Iran war could push 30 million into poverty, UNDP chief says

Iranian lawmakers said the country has begun collecting transit fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with initial revenues transferred to the central bank.

Hamidreza Haji Babaei said “the first revenue from Hormuz transit tolls has been deposited into the central bank account.”

Separately, lawmaker Abbas Papizadeh said the fees were now being officially collected and transferred into state coffers.

He said charges vary depending on the type and volume of cargo, and are linked to navigation conditions in the waterway.

Papizadeh added that due to security concerns, shipping routes have narrowed, with vessels increasingly passing through Iranian territorial waters — allowing Tehran, under international rules, to levy fees.

He said the revenue would be treated as government income and added to the public budget, with decisions on spending to be made later.

Babak Kharbo, a 33-year-old protester jailed in Isfahan, is facing charges that could carry the death penalty, a source close to his family told Iran International.

Kharbo was arrested in February in the town of Dizicheh and is currently held in Dastgerd prison without access to a lawyer. The source said he was subjected to interrogation and torture after his arrest, and that his family had been warned not to pursue efforts for his release.

Link to protest killings

He is the uncle of Alireza Kharbo, a 20-year-old protester killed during demonstrations in January. According to sources close to their family, Alireza was shot by Basij forces and later died in custody, with his body returned to the family bearing multiple gunshot wounds.

At least three other protesters were also killed during the same unrest.

Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the government was prepared to support the economy as the war involving Iran is expected to have a significant impact.

“The Swedish economy will likely be significantly affected,” he said, adding: “We have both the readiness and the ability to do more.”

Kristersson said Sweden had the “room and muscle” to take further measures if needed to cushion the economic fallout.

It could take up to six months to fully clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Pentagon assessment shared with US lawmakers, The Washington Post reported.

The estimate, delivered in a classified briefing to Congress, suggests any effort to reopen the key shipping lane would likely be delayed until fighting between the United States and Iran ends.

Officials told lawmakers that Iran may have deployed at least 20 mines in and around the strait, some using GPS-enabled systems that make them harder to detect.

The timeline could prolong disruption to global energy markets, with the report noting that oil and gasoline prices may remain elevated for months, potentially into the US midterm election period.

The Pentagon publicly disputed the report, calling the claims “inaccurate,” but did not provide an alternative timeline.

Iran’s deputy parliament speaker Hamidreza Haji Babaei said any negotiations with the United States were off the table unless Washington acknowledged defeat.

“Any negotiations are prohibited until the US admits defeat,” he said.

He also warned regional countries against supporting attacks on Iranian officials, saying: “Airports, hotels and even rulers of countries that provide facilities to terrorists must be targeted.”