Iran’s 'regime’s days are numbered,' German chancellor Merz says

Egypt said on Wednesday it is seeking the release of four of its citizens detained by Iran after Tehran seized a tanker in the Persian Gulf last month on charges of carrying smuggled fuel.

Four Egyptian crew members are currently on board the vessel Reem alKhaleej at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Iran said last month it had seized a foreign oil tanker near the Iranian island of Qeshm carrying four million litres of smuggled fuel. It did not name the vessel or disclose its nationality, but said 16 foreign crew members had been detained on criminal charges.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on Wednesday that Tehran was ready for dialogue based on mutual respect but would defend itself if pushed, responding to a social media post by US President Donald Trump about a US naval armada heading toward Iran.

“In the last time the US blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives,” the mission said in a post on X.

“Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests,” it said. “But if pushed, it will defend itself and respond like never before.”

The comments came after Trump wrote on Truth Social that a “massive armada” led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was heading toward Iran and warned of a far worse attack if Tehran did not agree to a deal on nuclear weapons.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister said negotiations with the United States are not Tehran’s priority at present, while confirming that messages are being exchanged between the two sides.

Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran’s priority is “200 percent readiness to defend” the country and warned that any limited US attack would be met with “an appropriate response.”

He said no talks are currently underway, adding that even if Tehran and Washington were to sit at the negotiating table, Iran would not reduce its readiness for a possible war.

“A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial on Wednesday, saying the fleet, led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”

He added that the force was larger than one previously sent to Venezuela and said he hoped Iran would “quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS — one that is good for all parties.”

Trump referenced the June military action “Operation Midnight Hammer,” saying it had inflicted “major destruction of Iran” and warning that “the next attack will be far worse” if Tehran did not reach an agreement.

The cell carried out reconnaissance around the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey and used commercial activity as cover, the paper said.

Investigators said the network was directed by Iranian intelligence officers Najaf Rostami, known as “Haji,” and Mahdi Yekeh Dehghan, referred to as “Doctor,” according to Daily Sabah.

The investigation found that one of the suspects, Iranian national Ashkan Jalali, based in Ankara, planned the transfer of armed unmanned aerial vehicles from Turkey to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot administration through companies he owned, Bulaq Robotics and Arete Industries, it said.

Jalali and another suspect, Alican Koç, attended specialized drone training sessions in Iran in August and September 2025, according to the report.

Police detained defense industry company owners Erhan Ergelen and Taner Özcan, textile businessperson Cemal Beyaz, Remzi Beyaz, Koç and Jalali in Istanbul-centered raids. An Istanbul court later arrested all six on charges of “obtaining confidential state information for political or military espionage,” Daily Sabah said.

The paper said Ergelen and Özcan traveled to Iran in October 2025 and played roles in drone shipment plans to Greek Cyprus. In testimony, Remzi Beyaz said he was offered money to take part in assassination plots targeting Iranian dissidents.

The network used encrypted messaging under the code name “Güvercin” and financed its activities by disguising operations as commercial drone trade, the paper added.