Iran limits internet to favored groups as shutdown hits 52nd day, NetBlocks says

Pakistan has deployed nearly 20,000 police, paramilitary and army personnel across Islamabad ahead of a planned new round of Iran-US talks, Reuters reported, citing officials.

Security has been tightened around the expected venue, with surrounding areas cleared and public transport suspended, the report said.

The measures come despite uncertainty over whether the talks will take place, as tensions rise following a US seizure of an Iranian ship and disagreements over extending a ceasefire.

Iran’s top joint military command said on Monday that the United States had violated the ceasefire by attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Sea of Oman.

The spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters accused US forces of firing at the ship, disabling its navigation system and putting Marines on board in what he described as “an act of maritime piracy.”

He warned that Iran’s armed forces were ready to confront the United States and would soon respond to what he called the US armed attacks.

Iran’s “defense capabilities,” including its missile program were not open to negotiation, Reuters reported on Monday, citing a senior Iranian source.

The source said differences over Tehran’s nuclear program had also remained unresolved and gaps between Iran and the United States had not narrowed.

The source also said the continuation of the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz was undermining peace talks.

Israel’s Mossad, military and Shin Bet said on Monday they had uncovered a covert Iranian network planning attacks on Israeli officials and strategic sites worldwide.

The network was run by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards and had been disrupted through military strikes, arrests and intelligence operations, according to the statement.

They said operatives were recruited and trained to gather intelligence on Israeli and Western targets, including officials, military sites and infrastructure.

Israeli authorities said a cell in Azerbaijan had been thwarted in recent weeks, alleging it planned attacks on an oil pipeline and Jewish and Israeli-linked sites, including the Israeli embassy in Baku.

According to the statement, suspected operatives were detained by Azerbaijani authorities with explosive drones and other weapons.

Israel also named several Iranian figures it said were involved in directing the network, adding that some had been killed during recent operations.

Iran has no plan at present for a next round of talks, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.

“As I am speaking to you now, we have no plan for the next round of negotiations,” Baghaei told a press conference.

His comments come amid uncertainty over whether further discussions between Tehran and Washington will take place.

Iran said the United States has shown a lack of seriousness in pursuing diplomacy, citing what it described as repeated violations of the ceasefire.

Baghaei said Washington’s actions, including what he called breaches of agreements related to Lebanon and efforts to impose a naval blockade on Iran, undermined trust.

“The United States, through contradictory behavior and continuous violations of the ceasefire, has shown it is not serious about pursuing diplomacy,” Baghaei told a press conference.

He described recent US actions, including what he said was an attack on an Iranian commercial vessel, as a “clear act of aggression” under United Nations resolutions.

“This clear contradiction between words and actions increases the Iranian people’s distrust of US intentions,” he said, adding that Iran would decide on the future of talks based on its national interests.