US President Donald Trump reiterated on Tuesday that no talks or conversations between Washington and Tehran are taking place or scheduled. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he claimed that the naval blockade remains in full force and that the strategic Strait of Hormuz is "open and operating," contradicting Iranian reports. Trump also asserted that all sea mines in the strait have been removed or detonated.
The statement came as a 60-day negotiating period between the US and Iran ended without a clear resolution, causing stock markets to largely fall and interest rates to spike on Tuesday. Earlier, the British military's UK Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a projectile struck a ship as it sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Syria, the US, and Turkey condemned Israeli airstrikes on an unused airbase in northwestern Syria's Idlib province. Eight strikes hit the runway and storage facilities at Abu al-Duhur base, according to Syrian state media. The Syrian interim government strongly denounced the attacks, calling them a blatant violation of international law.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced that several tons of nuclear material have been found at a previously undeclared site in Syria, dating back to ousted President Bashar Assad. Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, Grossi warned that the material could be put to "bad use." Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani stated that the material is not dangerous and will remain in Syrian custody, subject to IAEA guarantees.
Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations to maintain its peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose mandate expires this year. Louis Charbonneau, HRW's UN director, said that pulling the plug on UNIFIL without a robust international force would effectively abandon millions of Lebanese civilians to an uncertain and potentially disastrous fate. UNIFIL has been in southern Lebanon since 1978 to confirm Israeli withdrawal, but last year the UN Security Council decided to end its mandate on December 31, 2026, amid US pressure.
The United Arab Emirates issued a brief phone alert on Tuesday for "potential missile threats," the first such alarm since July. The Interior Ministry urged citizens to seek shelter in the nearest secure building, but the alert was lifted shortly after. The Ministry of Defense confirmed it had detected missiles "directed toward the country," recalling that UAE sites were targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes during the Iran war.
Source: www.dw.com