senate letter is spearheaded by Senators Pete Ricketts and Ted Cruz, both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and backed by Senator Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.

On the House side, August Pfluger is collecting signatures for a matching letter.

The draft text underscores what it calls a “clear and unified message” to the president: that any new agreement must include a permanent ban on Iran’s enrichment capabilities. The lawmakers warn that the scale of Iran’s nuclear advancements has rendered effective monitoring nearly impossible.

US President Donald Trump said in an interview on Wednesday that the United States should blow up Iran's nuclear centrifuges, appearing to toughen Washington's stance on Tehran's enrichment.

"It's very simple. And I'd much rather make a deal, you know, a really verified deal. We want total verification. We can do that," Trump told the conservative political commentator Hugh Hewitt.

"We have some very brilliant people up at MIT and various other places. We can do that very, very solidly. But I would much prefer a strong, verified deal where we actually blow them up. But blow them up or just de-nuke them."

"There are only two alternatives there," Trump added. "Blow them up nicely or blow them up viciously."

The updated legislation, signed into effect on Tuesday by President Masoud Pezeshkian, imposes harsher sentences for unlicensed gun possession and criminalizes the use of digital platforms to promote or sell weapons.

But Telegram remains awash in posts advertising weapons for prices between 200 million and 1.8 billion rials—roughly $240 to $2,200 at the current exchange rate of 820,000 rials per US dollar.

In one 17,000-member channel, a vendor offered a Glock 17 pistol for 280 million rials ($340), a Makarov for 240 million ($290), and a Turkish-made Colt .45 for 360 million ($440). For higher-end buyers, a Kalashnikov was listed at 1.7 billion rials ($2,070), including a video showing it wrapped in cloth beside two full magazines.

“Payment is in Tether,” said one seller when contacted anonymously via Telegram, referring to a cryptocurrency. “Once confirmed, you’ll receive a location—usually a locker in a shopping mall. You have two hours to retrieve it.”

Posing as a buyer we messaged five sellers across different channels. All insisted on cryptocurrency, none offered verification and two responded with identical language and price lists—raising doubts about authenticity.

But sources in Tehran familiar with the illicit trade said the market is not entirely fake. “There are scams, yes,” one source said. “But there are many real vendors. People share experiences, and some of these sellers have been delivering for years.”

Iran’s newly amended firearms law significantly broadens the scope of punishable offenses. Beyond illegal possession, it targets sellers, repairers and those who promote or advertise firearms online.

Penalties range from three to fifteen years in prison depending on the type of weapon, with automatic firearms, heavy arms, and military-grade munitions drawing the harshest sentences.

A clause in the law also authorizes authorities to seize properties, vehicles, or storage facilities used in connection with arms crimes.

According to the text, any digital promotion, sale, or training activity linked to firearms is subject to prosecution.

The law also tightens control over airguns, mandating that those in possession of PCP rifles over 40 joules must surrender them within three months or face penalties equivalent to those for illegal hunting rifles. Owners of PCPs under the threshold must apply for a license.

Still, on Telegram, enforcement appears limited. Sellers openly post weapons and use emojis of guns, bombs, and fire to attract attention.

Sources say these weapons are often smuggled in from Turkey, Iraq, or via the Persian Gulf and may be resold multiple times through local intermediaries. “The dealers who actually deliver have networks,” said a source in Tehran. “They use trusted people. Some even have police protection.”

Iran’s black market extends far beyond guns. Unlicensed alcohol, sex work under the guise of massage services, and a growing narcotics scene—from cocaine to synthetic pills—share the same digital infrastructure, relying on anonymity, encrypted platforms, and rapid logistics.

While authorities promise firm implementation of the new law, Telegram channels remain easy to find and quick to rebrand. For buyers, the market is a gamble. But according to those familiar with Tehran’s illicit economy, enough vendors deliver to keep demand alive.