France not certain mines laid in Strait of Hormuz

The novel, translated from German by Ruth Martin, begins after Iran’s 1979 revolution and follows different family members, including a revolutionary father, a literature-loving mother, a daughter visiting Iran for the first time and a son drawn into politics by the 2009 Green Movement.

Prize organizers described the book as a moving novel about oppression, resistance and the desire for freedom.

The International Booker Prize is awarded annually to a book translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.

“Taiwan Travelogue” by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from Mandarin Chinese by Lin King, won the 2026 International Booker Prize.

The other shortlisted books were “She Who Remains” by Rene Karabash, “The Witch” by Marie NDiaye, “On Earth As It Is Beneath” by Ana Paula Maia, and “The Director” by Daniel Kehlmann.

Germany has begun final reviews of visa applications filed in Tehran before the start of the military conflict, especially for work and student applicants, the German foreign ministry told Iran International on Wednesday.

The ministry said that once the reviews are completed, Germany’s embassy in Yerevan, Armenia, can issue entry visas.

Applicants will be contacted individually by Germany’s embassy in Tehran or the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs to arrange appointments in Yerevan, it said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned on Wednesday that any renewed strikes on Iran could expand the war beyond the region.

“If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time be taken beyond the region,” the IRGC said in a statement.

The IRGC said it had not used all its capacities against the United States and Israel, warning of “crushing blows” in places that the adversaries do not expect.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that past methods of governing the country were no longer enough to address all current issues and added that many problems would have already been solved if previous methods alone had been sufficient.

Speaking at a meeting of provincial governors, Pezeshkian said Tehran needed a new approach and creative solutions to overcome its challenges.

“We will either find a way or build a new one,” he said.

A South Korean-flagged supertanker appeared to be attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported, citing ship-tracking data.

The Universal Winner, carrying Kuwaiti crude, began signaling Wednesday morning that it was in the strait, south of Iran’s Larak Island along a Tehran-approved route for Hormuz transits, the report said.

The very large crude carrier is owned by Seoul-based HMM Co. and was signaling Ulsan, South Korea, as its destination.