Brief fire erupts again at Rajaei Port

Two people have been arrested in connection with the recent explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port, Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said on Monday.

Ejei said investigations are ongoing. “The necessary measures to manage the situation at Shahid Rajaei Port were carried out as swiftly as possible with the help of rescue workers, government forces, and local authorities,” he said.

He also directed judicial officials to act decisively and promptly to identify and prosecute anyone found responsible for negligence or wrongdoing related to the incident.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas said she urged Iran to commit to nuclear diplomacy and regional de-escalation in a call with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, adding that future EU-Iran relations depend on movement across multiple fronts.

“I called on Iran to stop military support to Russia and raised concerns over detained EU citizens and human rights,” Kallas wrote on X Monday.

She said the EU remains supportive of diplomatic efforts on the nuclear file.

"EU-Iran ties hinge on progress in all areas," she added.

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Araghchi is currently in Pakistan, where he met with his counterpart Ishaq Dar. He is also scheduled to hold talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Last month, five armed militants attacked tourists in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 civilians, including 25 Indian tourists and one local Muslim pony ride operator.

In the aftermath, India accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, an allegation Pakistan denied.

Iran offered to mediate between India and Pakistan, though New Delhi has rejected any third-party mediation, according to The Times of India, citing government sources.

The report said that Araghchi’s visit on Thursday was organized before the attack in Kashmir and is focused on co-chairing the Iran-India Joint Commission meeting alongside Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Discussions are expected to center on trade, energy, and infrastructure cooperation.

Iran denied involvement in Houthi attacks on Israel and international shipping, with foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei saying Monday that Tehran does not operate through regional proxies.

“Iran needs no deputy in the region,” he said, adding, “Only the Zionist regime acts as someone else's proxy and has brought chaos to the region.”

“The decisions made by the people of Yemen reflect their own will, and all such accusations against Iran are baseless.”

“We have announced our commitment to continuing the path of dialogue and diplomacy. We have shown our full readiness by participating in several rounds of negotiations,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran.

“The decision regarding the timing of the negotiations was made based on the proposal of the Omani side and with the coordination of both parties," he said, Oman a key mediator.

"The decision to postpone was logistical,” Baghaei said.

Talks between Iran and the US remain focused on nuclear-related issues and sanctions relief, the spokesman emphasized, pushing back against French calls to expand the negotiations to include non-nuclear matters.

“Such statements are not new, and they are not acceptable to us,” he said. “The scope of the talks is limited and confined to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions.”

Responding to US President Donald Trump’s recent comments that Iran does not need nuclear energy given its fossil fuel reserves, Baghaei said, “Our peaceful nuclear program is based on rights enshrined in international law and dates back to the 1970s, when Iran’s energy needs were even less than today.”

Addressing recent Israeli military threats, Baghaei warned that Iran would respond decisively to any aggression. “The Iranian armed forces will respond to any act of hostility or adventurism in the strongest possible manner. There should be no doubt about that,” he said.

Baghaei criticized what he called Washington’s mixed signals that include both sanctions and calls for dialogue but reaffirmed Tehran’s willingness to continue diplomacy.

“If the US is sincere in its claim that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons, many issues can be resolved,” he said. “We have already declared clearly, and shown in practice, that we are not seeking to weaponize our nuclear program.”

Baghaei maintained that Iran is not orchestrating military actions through proxies, particularly in Yemen. “Iran needs no proxies in the region,” he said. “Yemen’s decisions are sovereign and independent, and the accusations are baseless.”

The US, which has designated the group a terrorist organization, has repeated warnings to Tehran that a failure to curb the Houthis' military attacks on the US and Israel, in addition to the militant group's blockade on global shipping, will result in military consequences for Iran.