Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei says ‘solely place’ for US in Persian Gulf is ‘at backside of its waters’ as Tehran rages at Trump’s naval blockade

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Here’s our top story of the day.

Mojtaba Khamenei has said the only place for Americans in the Persian Gulf ‘is at the bottom of its waters’, according to state television.

In his statement, which has now been published on Telegram, he said:

We are ‘fellow-destined’ with our neighbors in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and the foreigners who wreak their greedy havoc from thousands of miles away have no place there, except at the bottom of its waters.

Khamenei, who hasn’t been seen or heard since he was appointed the supreme leader following the death of his father Ali, also claimed Tehran’s ‘new management’ of the Strait of Hormuz would bring ‘progress’ and economic benefits

Khamenei said Iran would eliminate ‘the enemy’s abuses of the waterway’.

Donald Trump has ramped up his row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on his Truth Social platform.

The President says the German leader should spend ‘less time interfering’ following his remarks on the Iran war earlier this week.

Trump also claimed Merz had been ‘totally ineffective’ in trying to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war.

Germany’s foreign minister says the country is ‘prepared’ for any reduction of US troop numbers in Germany, after Donald Trump threatened such a move in a row with Friedrich Merz.

‘We are prepared for that,’ Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Morocco.

‘We are discussing it closely and in a spirit of trust in all NATO bodies, and we are expecting decisions from the Americans about this.’

Speaking to reporters at a military base, Merz said Germany’s compass remained focused on a strong NATO military alliance and reliable partnership.

“As you know, this transatlantic partnership is particularly close to our hearts – and to mine personally,” he said.

Trump has been sparring with Merz over the war ‌in Iran in recent days. On Tuesday, he said Merz didn’t know what he was talking about after the German leader said the Iranians were humiliating the US in talks to end the two-month-old war.

by Phillip Nieto, US Political Reporter

Donald Trump may escalate the Iran war by sending ground troops to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and deploying special operations forces to seize the nuclear materials the regime needs to build a bomb.

The President’s top military advisers are set to brief him on new options for military action designed to force Iran back to the negotiating table and end the war.

CENTCOM’s secret plans include using ‘short and powerful’ strikes on Iranian infrastructure to force Tehran to show more flexibility on ending their nuclear program, according to Axios.

One plan Trump is expected to review calls for reopening commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz with US ground troops. The strait, which transits one-fifth of all global oil shipping, has been stalled for months.

Another strategy the President will hear involves using special forces to enter Iran and recover its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. During prior negotiations, the regime refused to hand over the nuclear material to the US.

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf vowed his country’s control over the Strait of Hormuz would ensure a future without US presence in the area.

‘Today, by managing the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will provide itself and its neighbours with the precious blessing of a future free from American presence and interference,’ said Ghalibaf in a post on X to mark the national Persian Gulf day.

by Eliana Silver, Senior Foreign News Reporter

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has declared the ‘only place’ for the US in the Persian Gulf is at the ‘bottom of its waters’ as he insisted the US has suffered a ‘disgraceful defeat.’

Iran’s Supreme Leader claimed a new chapter for the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz has been taking shape without America following what he described as the US’s ‘shameful failure’ over the waterway.

In a published written message to commemorate National Persian Gulf Day, Khamenei said: ‘Today, two months after the largest military deployment and aggression by the world’s bullies in the region, and the United States’ disgraceful defeat in its plans, a new chapter is unfolding for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.’

‘We and our neighbours across the waters of the Persian Gulf and the (Gulf) of Oman share a common destiny. Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometres away to act with greed and malice there have no place in it – except at the bottom of its waters,’ he added.

Khamenei, who hasn’t been seen or heard since he was appointed the supreme leader following the death of his father Ali, also said US bases in the region ‘lack even the capacity to ensure their own security, let alone provide any hope of securing their allies.’

US Central Command is pushing to deploy Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles to the Middle East, a source told Bloomberg.

They want a long-range option capable of striking Iranian ballistic missile launchers located deep within the country.

The Dark Eagle, has a reported range of 1,725 miles and is deliberately made for ‘long range conventional precision strike capability’ against ‘time-sensitive and heavily defended targets.’

If greenlit, this would be the first time the US has deployed a Dark Eagle hypersonic missile of which there are no more than eight, according to the source.

Trump is expected to receive a briefing later today on new plans for potential military action in Iran from Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, two sources with knowledge told Axios.

A high-ranking Iranian Revolutionary Guard has insisted the US will be hit with ‘painful and prolonged’ strikes if new attacks are waged on Tehran, state media is reporting.

Brigadier General Seyed Majid Mousavi, IRGC aerospace commander, said Tehran is ready to respond to its ‘enemy’s operations’ amid reports Trump is considering a fresh offensive.

In comments carried by the IRGC’s Sepah News website, Mousavi said: ‘With painful, prolonged, and far-reaching strikes, we will respond to the enemy’s operations, even if they are punitive and short-lived, by the grace of God. We have seen the fate of your flimsy bases in the region; we will see your warships too.’

by Perkin Amalaraj, Foreign News Reporter

This is the harrowing moment British troops were forced to take cover as they came under attack during a deployment to the Middle East.

Soldiers belonging to RAF Counter Uncrewed Aerial System teams were seen lying flat on the ground as sirens blared overhead in a video shared by the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

One soldier told the others: ‘Make sure you’re ready to brace.’

Another was heard saying: ‘Boys, get ready to brace!’

As the troops prepared for the attack, a roar of missiles could be heard from outside. A voice over the tannoy was heard saying: ‘Incoming, incoming, incoming.’

Israeli strikes on three south Lebanon villages killed nine people, among them two children and five women, Lebanon’s health ministry has said.

The latest deaths come nearly two weeks into a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

‘Israeli enemy strikes on south Lebanon led, in an initial toll, to nine martyrs, among them two children and five women, and 23 wounded, among them eight children and seven women,’ the ministry said shortly after Lebanon’s president condemned ‘continuing Israeli violations’ of the ceasefire.

The Bank of England has held interest rates at 3.75 per cent but warned that the Middle East energy shock could drive up inflation and lead to a hike in rates.

It said that in a worst-case scenario where oil and gas prices stay higher for a longer amount of time, UK inflation could rise to as much as 6.2 per cent.

The Bank considered several ways that events could unfold but a worst-case scenario could lead to multiple rate rises and an increased risk of recession.

Eight members of the Bank’s nine-person Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to hold interest rates steady, while one member opted for a hike to 4 per cent.

Andrew Bailey, the Bank’s governor, said he felt borrowing costs were at a “reasonable place given the situation of the economy and the unpredictability of events in the Middle East”.