Iran urges Qatar to allow Air Force fact-finding team over missing pilots

Iran’s Army Chief Major General Amir Hatami on Sunday warned the United States against any attempt to claim the strategic waterway as US territory, saying, “You are very wrong! Even joking about this is a massive mistake. This is Iran, and it has guardians who will break your leg.”

Speaking at a ceremony marking National Journalists’ Day, Hatami described the strategic waterway as a “divine geopolitical capacity” for Iran, saying it would never return to its previous status.

Hatami said activating Iran’s geopolitical leverage over the strait was necessary to remove the threat of war from the country, adding that Iran would defend it with all its strength.

He also claimed that Iranian forces had struck the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln at least once, temporarily grounding its fighter jets.

Hatami also announced a financial reward for anyone who kills or captures a US soldier involved in an act of aggression, saying the era of American military presence in the Persian Gulf was permanently over.

He said a new initiative had been launched with support from public crowdfunding campaigns, under which Iranian citizens could contribute funds to support the armed forces’ defence operations.

“Under the scheme, anyone who kills or captures a US soldier and hands them over to Iranian authorities will receive a reward of 5 billion tomans, equivalent to about $30,000,” Hatami said.

He added that Iranian women who accomplish the feat would receive double the reward.

An Iranian military official said that Qatar should allow an Iranian team to enter the country to investigate the fate of pilots whom Tehran says were captured by Qatari forces, Iranian media reported.

Qatar denies holding any Iranian pilots. Doha said on Saturday that its search and rescue teams had found the remains of one pilot after Iranian aircraft violated Qatari airspace in March and failed to respond to attempts to contact them.

Qatar said it had contacted Iran to coordinate the handover of the remains and had invited Tehran to review details of its search and rescue operations, but had received no response.

Mohammad Baqerzadeh, commander of the Committee for the Search for Missing Persons of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, said an Iranian Air Force expert and fact-finding team had been waiting for months to enter Qatar, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Baqerzadeh accused Qatari officials of repeatedly delaying the investigation and preventing the pilots’ return to Iran. He called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to urgently follow up on the case.

Baqerzadeh also said Kuwait was similarly withholding information about the fate of four Iranians held in Kuwait.

Iran to hold mourning ceremonies marking 40th day of Ali Khamenei’s death

Tehran, and the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, will observe mourning ceremonies to commemorate former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, on the 40th day after his funeral and burial, Press TV reported.

According to a statement issued by the Office of Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the ceremonies will be overseen by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

The main memorial ceremony will be held at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla on August 18.

Ceremonies will also take place at the holy shrine of Hazrat Fatima Masoumeh in Qom on August 19, and at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad the following day.

Iranian parliament votes to further criminalise interviews with ‘hostile media’

Iran’s parliament on Sunday approved a bill that would criminalise interviews and other communications with media deemed hostile to ​the Islamic Republic, including US or Israeli media and ‌outlets financed by either country, Iran’s Shargh newspaper reported.

Under the bill, which must still be reviewed by the Guardian Council before it can become law, ​interviews or participation in discussions with such media would ​be banned and violations punishable by six months to two ⁠years in prison.

Interviews with other foreign media would require notification ​to the intelligence ministry, while contact with foreign embassies, offices of ​foreign organisations or other non-Iranian institutions without notification and written permission from the foreign ministry would be punishable by a fine and deprivation of certain ​social rights.

The bill would also harden penalties for economic crimes committed ​under the direction or supervision of foreigners, ban providing information to foreigners without ‌intelligence ⁠ministry approval and restrict scientific cooperation with foreign institutions outside an approved list.

It would punish policy or legislative proposals made under the direction of foreign intelligence services if they harm Iran’s security ​or independence, with ​prison terms of ⁠up to 30 years. Cases would be heard by Revolutionary Courts.

Iran’s Armed Forces vow to resist until “complete defeat” of enemies

The General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces has pledged to continue its resistance against the United States and the Israeli regime in the region until the “complete defeat” of its enemies and the fulfilment of the Iranian people’s demands, IRNA news agency reported.

In a statement issued on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the return of Iranian prisoners of war following the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, the General Staff praised former prisoners and veterans, describing their experience as a symbol of resistance, self-reliance and national resilience.

The statement said the legacy of the eight-year war had been passed down to younger generations, who, according to the General Staff, have continued to uphold the principles of resistance in confronting US military power.

It also cited more than 160 consecutive days of public support for Iran’s Armed Forces and calls for retaliation over the assassination of former Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

According to the statement, Iran’s experience of wartime resistance continues to serve as a source of national resolve and opposition to foreign pressure.

The General Staff concluded by praising the Iranian people for their steadfastness and patience, while pledging that the Armed Forces would not back down from what it described as the legitimate demands of the public and the country’s leadership.

IRGC says 85 per cent of air defence production survived war

An official with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says more than 85 per cent of the force’s air defence production capacity remained undamaged during the war, Al Jazeera reported, citing Fars news agency.

In an interview featured in a documentary published by Fars, the official said that despite attacks on Iran’s military production infrastructure, the production and delivery of missiles and air defence systems had not declined compared with levels before the conflict.

