Iran says 15 wounded in latest Israeli strikes

Israel has halted strikes on Iran at the request of US President Donald Trump, and warned it could target Beirut's southern suburbs if Hezbollah attacks on Israeli towns continue, according to Channel 12 on Monday.

Israel stopped its attacks on Iran following Trump's request, a senior Israeli official told Channel 12.

“If Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli communities continue, Israel will strike the southern suburbs of Beirut,” the official added.

Iran's army chief Amir Hatami said on Monday that any renewed attacks by Israel would trigger a stronger military response, accusing the country of violating a ceasefire agreement.

“The responsibility for the aggression of the Zionist regime lies with the United States, and if the enemy repeats its hostile actions, our measures will be more severe,” Hatami said.

Hatami said Israel had broken the ceasefire despite the presence of a mediator in Iran for talks.

The European Union imposed sanctions on an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy unit and two Iranian individuals on Monday, accusing them of supporting measures that restrict freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Council of the European Union listed the Hormozgan Provincial Command of the already EU-sanctioned IRGC Navy, saying it helps administer a system requiring vessels transiting the strait to provide identifying, cargo and destination information that can be used to determine whether ships are allowed to pass.

The EU also sanctioned Mohammad Akbarzadeh, the IRGC Navy’s deputy commander for political affairs and spokesperson, and Hamid Hosseini, a representative of Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union and a member of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce.

Brussels said Akbarzadeh has supported policies that undermine freedom of navigation through threats against commercial vessels, while Hosseini has promoted the payment of transit fees to Iranian authorities for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Those listed face asset freezes and travel bans in the EU, and EU persons and entities are barred from making funds or economic resources available to them.

The EU said restrictive measures under the framework now apply to 26 individuals and 27 entities.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran has neither abandoned the battlefield nor the negotiating table.

“We will defend the nation’s rights with strength and will not retreat in the face of any threat,” Pezeshkian wrote on X.

Pezeshkian described diplomacy and defense as “the two wings of national power” and said Iran remained committed to both tracks.

Any agreement between Iran and the United States would require independent verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency to be credible, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told in response to a question by Iran International reporter on Monday.

Grossi said Tehran and Washington were free to reach any arrangement they chose, but argued that an agreement without effective monitoring and verification would provide no assurance that either side was complying with its commitments.

He also said that if previous UN Security Council restrictions on Iran were fully restored, the agency would be responsible for verifying compliance, adding that ongoing military conflict had limited Iran's cooperation with inspectors.