Iran’s pop diva Googoosh dedicates Ellis Island honor to Iranians

Three empty US-sanctioned tankers slipped through the US Navy blockade line on Iran and entered the perimeter in recent days, maritime intelligence company Tanker Trackers said on Sunday.

“Together, they can lift 1.9 million barrels of Iranian oil,” the company said.

TankerTrackers said one vessel briefly turned off AIS, another was Russian-flagged and a third hugged the Omani coastline.

Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held a phone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss efforts to end the crisis and support regional stability, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.

During the call Al Thani told Araghchi that “closing the Strait of Hormuz or using it as a bargaining chip would only deepen the crisis and expose the vital interests of the region's countries to danger," according to Qatar's foreign ministry.

He also stressed “the importance of adhering to the rules of international law and the principles of good neighborliness,” prioritizing the interests of the region and its peoples, and supporting de-escalation efforts.

UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the “terrorist targeting” of the Barakah nuclear energy plant was a dangerous escalation that violated international law.

Gargash said the attack, whether carried out by the “principal actor” or through one of its proxies, showed “criminal disregard” for civilian lives in the UAE and the surrounding area.

“No one will twist the UAE’s arm,” Gargash said in a post on X.

Qatar condemned the drone attack on the United Arab Emirates that targeted the Barakah nuclear power plant, calling it a “blatant violation” of international law and a serious threat to regional security and stability.

The attack “crossed all red lines” by targeting vital facilities and civilian infrastructure, Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Qatar expressed “full solidarity with the United Arab Emirates and its support for all measures it takes to preserve its sovereignty, security and the safety of its facilities,” the ministry added.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for more US military action against Iran, saying Tehran should be weakened further, in an interview with NBC News.

“I think the status quo is hurting us all. The longer the (Strait of Hormuz) is closed, the more we try to pursue a deal that never happens, the stronger Iran gets,” Graham said on NBC’s Meet the Press program on Sunday.

“There’s nothing to suggest that the people in charge now are any different in terms of the regime’s goal to terrorize the world, destroy Israel, come after us,” he added.

“What President Trump has done has been amazing militarily, but there’s more targets to be had, and there’s things we can do to hurt (Iran),” Graham said.