Web Desk/AFP

This live blog follows updates for Day 63 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 62, go <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-israel-war-on-iran-day-62" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">here</a>.<hr style="line-height: 2;"><ul style="list-style-type: square;"><li id="isPasted" style="line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">US maintains a naval blockade on Iran, escalating regional tensions</li><li id="isPasted" style="line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Israel intercepts a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, detaining over 175 people</li><li id="isPasted" style="line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iran condemns US actions, calling the blockade an extension of military operations</li><li id="isPasted" style="line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Oil prices surge globally as the Strait of Hormuz faces major disruptions</li><li id="isPasted" style="line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Diplomatic efforts stall while leaders exchange warnings and assert conflicting positions</li></ul><hr style="line-height: 2;"> US urges meeting of Israel, Lebanon leaders&nbsp;Published: April 30, 2026 | 20:26GMT | by AFP The US embassy in Lebanon called for a meeting between Lebanese and Israeli leaders as the health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country&#39;s south killed at least 15 people despite an ongoing ceasefire. &quot;Lebanon stands at a crossroads. Its people have a historic opportunity to reclaim their country and shape their future as a truly sovereign, independent nation,&quot; the embassy said, adding that &quot;the time for hesitation is over&quot;. Trump has said he hopes to host Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu &quot;over the next couple of weeks&quot; as the two countries prepare for direct negotiations. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Oil at four-year high&nbsp;Published: April 30, 2026 | 23:22GMT | by AFP Oil prices soared to four-year highs, with the US crude benchmark Brent for June delivery spiking more than seven percent to $126.41, while West Texas Intermediate was up 3.4 percent to $110.31, before later paring gains. <hr> UN says Hormuz &#39;strangling&#39; economy&nbsp;Published: April 30, 2026 | 22:31GMT | by AFP UN chief Antonio Guterres sounded the alarm over the worsening global economic impacts of the Strait of Hormuz remaining effectively closed due to the Iran war. The closure of the vital waterway is &quot;strangling the global economy,&quot; the secretary-general warned in remarks to the media. <hr style="line-height: 2;">

Americas

Middle East

Embassy in Lebanon calls for meeting between Lebanese and Israeli leaders; UN chief Guterres warns of worsening global economic impact from Strait of Hormuz closure; Iranian president says US naval blockade is an extension of military operations.

US urges Israel-Lebanon talks as oil prices hit four-year high

Ayesha Mir

KARACHI: Former Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has described the Iran-US ceasefire and its extension as a major diplomatic success, saying Pakistan&rsquo;s mediation helped create the conditions for dialogue at a critical moment for regional and global stability. Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, Bhutto-Zardari said Pakistan&rsquo;s recent diplomatic engagement played a key role in helping secure a ceasefire between Iran and the United States and later its extension, paving the way for negotiations after weeks of conflict that rattled regional security and global energy markets. &ldquo;The fact that you established a ceasefire, that&rsquo;s a success. The fact that you extended the ceasefire, these are massive successes,&rdquo; Bhutto-Zardari said. &ldquo;It means the difference between the world being at war or not.&rdquo; Bhutto-Zardari said the conflict, now in its eighth week, has carried consequences far beyond the immediate region, with strikes inside Iran, wider instability across the Middle East and disruptions in energy markets driving up fuel prices and worsening inflationary pressures worldwide. He argued that the economic burden of the conflict is being felt globally, not just by the countries directly involved. &ldquo;Every single one of us are paying the price of this conflict at the petrol pumps, at the grocery store, every single day,&rdquo; he said, adding that unresolved issues continue to weigh on the global economy despite the ceasefire. The former foreign minister stressed that Pakistan&rsquo;s role should not be viewed as a standalone national achievement but as part of a broader international effort to restore stability. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a Pakistani victory&hellip; it is a victory for the international community,&rdquo; he said, adding that preserving the ceasefire and building toward a sustainable peace remained in the collective interest of all nations. Defending diplomacy as a long-term process, Bhutto-Zardari rejected expectations of immediate breakthroughs. &ldquo;This diplomacy is a process. It&rsquo;s not a cricket match that you either win or lose,&rdquo; he said, citing the years-long negotiations that culminated in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as evidence that meaningful diplomatic progress requires patience and persistence.

