Canada condemns Iran’s attacks, calls for free navigation in Strait of Hormuz

US Central Command said on Thursday Marines and Navy personnel are supporting ongoing operations to enforce a blockade targeting Iran, as Washington steps up military pressure in regional waters.

"US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Sailors assigned to amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) support blockade operations against Iran, April 16. US forces are ready and postured to enforce the blockade," CENTCOM posted on X.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi said on Thursday that any potential agreement between the United States and Iran must include “very detailed” measures to verify Tehran’s nuclear activities, warning against what he called an “illusion of an agreement," ABC News reported.

“Iran has a very ambitious, wide nuclear program so all of that will require the presence of IAEA inspectors," Grossi said. "Otherwise, you will not have an agreement. You will have an illusion of an agreement.”

"Any agreement on nuclear technology requires very detailed verification mechanisms," Grossi added.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday criticized Italy after reports that Rome denied the use of a Sicilian airbase for US military aircraft linked to the war in Iran.

“Italy wasn’t there for us, we won’t be there for them,” Trump posted on Truth Social, reacting to the report by Guardian.

The comments came after Italian authorities reportedly blocked the use of the Sigonella airbase by US aircraft after Washington failed to seek timely authorisation for parliamentary approval, as required under procedure.

Italian officials said the request came too late to allow the necessary approval process to be completed before the aircraft were already en route.

US Central Command said on Thursday that the US Navy diverted a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman as part of ongoing enforcement of restrictions targeting ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.

CENTCOM shared on X audio from the USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) alongside video filmed from the destroyer’s embarked helicopter operating over the Gulf of Oman.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization said on Thursday the 18-month “resistance” in Lebanon, supported by Iran, has forced the US and Israel to reassess their strategic calculations.

"Lebanon's 18-month resistance, alongside the field support of the Islamic Republic of Iran, forced the American-Zionist front to recalculate. The assessment of the US intelligence community and the Zionist regime states: Victory in war against the united resistance front is impossible," IRGC Intelligence posted on X.