Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
Three oil tankers have struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Two vessels "violating the rules" caught fire and were immobilized after hitting mines planted by the IRGC navy along a route considered illegal, south of the Strait, the IRGC said in a statement published on its website, Sepah News.
A third tanker "exploded and caught fire after hitting a mine south of the Strait of Hormuz," they later reported in a statement broadcast on state television. The vessel was carrying "two million barrels of crude oil and had disabled all its radar and navigation systems," the statement specified.
Meanwhile, a proposal has been presented that takes into account the requests of the US and Iranian sides.
Al-Jadeed told Al-Araby sources described as close to the mediation efforts being carried out by Qatar and Pakistan to ease tensions between the US and Iran. According to the sources, the Israeli news site Ynet also cited the goal of preventing a new escalation and paving the way for a return to the negotiating table.
The proposal, they argued, was conveyed to the Iranians today by Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir, “has the approval of the United States” and had already “received a preliminary positive response from the Iranian side.”
Iranian media reported Munir's arrival in Tehran this morning. And this morning, Iranian sources told Lebanese TV station Al Mayadeen, which is close to the Tehran authorities, that Iran "now considers it unlikely that Pakistani and Qatari mediation will yield concrete results" and, according to the station, is "evaluating alternative mediation channels."
The economic pressure exerted by the United States on Iran is severely weakening the Islamic Republic's economy, which could soon enter a phase of "collapse." This was stated by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in an interview with 2Way TV, claiming the effects of Operation Economic Outcast, Washington's campaign of economic isolation against Tehran. "Think of a company that's going bankrupt: no one is going to lend them money. And we can see, both from public and private statements by elected officials and the Revolutionary Guards, that panic is starting to spread," Bessent said.
"We're seeing inflation above 100%. We believe the economy could experience a double-digit contraction," the Treasury Secretary continued, warning that the consequences of the US measures could worsen further in the coming weeks. "We're in the eighth week of Operation Outcast. I don't know if it will take another four weeks or another eight, but at some point the deterioration of the Iranian economy will experience a nonlinear acceleration," Bessent concluded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said he has discussed several times with US President Donald Trump the need to overthrow the Iranian regime, emphasizing that its elimination is Israel's primary objective. "We must complete the elimination of the Iranian regime: this is the most important thing. I have spoken about this with US President Donald Trump several times, including the day before yesterday," Netanyahu was quoted by Ynet as saying.
“Because as long as the regime survives, even if weakened, it is so fanatical that it will try again to do what it did a year ago: produce nuclear bombs and rebuild the axis,” the Israeli prime minister continued, referring to Tehran's network of regional alliances. “The only way to prevent this is to overthrow the regime, and at the same time, Hezbollah will also be eliminated.”
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