Iran urges Islamic parliaments to back boycott of Israel

In a post written in Polish on X, Araghchi said, “The exhibition in the British Parliament of a drone falsely and maliciously attributed to Iran is a pathetic scene staged by the Israeli lobby and its sponsors.”

He added that “those hostile to friendly relations between Iran and Europe are creating fabricated narratives that do not reflect the historical ties -- including between Iran and Poland.”

Araghchi added that Tehran remained ready to engage in technical talks and exchange of documents to clarify the facts, dismissing what he called “an absurd performance.”

The remarks came days after Iran summoned Poland’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to protest Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s participation in an event in London that featured a Shahed-136 drone allegedly used by Russia in its war in Ukraine.

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  Iran summons Polish diplomat over London drone display

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  Iran denies involvement in UK-linked plots after MI5 warning

The display, organized by the US-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), was held at the Houses of Parliament and attended by Western and Ukrainian officials.

Tehran condemned the exhibition as a politically motivated act, accusing organizers of spreading “baseless and repetitive accusations” about Iran’s drone program.

Iran says it supplied drones to Russia before the war began, but denies providing weapons for use in Ukraine. Western governments and Kyiv say Iranian-designed Shahed drones, now produced in Russia under the name Geran, have played a key role in Moscow’s air strikes.

Araghchi’s statement also followed a sharp exchange between Tehran and London over British intelligence claims of Iranian-linked plots on UK soil. MI5 chief Ken McCallum said last week that more than 20 Iran-related operations had been disrupted over the past year, describing Tehran as one of the UK’s most active hostile state actors.

According to the report published on Saturday, in the days after Nasrallah’s assassination in September 2024, Hezbollah’s leadership was thrown into chaos, leaving its forces without direction. “For ten days, no one answered calls. We were like a body in a coma,” one Hezbollah member told Le Figaro.

About two weeks later, Iranian operatives led by Esmail Ghaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force, arrived in Lebanon to restore order. Within ten days, the report said, they rebuilt Hezbollah’s military structure, though its political leadership remained vacant.

Founded in 1982 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah has grown into Lebanon’s most powerful military and political organization, with capabilities surpassing the national army. The group has fought multiple wars with Israel and repeatedly rejected demands to dismantle its military wing.

In August, the Lebanese cabinet ordered the army to draw up plans to disarm Hezbollah as part of a broader effort to consolidate state control over weapons under a US-backed truce with Israel. Tehran condemned the move, accusing Western powers of seeking to weaken Lebanon’s defenses.

Covert rebuilding under Iranian direction

Iran guided the creation of a new, more secretive framework separating Hezbollah’s political and military wings and bringing in younger commanders, according to Le Figaro.

Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said the organization now operates with a shorter chain of command in which “no one knows who is responsible for what.”

While Hezbollah agreed to disarm in southern Lebanon, the report said the group continues to store weapons in the Bekaa Valley and north of the Litani River, preserving its broader network with Iranian assistance.

Tehran’s strategy, the paper added, appears aimed at maintaining Hezbollah’s role as a deterrent force while avoiding a new direct confrontation with Israel.

A Western intelligence source quoted in the report described the group as “a snake crawling in the dark -- not gone, just waiting.”

Despite financial strain linked to Syria’s economic collapse, Le Figaro said Iran’s backing remains vital to Hezbollah’s recovery. The group, it wrote, is quietly rebuilding its command hierarchy under Iranian supervision while retaining its political influence in Lebanon and preparing for “the next phase.”

“The view of the Islamic Republic of Iran and countries such as Russia and China, which are permanent members of the Security Council, is that contrary to the position of the United States and some European countries, the snapback mechanism has not been triggered and resolution 2231 has formally expired,” Araghchi said in remarks published by ISNA.

“With the resolution’s expiration, all restrictions imposed by the Security Council on the Islamic Republic of Iran have been completely lifted and the issue of Iran is no longer on the council’s agenda.”

The position, Araghchi said, had gained broad support. “More than 120 countries adopted this view in the final document of the Non-Aligned Movement foreign ministers’ meeting in Uganda,” he said.

“The Russian Federation, as a permanent member and the current president of the Security Council, has also issued an official statement rejecting the return to previous resolutions.”

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  Iran no longer bound by 2015 nuclear deal restrictions, Araghchi tells UN

Strategic partnership with Moscow

The relationship between Tehran and Moscow strengthened through the signing of a 20-year cooperation agreement, the foreign minister added.

