Iran says Hormuz talks with Oman focused on future shipping arrangements

The directive, carried by the state-run ISNA news agency, described participants as Iran’s “summoned people” and said the gatherings had expanded with the supreme leader’s approval and guidance.

It said government supporters remained in mourning and were seeking revenge for those killed in the war, particularly former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and should therefore remain in public squares until further notice.

The nightly gatherings began after Ali Khamenei’s death was announced at the start of the war in late February. Government institutions sustained them through speeches, religious ceremonies, patriotic performances and food distribution, while state media portrayed them as evidence of national unity and support for the Islamic Republic.

The phrase “summoned people” echoes remarks Ali Khamenei made before the war, when he said God would mobilize the public during a national crisis and that “the people would finish the job.”

The rallies later became a means of political pressure, with participants chanting against officials involved in negotiations with Washington. Some accused negotiators of betraying those killed in the war and called for talks with the United States to be halted.

Ali Khomeini, a grandson of Islamic Republic founder Ruhollah Khomeini, reinforced that position on Friday, saying negotiations with the United States should not be viewed as a path to peace.

“Negotiation means war; war has different forms,” he said, adding that anyone seeking peace with Washington was a traitor.

The gatherings have also highlighted the government’s shifting approach to women without the mandatory hijab. While some clerics criticized their presence, other officials welcomed them as part of a broader pro-government front.

Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since the war began, including after his father’s death, the announcement of his succession and Ali Khamenei’s burial. His positions have so far been conveyed only through written statements.

Iranian officials said 10 enemy projectiles struck four locations in Bushehr county early on Sunday.

Bushehr Governor Mohammad Mozafari said three locations in the city of Bushehr and one area near the town of Choghadak were hit between 2:45 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., according to the official IRNA news agency.

He said there had been no casualties so far.

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the hardline Kayhan newspaper, said the United Arab Emirates should be added to Iran's list of military targets, saying it had become "an arms depot" and a base for Israeli fighter jets and US refueling aircraft.

"If the range of our missiles and drones is not yet enough to strike US territory, why do we not attack Israel, which is the closest US state to Iran?" Shariatmadari wrote in a column.

He added that attacks on Israeli infrastructure and sensitive sites would deliver "devastating and severe blows" to the United States.

An Iranian army spokesperson said the United States must comply with the terms of the memorandum of understanding, adding that US actions to create what he called an "illegal route" in the southern Strait of Hormuz had undermined security.

"We are duty-bound to ensure the region's security and the safe passage of ships," Brigadier General Abolfazl Akraminia said, according to state media.

He added that Iran's armed forces would "firmly defend the rights of the Iranian people in the Strait of Hormuz" and said their target list was "constantly being updated."

Iran's top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted part of the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States on X, warning that "the era of one-sided deals is OVER."

The image highlighted a clause stating that, upon signing the agreement, Iran would "make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only" between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

"We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking," Ghalibaf wrote in the post.