Foreign Affairs

Talking to Pakistan TV Digital, the former foreign minister describes diplomacy as a process rather than a win-or-lose contest, stressing that meaningful progress demands patience and persistence, as shown by the years-long negotiations behind the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Iran-US ceasefire a diplomatic success, says ex-Pakistan FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has joined ten other countries in strongly condemning Israel&rsquo;s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, calling the operation a violation of international law and demanding the immediate release of detained activists. In a joint statement issued early Friday, the foreign ministers of T&uuml;rkiye, Brazil, Jordan, Pakistan, Spain, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Colombia, Maldives, South Africa, and Libya denounced Israeli &ldquo;assaults&rdquo; on the Gaza-bound aid convoy. The flotilla, carrying humanitarian supplies and international activists, was attempting to challenge Israel&rsquo;s blockade on Gaza when it was intercepted in international waters earlier this week, according to organizers. The incident has intensified international criticism of Israel&rsquo;s military operations in Gaza and restrictions on humanitarian access to the enclave. The joint statement described the flotilla as &ldquo;a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing the attention of the international community to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.&rdquo; It said Israel&rsquo;s actions against the vessels and the detention of activists &ldquo;constitute flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law.&rdquo; The ministers also voiced concern over the safety of those detained, urging Israeli authorities to ensure their &ldquo;immediate release.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Ministers are deeply concerned about the safety of the civilian activists,&rdquo; the statement said, calling on the wider international community to uphold international law, protect civilians and ensure accountability. Separately, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also condemned the &quot;illegal interception&quot; and the &quot;unlawful detention of activists onboard&quot; the flotilla, terming it a &quot;flagrant violation of international law and deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid.&quot; &quot;International community must step in to end repeated violations of international law by Israel, lift the blockade of Gaza, and ensure immediate release of all humanitarian workers and activists onboard the flotilla,&quot; FM Dar said. The diplomatic intervention follows growing alarm over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where aid access remains severely restricted amid the ongoing war. The flotilla mission had sought to deliver humanitarian supplies and draw attention to conditions inside the besieged Palestinian territory. Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel and has consistently supported Palestinian statehood, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian access to civilians affected by the conflict.

The incident has intensified international criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and restrictions on humanitarian access to the enclave; joint statement describes flotilla as “a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing the attention of the international community to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.”





Pakistan joins 10 nations condemning Israel’s Global Sumud flotilla raid

VANCOUVER: FIFA President Gianni Infantino reiterated that Iran will play their World Cup games in the United States as scheduled, as football&#39;s power-brokers met in Vancouver on Thursday. Iran&#39;s participation at this year&#39;s World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the United States and Israel. Infantino, who has repeatedly stated that Iran will be at the World Cup, underscored that stance at the start of his address to delegates as FIFA&#39;s 76th Congress got under way in western Canada. &quot;Let me start by the outset, confirming straightaway that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026,&quot; Infantino said. &quot;And of course, Iran will play (in) the United States of America.&quot; Infantino&#39;s remarks drew swift support from close ally US President Donald Trump, who told reporters in the Oval Office he was &quot;OK&quot; with Iran&#39;s participation. &quot;Well, if Gianni said it, I&#39;m OK,&quot; Trump said. &quot;I think let &#39;em play.&quot; Iranian officials had floated the idea of shifting their group games from the United States to Mexico, but that proposal had already been nixed by Infantino. In a further twist last week, Italy-born US special envoy Paolo Zampolli was reported to have floated the idea of Italy taking Iran&#39;s World Cup place. The US government later distanced themselves from that proposal, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Iran&#39;s footballers would be welcome. But the tension surrounding Iran&#39;s World Cup participation rumbled into the build-up to Thursday&#39;s summit. Iran&#39;s delegation was the only absentee from the 211-member congress as Thursday&#39;s meeting got under way after a clash with Canadian border officials earlier this week. Officials from the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) abruptly left Canada after landing in Toronto, abandoning their onward trip to Vancouver. Iranian media said FFIRI president Mehdi Taj &mdash; a former member of Tehran&#39;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) &mdash; and two colleagues flew home after being &quot;insulted&quot; by Canadian immigration officers. Canada, which designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2024, said Wednesday that individuals linked to the force were &quot;inadmissible.&quot; Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G. The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. Infantino election boost&nbsp;FIFA supremo Infantino went into Thursday&#39;s summit with his organization under fire over skyrocketing ticket costs for the World Cup, which one supporters group has branded a &quot;monumental betrayal&quot; of fans. Infantino brushed off those criticisms in his address, insisting that all revenues from the World Cup &mdash; estimated between $11 and $13 billion &mdash; would be pumped back into football development. &quot;There are expensive tickets, yes, (but) there are also affordable tickets,&quot; Infantino said. &quot;And what is important is that all the revenues that we generate from the world go back to the entire world and finance football in all of your countries.&quot; Infantino&#39;s close ties to US President Trump have also come under scrutiny. Advocacy group Fairsquare filed a formal complaint in December arguing that Infantino had breached FIFA rules concerning political neutrality by awarding Trump the inaugural &quot;FIFA Peace Prize&quot; during last year&#39;s World Cup draw. However, Infantino received a huge boost to his hopes of securing re-election as the head of world football on Thursday after receiving pledges of support from the African and Asian regional confederations. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have both said they will back Infantino if, as expected, he stands for a fourth term in 2027. The African and Asian confederations account for 101 votes in FIFA&#39;s presidential election out of a total of 211. Infantino has already secured support for re-election from South American football&#39;s ruling body CONMEBOL, which is worth a further 10 votes.

