At least five ships reverse course near Bab el-Mandeb amid Houthi threat - CBS
At least five vessels, including several carrying Saudi oil, made U-turns before reaching the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis threatened to block Saudi-linked ships, CBS News reported, citing maritime tracking data.
The vessels included four tankers and a cargo ship. Two crude tankers had departed Saudi ports for China and Pakistan, while another laden oil or chemical tanker was traveling from Saudi Arabia to Oman.
An empty vehicle carrier traveling from Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka and an empty crude tanker coming from Myanmar also reversed course, CBS said.
US President Donald Trump shared three Truth Social posts highlighting the executions of protesters Erfan Esfandiari, 18, and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi, 23, who were executed on Sunday at Dastgerd Prison in the central Iranian city of Isfahan.
“The latest one of 52,000, plus, innocent protesters. Savages!!! When will the Democrats wake up??? President DJT,” Trump wrote above a post about Mohammadi’s execution.
Trump also reposted a message about Esfandiari's execution calling on people to “be their voice,” as well as an image of a tearful woman holding a sign reading “STOP KILLING US” against a backdrop featuring the Islamic Republic’s flag.
France summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires to the foreign ministry following the detention of French embassy staff, the ministry said in a statement.
"France expects the Iranian authorities to shed light on this incident, punish the perpetrators, and ensure the security of its premises and personnel, in accordance with their international obligations," the French foreign ministry said.
The summons comes after France said its embassy staff were detained and physically intimidated by Iran's security services in Tehran on Sunday evening.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis warned shipping companies on Monday against loading or discharging cargo at Saudi ports, saying vessels that do so could be targeted anywhere within the group’s operational reach, according to an email seen by Reuters.
The email was sent to multiple companies by the Houthis’ Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center.
“Any such activity would expose the violating vessels to sanctions. Furthermore, they may be subject to targeting in any location within the operational reach of the Yemeni Armed Forces,” it said.
Iran’s attacks hit several power generation and water desalination plants in Kuwait on Monday evening for a fourth consecutive day, the Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Ministry said on Tuesday.
The attacks caused fires at several facilities, which emergency teams extinguished in coordination with firefighters and security authorities.
The ministry said some generating units were taken out of service as a precaution to protect equipment and electricity and water systems.
France is reviewing whether to reduce staffing at its embassy after two French diplomats were detained, interrogated and allegedly abused by Iranian security forces in Tehran, according to information obtained by Iran International on Tuesday.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot had already confirmed that two members of the French embassy were detained for several hours on Sunday, calling the episode "serious and unacceptable" and warning it "cannot go without consequences."
"One of them was physically abused," Barrot said, describing the detention as an "extremely serious act of intimidation" and a "flagrant violation of diplomatic immunity."
According to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to Iran International, Iranian security forces detained the two diplomats, took them to an undisclosed location and interrogated them. Both were subjected to psychological pressure during their detention and questioning, and that at least one was physically assaulted, the source said.
The episode has heightened concern among staff at the French embassy in Tehran, with several employees asking to return to France before completing their assignments, although their postings have not officially ended, according to the source.
French authorities are now considering whether to end some diplomatic assignments early and reduce the embassy's presence in Tehran, the source added.
Paris seeks answers
Iran International has sent a formal request to the French Foreign Ministry seeking comment on the condition of the two diplomats, Paris' planned response and the possible impact on embassy operations in Tehran.
Demonstrators gather outside the French Embassy in Tehran in October 2020, protesting the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Protesters hold placards depicting French President Emmanuel Macron, burn his image, and call for a boycott of French goods.
The ministry had not responded by the time of publication.
Barrot said he had raised the matter directly with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, telling him the detention represented a serious breach of diplomatic immunity protected under international law.
According to Barrot, the two diplomats were responsible for French programs supporting Iranian civil society, particularly artists and scientists. Both were released and are expected to return to France.
Relations deteriorate
The detention comes as relations between Paris and Tehran continue to worsen over Iran's nuclear program, regional policies and the imprisonment of French nationals.
France has said it opposes lifting sanctions on Iran unless Tehran abandons its nuclear program and changes what Paris describes as destabilizing regional policies. Paris has also called for a broader European role in negotiations over Iran.
The dispute follows years of friction over French nationals held in Iran. Paris has repeatedly called for the release of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been detained since 2022, describing their imprisonment as arbitrary and accusing Iran of using foreign detainees to seek diplomatic concessions.
Earlier this year, France brought a case against Iran before the International Court of Justice over alleged violations of consular rights.
The detention of accredited embassy staff broadens the dispute from French citizens held in Iran to diplomats protected under international law, adding another point of strain in relations between Paris and Tehran.
Iranian authorities had not publicly commented on the case by the time of publication.
