White House adviser Hassett says the Iranian economy is on the brink of “collapse.” Furthermore, Donald Trump called the Iranian leadership “very dishonest people.” Senator Lindsey Graham says policies with Pakistan need to be reviewed for a full assessment of Pakistan’s role as a mediator between Iran, the United States, and others. He is referring to the fact that Pakistan has allowed Iran to redeploy key aircraft to its bases, presumably to prevent them from being lost in US airstrikes.
According to the publication, Pakistan and Afghanistan allowed them to do so. In the early days of the war, Iran sent one of its reconnaissance aircraft, a modified RC-130 Saba, and other aircraft, both military and civilian, to the Nur Khan air base in Pakistan.
Also regarding Iran-US relations, according to senior White House officials, Trump is expected to order the resumption of hostilities. US President Donald Trump discussed the resumption of hostilities against Iran with the National Security Council, according to Axios. Trump also spoke about the Kurds and his order to attack Iran: “I’m very disappointed in the Kurds. We gave them weapons to deliver to Iran, but they kept them. The Kurds take, take, take.”
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed new sanctions against Iran, targeting three individuals and nine Iranian entities: four each from Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, and one from Oman.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticized the European Union: “Israel categorically rejects the decision to impose sanctions against Israeli citizens and organizations. Equally outrageous is the EU’s unacceptable comparison between Israeli citizens and Hamas militants. This comparison is morally unacceptable.”
Israeli police are warning against messages urging people to contact Iran: “Do not click on the link, block the number, do not cooperate.” Such messages could cause public panic and attempts by Iranian intelligence services to recruit Israeli citizens, both at home and abroad, to promote intelligence gathering and terrorism in Israel.
An Israeli official announced that the Iron Dome had approximately 99% effectiveness against missiles from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.
According to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces, following the desecration of Christian symbols by Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, “following the investigation, the soldier filmed committing the act was sentenced to 21 days in military prison, and the soldier who filmed the incident was sentenced to 14 days in military prison.”
German law enforcement officers arrested a 17-year-old Syrian boy in Hamburg on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack in the city center, according to the German newspaper Bild.
On May 12, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar, gave a speech in which he said: “Iran should not use this Strait as a weapon to pressure or blackmail the Gulf countries. It is an international maritime corridor that must always be protected. The current situation in the Strait and what is happening there must never be repeated, and it must be made clear that if anything were to happen to the Strait in the future, by any country, they should be paralyzed for doing such a thing.”
Bloomberg reports that as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains unstable, the US Navy will face millions of dollars in additional costs every time a destroyer passes through it, and such passages alone are unlikely to be enough to reopen the strait. The naval passage remains dangerous, and ships are escorted by fighter jets and helicopters, in addition to additional reconnaissance measures.
A source close to the Iranian negotiating team told the Iranian news agency Tasnim: “Iran has not agreed to the removal of enriched uranium from the country. In response, Iran has also set a timeline for the release of frozen Iranian funds.”
Adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati told Trump: “Don’t think you can take advantage of the current calm in Iran and march victoriously toward Beijing. First, learn the ropes of the new geopolitical order in the Middle East. We defeated you on the battlefield; don’t think you can emerge victorious in the diplomatic arena.”
The Commission for Iranian National Security spokesperson, quoting the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran: “Nuclear technology is not on the agenda of the negotiations. Enrichment is non-negotiable. The activities of the Iranian nuclear industry have been peaceful and will remain peaceful. Necessary measures to protect nuclear facilities and infrastructure have been planned and implemented.”
The spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, Ebrahim Rezaei, posted on social media: “One of Iran’s options in the event of another attack could be enriching uranium to 90%. We will discuss this in parliament.”
Tasnim News Agency: “Pope Leo XIV has awarded the Vatican’s highest diplomatic honor to Iranian Ambassador to the Holy See, Mohammad Hossein Mokhtari.”
Iran has begun repairs to the B1 bridge between Tehran and Kerj, which was attacked by the US military during the war. Cranes are at work. And again, domestic politics has revealed that customs clearance times for essential goods have been reduced to 52 hours. Farzaneh Ansari, Head of Iran’s National Standards Organization, said: “During the Ramadan War, thanks to the planning and tireless efforts of this organization’s colleagues, especially in the border provinces, the hold time for goods was reduced from 7.5 days to 3.5 days, and for essential goods to 52 hours. During the 40-day war, customs clearance procedures and the issuance of certificates of conformity for over 5 million tons of essential goods entering the country were also streamlined.”