Football

Iran's participation at this year's World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the United States and Israel.



Infantino confirms Iran will play World Cup games in US

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s military said on Thursday that security forces killed 13 terrorists in two separate infiltration attempts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, as Islamabad renewed calls on Afghan authorities to prevent their territory from being used for attacks inside Pakistan. In a statement, the military&rsquo;s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said the operations took place on April 28 and 29 in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. &ldquo;Thirteen khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khwarij were killed in two foiled infiltration attempts along Pakistan-Afghanistan border,&rdquo; the statement said. The latest engagements come amid continued security tensions along the border, following weeks of cross-border military operations under Operation Ghazab lil Haq and ongoing diplomatic efforts between Islamabad and Kabul, including talks facilitated through China. Two infiltration attempts foiledAccording to the military, the first operation took place in Mohmand district, where security forces detected the movement of a group attempting to cross into Pakistan. &ldquo;Own troops effectively engaged this group of khwarij. As a result of precise and skillful engagement, eight khwarij&hellip; were sent to hell,&rdquo; the statement said. A second infiltration attempt was foiled in North Waziristan, where Pakistani troops engaged another group after what the military described as an intense exchange of fire. &ldquo;Five khwarij were neutralized,&rdquo; ISPR said. The military said sanitization operations were ongoing in both areas to clear any remaining threats. &lsquo;Failure of Afghan Taliban regime&rsquo;The military said the incidents reinforced Pakistan&rsquo;s longstanding position regarding security concerns along the border. &ldquo;These engagements once again substantiate Pakistan&rsquo;s repeated stance regarding abject failure of Afghan Taliban regime to ensure effective border management on their side,&rdquo; the statement said. It called on Afghan authorities to &ldquo;fulfil their obligations&rdquo; and deny the use of Afghan territory for terrorism against Pakistan. Pakistan uses the term &ldquo;Fitna al-Khawarij&rdquo; in official communication to refer to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), drawing on a historical term associated with violent extremism and rebellion against legitimate authority. Cross-border firingThe military statement follows remarks by Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi, who earlier in the day described recent cross-border shelling from Afghanistan as &ldquo;very disturbing.&rdquo; &ldquo;In the border areas of South Waziristan adjacent to Bannu district&hellip; Afghan forces carried out unprovoked firing and shelling on April 26 and 29, targeting civilian populations,&rdquo; Andrabi said during a weekly briefing on Thursday. He said several civilians were injured and houses damaged, including women and children. &ldquo;Local tribal elders and residents have expressed serious concern over these incidents,&rdquo; he said. The latest operations form part of Pakistan&rsquo;s wider counterterrorism campaign under Azm-e-Istehkam, which officials say complements cross-border operations aimed at reducing the operational capacity of terrorist networks. Pakistani officials have said recent military pressure has contributed to a decline in violence inside the country, even as infiltration attempts and sporadic attacks continue along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Authorities say both military operations and diplomatic engagement remain active, with Islamabad maintaining that any durable peace depends on &ldquo;visible and verifiable&rdquo; action by Afghan authorities to curb terrorist activity originating from their territory.

