US official says no Iran deal without handover of buried enriched uranium

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Oman on Saturday for talks on the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to prevent the renewed US-Iran confrontation from widening.

The latest escalation followed attacks on three commercial vessels using the shipping lane on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz. Washington blamed Iranian forces and struck Iranian coastal and naval targets. Tehran disputed responsibility but warned that ships using routes not coordinated with it faced danger.

After the June ceasefire, commercial vessels increasingly used an Oman-backed southern corridor rather than Iran-designated routes.

The shift angered hardliners who feared it could weaken the Islamic Republic’s claim to control shipping through the strait.

The roughly 167-km waterway separates Iran from Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. At its narrowest it is about 54 km wide, with Iranian and Omani territorial waters covering the passage.

The established two-mile shipping lanes run mainly through Omani waters, but international law protects transit through straits used for global navigation.

The governor of Pakdasht said explosions heard east of Tehran were caused by a controlled operation to dispose of explosive materials.

“The explosions heard a few minutes ago in eastern Tehran province were related to a controlled operation to dispose of explosive materials,” the governor said. “There is no cause for concern for citizens.”

Residents in Pakdasht and Qiamdasht had earlier reported hearing several explosions, prompting speculation over their source.

The area lies near the Parchin and Khojir military-industrial complexes, which have been linked to the Islamic Republic’s missile, explosives and defense programs and have previously been targeted in Israeli strikes.

There was no indication that either facility had been attacked in the latest incident.

The IRGC-affiliated Fars News agency called for Iranian strikes on the ports of Haifa in Israel and Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates in response to a US attack on a railway bridge in northern Iran.

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  A remote bridge shows how US-Iran war is expanding

Fars described the strike on the the Aq Tekeh Khan railway bridge near Aqqala in Golestan province as part of a “war of corridors,” referring to competition over strategic transport and trade routes.

“We must target Haifa and Jebel Ali,” the agency wrote.

The hardline Kayhan newspaper separately called for missile strikes on the King Fahd Causeway, which links Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and on regional oil refineries.

“When the Aqqala bridge is targeted, the King Fahd Causeway should be targeted without prior warning,” Kayhan wrote. “If our refineries are attacked, their refineries should be attacked.”

Kayhan argued that countries hosting US forces should not be treated as independent actors if attacks on Iran were launched from their territory, saying that striking them would amount to striking the United States and Israel.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said a US decision to ease export controls on the United Arab Emirates amounted to official proof that Abu Dhabi supported Washington’s military operation against Iran.

“This is Washington’s official admission and a document of Abu Dhabi’s disgrace,” Gharibabadi wrote on X. “It carries direct international responsibility and legal consequences. The UAE must be held accountable.”

The US Commerce Department said Friday it was upgrading the UAE’s status under export control rules in recognition of its role as a US Major Defense Partner and its support for US national security interests, “including Operation Epic Fury.”

The changes will expand the UAE’s access to US-controlled military, dual-use and advanced computing technology, including drones, AI chips and servers.

Iran repeatedly struck targets in the UAE during the war, with Iranian officials justifying the attacks by citing the country’s hosting of US military facilities and cooperation with Israel.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that 1,000 missiles were “locked and loaded” and aimed at Iran, warning of overwhelming military retaliation if Tehran attempted to assassinate him.

“1,000 missiles are locked and loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands more to immediately follow, should the Iranian government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting president of the United States of America, in this case, me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump said orders had already been issued and that the US military would remain prepared for one year, subject to extension, “to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran.” He ended the post with the phrase: “Praise be to Allah!”

The warning followed coordinated Friday sermons and an official statement by Iran’s Friday Prayer Policy Council calling for revenge over the killing of Ali Khamenei.