Singapore 'deeply concerned' after flagged vessel hit by projectile off Oman

British counterterrorism police carried out searches at two residential addresses in northwest London as part of an investigation into suspected offenses under the National Security Act linked to Iran.

Counter Terrorism Policing London said the searches took place on Wednesday and that no arrests had been made.

Police said the investigation was not connected to recent arson attacks targeting venues in northwest and east London, including several linked to the Jewish community.

“We do not believe there to be any imminent threat to the public, nor to any particular communities, individuals or venues in connection with this matter,” said Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London.

She said police had seen “a marked increase in the tempo” of investigations linked to national security and state threats over the past year, describing the case as part of broader efforts to disrupt hostile activity.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Friday that safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz could not be guaranteed through "ambiguous arrangements," parallel shipping routes or decisions made without regard to Iran as a littoral state.

"Safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed through ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes or decision-making outside Iran's considerations as a coastal state," Gharibabadi wrote on X.

He said any "credible framework" for navigation must be based on coordination with Iran and on Article Five of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

"Otherwise, the designated parallel route will be suspended," he said.

The arrangement follows months of confrontation and is designed to reduce the risk of renewed escalation. But it does not settle the core dispute between Washington and Tehran: how much uranium enrichment Iran will be allowed to retain, and under what conditions.

That question has long been the hardest part of any agreement. The latest understanding may ease immediate tensions, but it leaves unanswered what comes next and whether follow-on talks can produce a more durable settlement.

"The question is, do the follow-on talks yield a final deal that everyone can live with, do we go back to conflict, or do we just keep kicking the can down the road," Priddy said. "I think the most probable outcome is that they keep extending it."

Iran is unlikely to give up enrichment permanently, while the Trump administration has shown little interest in returning to a JCPOA-style framework that would allow limited enrichment under international safeguards.

Priddy said any long-term arrangement would probably need to include monitored enrichment, even if that remains politically difficult for Washington to accept.

"Iran is not going to concede to giving up enrichment forever," he said. "If we got to the point where the US could say yes, you could have limited enrichment under safeguards, a lot of other things start to become negotiable."

Priddy also said hardliners in Tehran may believe they have gained leverage after threatening the Strait of Hormuz, particularly after demonstrating they could use energy pressure to shape Washington's response.

"What I'm worried about at this point is I think there's a lot of hubris in Tehran right now among hardliners that they won the war," he said. "They can ask for everything now and get away with conceding very, very little."

Fears of higher gasoline prices and broader economic disruption helped push Washington toward restraint, while Persian Gulf energy infrastructure remained exposed.

Priddy described the situation as "mutually assured vulnerability," saying both sides now know they can target each other's energy infrastructure even if neither can eliminate the threat.

The regional fallout is likely to shape the next phase as much as the nuclear talks themselves. Persian Gulf states are likely to diversify their defence partnerships, while the United States may maintain a military presence in the region but with a smaller, more cautious footprint.

Israel remains the biggest wildcard in the next phase of negotiations. Washington appears intent on limiting further escalation, particularly in Lebanon, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may still favour a more confrontational approach.

Priddy said he does not expect the current understanding to produce a grand bargain or a warmer relationship between Washington and Tehran. Instead, he said, the most likely outcome is a hostile but transactional relationship that is repeatedly extended rather than fundamentally resolved.

Iran urged GCC member states to prevent their territory and facilities from being used for any future attacks against it, after rejecting a joint statement by the United States and the bloc as "interventionist, irresponsible and provocative."

Iran's foreign ministry said Arab states had a duty under international law and the principle of good neighborliness to stop third parties from using their territory and facilities to "plan, organize, support or carry out illegal acts, including military aggression" against Iran.

Tehran also said the United States, Israel and regional countries that took part in attacks against Iran were responsible for insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz.

The ministry said the strait lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, and that arrangements agreed in the US-Iran memorandum of understanding would form the basis for managing shipping there.

It also criticized the US-GCC statement for rejecting any tolls, fees or attempts to assert control over the strait.

The US-GCC statement, issued after a June 25 ministerial meeting co-chaired by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Bahrain, welcomed the US-Iran MoU and called for talks toward a permanent end to hostilities.

It said lasting regional security required addressing Iran's ballistic missiles, drones and support for armed groups, and rejected any tolls, fees or attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said the group would resist any attempts by Israel to disarm the "resistance."

“In the face of Israel’s efforts to disarm the resistance, we will confront them with all our strength,” Qassem said in remarks carried by Iran's Tasnim News Agency.

He also said Israel had "no choice" but to fully withdraw from Lebanon.

“With Iran's help, we created deterrence against attacks by the Zionist regime because it wanted to drive us from our homes,” he said.