Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has reiterated that, “The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.” He added that “this strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command.”
Gharibabadi’s remarks on Saturday came as US President Donald Trump claimed he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory.
Last week, a top Iranian official set out a list of conditions for reopening the strait, including an end to the “war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq”.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr also demanded the end of crippling sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for wartime damage.
US-Iran talks
As diplomacy stalls between the longtime foes, attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have continued, highlighting the continued risks to regional shipping.
The United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil giant ADNOC said on Saturday that one of its vessels came under attack the night before. Abu Dhabi’s foreign ministry later blamed Tehran, and said that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were engaged in “acts of piracy” in the strait.
In Lebanon
At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the south of the country Saturday, Lebanese officials said, marking the deadliest day since a June ceasefire agreement.
Israel said it was responding to a Hezbollah attack that wounded three Israeli soldiers.
Iran strongly condemned the latest Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon as the “brutal attacks” carried out by the “Zionist regime” on several areas of Lebanon, including Al-Ansar, Ali Al-Taher heights, Nabatieh al-Faouqa and Deir al-Zahrani, according to Tasnim News.
Iran claims Qatar is holding pilots
Iran claimed that Qatar was holding three of its pilots who had been missing since March, which Qatar denied. Until now, Tehran had said it had no information about their fate.
This is the first known case in the war where Iran has said a regional country is holding its fighters. Qatar on March 2 said its air force shot down two Iranian bombers as Tehran lashed out against countries hosting US military bases in the opening days of the war.
Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for all the updates on US-Iran war:
Key Events
US-Iran war news LIVE: Iran’s Judiciary chief describes Iran as ruler of Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Eje’i dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims on ownership of the Strait of Hormuz as “nonsense”, stressing that Tehran is the true owner and ruler of the strategic maritime route.
US-Iran war news LIVE: Qatar denies detaining Iranian pilots
Qatar denied on Saturday that it was holding Iranian pilots, saying they had violated Qatari airspace earlier this year and had failed to respond to attempts to contact them.
A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said on X that search and rescue teams later found the remains of one of the pilots and that it had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover.
The spokesperson said Tehran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of its operations.
US-Iran war news LIVE: ‘Three Iranian pilots taken captive after Sukhoi-24 fighter jets crashed’
The commander of the Missing Persons Search Committee of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff announced that three Iranian pilots were taken captive after their Sukhoi-24 fighter jets crashed during attacks several months ago, and said that the Qatari government has still not allowed the pilots to contact their families or the officials following their cases after six months, Fars news reported.
US-Iran war news LIVE: Iran claims Qatar is holding pilots
Qatar’s armed forces captured and were holding three pilots who went missing in March when their jets were downed, the Missing Persons Committee of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. Qatar, however, denied it.
In Saturday, Iran’s statement alleged that Qatar had not allowed the pilots to meet or communicate with families or Iranian officials handling their cases. Iran asked the International Committee of the Red Cross president for help. The letter said a fourth pilot was killed while on the mission “targeting an enemy military base in Qatar,” state media reported.
A spokesperson with Qatar’s foreign ministry, Majed Al Ansari, later denied the claims and indicated on X that the pilots had been shot down and that Qatar’s search and rescue teams found the remains of one. He said Iran was invited in April to visit and be briefed on those efforts, with no respons
About the Author
Akriti Anand is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint. She is a digital journalist with more than six years in the news industry.<br><br>
In her current role, she covers both national and international politics, and also keeps a close watch on the latest trends in science and space exploration.
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Akriti joined the LiveMint team in October 2023. Before this, she built a strong career at other major media houses. She worked as a senior sub-editor at India Today. Later, she moved to CNBCTV-18. There, she covered high-pressure topics like breaking news and major elections. She spent much of her time analysing Parliament bills and complex political debates. She is also a skilled editor who knows how to polish a story for a digital audience.
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One of her career highlights happened at CNBCTV-18. She made her first television debut during the Chandrayaan-3 mission. She also provided special on-air coverage for the Karnataka Elections.
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When she is not busy with breaking news, Akriti loves to write explainers and interview experts on a wide range of issues. She also enjoys making complex space missions easy for everyone to understand.
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Her education helps her tackle these diverse subjects. She holds a BA in English Literature, a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication, and a Master’s degree in Development Studies. She is currently expanding her knowledge in climate journalism.<br><br>
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