Pezeshkian says Iran’s retaliation does not mean dispute with neighboring states

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards continued launching attacks on neighboring countries despite President Pezeshkian’s apology to regional states and his order for the armed forces to halt such strikes, highlighting tensions over who controls wartime decisions.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards started launching attacks against the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the Iraqi Kurdistan shortly after President Pezeshkian said in a televised speech he had instructed them to halt such attacks.

The IRGC strikes followed unusually sharp verbal attacks by hardliners which highlighted the limited influence Pezeshkian exercises within Iran’s power structure despite his membership in the temporary three-member leadership council that is currently exercising powers normally held by the country’s supreme leader in wartime.

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The United States and Israel have discussed sending special forces into Iran to seize its highly enriched uranium stockpiles at a later stage of the war, Axios reported citing four sources with knowledge of the discussions.

The Trump administration has discussed two options: removing the entire material from Iran or bringing in nuclear experts to dilute it on-site, the report said citing a US official.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump did not rule out the use of ground forces against Iran but said that would happen only "for a very good reason."

Asked if the ground forces would be deployed to secure nuclear material, Trump said, "At some point maybe we will. We haven't gone after it. We wouldn't do it now. Maybe we will do it later."

There has also been discussion of seizing Iran's Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf which is responsible for almost 90% of Iran's crude oil exports, Axios reported citing Trump administration officials.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Iran, or potentially another group, could retrieve highly enriched uranium buried beneath the nuclear site in Isfahan following US strikes last year, The New York Times reported, citing officials familiar with classified assessments.

According to the report, the uranium stockpile was buried under rubble after American attacks on the facility, but intelligence officials believe it may still be reachable.

The New York Times wrote that the Iranian government can currently reach the material through a very narrow access point, though it remains unclear how quickly the uranium could be moved.

The uranium is stored in gas form and kept inside specialized canisters, the report said.

US officials said American intelligence agencies are closely monitoring the Isfahan nuclear site and maintain continuous surveillance of the area.

They said the United States has a high level of confidence it would be able to detect — and respond to — any attempt by Iran or other actors to remove the uranium from the facility.

White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said there may still be room for a diplomatic deal with what remains of Iran’s government but stressed that Washington is “not looking to settle”.

He said Iranian officials took a hard line in previous talks, insisting they had an “inalienable right to enrich” uranium.

"They bragged about having, 60% enriched fuel, enough for eleven bombs. They told me and Jared [Kushner], 'We're not gonna give you diplomatically what you couldn't take militarily'," Witkoff told reporters as he stood next to President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One.

"I think they're gonna need a change of attitude... we have a lot of negotiating leverage, maybe maximum, but we're not looking to settle. They'd like to settle. We're not looking to settle."

A residential building in the holy city of Qom was attacked by US-Israeli airstrikes early Sunday, deputy governor general of Qom province, home to the world's biggest Shia seminary, told state media.

Hours earlier, photos and videos circulating on social media showed a similar attack on a residential building in Shahr-e Rey, southern Tehran, in what seems to be another attempt at targeted killing.

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