Iran, five Mideast states urged Trump to rein in Israel strikes - Axios

“Neither diplomacy prevents military operations, nor do military operations prevent diplomacy,” he said. “At one point, with the threat of an attack and cutting off negotiations, you prevent Israel’s attack on Beirut. At another point, with an attack, you show that you are not afraid of negotiations being cut off and that you are fully prepared.”

“By God’s grace, the result is that they are forced to retreat over our rights and we establish our own rights,” Ghalibaf added.

“So it is not that we are supposed to either fight or negotiate,” Ghalibaf added. “Rather, we are supposed to fight when it is time, and negotiate when it is time. This is how we can defeat the enemy. This is how, when we say negotiation is the continuation of struggle, it becomes real.”

Ghalibaf also rejected claims of divisions among Iranian officials, saying: “Contrary to what some think, that there is no coordination among officials, no. There is full coordination among officials to reach the objectives.”

“The hands of our armed forces are always open for action,” he said. “Our goal is to end the war and create lasting security, not fireworks in relations with America. We also have no trust in the other side.”

He described the US naval blockade as a “war crime” and said Iran would turn it into another defeat for its enemies. “With national cohesion, diplomacy of power and military strength under the command of the Leader, we will make the enemy lose hope in the surrender of the Iranian people.”

US forces disabled an empty oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it violated the US blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port, US Central Command said on Monday.

CENTCOM said the Palau-flagged M/T Marivex was transiting international waters toward Iran on June 8 when an F/A-18 Super Hornet from the USS Abraham Lincoln fired a precision munition into the vessel’s engineering and steering spaces.

The command said the strike came after the crew failed to comply with US orders, adding that the tanker was no longer sailing toward Iran.

CENTCOM said US forces have disabled seven non-compliant vessels, redirected 134 ships that complied with the blockade, and allowed 42 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to pass since the blockade began on April 13.

Iran’s aviation chief Abouzar Shiroodi said the country’s airspace had returned to normal after authorities announced the end of military operations, with flights set to resume according to issued NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen).

He said flight restrictions were lifted after safe conditions were restored and coordination was completed with relevant authorities.

Aviation operations across the country are now returning to normal schedules, he added.

Netanyahu said he had delivered the same message to US President Donald Trump.

“If they make a mistake and resume attacks we will respond powerfully. Israel has the right to defend itself and we implement it when needed,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said Iran and Hezbollah had tried to establish a new equation in which they could fire on Israel without facing an Israeli response.

“That is unacceptable,” he said.

An Iranian deputy foreign minister dismissed the EU’s new sanctions over the Strait of Hormuz as a “political and hypocritical” move, accusing the bloc of ignoring what he called a US naval blockade against Iran.

In a post on X, Kazem Gharibabadi vowed that Tehran would continue exercising sovereign rights over the waterway.