Iran to remain Hormuz 'Guardian', Araghchi hits back at Trump
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserted that Iran would remain the "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz, in response to US President Donald Trump saying earlier that the United States would assume that role and seek 20% reimbursement on cargo shipped through the waterway.
“POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service,” Araghchi said on X.
“Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER,” he added. “20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday condemned Saudi Arabia’s attack on Sana’a International Airport, describing it as “a clear violation of international law, the United Nations Charter and Yemen’s sovereignty” and saying it contravened the 2022 ceasefire agreement.
Videos posted on social media showed an Iranian Mahan Air passenger plane, en route from Tehran to Sana'a, landing at Al Hudaydah Airport in western Yemen after airstrikes hit the runway at Sana'a Airport, according to Iranian state-affiliated media and sources close to the Houthis.
Iran's former supreme leader Ali Khamenei (left) and then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Israel’s Mossad recruited former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and chose him to lead Iran after a planned operation to overthrow the Islamic Republic, Haaretz reported Monday, citing more than 30 political, defense, diplomatic and foreign sources.
The relationship began taking shape in 2022 after the Mossad gathered intelligence indicating shifts in Ahmadinejad’s views, the report said.
Israel focused on his belief that Iran could not continue under sanctions and that its nuclear program had become a burden rather than an asset.
A team of Mossad agents continued a mission involving Ahmadinejad after landing abroad on October 7, 2023, and learning of the Hamas attack on Israel, according to the report.
Then-Mossad chief David Barnea personally oversaw the operation and at one point skipped a security consultation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to focus on developments involving Ahmadinejad, the report said.
By early 2026, Ahmadinejad had become one of Israel’s most significant assets and was chosen to take power after “Operation Puss in Boots,” which was intended to overthrow Iran’s government, end its pursuit of nuclear weapons and install a new leadership.
According to the report, the wider plan included influence operations inside Iran, arming and training Kurdish forces in Iraq, mobilizing minorities, recruiting collaborators and creating a land corridor for militia movements. Israel also sought to draw Azerbaijan into the war.
The plan faced opposition from Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder, Research Division head Ofir Mizrahi Rosen and then-national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, the report said.
Three days before H-hour, the disagreements reached such a boiling point that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered everything halted. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to proceed.
The plan collapsed before Kurdish forces fired a single shot, the report said.
Ahmadinejad, a hardline conservative known for fiercely anti-Israel rhetoric, was Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013. During his two terms, he allegedly denied the Holocaust, advocated Israel’s destruction and suggested Tehran could develop nuclear weapons if it decided to do so.
After leaving office, he was repeatedly barred from standing in presidential elections. Over time, Ahmadinejad distanced himself from the political establishment and criticized the system under Ali Khamenei, accusing senior figures of corruption, mismanagement and failing the public.
He also adopted a softer public image, portraying himself as a defender of ordinary Iranians and their economic and social concerns.
Ahmadinejad’s current status is unclear. Last week, he attended a state-run funeral for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, months after an alleged airstrike on his residence which, reportedly set him free from a house arrest.
Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi welcomed the UK government’s move to designate the IRGC under new state threats powers, describing it as an important step by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Pahlavi said on X that the move reflected “the growing threat from the regime in Iran to UK citizens and interests.”
“I hope the UK and other Western governments will go one step further and back the Iranian people’s fight for freedom. There can be no peace as long as this regime survives.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Russia’s energy minister that Tehran was ready to remove obstacles delaying joint projects with Moscow, calling for strategic agreements between the two countries to move rapidly from negotiations to implementation.
Speaking during a meeting with Sergei Tsivilev on Monday, Pezeshkian highlighted cooperation in energy, oil, gas, petrochemicals, industry, trade and transit corridors.
He said the political will expressed by senior officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, meant joint projects should not be allowed to proceed slowly.
Pezeshkian also pointed to opportunities for cooperation through BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union and frameworks involving Caspian Sea states.
The UN’s shipping agency said Monday it was seeking more details after US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would reinstate a naval blockade on Iran and charge the equivalent of 20% of cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are aware of the post and awaiting more details,” a spokesperson for the International Maritime Organization said.
The IMO rejected the principle of charging vessels for passage through international straits.
“We have always been consistent on our stance on fees – IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation,” the spokesperson said.
“There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait.”
