live Pezeshkian’s Son Says Iranians Will Not Die Without Enriching Uranium

Commenting on Iran’s pursuit of becoming nuclear power, the son of Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, Yousef Pezeshkian, has said Iranians will not die without enriching uranium.

“Our lives do not depend on enrichment. If we do not enrich, we will not die,” the younger Pezeshkian, who is also said to be his father’s media adviser, posted on his Instagram channel on August 27.

Explaining that his viewpoint was not against uranium enrichment, Yousef Pezeshkian said there are other technologies to focus on, which are pivotal for the security and governance of the country.

RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports that comments by the younger Pezeshkian would not go unnoticed by opponents of the Iranian president as well as in the pro-regime media.

Previously, such comments by Yousef Pezeshkian have drawn criticism from the media. In a reference to his position as media adviser to his father, the pro-regime Tabnak news website had earlier reported that “a media assistant must understand the consequences of the words, writings, and messages he publishes or conveys.”

In the August 27 Instagram post, Yousef Pezeshkian also stressed the need for informed decisions by the leadership. While referring to Iran’s quest for uranium enrichment, he said “a wise person weighs the benefits and harms of something and then makes a decision.”

Iran’s uranium enrichment program is at the center of its current conflict with the United States. The lingering tension has caused significant harm to the global economy due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil supplies pass.

The conflict has also caused severe damage to Iran’s own economy, which is heavily dependent on oil exports. In recent months, various reports have pointed to skyrocketing prices of basic commodities in the country, driven in part by the depreciation of the Iranian currency, which hit a record low in August.

In an apparent reference to the country’s economic situation, President Pezeshkian told an Iranian state television on August 28 that the country’s exports had fallen by 25 to 35 percent in recent months.

The United Arab Emirates has denied Iranian claims that its Al Menhad Air Base was attacked by drones.

In a social media post on August 31, the UAE’s Defense Ministry said that reports about the targeting of Al Menhad Air Base are “false” adding that its armed forces remain on a “high state of readiness” to respond to any threat and safeguard the country’s security and stability.

Al Menhad Air Base, also known as Menhad Air Base, is operated by the UAE Air Force and located approximately 24 kilometers south of Dubai.

In a separate post on X, the UAE’s Defense Ministry said that its air forces “dealt with a drone over the state’s territorial waters coming from Iran.” It did not provide further details.

Earlier, the Iranian army claimed attacking the Al Menhad Air Base with “dozens of destructive drones” on August 31.

Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency, quoting the Iranian military, said that Al Menhad Air Base was targeted in response to the killing of “Iranian military personnel and civilians” on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian military claimed that it had targeted the “locations of helicopters and forces” of the US military at the Al Menhad Air Base.

The United Arab Emirates has been one of the Gulf countries frequently targeted by Iran with missiles and drones since the beginning of the US-Israel-Iran conflict in late February.

Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, signatories to the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, are holding their first plenary meeting in Istanbul today, August 31.

The meeting is expected to be attended by senior military and security officials, including the defense and foreign ministers and army chiefs of the three countries, according to statements issued by participant states.

Termed the Mecca Accord, the agreement was signed by the three countries on August 7 amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

One clause of the agreement explicitly provides for collective defense, stating that “any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all.”

Pakistani Foreign Affairs Ministry says that the meeting will be attended by foreign and defense ministers, as well as army chiefs from the three countries.

Iran's hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it launched ballistic missiles at two bases housing American forces in Jordan.

A statement published through Iranian state media on August 31 said the IRGC had attacked ‌the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan, a close US ally.

The IRGC said it fired ballistic missiles to "target technical infrastructure, maintenance facilities, and enemy fighter jet positions at the US-operated King Hussein and Al-Azraq air bases in Jordan." It claimed "heavy damage."

The IRGC often exaggerates claims, and the details could not immediately be verified. Jordan's military later said it intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace early on August 31.

"Air defense systems intercepted eight missiles that breached the kingdom's airspace at dawn today," a statement quoting the army's spokesperson said.

The August 30 American strike on Larak Island was the first known attack by US forces on Iranian assets in more than month.

A US official confirmed to RFE/RL that the IRGC had been observed "preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz" from the Larak Island site.

Last week, US Central Command said American forces had completed clearing sea mines from the strait's international shipping routes and were monitoring the area closely.

Following the latest US strike, the IRGC Iran's vowed retaliation. In a statement carried by Iranian state media, it acknowledged “the martyrdom and injury of several of our fighters and compatriots” and said the attack would “result in the punishment of the aggressor.”

It did not say how many people had been killed or injured in the attack and reports by the IRGC cannot be independently verified.

UPDATE: US Central Command said that "US forces took limited, precise action against IRGC mine-laying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz. In essence, Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce."

WASHINGTON -- US forces have struck two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was observed preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a senior US official said on August 30.

The August 30 strike is the first publicly reported US attack on Iranian targets in more than a month and marks a new escalation after a period of relative calm in the conflict.

The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the launchers were being prepared for an operation that could have threatened commercial shipping through the narrow waterway, a key global energy route.

US Warns It Will Defend Shipping

The strike comes just days after US Central Command (CENTCOM) completed clearing sea mines from international shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.

