Bandar Abbas airport resumes flights after four-month halt – state media

Quran verses recited for foreign delegations attending the funeral of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have sparked debate after Iranian media and social media users argued the passages were carefully chosen to send political and diplomatic messages to visiting officials.

Organizers did not explain why different Quranic passages were recited for each delegation. However, several Iranian media outlets portrayed the selections as deliberate rather than routine religious readings.

The news website Fararu wrote that the verses appeared to have been chosen "not randomly, but deliberately." Conservative outlet Tabnak described the practice as "an innovation in public diplomacy," saying the tailored recitations could be interpreted as ethical and political messages to each delegation.

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Maritime trade between Iran and Qatar resumed after Qatar’s Al Ruwais port reopened to Iranian goods following a roughly five-month suspension, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday, citing Iran’s commercial counselor in Doha.

The report said cargo shipments between Iran’s Dayyer port and Qatar’s Al Ruwais port had been halted for about five months.

The port began accepting Iranian goods again after follow-up by Iran’s embassy in Doha and coordination with relevant Qatari government officials, according to the report.

An Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday that the memorandum of understanding and the path of negotiations with the United States were separate from what he called the case for revenge against those behind the killing of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

In a post on X, Meisam Zohurian said this was the main point of a recent statement by the majority of the Assembly of Experts.

The statement on the US-Iran memorandum of understanding prompted an extraordinary public rebuke from the body's own leadership within hours.

A cargo vessel sent a distress alert on Sunday saying it was under attack by unknown armed assailants about 30 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said.

UKMTO said local authorities were investigating the incident.

It advised vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

The video from the landfill in Talesh shows cattle roaming through piles of refuse, including hospital waste, highlighting the apparent lack of effective segregation, containment and disposal measures for hazardous materials.

Hazardous waste enters food chain

Hospital waste ranks among the most dangerous categories of refuse because it can contain infectious materials, contaminated equipment, sharp objects and hazardous chemicals. Allowing livestock to graze in direct contact with such waste, according to the report, raises concerns that contaminants could spread through meat, milk and other agricultural products consumed by people.

The footage also points to broader shortcomings in landfill management beyond the presence of medical waste. Open dumping without effective isolation, daily cover or barriers preventing animal access leaves waste exposed to livestock, wildlife and the surrounding environment.

Such conditions, Rokna wrote, can contaminate soil, generate polluted leachate that may seep into groundwater, attract disease-carrying insects and animals, and release foul odors and harmful gases. When cattle graze freely in these areas, the potential for biological and chemical contaminants to enter the food chain increases.

The risks, based on the report, are particularly acute in Talesh, where mountains, forests, farmland, residential areas and the Caspian Sea lie in close proximity, allowing pollution to spread more rapidly through interconnected ecosystems.

Environmental and public health concerns

Environmental degradation extends beyond the immediate health risks. Large volumes of uncovered waste can damage natural habitats, reduce land quality and increase the likelihood of contaminants spreading into surrounding soil and water resources, added the report.

The conditions documented by Rokna also suggest failures in basic waste management practices, including separating hazardous medical waste from ordinary refuse, safely treating infectious materials and preventing livestock from entering disposal sites.

Without urgent measures to improve waste segregation, strengthen landfill controls and restrict animal access, the Talesh landfill risks becoming a continuing source of contamination affecting livestock, the environment and public health, the report added.