Security

The military’s media wing says the operations took place on April 28 and 29 in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan says 13 terrorists killed in Afghanistan border infiltration attempts

PARIS: The Turkish COP31 president-designate said Thursday the clean energy transition will be a top issue at the climate summit but simply telling nations to phase out fossil fuels &quot;is not realistic.&quot; Murat Kurum, who is also Turkey&#39;s climate minister, spoke to AFP as the war in the Middle East has fuelled calls for the world to speed up the deployment of renewable energy. Last year&#39;s COP30 climate conference in Brazil produced a watered-down final text that lacked any explicit mention of a fossil-fuel transition. Instead, Brazil offered to create a voluntary &quot;roadmap&quot; on transitioning away from fossil fuels. Speaking on the sidelines of a high-level meeting on the energy transition at the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris, Kurum said that COP31 would &quot;continue to implement&quot; the roadmap initiated by Brazil. But when pressed on whether the words &quot;fossil fuels&quot; could appear in a COP31 final decision, Kurum said: &quot;It&#39;s not about putting some words in a text.&quot; Nearly 200 countries agreed at COP28 in 2023 to transition away from fossil fuels in a landmark deal, but efforts to turn that pledge into action have stalled. Nearly 60 nations hailed progress in the fight to exit fossil fuels on Wednesday at a conference in Colombia that gained new urgency after the COP30 failure to spell out the goal. An urban planner by training who ran an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Istanbul in 2024, Kurum took a diplomatic tone when talking about issues that are major sources of tension at climate summits. &quot;Each and every country is dependent on fossil fuels. So just telling them to phase out of fossil fuels is not realistic,&quot; he said through an interpreter. &quot;What should happen is that countries work on clean energy, renewable energy as soon as possible so that they can reduce their dependency on fossil fuels,&quot; he said. &quot;We need to do this not only by writing something, writing a statement on paper, but we need to make sure that people actually see that reality,&quot; Kurum added. On another divisive issue that will top the COP 31 agenda -- climate finance -- he said pledges &nbsp;by developed countries to provide money to developing nations have not reached &quot;the desired level&quot;. &quot;On the one hand, we are aware of the expectations of developing countries, but we are also aware of the concerns of the developed countries,&quot; he said.<h2 style="line-height: 2;"> </h2><h2 style="line-height: 2;">No surprises in Antalya</h2>Under a compromise deal following a battle over hosting COP31, Australia will lead the negotiations at COP31 while Turkey will preside over the summit in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya. When asked if he would have a role in the negotiations, Kurum said: &quot;Turkey will play a role anywhere, everywhere, because Turkey is the COP31 president.&quot; Australia will lead the negotiations &quot;in coordination&quot; with the COP31 presidency, he said, adding: &quot;At end of the day, the decisions will be taken by the COP31 presidency.&quot; Kurum said he was working in &quot;great harmony and great coordination&quot; with Australia&#39;s Climate Minister Chris Bowen, who is steering the COP31 negotiations. He said the goal of COP31 can be summed up in one word: sincerity. &quot;We want sincerity at COP31. We want promises kept at COP31,&quot; Kurum said. &quot;At the end of the day, we want a result-oriented, implementation-oriented COP.&quot; Kurum sounded optimistic that COP31 would run smoothly -- a pledge some of his predecessors have also made but struggled to deliver as climate summits notoriously run into overtime due to tense negotiations. &quot;At COP31 in Antalya in November there will be no surprises,&quot; he said. &quot;Everything will be planned, decided and implemented ahead of time.&quot;

Climate

COP 31 President Murat Kurum says the clean energy transition will be central at COP31 but warns phasing out fossil fuels outright is “not realistic,” urging gradual shifts toward renewable energy.

