TEHRAN -- Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters "strongly" denied Saturday that U.S. vessels had approached or entered the Strait of Hormuz, rejecting a U.S. claim that two warships had transited the waterway.
According to the semi-official Fars news agency, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman of the headquarters commanding all Iranian armed forces, said that the claim by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Brad Cooper about "the approach and entry of U.S. vessels to the Strait of Hormuz is strongly denied," and "authority over any vessel's passage lies with the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran." (Iran-US-Strait of Hormuz)
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TEHRAN -- Iranian and U.S. delegations have a "serious disagreement" over the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday.
The report said that, following in-person negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, expert and technical teams had reached the stage of exchanging texts to develop a joint framework for further talks. However, it said the U.S. side had stalled progress with what it described as "usual excessive demands." (Iran-US-Talks)
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TEHRAN -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran is in constant contact with Beirut to ensure the ceasefire commitments in Lebanon are implemented, semi-official Fars news agency reported Saturday.
Speaking from Pakistan's Islamabad, where U.S.-Iran formal negotiations to end the hostilities in the Middle East have kicked off with the participation of the Pakistani side, Baghaei said the Iranian delegation has held talks with Pakistan, and has conveyed clearly its positions and demands, Fars reported. (Iran-Lebanon-Contact)
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BEIRUT -- Lebanon's Health Ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes during the latest round of fighting have killed 2,020 people and wounded 6,436 others since hostilities escalated.
The ministry said the toll reflects cumulative casualties recorded across multiple regions amid continued Israeli airstrikes and cross-border exchanges. (Lebanon-Israel strikes-Death toll)
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RIYADH -- Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday the arrival of a Pakistani military force at King Abdulaziz Air Base.
In a post on social media platform X, the ministry said the deployment came under the strategic joint defense agreement signed between the two countries. (Saudi Arabia-Pakistan-Military Force Arrival) ■
