Pakistan foreign minister arrives in Washington to meet Rubio

Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said any new regional security framework should be formed by countries in the region and exclude US involvement and Israeli influence.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Moscow Security Conference, Bagheri Kani said the recent US and Israeli attacks showed the need to define a new framework for peace and stability in the region. He said that position had been welcomed by countries attending the conference.

Bagheri Kani also rejected the Abraham Accords as a model for peace, calling them a “Pharaoh pact” and saying they would not guarantee regional stability.

He said the region would not become stable as long as plans such as what he called a US-led “Greater Middle East” or an Israeli pursuit of “Greater Israel” remained in place.

“The formation of any new security mechanism must take place with the participation of countries in the region and without US interference or Israeli influence,” he said.

Iranians have sent messages to Iran International describing worsening economic hardship, job losses, stalled trade and shortages of some essential medicines.

One message from Tehran said Jadenu tablets and Novartis-made Desferal injections, key medicines for thalassemia patients, had become unavailable.

The sender said domestic alternatives were low-quality, ineffective and carried serious side effects, warning that without proper medicine, 23,000 thalassemia patients could face heart and liver failure and painful death.

Another person, who said they work in Eshtehard Industrial Town, Alborz province, said many companies had laid off workers, while some had cut wages by half and removed lunch and transport services.

A message from the southern port city of Genaveh said the local market had stalled because traders could no longer bring goods from the UAE.

The sender said stocks of mobile phone accessories, clothes, shoes and other goods usually imported from the UAE were running out.

The head of Iran’s parliament National Security Committee said Tehran does not intend to transfer its enriched uranium stockpile to a third country, rejecting one of the issues raised in discussions around a possible agreement with Washington.

Ebrahim Azizi told Russia’s Sputnik that the United States had not been trustworthy in negotiations and that no agreement would be reached if Washington did not change its conduct.

Azizi also said the Islamic Republic was pursuing permanent management of the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as a long-term policy rather than a temporary measure.

His remarks came as Iranian officials continue to frame Hormuz as a central source of leverage in talks with the United States, while Washington has said any agreement must ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

A senior Iranian foreign policy official said China could act as guarantor of any possible understanding between Tehran and Washington, while describing the Strait of Hormuz as a new strategic source of leverage for Iran.

Jalal Dehghani Firouzabadi, secretary of the Islamic Republic’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, told ISNA that current conditions require Iran to assert authority over the Strait of Hormuz.

“This new strategic tool is now one of the elements of Iran’s power,” he said.

Dehghani Firouzabadi said Tehran must balance national security with freedom of international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Iran and Oman determine the waterway’s legal future.

Referring to ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington, he described China as “the guarantor of a possible understanding” and said President Donald Trump prioritized an understanding over further escalation.

He called the talks very difficult and the issues under discussion very complex and broad, adding that Iran should strengthen the legal team supporting the negotiators.

Israel Hayom reported that Mossad created a covert unit for infiltration and destabilization operations against the Islamic Republic, saying the unit has become part of a broader strategy aimed at accelerating Tehran’s collapse.

The Israeli newspaper said the unit was established in 2021 after David Barnea became Mossad chief and was initially used to force senior Iranian officials out of positions of influence, including by leaking damaging information through media and social networks.

The former head of the branch, identified only as O., told Israel Hayom that such operations were “much cheaper and simpler” than assassination and said Mossad had already been responsible for the dismissal of several senior officials in Iran.

O. said the Islamic Republic’s overthrow had become one of Mossad’s core missions and described recent operations as part of a longer process rather than a finished campaign.

“We are not done with Iran. We are just getting started,” he said.

Israel Hayom also cited sources who recently spoke with Barnea as saying the Mossad chief believes the Islamic Republic could fall by the end of 2026 if President Donald Trump refuses to sign an agreement that would allow Iran’s economy to recover and if the blockade continues.