Just telling nations to quit fossil fuels 'not realistic': COP31 chief

Ibrahim Babakhel

ISLAMABAD: The family and associates of former Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan have no information about his condition or whereabouts, his aide said Thursday, after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters, raising fears over whether he is alive, in custody, or among activists reportedly thrown into the sea during the &ldquo;illegal raid.&rdquo;&nbsp;Khan was among 211 activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, a 58-vessel humanitarian convoy attempting to challenge Israel&rsquo;s blockade on Gaza, according to organizers.&nbsp;The flotilla says it was intercepted by Israeli naval forces near the Greek island of Crete early Thursday.&nbsp;The incident comes as Israel&rsquo;s war on Gaza continues to draw international scrutiny over the humanitarian toll and restrictions on aid entering the besieged enclave.&nbsp;Activist flotillas have increasingly emerged as symbolic attempts to challenge the blockade and deliver relief supplies directly to Gaza.&nbsp;&ldquo;The flotilla was peacefully sailing in international waters when multiple vessels&rsquo; radio communications were suddenly jammed,&rdquo; the flotilla&rsquo;s ground team said in a statement, describing the boarding as an &ldquo;illegal raid.&rdquo;&nbsp;Organizers said at least 22 vessels were stormed by Israeli forces.&nbsp;&ldquo;Our boats were approached by military speedboats, self-identified as &lsquo;Israel,&rsquo; pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons, ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;Khan&rsquo;s spokesperson, Daniyal Abdullah, said communication with the former senator was lost during the operation.&nbsp;&ldquo;As of now, we are not sure about the whereabouts of the former senator,&rdquo; Abdullah told Pakistan TV Digital.&nbsp;He said flotilla organizers confirmed that Khan was aboard the vessel Marea, which was intercepted by Israeli forces, but no further information was available.&nbsp;&ldquo;Before the navy boarded the ships, there were multiple drone attacks. That was the last time I heard from him,&rdquo; Abdullah said.&nbsp;Abdullah added that organizers had informed him some activists were allegedly forced overboard during the raid.&nbsp;&ldquo;I have no information whether the former senator was also thrown into the water or not,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;The flotilla also alleged that one of its vessels was set on fire during the interception.&nbsp;Khan had previously joined a similar Gaza flotilla last year and was detained by Israeli authorities before being deported.&nbsp;Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel, has repeatedly called for unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza and supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.&nbsp;According to human rights groups, despite the 2025 ceasefire, Israel has committed over 2,400 documented violations, resulting in 766 fatalities and 2,147 injuries in just five months.

Former Pakistani Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan is among 211 activists detained after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters near Crete.

Pakistan ex-senator’s whereabouts unknown after Israeli flotilla ‘raid,’ aide says

MIAMI: The first direct flight between the United States and Venezuela in seven years took off Thursday, a new sign of a thaw after Washington deposed leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. The American Airlines flight took off at 10:26 am (1426 GMT) from Miami en route to Caracas, where the United States has resumed diplomatic relations after years of tension. The first flight&#39;s manifest was dominated by officials and journalists, with senior officials from Washington set to fly to Caracas to meet the government, a prospect unthinkable just months ago. Representatives of the city of Miami, a hub for Latin Americans that sees itself as a gateway to the region, greeted passengers at the gate, as did the Venezuelan ambassador to Washington, Felix Plasencia. The flight is scheduled to land more than three hours later at Simon Bolivar Airport, better known as Maiquetia. The inaugural flights are featuring a special Venezuelan menu including corn pancakes known as cachapas and a Venezuelan-style chicken salad, according to the airline. Some 1.2 million Venezuelans live in the United States, and the thaw is expected to boost the US business presence in the South American nation, which has the world&#39;s largest proven oil reserves. But President Donald Trump has also been moving aggressively to remove Venezuelans from the United States, terminating a program that shielded migrants from deportation back to the crime-ridden nation. US forces on January 3 carried out a deadly raid in Caracas, snatching longtime US nemesis Maduro and flying him and his wife to New York to face charges of drug trafficking, which they deny. Maduro was replaced by his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who has largely cooperated with the United States despite her ideological background. Trump has voiced satisfaction with her policies toward US companies and has tried to enforce compliance by threatening violence. Venezuela has moved to open its oil and mining sectors to private investment. Trump in turn has started an easing of sanctions on Venezuela, with measures imposed personally on Rodriguez dropped.<h2 style="line-height: 2;"> </h2><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Daily links</h2>American Airlines subsidiary Envoy Air will run the daily round-trip flight between Caracas and Miami. The company said it plans to start a second daily round-trip flight starting May 21. American Airlines, which is based in Texas and has a large network in Latin America, started flights to Venezuela in 1987 and carried the&nbsp;highest number of passengers between the two countries. It ended flights in 2019 as relations deteriorated, with the United States and other Western and Latin American nations declaring Maduro to be illegitimate after an election marred by irregularities. The State Department continues to call on Americans to reconsider travel to Venezuela due to widespread crime but in March ended its blanket warning against any travel. The new flight comes despite trouble in the aviation industry, which has been hit hard by a sharp rise in oil prices after the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

