IRGC says 33 ships crossed Hormuz after permits

US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he supported Israel maintaining “freedom of action” against threats on all fronts, including Lebanon, CNN reported, citing an Israeli official.

The official said Netanyahu made the point during a Saturday call and that Trump “reiterated his support for this principle.”

The official said the US was keeping Israel informed about talks with Iran on a memorandum of understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and later negotiations on a final agreement.

Trump also said he would not sign a final deal without the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program and removal of all enriched uranium from Iranian territory, according to the official.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards used a UAE-based procurement network to buy advanced Chinese satellite equipment linked to its drone program, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The report said leaked UAE commercial contracts and shipping records showed the IRGC Aerospace Force acquired military-grade Chinese satellite communication technology in late 2025 through a company based in the UAE.

The deal was sensitive because the UAE hosted a company supplying communications equipment to the same branch of the Guards that later launched missiles at the UAE in response to US-Israeli strikes, according to the report.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards used a UAE-based procurement network to buy advanced Chinese satellite equipment linked to its drone program, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The report said leaked UAE commercial contracts and shipping records showed the IRGC Aerospace Force acquired military-grade Chinese satellite communication technology in late 2025 through a company based in the UAE.

The deal was sensitive because the UAE hosted a company supplying communications equipment to the same branch of the Guards that later launched missiles at the UAE in response to US-Israeli strikes, according to the report.

A Bahraini court sentenced nine defendants to life in prison on Sunday over alleged cooperation with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Bahrain’s state news agency reported.

The court also sentenced two other defendants to three years in prison in two separate cases involving accusations of spying for the IRGC to carry out hostile and terrorist acts against Bahrain.

Prosecutors said the cases involved surveillance of sensitive sites, photographing facilities and passing information to the IRGC.

They also alleged that money transfers using Iranian and Bahraini bank accounts and cryptocurrency were used to finance the activities.

Bahrain said the cases were heard over several sessions with defense lawyers present before the court issued its rulings.

Reports of a possible agreement between Washington and the Islamic Republic have triggered anger and frustration among Iranians, with messages sent to Iran International reflecting deep distrust toward both foreign powers and Iran’s ruling establishment.

As speculation over renewed diplomacy between Tehran and Washington intensifies, several citizens described the prospect of a deal not as a path toward stability but as another political arrangement reached at the expense of ordinary Iranians.

“We no longer have hope in Trump… we will finish the job ourselves,” one citizen wrote. Another added: “Trump’s decisions should not matter to us. We ourselves must bring down the Islamic Republic from inside the country.”

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