Trump criticizes NATO, urges action to reopen Strait of Hormuz

UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Mai Sato called on Iranian authorities to restore internet access and free detainees as Nowruz begins.
“I urge Iranian authorities to lift the internet shutdown and release all those arbitrarily detained — including those held in connection with the nationwide protests — so that families can be whole again,” she wrote on X Friday.

New explosions and fighter jet activity were reported across several Iranian cities around midday Friday.

Witness reports showed jet activity over Nurabad Mamasani, while explosions and flashes were seen in Yazd and a blast was heard in Bushehr. Reports also pointed to strikes on an airbase in Bandar Abbas, with four large explosions heard.

In Semnan, locations including a Basij base and an IRGC site were reported hit, while an area near Shahmirzad was also targeted. Separate reports said the Chamran missile site in Bushehr province’s Jam county was bombed around noon.

The Israeli military said it killed Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini in an overnight airstrike, following intelligence gathered by its Military Intelligence Directorate.

“Naini disseminated the regime’s terrorist propaganda to its proxies across the Middle East,” the military said, describing him as a central figure in messaging tied to attacks against Israel. Iranian state media had earlier reported his death.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog extended Nowruz greetings to the people of Iran, praising their “dignity and longing for freedom” and expressing hope for a better future.

“You, the people of Iran, deserve better. You deserve a different future,” Herzog said in a Friday video message, adding he hopes both nations will one day “celebrate Nowruz together again” in a spirit of cooperation and peace.

A message attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for stripping security from domestic and foreign enemies, following the killing of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

The Telegram post urged officials to step up efforts and fill the gap left by Khatib.

The message was published as no verified image or video of Mojtaba Khamenei has been released since he was introduced as the Islamic Republic’s new leader, with speculation circulating that he may have been killed, wounded or severely disfigured in US and Israeli strikes.