Iranian lawmaker says MPs ready to take up arms over Hormuz

An Iran-linked group has claimed responsibility for an arson attack on a building in north London that was formerly used by a Jewish organization.

The building in Hendon still displayed the sign for Jewish Futures, an educational organization, when it was attacked. No injuries were reported.

According to The Times, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI, said it carried out the attack. The newspaper said British police were examining whether the group is a front for Iran’s security forces.

The group has also posted videos on social media about other recent incidents in London, including an arson attack on a synagogue in Finchley, a reported drone threat near the Israeli Embassy, and an attack on the offices of Iran International.

It previously claimed similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Anaraki Mohammadi said there was no problem with negotiating with the United States if talks took place on the basis of Iran’s own demands and conditions.

Referring to talks in Islamabad, he said: “The end of every war is peace, and when we are ready to negotiate based on our own demands and the conditions we set, there is no problem in negotiating.”

He added that all branches of the Islamic Republic must follow the leader’s direction and said no one had the right to create doubt or uncertainty among the public.

Iran’s judiciary chief called for no leniency in confiscating the assets of convicted individuals and said such cases should be handled with accuracy and speed under the law.

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said cases involving what he described as foot soldiers and accomplices of the attacking enemy should not be handled under normal procedures.

He said they must be dealt with on an extraordinary basis at every stage, including the prosecutor’s office, trial courts and the Supreme Court.

Mehdi Abtahi, deputy minister of science, research and technology, said access to the international internet for Iran’s academic community would be restored gradually, starting with university professors.

He said the ministry had already taken steps to provide professors with access based on an existing list, and that the measure would gradually be extended to all faculty members.

Abtahi added that the information of all professors had been passed to the communications ministry and that researchers’ access would generally begin through university faculty before expanding to research institutes and other centers.

North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday in a move some analysts linked directly to the war over Iran, with one former South Korean presidential security adviser saying the launches may have been intended to show that, “unlike Iran,” Pyongyang has self-defense capabilities.

The launch came as the seven-week US-Israeli war against Iran continues, with curbing Tehran’s nuclear program one of its stated aims. Experts and former South Korean officials say the conflict could further reinforce North Korea’s own nuclear ambitions.

“The missile launches may be a way of showing that - unlike Iran - we have self-defense capabilities,” Kim Ki-jung said.

He added that Pyongyang also appeared to be applying pressure and showing force ahead of any possible dialogue with the United States and South Korea.

It was North Korea’s fourth such launch this month and seventh of the year. South Korea’s military said the missiles were fired from near Sinpo on the country’s east coast at around 6:10 a.m. local time and flew about 140 km.