“US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” the official said.

President Donald Trump said earlier in the week that Iran had been warned that any vessel or boat attempting to lay new mines in the strait would be “immediately and systematically destroyed.”

Iranian Guards Vow Retaliation

Iran's IRGC said the attack killed and wounded a number of Iranian fighters and civilians. It did not provide a specific casualty toll.

In a statement carried by Iran's state broadcaster, the Guards blamed what they called the “US-Zionist enemy” and vowed that the attack would “result in punishment of the aggressor.”

Larak Island, located near the Strait of Hormuz, has previously been targeted by US forces. A similar strike was reported there in late July.

The latest attack underscores the continuing risk of renewed confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world's oil and gas supplies passes.

The US says its forces will continue monitoring the waterway and taking action to keep commercial shipping moving safely.

A written message attributed to Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was posted on his Telegram channel on August 30 calling on Muslim countries to unite against what he described as their “real enemy,” the United States and Israel.

The message was published as part of the Islamic Unity Week, which marks the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.

It urged Gulf rulers to unite against the United States and Israel. Many Gulf Arab monarchies view Tehran as a threat and host US forces. During the war, Iran struck US military sites and other infrastructure in several of those countries.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since being reportedly injured in US-Israeli air strikes half a year ago that killed his father and previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

No audio or video comments from him have been released since the war started in late February, raising questions about his physical condition.

Many unverified reports state that he was badly disfigured with US President Donald Trump saying on August 27 that he believed Khamenei was still alive but “very seriously wounded.”

The latest message comes only days after another message attributed to Khamenei was issued that called to ban any “expressions of weakness” that would "harm social cohesion" in Iran and be a "great help to the enemy" as US sanctions continue to hit the country.

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has confirmed in a written statement to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that it has suspended the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in Iran in line with the latest US sanctions on the country.

The ETS is a US-based nonprofit that designs and runs standardized tests.

The move comes days after the language-learning company Duolingo said its English test was unavailable in Iran and to users with Iranian identification.

ETS said that “following OFAC's (Office of Foreign Assets Control) suspension of General License G, ETS has paused administration of the TOEFL and GRE (Graduate Record Examination) tests in Iran effective immediately. This step reflects our full compliance with US sanctions law. Test takers affected by this pause will be contacted directly.”

Both the TOEFL and the GRE, a standardized test used for admission to many graduate programs, are often required of international students applying to universities in Western countries.

General License G, in place since 2014, had authorized US universities and other educational providers to offer a range of academic services to Iranians.

ETS said it was reviewing the scope and duration of the pause but could not provide a timeline.

The testing halt followed a broader package of measures announced on August 24 by the US Treasury Department called Operation Economic Outcast, which Washington said was intended to increase pressure on the Iranian government.

The UN shipping safety organization said some 400 ships remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, with many others in the region still exposed to higher-than-usual risks.

“Six months since the conflict in the Middle East began, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is unresolved," said Arsenio Dominguez, head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

"While some ships and their crews have been able to leave [the Gulf], up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers have been unable to depart safely since the conflict began," he added.

The INO has verified 70 attacks on international ships in the Gulf region, including in and around the Strait of Hormuz, since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran at the end of February.

It has recorded at least 19 deaths of seafarers during the attacks.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's crude oil and natural gas supplies transited prewar, is a key point of contention in the dispute Washington and Tehran.

It has been effectively closed by Iran, which has been demanding the right to control shipping traffic through the waterway. US officials insist their forces control the crucial passage.

Despite bravado from various civilian and military officials, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian has said that sanctions imposed on his country are hurting the economy.

In an interview with Iranian state television on August 28, the Iranian president said “I really don’t know what to say” when asked about the impact of the US-imposed sanctions on Iran.

He said that Iran is in a war situation and “we must accept these wartime conditions.”

Various senior Iranian military and civilian officials came out with bombast soon after the United States announced fresh sanctions against Iran last week.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen, while announcing the sanctions on August 24, warned of consequences for countries that do not join the American campaign.

Pezeshkian told Iranian TV that the country’s exports and imports had fallen by 25 to 35 percent in recent months as the US maintains its naval blockade of Iranian ports, according to AFP.

The Iranian president also said that gas prices should be increased to account for the fall in trade.

Vowing to avenge Ayatollah Ali Khamemei’s death, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Iran would neither “forgive nor forget the assassination.”

Araqchi told a conference in Tehran that Khamenei’s death had opened a new phase of resistance for the country, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported on August 29.

Iran’s then-supreme leader was killed in US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war with Iran on February 28.

He was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is also believed to have been wounded in the strikes and has not appeared in public since assuming the top position.

The movement to avenge the death of the elder Khamenei would continue, IRNA quoted the Iranian foreign minister as telling the guests at the 40th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran.

Araqchi said Iran’s political system remained intact despite attempts to undermine the country’s social cohesion and force it into submission.

Defending Iran’s missile and drone strikes on neighboring states since the start of the conflict, Araqchi said US bases in the region could not guarantee their security. He said Iran had targeted US positions as an act of legitimate self-defense.