Iraq in talks with Iran to allow tankers through Hormuz, minister says

Signs of discontent, low morale, financial strain and desertion are spreading among parts of Iran’s security and military forces, Iran International has learned.

Members of the Special Units Command received a notice on Friday saying salary payments for some units had run into problems, according to people familiar with the matter. The delay marked the third time this year that wages for those forces are being paid late.

Following the delays, some personnel refused to attend pro-government gatherings, the sources said, causing disruptions in deployment in some major cities.

Retirees and some army personnel have also not been paid for a second straight month.

Some senior commanders accuse the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of using the financial crisis at Bank Sepah to weaken the police force and strengthen other institutions, especially bodies tied to the clerical establishment.

Israel’s military said on Tuesday that it struck missile production sites, command centers and air defense systems in Tehran, Shiraz and Tabriz a day earlier.

In Tehran, the strikes hit command centers linked to Iran’s security bodies, including the Intelligence Ministry and the Basij, it said. Israel’s military added that it also struck sites used to store and launch drones, ballistic missiles and air defense systems.

In Shiraz, the military said it struck an internal security forces command center and a ballistic missile site.

In Tabriz, additional air defense systems were destroyed, which the IDF said would expand Israel’s aerial superiority and help protect the country.

The Israeli military said the strikes were part of an ongoing campaign to deepen damage to Iran’s core systems and reduce its ability to threaten Israel.

The US military presence in the Middle East does not bring security and regional countries would shape a new order without Washington, Iran’s parliament speaker said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a recorded video that security in the region should be established by regional countries and added that US forces needed to leave.

“The face and order of the Middle East will change, but not according to US plans,” he said. “We, the Islamic countries of the region, will establish regional order and security in the economic and security dimensions.”

He also said Iran had changed the design and system of its missile launchers after the 12-day war and that “the enemy cannot hit them.”

Ghalibaf also said the only goal the adversaries had achieved was the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, adding that a “young Khamenei” has replaced him.

Signs of discontent, low morale, financial strain and desertion are spreading among parts of Iran’s security and military forces, Iran International has learned.

Members of the Special Units Command received a notice on Friday saying salary payments for some units had run into problems, according to people familiar with the matter. The delay marked the third time this year that wages for those forces had been paid late.

Following the delays, some personnel refused to attend pro-government gatherings, the sources said, causing disruptions in deployment in some major cities.

Retirees and some army personnel have also not been paid for a second straight month.

Some senior commanders accuse the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of using the financial crisis at Bank Sepah to weaken the police force and strengthen other institutions, especially bodies tied to the clerical establishment.

Explosions were reported in multiple cities across Iran early on Tuesday, including Tehran, Karaj, Shiraz and Abadan, according to witness accounts sent to Iran International.

Several blasts were heard around 05:15 local time in Karaj, while an explosion was reported earlier at 05:00 in Hashtgerd, west of Tehran.

In northern Tehran areas including Tajrish, Darband and Jamaran, loud explosions were heard between 02:45 and 03:05, with no fighter jet activity reported.

Further south, residents in Abadan and Khorramshahr reported dozens of explosions around 04:00.

In Shiraz, several blasts were heard starting at 03:40, with continued explosions reported in the nearby city of Sadra. Multiple explosions were also reported in Lar in Fars province.

In southeastern Iran, a strong explosion in Chabahar at 05:34 shook buildings, witnesses said.