The first direct flight from the United States to Venezuela in seven years departed for Caracas on Thursday from Miami, an AFP reporter at the airport said.

First US-Venezuela direct flight in seven years leaves Miami

TEHRAN:&nbsp;Iran&#39;s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written message on Thursday that the United States had been defeated in its war with the Islamic republic, as the Iranian leadership defied President Donald Trump&#39;s warnings of a prolonged blockade. &quot;Today, two months after the largest military deployment and aggression by the world&#39;s bullies in the region, and the United States&#39; disgraceful defeat in its plans, a new chapter is unfolding for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,&quot; said Khamenei in the message read on state television. The message by Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public since his appointment on March 9 as Iran&#39;s new supreme leader, came on the annual national celebration of &quot;Persian Gulf&quot; day in Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei became the supreme leader after the US and Israel launched a massive campaign of strikes on Iran on February 28, killing his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei. Last week, the New York Times, citing several unnamed Iranian officials, said the younger Khamenei was &quot;gravely wounded&quot; in the strikes but has remained &quot;mentally sharp.&quot; In his Thursday message, he said US bases in the region &quot;lack even the capacity to ensure their own security, let alone provide any hope of securing their allies.&quot; He hailed what he called Iran&#39;s &quot;new legal framework and management&quot; of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key energy chokepoint, as a means to bring &quot;comfort and progress&quot; for countries in the region. Bright futureThe strait has become a major flashpoint since the outbreak of the Middle East war, with Iran allowing only a trickle of ships to pass through the waterway. Last week, a senior lawmaker said Tehran has received the first revenue from tolls it imposed on the strait. Khamenei predicted a bright future for the Gulf without the United States and condemned what he described as &quot;outsiders&quot;, saying those who interfere from thousands of kilometres away &quot;have no place there except at the bottom of its waters&quot;. He also lauded the people of Iran, who he said &quot;consider all national capacities -- identity, spiritual, human, scientific, industrial, and advanced technologies from nano and bio to nuclear and missile -- as their national capital&quot;. Earlier Thursday, Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian had said a US naval blockade imposed in retaliation against Iran&#39;s action in Hormuz was &quot;doomed to fail&quot;. Pezeshkian added that such measures would &quot;not only fail to enhance regional security, but are in fact a source of tension and a disruption to lasting stability in the Persian Gulf&quot;. Other figures have also struck a tone of defiance, with Navy Commander Shahram Irani signalling that Iran will deploy &quot;in the very near future&quot; naval weaponry which it has recently developed.

Europe

Mojtaba Khamenei says the United States has been defeated in its war with Iran, as Tehran maintains control over the Strait of Hormuz and continues to defy US pressure.

Iran's supreme leader says US suffered 'disgraceful defeat'

Faraz Saeed

With the Hormuz blockade tightening around Iran&#39;s exports, storage tanks are filling fast. According to Kepler data, Iran could run out of storage space in as little as 12 to 22 days. The obvious solution is to stop pumping. But in the oil industry, that is rarely the answer. Shutting down a well risks permanent pressure loss, collapsed flow pathways and costly restarts that can take months or years.&nbsp;

Shorts

With the Hormuz blockade tightening around Iran's exports, storage tanks are filling fast. According to Kepler data, Iran could run out of storage space in as little as 12 to 22 days. 


US urges Israel-Lebanon talks as oil prices hit four-year high

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Pakistan joins 10 nations condemning Israel’s Global Sumud flotilla raid

Infantino confirms Iran will play World Cup games in US

Pakistan says 13 terrorists killed in Afghanistan border infiltration attempts