The navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps held maneuvers along the key Persian Gulf shipping lane, with its forces practicing the takeover of vessels. In Tehran, officials boasted: “The exercise is a response to conspiracies against us in the region.”
Lebanese army chief will present his plan to centralize weapons under state control and brief ministers on his impressions from his visit to the US. Hezbollah opposes the move but may back a compromise formula to spare the government a “minefield.”
Ankara dispatched its drillship Cagri Bey to search for oil off the coast of Somalia, described as a historic first deployment of a Turkish drillship beyond the country’s territorial waters. Over the weekend, reports emerged of tanks being transported through the streets of Mogadishu to secure a Turkish missile launch facility, and in late January Turkey deployed F-16 fighter jets to the Somali capital.
Tehran believes that incorporating US companies into Iran’s energy, aviation and mining sectors would create a clear American interest in preserving a future agreement. Diplomatic sources assess that the move is a calculated attempt to appeal to the business instincts of President Donald Trump and the team around him.
Prince Turki al-Faisal accused Israel of harboring expansionist ambitions similar to Iran’s, and said Israel continues to violate the ceasefire in Gaza: “They blame Hamas who come out and shoots at them, but that is no excuse. Hamas has almost been destroyed.”
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi said in an interview that “the ball is in America’s court to prove that it seeks an agreement,” and while confirming that another round of talks will take place and describing the discussions as positive, he added: “If we feel it is an existential threat, we will respond accordingly.”
A former senior Iranian minister has warned that 85% of Iran’s energy resources are concentrated in a small area in the country’s south, warning that a targeted strike could completely neutralize the regime’s main sources of income.
US officials say America smuggled about 6,000 Starlink satellite internet terminals into the Islamic Republic. Possession of a terminal is illegal in Iran and can carry several years in prison.
The IDF Persian-language spokesperson published an unusual message on X, directly addressing the Iranian people and urging them to make contact only through official and verified channels. The post comes amid reports of outreach to unidentified accounts and against the backdrop of rising tensions in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Washington now willing to permit uranium enrichment under strict limits, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discloses. Iran prepared to accept oversight but missile talks risk war. Satellite evidence shows Tehran fortifying secret mountain facility near Natanz.