“The comprehensive partnership between Iran and Russia provides a firm basis for expanding cooperation in all fields and safeguarding the common interests of the two countries,” Araghchi said.

“This relationship is rooted in mutual trust, shared interests and a long-term strategic outlook.”

He also confirmed that Iran, Russia and China had exchanged joint communications with the UN Security Council and the secretary-general over recent months expressing a common stance on the expiration of the resolution and rejection of the European move to revive sanctions.

Russian UN envoy Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on X on Saturday that under paragraph 8 of resolution 2231, “the UN Security Council has concluded today the consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue and the item ‘Non-proliferation’ is removed from the list of matters of which the Council is seized.”

Response to European action

In a letter to the UN secretary-general and the council president, Araghchi said the termination of the resolution was “in full accordance with its explicit provisions.”

He wrote that Iran had “implemented the JCPOA in good faith and with full precision,” while accusing the United States of “grossly violating international law” by withdrawing from the accord in 2018.

The European powers’ decision in August to trigger the snapback mechanism, he said, had “no legal, procedural or political basis,” adding that any comment to reinstate expired resolutions was “null and void.”

Iran and its partners would “focus on strengthening their collective stance at the Security Council and maintaining national unity to advance the country’s higher interests,” Araghchi concluded.

The Falcon (IMO 9014432), a 31-year-old, Cameroon-flagged vessel owned by an Indian company, was laden with liquefied petroleum gas loaded in Iran's Assaluyeh on September 25, the tracking firm said.

The tanker was most likely en route to Yemen’s Ras Isa terminal to deliver fuel to Tehran-backed Houthis, according to Tanker Trackers.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency, citing informed sources, denied that the vessel had any links to Iran.

An informed source at the Iranian Oil Ministry also told IRGC-affiliated Fars News that the vessel does not belong to the Ministry of Oil or the National Iranian Tanker Company.

However, the Falcon had earlier been flagged by the US-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) as part of an alleged Iranian “ghost fleet” that transports oil products across international waters in violation of global sanctions.

The vessel was previously detained in Istanbul in January 2025 for 13 safety deficiencies, according to port inspection data.

Authorities said 25 of the 26 crew members have been accounted for, while one remains missing. The ship has no known insurer and is not currently listed on any international sanctions or blacklist databases.

Houthi-linked media outlets on Telegram and X denied any involvement in the incident, citing unnamed sources in the group’s defense ministry.

The Falcon had earlier signaled Djibouti as its next destination and made recent port calls in Iraq and Oman’s Sohar, in a pattern similar to that of the Clipper (IMO 9102198), which was struck off Yemen in August.

Since November 2023, Houthi forces have attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying the campaign is a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The armed group, which governs around two-thirds of Yemen’s population, has claimed responsibility for dozens of missile and drone strikes on Israel-bound targets and vessels linked to the Jewish state.

According to figures compiled by the Associated Press, nearly 100 international ships have been attacked in the region since the campaign began, resulting in the sinking of four vessels and the deaths of several mariners.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops fired warning shots before hitting the vehicle when it continued to approach “in a threatening manner.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei called the incident a violation of the ceasefire with Hamas and urged governments that brokered the truce to ensure its enforcement.

Israel’s actions, including the continued closure of the Rafah crossing, he said, "represented serious breaches of international obligations."

Gaza officials said the victims, including seven children and three women, were members of the Abu Shaban family, who were returning to their home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood on Friday when their vehicle was struck.

Hamas described the attack as a “deliberate crime against civilians." The Gaza Civil Defense agency said the bodies were later recovered with the UN's help.

The IDF said the car had crossed into the so-called Yellow Line — a buffer zone separating Israeli-held areas from the rest of Gaza — and refused to stop after warning shots.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his country's military would install clearer physical markers along the boundary to prevent future incidents, warning that “any violation of the line will be met with fire.”

Baqaei urged the international community to act to stop what he called further civilian deaths and to secure access to food and humanitarian aid for Gaza’s population.

The ceasefire mediated in early October by the United States, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar put an end to over two years of Israeli attacks on Gaza, which started in response to Hamas's October 7 attack.

Gaza’s media office says Israel has breached the ceasefire with Hamas 47 times since it took effect, leaving 38 Palestinians dead and 143 others injured.