Iran is on economic life support, must negotiate, US lawmaker says

A UAE state-owned oil supertanker was struck by Iranian drones on May 4 after conducting an oil transfer east of the UAE, TankerTrackers.com said on Monday.

The ship-tracking group identified the vessel as the VLCC Barakah, owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, and said it was empty of oil cargo when it was hit while heading west.

Iran executed Erfan Shakourzadeh on Monday on accusations of cooperation with the CIA and Mossad, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.

Mizan accused Shakourzadeh of sharing classified scientific information with foreign intelligence services while working with an Iranian scientific organization.

The judiciary-linked outlet claimed he had contacted foreign intelligence services in three stages, two linked to Mossad and one to the CIA.

Ther report did not provide any evidence for the allegations.

Shakourzadeh was arrested by Islamic Revolutionary Guards in 2025 on accusations of “espionage and cooperation with hostile countries” and sentenced to death.

Continue reading

The editor-in-chief of Iran’s hardline Kayhan newspaper said on Monday that Iran’s armed forces could attack British and French naval vessels over what he called cooperation with the US and Israel.

“The French and British armies have formally announced that they crossed the Suez Canal and entered Red Sea waters to cooperate with the US and Israel. Therefore, attacking these vessels is our natural and recognized right and can be defined within the framework of legal defense,” Hossein Shariatmadari wrote.

He added that the vessels were within range of Iran’s long-range missiles and that Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen had missile dominance over the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.

“Yemen’s resistance forces have also eagerly declared their readiness to carry out this divine mission,” he said.

US President Donald Trump is expected to press Chinese leader Xi Jinping over Beijing’s relationship with Iran during talks this week in Beijing, according to a report by the Financial Times.

The newspaper said Trump plans to raise concerns about China’s support for Tehran, including alleged exports of dual-use technology and possible weapons-related assistance as the Iran war and ceasefire diplomacy remain unresolved.

The summit is also expected to cover Taiwan, artificial intelligence, trade disputes and nuclear arms issues, according to the report.

Guardian Australia reported that Ghalibaf and his son had links to a research center at the University of Melbourne and that rental income from at least one Australian investment property was collected by his son, Eshagh Ghalibaf.

The report also said Eshagh Ghalibaf secured long-term Australian residency despite Canada twice rejecting his visa applications over concerns related to the Iranian regime.

The revelations are likely to raise questions about Australia’s handling of sanctions involving current and former IRGC-linked figures and their families.

Ghalibaf, a former Revolutionary Guards air force commander and police chief, has never been sanctioned by Australia, unlike in Canada.