Iran and Turkey hold diplomatic talks on sidelines of Antalya forum
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, who is visiting Turkey, held talks with a Turkish deputy foreign minister on the sidelines of the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
The USS Gerald Ford has left the Mediterranean and is now operating in the Red Sea, CNN reported, citing US officials. The move is meant to strengthen military readiness in case attacks on Iran resume if the ceasefire is not extended.
US President Donald Trump shared videos on Truth Social showing Iranian-Americans and Iranians expressing thanks and support for US action against Iran, before posting another image saying: “The best is yet to come.”
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz remains fully under Iranian control and warned that any further US naval movement, including mine-clearing operations, would be treated as a ceasefire violation and could be met with force.
US Central Command said its naval forces are enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports and that the operation has completely halted Iran’s maritime trade, while the USS Rushmore is conducting blockade operations in the Arabian Sea.
Iran has said it will not send any enriched uranium material to the United States and remains opposed to direct talks for now, while also insisting new rules for the Strait of Hormuz will be part of any negotiations.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, who is visiting Turkey, held talks with a Turkish deputy foreign minister on the sidelines of the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
Iran’s internet blackout has passed the 1,200-hour mark and entered its 51st day, according to NetBlocks, extending what monitoring groups have described as an unprecedented shutdown for a connected country.
“As peace negotiations appear to flounder, one of the most important factors for Iranians, the restoration of international connectivity, is still overlooked," NetBlocks said.
Access to the global internet remains heavily restricted, with most users limited to Iran’s domestic network.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said US president Donald Trump had no right to deny Iran what he described as its lawful nuclear rights, while insisting that Tehran was not seeking to widen the war and was acting only in self-defense.
“The US president says Iran should not make use of its nuclear rights, but he does not answer for what crime,” Pezeshkian said. “Who is he, after all, to deprive a nation of its legal rights?”
He also said: “Iran is not seeking to expand the war and has not started any conflict and will not do so. We have not attacked any country, and under the current circumstances we have no intention of attacking any side. We are only engaged in legitimate self-defense.”
During the conflict, Iran carried out attacks across the region, including against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, the British overseas territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, and the West Bank. Other alleged activity was reported in Azerbaijan, while maritime targets were said to include Thai-flagged ships.
Pezeshkian condemned attacks on civilians and scientific institutions, saying: “The assassination of scientists, attacks on scientific centers, targeting innocent people and the killing of 168 schoolchildren have no justification, and no free human being in the world accepts such behavior.”
Hamidreza Hajibabaei, a deputy speaker of parliament, said at a pro-government street gathering that lawmakers had formed a special combat unit for the Strait of Hormuz and that all members of parliament had signed up.
He said the MPs were ready to “take up arms” and stand against the United States.
He had earlier told Fars news agency that lawmakers were forming a combat unit for possible ground fighting on Kharg Island or anywhere else the United States might try to deploy forces or, in his words, “cause trouble.”
An Iran-linked group has claimed responsibility for an arson attack on a building in north London that was formerly used by a Jewish organization.
The building in Hendon still displayed the sign for Jewish Futures, an educational organization, when it was attacked. No injuries were reported.
According to The Times, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI, said it carried out the attack. The newspaper said British police were examining whether the group is a front for Iran’s security forces.
The group has also posted videos on social media about other recent incidents in London, including an arson attack on a synagogue in Finchley, a reported drone threat near the Israeli Embassy, and an attack on the offices of Iran International.
It previously claimed similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Anaraki Mohammadi said there was no problem with negotiating with the United States if talks took place on the basis of Iran’s own demands and conditions.
Referring to talks in Islamabad, he said: “The end of every war is peace, and when we are ready to negotiate based on our own demands and the conditions we set, there is no problem in negotiating.”
He added that all branches of the Islamic Republic must follow the leader’s direction and said no one had the right to create doubt or uncertainty among the public.
Iran’s judiciary chief called for no leniency in confiscating the assets of convicted individuals and said such cases should be handled with accuracy and speed under the law.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said cases involving what he described as foot soldiers and accomplices of the attacking enemy should not be handled under normal procedures.
He said they must be dealt with on an extraordinary basis at every stage, including the prosecutor’s office, trial courts and the Supreme Court.
Mehdi Abtahi, deputy minister of science, research and technology, said access to the international internet for Iran’s academic community would be restored gradually, starting with university professors.
He said the ministry had already taken steps to provide professors with access based on an existing list, and that the measure would gradually be extended to all faculty members.
Abtahi added that the information of all professors had been passed to the communications ministry and that researchers’ access would generally begin through university faculty before expanding to research institutes and other centers.
North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday in a move some analysts linked directly to the war over Iran, with one former South Korean presidential security adviser saying the launches may have been intended to show that, “unlike Iran,” Pyongyang has self-defense capabilities.
The launch came as the seven-week US-Israeli war against Iran continues, with curbing Tehran’s nuclear program one of its stated aims. Experts and former South Korean officials say the conflict could further reinforce North Korea’s own nuclear ambitions.
“The missile launches may be a way of showing that - unlike Iran - we have self-defense capabilities,” Kim Ki-jung said.
He added that Pyongyang also appeared to be applying pressure and showing force ahead of any possible dialogue with the United States and South Korea.
It was North Korea’s fourth such launch this month and seventh of the year. South Korea’s military said the missiles were fired from near Sinpo on the country’s east coast at around 6:10 a.m. local time and flew about 140 km.
Vessel-tracking footage from MarineTraffic showed ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz early on Sunday after Iran said it had closed the waterway again.
Iran had temporarily reopened the strait on Friday following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, which had raised hopes for broader peace talks, but later said it had shut it again.