He said much of the IRGC’s air defence equipment is produced by the force’s own self-sufficiency organisation, adding that production in some areas had since increased.

The official also said Iran’s current stock of operational air defence systems was in a better position than it had been at the beginning of the fighting.

Iranian parliament to debate foreign influence, Hormuz oversight bills

Iran’s parliament is set to hold a virtual session on Sunday to review separate bills on countering foreign influence and overseeing the Strait of Hormuz, IRIB reported.

Members of the parliament’s National Security Committee will examine a “Smart Management Plan” for the strait, the outlet said.

Iranian lawmakers will also review a bill aimed at combating international crimes, it added.

The report came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday that Iran had reached an agreement with Oman on a shipping route map for the Strait of Hormuz following weeks of technical negotiations.

Israeli army claims it killed senior Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army claimed on Sunday that it killed Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior commander of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, in a strike in southern Lebanon’s Ansar municipality.

The army said on X that Alaa was “a senior commander in Hezbollah’s ‘Badder Unit'” and was killed in an attack that targeted a main Hezbollah headquarters, alleging that it came in response to Hezbollah activity against the Israeli army “in the Security Zone.”

Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the Israeli statement.

Iran’s deputy FM tells US Strait of Hormuz ‘has been, is, and will remain Iranian’

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain under Iranian control, while accusing the United States of suffering “serious strategic defeats”, Press TV reported on Sunday.

In a post on X, Gharibabadi addressed US officials, saying: “Accept the reality once and for all: so far, you have suffered serious strategic defeats. The Strait of Hormuz has been, is, and will remain Iranian.”

“It will only be opened or closed at Iran’s command. As long as you refuse to accept the reality of your defeat and continue to indulge in delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade,” he said.

Baqaei shares Homer Simpson meme after Rubio, Trump statements

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has shared a Homer Simpson meme while reacting to statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Baqaei posted a statement by Rubio on Iranian spending, according to which the US official said: “Imagine an Iranian regime who, instead of spending billions of dollars supporting terrorist groups and building up all of these weapons, had invested that money into Iran, for the people of Iran.”

In the same post, he also shared a statement by Trump, who said: “It’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things … We have to take care of one thing: military protection.”

Baqaei posted the statements alongside a GIF showing Homer Simpson disappearing into bushes, implying a silent, awkward retreat from an embarrassing situation.

Araghchi says Oman talks, Hormuz reopening are separate issues

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said talks with Oman are a “completely separate” matter from efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, in comments to Shahrara News.

“Our negotiations with Oman are ongoing. That is a completely separate matter. It is a technical issue concerning the designation of maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz for the passage of ships,” he said, Al Jazeera reported.

“The routes that existed previously are no longer functional, so a new route needs to be defined. For now, we are designing a temporary route, which can then, at a later stage, be turned into a final route.”

Araghchi said an outcome could be reached soon, but stressed that the talks with Oman and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are separate matters.

“We may reach an outcome soon, but I want to emphasise that these negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are two separate issues. This is a technical negotiation concerning the designation of a maritime route.”

Iran says full security in Hormuz depends on end to US blockade, threats

Iran on Sunday said the full restoration of security in the Strait of Hormuz depends on the United States ending its naval blockade and unlawful interference and threats.

“The process of fully restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz … depends on the cessation of unlawful actions, interference, threats, and the naval blockade imposed by the United States, as well as compensation for the violations of commitments that have occurred over the past two months,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has said in an interview, Press TV reported.

Baqaei said the insecurity in the strategic waterway was a “direct” result of illegal and aggressive measures by the United States and Israel.

Iran says agreement reached with Oman on Strait of Hormuz shipping routes

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday that Iran has reached an agreement with Oman on a shipping route map for the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of technical negotiations.

Baghaei told Defa Press that Iran and Oman, the two coastal states bordering the strategic waterway, began intensive negotiations three months ago following the signing of the June 18 memorandum of understanding to establish safe navigation routes.

“Despite US obstruction, the talks have made positive progress over the past three weeks, and an agreement has been reached on the shipping route map,” he said.

Baghaei said the plan was the result of coordination led by the Foreign Ministry with the participation of Iran’s defense, security and environmental authorities.

He added that the two sides were still negotiating outstanding issues, including a statement to be issued by Tehran and Muscat, noting that exchanges between the two countries would continue until the process was finalized.

Baghaei stressed that the Iran-Oman arrangement was an independent agreement between the two coastal states aimed at ensuring the safe passage of ships through the strait, while preserving the sovereignty of both countries.

He said, however, that the full restoration of security in the strait and the resumption of normal commercial shipping depended on an end to what he described as illegal US actions, military threats and the naval blockade, as well as compensation for US breaches of commitments in the last two months.

The talks are part of technical negotiations launched under the Iran-US memorandum of understanding, which tasked Tehran and Muscat with developing a new navigation framework for the Strait of Hormuz. While Iran and Oman have continued discussions on shipping routes, Tehran has repeatedly said any decision to reopen the strategic waterway remains contingent on the US fulfilling its obligations under the memorandum.