IRGC-affiliated channel accuses insiders of pursuing US deal

Hardline influencer Ali Gholhaki said on Saturday Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's return from Oman without a joint statement on the Strait of Hormuz fueled speculation that negotiations over the waterway's future under the US-Iran memorandum of understanding reached an impasse.

“It was supposed that Araghchi's trip to Oman would lead to the issuance of a joint statement regarding the north and south routes of the Strait of Hormuz, and subsequently, "Ghalibaf" and "Vance" would join the negotiations, but with Araghchi's return, speculation about the diplomacy reaching a deadlock concerning "Article 5 of the Memorandum of Understanding" has been reinforced more than ever,” he posted on X.

Oman has drafted a proposal to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz via two separately controlled routes, CNN reported citing a source familiar with the talks, as Iran’s foreign minister holds talks with Omani and Qatari officials in Muscat.

Under the yet-to-be-finalized plan, both corridors would remain open. The “Southern Corridor,” running through Omani territorial waters, would allow “free navigation” under pre-war conditions.

Ships using the “Northern Corridor” through Iranian territorial waters would need “prior approval” from Tehran, although “no tolls” would be charged.

In a message issued after the burial of former supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei described retaliation for his father’s death in a February 28 airstrike as “a national demand”, adding that it “will most certainly be carried out.”

It was the second time Khamenei had publicly pledged revenge, after first doing so in his initial written message following his father’s killing and the announcement of his succession.

He has not appeared in public, including at Ali Khamenei’s funeral prayers or burial ceremonies, since the airstrike on the leader’s compound which also reportedly injured him.

Hours earlier, Trump said 1,000 US missiles were “locked and loaded” and aimed at Iran, with thousands more ready to follow if the Iranian government acted on threats to kill him.

Trump said he had authorized the US military, for one year and subject to extension, to “completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran” if an attempt were made on his life.

Khamenei did not name Trump but pledged to bring his father’s killers to justice, saying they would not be allowed to “die peacefully in their beds.”

He said the revenge campaign did not depend on his own survival or the presence of any other official, adding that it would be completed whether he was alive or dead.

The exchange followed state-run funeral ceremonies during which mourners displayed calls for the deaths of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Israel had recently shared information with Washington suggesting Iranian officials had discussed assassinating Trump, citing US and Israeli officials.

Diplomacy continues under pressure

The threats unfolded alongside diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict, with regional mediators pursuing talks even as Washington signaled that time for an agreement was running short.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Oman on Saturday for talks on the Strait of Hormuz. Qatari officials also joined the Iran-Oman discussions in Muscat, where the parties were considering a statement on fully reopening the strait’s “median lane” in international waters to unrestricted navigation, Axios reported, citing a diplomat familiar with the talks.

US officials told the Associated Press that Trump had given American negotiators limited time to reach an agreement with Iran and retained a wide range of options if the talks failed.

CBS reported on Saturday, citing a US official, that Vice President JD Vance would not travel to Muscat and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would not take part in the talks there.

Washington also continued to set conditions for any agreement. The officials cited by the Associated Press said a nuclear deal would require Tehran to hand over its highly enriched uranium stockpile and stop attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

A man whose covered face drew widespread attention during the funeral of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei was his grandson, Mohammad Javad Khamenei who had been injured in the Feb. 28 attack, the Rokna news outlet reported.

The report said he is the son of Mostafa Khamenei, Khamenei’s eldest son, and is believed to be the late leader’s oldest grandson.

Rokna said Mohammad Javad Khamenei covered his face because he had suffered facial injuries and burns in an explosion while at the supreme leader’s residence on February 28.

There was speculation on Iranian social media that the masked man could be Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has neither appeared in public nor released a voice message since the February attack that Tehran says injured him.

Decisions over the future management of the Strait of Hormuz will be made exclusively by Iran and Oman, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported, citing an informed political source who pushed back on an Axios report about Qatar’s participation in talks on reopening the waterway.

Qatar’s involvement in the Iran-Oman talks reflects its role as a mediator and Tehran’s consultations with other regional countries, the source was quoted as saying.

The source said the strait lies within the internal and territorial waters of Iran and Oman, meaning any arrangements governing it must be determined by the two coastal states.

Under Article 5 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, Iran is responsible for determining future arrangements for the waterway through talks with Oman, the source said.