Trump’s forces have ‘fled’ 1,000km from Iran’s borders, commander claims

Iran has said it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz ‘until our seven conditions are met’

by Suha Kidwai , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar & James C. Reynolds

A top Revolutionary Guards commander has claimed that US forces have “fled” and moved back to positions at least 1,000km from Iran’s borders.

Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said that for the first time since the conflict began, there were no US vessels in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman or even the northern Indian Ocean, claiming US warships were “100 per cent vulnerable” to Iranian strikes.

Earlier, Iran’s influential parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said his country would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the conditions it laid out in an interim agreement in June are met, according to Nournews.

Traffic through the strait has effectively come to a standstill with attacks in the vicinity of the waterway reported over the weekend.

“The Americans, who say something different in the media, have recently put forward proposals through a mediator. But they must understand that the period of dragging out the process and dictating one-sided demands is over,” Ghalibaf said on Sunday.

Vance: no conclusive ties to Iran in flydubai attack

US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday he has not seen anything conclusive yet on an Iranian role in the flydubai incident.

Vance spoke to reporters before leaving on a flight to Alaska.

Iran claims to have disabled Starlink terminals during protests

Iran has claimed it managed to disable Starlink terminals during a wave of anti-government protests in January.

Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, head of the National Cyberspace Center, told state media that Tehran “managed to disable Starlink terminals for the first time” during the demonstrations.

“If satellite internet infrastructure is used as a tool of war, naturally this infrastructure can become a legitimate military target,” Aghamiri said.

Starlink, owned by ​Elon Musk's SpaceX, provides satellite internet connections.

Iran has previously accused Israel and ​the United States of smuggling in the devices to undermine its security. Starlink is not licensed to operate in Iran but Musk has previously said the service is active there.

Iran imposed a sweeping crackdown on the internet during the deadly protests.

In June, former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said that Israel had smuggled ​Starlink internet receivers into Iran to help anti-government protesters - but claimed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government failed to follow through on the plans.

Tanker ordered by Iran to turn back in Hormuz or risk being hit, UKMTO says

A tanker transiting the ⁠Strait of Hormuz was hailed by Iran's ⁠Islamic ​Revolutionary ⁠Guard Corps and ⁠instructed to ​turn back ⁠or ‌risk being targeted, United Kingdom ‌Maritime Trade ‌Operations (UKMTO) said on ⁠Monday.

The tanker complied with the instruction, UKMTO said, adding that the ‌incident occurred ​11 ‌nautical miles ⁠north ⁠of Khasab, Oman.

Iran says Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until conditions are met

The Strait of ​Hormuz will not reopen until seven Iranian conditions set out in a June interim agreement with the US ‌are met, state media reported Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf as saying.

Iran presented a proposal during the UN General Assembly under which the Strait of Hormuz waterway could be reopened and normal maritime passage restored within seven days if the conditions were met, with the US replying to ​this proposal last week via Qatari intermediaries.

“The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is completely clear and firm, and ​the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until our seven conditions, based on the Islamabad ⁠Memorandum of Understanding, are met," Qalibaf, who is Iran's top negotiator, was quoted as saying.

He said Washington "must understand that the period of ​dragging out the (diplomatic) process and dictating one-sided demands is over".

Iran summons Norway envoy over 'unauthorised' Starlink operations

Iran has summoned the Norwegian ambassador in Tehran to lodge a diplomatic protest over Oslo’s "continued inaction" over "unauthorised" Starlink satellite internet operations within Iranian territory.

Director general at Iran's foreign ministy Mohammad Hassannejad Pirkoohi accused the US and Israel of systematically “abusing” Starlink – the network owned by billionaire Elon Musk.

He said the network was used to "advance interventionist agendas” against Iran.

Pirkoohi accused Norway of failing to meet its legal obligations as the registering state for Starlink services at the UN’s International Telecommunication Union.

“Based on the decisions of the ITU’s Radio Regulations Board in recent years, the Norwegian government is obligated to take the necessary measures to prevent unauthorized Starlink transmissions within Iran’s territory,” he said.