Iran denies rift in decision-making on US talks

Iran’s digital darkness entered its 60th day on Tuesday, with the public largely cut off from the global internet, monitoring group NetBlocks said.

“Metrics show the blackout is now entering its 60th day after 1416 hours despite regime efforts to introduce tiered access for privileged groups,” it said in a post on X.

Internet shutdown has severely hurt Iran’s saffron exports by disrupting exporters’ contact with international customers, an industry official said on Tuesday.

The vice president of Iran’s National Saffron Council said many exporters were unable to communicate with buyers or ship goods on time because of limited access to the internet.

The official said the disruption had created an opportunity for foreign competitors, including Afghanistan, to sell Iranian saffron in global markets under their own name.

Shipping disruptions from the Iran war are delaying life-saving food aid to Somalia, worsening a hunger crisis affecting hundreds of thousands of children, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Longer delivery times and rising costs have reduced supplies of therapeutic food used to treat severe malnutrition, forcing clinics to ration care or turn children away, the report said, citing aid groups.

Nearly 500,000 children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition, with admissions rising as drought and aid cuts strain resources.

Deliveries that once took about a month are now delayed up to two months due to blocked Persian Gulf routes, while costs have sharply increased, limiting how many children can be treated.

Aid agencies warned the combined impact of conflict, funding shortfalls and logistical delays risks pushing more children toward life-threatening conditions.

The US naval blockade appears to be preventing Iranian crude from reaching customers, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing satellite images and maritime analyses.

Around six to eight supertankers loaded with Iranian oil were idling late last week near Chabahar, a port outside the Persian Gulf close to the blockade line, according to the report.

Smaller tankers were also seen nearby, in an area where the US Navy said it had redirected two very large crude carriers it intercepted last week, the report added.

Bloomberg said the buildup suggested Iran was still loading oil onto ships, but traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was near zero and Tehran could soon be forced to shut in production as storage runs out.

The United States will not negotiate through the press and remains firm on its red lines in dealings with Iran, a White House spokeswoman said.

“The United States will not negotiate through the press — we have been clear about our red lines and the president will only make a deal that’s good for the American people and the world,” Olivia Wales said.

Her comments came as US officials reviewed Iran’s latest proposal related to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, according to a New York Times report.

The report also cited US officials as saying that Iran’s leadership has not authorized its negotiators to make concessions on the country’s nuclear program, complicating efforts to reach a compromise or broader peace deal.