And as Trump prepares to travel to China with Musk and Cook, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, will travel to New Delhi to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The meeting, chaired by India, will be held on Thursday, May 14th, and Friday, May 15th, and will focus on regional stability, multilateral cooperation, and economic resilience. Araghchi will also hold discussions and exchange views with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s Foreign Minister, and other participating ministers and officials. This meeting is a prelude to the 18th BRICS Summit, which will be held in New Delhi in September this year, chaired by India.
And now, a look at the military scenarios updated at 3:30 PM on May 12th in the Middle East and West Asia. An interceptor missile was launched in the Upper Galilee. Air defense activated in the Upper Galilee after a Hezbollah attack.
Israeli bulldozers razed Palestinian land in the village of Wadi al-Rasha, Qalqilya district.
In a special operation, units of the Golani Brigade Battalion completed an operation to establish operational control in the Litani River area. Since last week, units of the Golani Brigade Battalion, under the command of the 36th Division, have been conducting a special operation to clear the Litani River and establish operational control in the area. During the operation, forces discovered positions used by Hezbollah militants in the area, underground passages, including some containing large quantities of weapons, weapons caches, and missile launchers. The Air Force struck more than 100 combat targets in support of forces in the area. Additionally, during the clearance of the area, troops killed dozens of militants in close combat with air strikes. During one of the clashes, forces discovered and cleared a major underground passage used by Hezbollah.
Israel Army Radio explained the operation: “With security approval, publication of the following is now permitted: In an operation lasting approximately a week, forces from the Egoz Unit and the Golani Reconnaissance Unit advanced and conducted operations on the outskirts of the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiya. Forces from the Golani Reconnaissance Unit and the Egoz Unit secretly advanced toward an area from which Hezbollah had launched numerous rockets and mortar shells at the forces. During the operation, the details of which were kept secret for security reasons, several close-range firefights occurred with Hezbollah fighters, resulting in the wounding of several Israel Defense Forces (IDF/IOF) soldiers. In one of the clashes, militants emerged from the mouth of a tunnel and forces engaged them in a close-range firefight. During this clash, a dog belonging to the Oketz Unit was killed. In three clashes that occurred near the river on the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqiya, eight Golani Brigade fighters were injured.
Israeli warplanes attacked the town of Al-Qulaylah, the town of Al-Hos, the Al-Hosh area south of Tyre, and raided the town of Yahmor Al-Shaqif. A drone crashed into an Israeli military vehicle in Khallet al-Raj in the town of Deir Siryan, a few days ago.
The Kuwaiti Army reported that four armed individuals affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were arrested after attempting to enter the country by sea; a Kuwaiti security force officer was injured in the clashes.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it intercepted a drone launched from Yemen.
The UK Maritime Trade Office (UKMTO) has not reported any incidents in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the past 24 hours (May 12). According to the Fars news agency: Maritime records show that the oil tanker Mohatzm, carrying cargo from the port of Ras Laffan in Qatar, is in the Sea of Oman. The Iranian news agency adds that the vessel’s tracking signals indicate that the tanker has crossed Iran’s designated route. This is the second Qatari shipment authorized to cross since the aggression against Iran. CBS on shipping tracking data: A tanker loaded with Iraqi oil has reached the Sea of Oman and then returned to the Persian Gulf.
Danish shipping giant Maersk, the world’s second-largest container shipping company, said it continues to avoid any transit through the Strait of Hormuz. According to the IRNA news agency, Iran and Oman held a technical-legal meeting in Muscat today focused on the Strait of Hormuz and the safe transit of vessels.
The talks, which are part of ongoing bilateral consultations on regional developments and mutual relations, were led on the Iranian side by Abbas Bagherpour, director general for international law affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with representatives of several government agencies. Both sides emphasized their sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the strait, considering it part of their territorial waters.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf stated: “Our armed forces are ready to respond appropriately to any aggression; wrong strategies and decisions always lead to wrong results: the whole world has already understood this. We are prepared for all options; they will be surprised.” The Revolutionary Guards’ Intelligence Service in Tehran province reported dismantling five networks aimed at undermining security, including 20 members linked to terrorist groups and arms dealers, and seizing over 50 firearms of various types.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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