IRGC says will maintain control of Hormuz until demands are met

Footage showing Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in public and meeting armed forces commanders will be released, a senior Basij official said on Sunday.

Footage will show Khamenei “among the people and out in the streets, as well as in meetings with the commanders of the armed forces,” Basij Organization deputy Qasem Qoraishi was quoted as saying by the judiciary-affiliated Mizan news outlet.

Khamenei has not been seen publicly since being appointed Supreme Leader in March.

Senior Iranian sources have said Khamenei suffered facial disfigurement and other injuries in the February 28 strike that killed his father, the first day of US and Israeli air strikes on Iran.

IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News removed a report saying Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had appointed a new representative to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Sunday.

The removed report identified former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, Mohsen Rezaei, as Khamenei’s representative and said he and Saeed Jalili were now serving as the Supreme Leader’s two representatives on the council.

Mohammad Bagher Kharrazi, secretary-general of Hezbollah Iran and a relative of Khamenei, previously said Rezaei was set to replace Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr.

Reports in recent days had suggested that Zolghadr had resigned.

Tasnim gave no explanation for removing the report.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to discuss economic and military situation as he began his third year in office, according to a Sunday post by Khamenei’s channel on Telegram.

“The talks covered people’s basic needs, the current state of the war and its outlook, military developments, the management of rial, foreign currency and energy resources, and economic engagement with foreign countries,” according to the statement.

Mojtaba Khamenei has made no public appearances since succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The commander of Iranian army’s ground forces warned that any US ground operation in the country would be met with a decisive response, state media reported on Sunday.

“Be ready and defend. And If an American soldier sets foot in our country, you should cut his foot off,” Ali Jahanshahi told the forces during a visit to army units in southeastern Iran, according to the report.

He said ground forces were monitoring threats and remained at full combat readiness, adding that rapid-response and special forces units had been deployed in border areas to maintain security.

US Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg gave defense industry leaders no more than 21 days to develop plans for “significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities,” The Washington Post reported, citing a Wednesday memo it obtained.

Average advertised monthly rent in Tehran has climbed above 720 million rials, roughly three times the earnings of many Iranian workers, exposing a widening affordability gap as some tenants face increases of up to 100%, market data showed in late July.

Tindex, an Iran-focused economic data platform tracking housing listings and other market indicators, put average advertised monthly apartment rent in Tehran at about 723 million rials, or roughly $389 at an open-market exchange rate of 1.86 million rials to the dollar, in its late-July data.

The figure is based on advertised properties rather than completed rental agreements, but provides a snapshot of prices confronting tenants searching for homes in the capital.

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Any country that assists the United States in attacking Iran will become a target for Iranian missiles, Deputy Parliament Speaker Hamidreza Haji Babaei said during an online parliamentary session on Sunday.

The Houthis targeted the Red Sea port of Mokha in Yemen with missiles and drones on Sunday, Al Arabiya reported, citing Yemeni military sources.

Iran will not resume negotiations with the United States until Washington ends violations of the memorandum of understanding, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.

“There are currently no negotiations with the United States,” Araghchi said, adding that the two sides were only exchanging messages through intermediaries.

He said mediators were continuing efforts to find a way to restart negotiations.

Araghchi said talks with Oman on establishing a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz had progressed well and were in their final stages.

He said work was underway on maps for new shipping routes to replace the existing ones, cautioning that an agreement with Oman would not amount to reopening the strait.

“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is subject to several other conditions that have been conveyed through intermediaries,” Araghchi said.