Lebanon-Israel security annex calls for Hezbollah disarmament - Asharq

A member of Iran’s negotiating delegation’s media team said no nuclear talks had taken place with the United States, even at a technical level, and that none would begin until Article 13 of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was resolved.

Speaking to Iranian state TV on Monday, Saeed Ajorlou said Iran’s conditions must be fully met before any nuclear negotiations could begin.

Article 13 says that after the MoU is signed, and subject to the start and continuation of the implementation of paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11, the United States and Iran will begin negotiations on a final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.

Mohammad Akbarzadeh, the political deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, was killed after his car overturned in Iran's southeastern Kerman province, the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency reported.

Fars said police and emergency responders attended the scene after the crash and Akbarzadeh was taken to a medical centre, where he died from the severity of his injuries.

The report said said authorities had launched an investigation into the cause and circumstances of the crash.

Earlier this month, Akbarzadeh was among those sanctioned by the European Union over support for measures restricting freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper met senior civilian and military leaders in Israel and Lebanon during an ongoing trip to the Middle East.

In Lebanon, Cooper and his staff met President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Armed Forces Commanding General Rodolphe Haykal to discuss the path forward in implementing a framework agreement signed in Washington on Friday, CENTCOM said in a statement on X.

Cooper also visited deployed US troops in Israel, where he recognized service members for “outstanding mission contributions.”

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said Monday that demining the Strait of Hormuz would be carried out only by Iran under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, warning France not to complicate the situation with what he called “provocations.”

Gharibabadi made the remarks after French President Emmanuel Macron said France would cooperate with Oman and other partners on demining the strait to secure maritime routes and ensure free passage.

“Demining is to be carried out exclusively by Iran and by no other country,” Gharibabadi said in a post on X. “In principle, we will not allow any other country to do so. The situation is sensitive and complex. We strongly advise France not to make it more complicated with its provocations.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would still be in power if Israel had accepted Hamas's terms for ending the war in Gaza.

“If we had done that, Deif, Sinwar, Haniyeh, Nasrallah, Khamenei, Assad – everyone would still be in place,” Netanyahu said during a multi-front military assessment. “With all their weapons, with all their organization, in the exact same place.”

Netanyahu said he had rejected calls to withdraw from Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages, arguing that doing so would have amounted to “a massive defeat.”