Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei declared on Thursday that the United States had suffered a shameful defeat, defiantly rejecting a warning from President Donald Trump that an economically punishing US naval blockade could be enforced for months to come.

“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,” said Khamenei in the message read on state television.

The message by Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public since his appointment on March 9 as Iran’s new supreme leader, came on the annual national celebration of “Persian Gulf” day in Iran.

Khamenei became the supreme leader after the US and Israel launched a massive campaign of strikes on Iran on February 28, assassinating his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In his Thursday message, he said US bases in the region “lack even the capacity to ensure their own security, let alone provide any hope of securing their allies.”

He hailed what he called Iran’s “new legal framework and management” of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key energy chokepoint, as a means to bring “comfort and progress” for countries in the region.

The strait has become a major flashpoint since the outbreak of the Middle East war, with Iran allowing only a trickle of ships to pass through the waterway.

Khamenei, in his message, predicted a bright future for the Gulf without the US and condemned what he described as “outsiders”, saying those who interfere from thousands of kilometres away “have no place there except at the bottom of its waters”.

“The record of repeated invasions by European and American foreigners —the insecurities, damages, and multiple threats they have imposed on the region’s countries — reflects only a fraction of the malicious schemes of global oppressors against the peoples of the Persian Gulf,” the message read.

He also lauded the people of Iran, who he said “consider all national capacities — identity, spiritual, human, scientific, industrial, and advanced technologies from nano and bio to nuclear and missile — as their national capital”.

Earlier on Thursday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had said a US naval blockade imposed in retaliation against Iran’s action in Hormuz was “doomed to fail”.

Pezeshkian added that such measures would “not only fail to enhance regional security, but are in fact a source of tension and a disruption to lasting stability in the Persian Gulf”.

Other figures have also struck a tone of defiance, with Navy Commander Shahram Irani signalling that Iran will deploy “in the very near future” naval weaponry which it has recently developed.

Organisers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Thursday said Israel’s army had “kidnapped” 211 activists, including a Paris city councillor, in a raid in international waters off Greece.

Helene Coron, a spokeswoman for the French contingent of Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), told an online news conference that the operation had taken place near the Greek island of Crete, at an “unprecedented” distance from the Gaza coast.

Yasmine Scola, an activist on board the flotilla, said her colleagues had been “kidnapped” by Israel. Israel’s foreign ministry had earlier put the number of those detained at 175.

Former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad was also a part of the flotilla mission. But it was not immediately clear if he was among those taken into Israeli custody.

Coron said those intercepted included Paris Communist local councillor Raphaelle Primet and another 10 French nationals.

“We don’t have the information for the other nationalities, but the boats were mixed in terms of nationality, so there were crew members from all 48 delegations,” she said.

Rome, in a government statement, called for the immediate release of “all the unlawfully detained Italians”.

Some ships still on route

The organisers of the latest flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza announced early on Thursday that their boats had been surrounded by Israeli military ships while off the coast of Crete.

“At the time of publishing this statement (06:30am Paris time, 04:30 GMT), at least 22 of the flotilla’s 58 boats have been stormed by Israeli forces in complete violation of international law,” the GSF said in a statement.

According to an AFP verification, based on tracking data from the organisers, the boats were intercepted in the Greek exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Around thirty boats from the flotilla are still en route, most now in Greek territorial waters south of Crete, according to the same source.

Coron said the operation had taken place over 1,000 kilometres from the Gaza Strip. The longest such operation to date had been 185 kilometres in June 2025, she said.

Israel controls all entry points to Gaza, and has been accused by the United Nations and foreign NGOs of strangling the flow of goods into the territory, causing shortages since the start of the war in October 2023.

The flotilla, made up of more than 50 boats, set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Syracuse in Italy.

Overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, the GSF said its boats had been “illegally surrounded” by Israeli vessels.

“Communications with 11 vessels have been lost,” the organisation added. The flotilla is currently off the coast of Greece, near Crete, according to the organisation’s live tracking on its website.

“Our boats were approached by military speedboats, self-identified as ‘Israel’, pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons, ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees,” the organisation added.

“Boat communications are being jammed and a SOS was issued.”

A Greek coastguard source told AFP it had responded to a distress signal from the flotilla, but once its patrol boat reached the area, it was told that no assistance was required.

Meanwhile, Ahmad, in a video message posted on his X account overnight, also confirmed that the flotilla had come under attack.

“The Israeli terrorist army has captured 11 of our boats; we have been attacked in international waters by drones and the navy,” the former senator said.

He called on the international community to “wake up” and called on people to “take to the streets and raise their voice for Palestine”.

Last year, Ahmad led the Pakistani delegation on the 45-vessel GSF. However, as it approached Gaza, Israeli forces intercepted it, detaining the activists on board before deporting them. He was detained in Israel for five days before being deported to Jordan.

Israel weaponising access to water in Gaza: MSF

Meanwhile, according to a report by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Israeli authorities have used access to water as a “weapon against Palestinians, systematically depriving people in Gaza, Palestine, of water in a campaign of collective punishment”.

MSF, in a statement, said that the “deliberate denial of water from Palestinians is an integral part of Israel’s genocide”.

“After the local authorities, MSF is the largest producer and a main distributor of drinking water in Gaza, yet between May and November 2025, one in every five of our water distributions ran dry as our trucks were unable to carry sufficient water for all the people who required it,” the organisation said.

Due to the Israeli military’s displacement orders, MSF teams were unable to reach areas where it previously provided water, the statement said.

It added that around “one-third” of MSF’s requests to “bring in critical water and sanitation supplies have been rejected or left unanswered”.

“These supplies include water desalination units, pumps, chlorine and other chemicals to treat water, water tanks, insect repellent, and latrines,” it said.

MSF warned that the consequences of the deprivation could be “far-reaching on people’s health, hygiene, and dignity”.

Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday accused Israel of using security as a pretext to acquire “more land”.

“Israel is not after its own security. Israel is after more land. Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land,” Fidan told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking in English at a panel discussion, Fidan said Israel had created an “illusion” internationally by portraying itself as acting purely in its own defence.

“It has become very clear, especially in recent years, that it is more than that,” he said.

From Palestinian lands including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and now extending towards Lebanon and Syria, Israel was pursuing “an onward occupation and expansionism in the region,” Fidan said.

“I think this has to stop,” the Turkish FM added.

“Israel has to know that the only way to live peacefully in the region … is to let the other countries enjoy their own security, and territorial integrity, and freedom, not to use power on those countries,” he added.

Tensions between Turkiye and Israel have steadily escalated since the latter’s war on Gaza erupted following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attacks.

Turkiye, a fierce critic of Israel, joined diplomatic efforts with Pakistan and Egypt aimed at de-escalation during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Fidan’s remarks come just over a week after a harsh statement from Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu sparked a scathing response from the Turkish foreign ministry.

On April 11, Netanyahu sharply criticised Erdogan in a post on X and vowed Tel Aviv would continue to confront Tehran and its regional allies.

The Turkish foreign ministry then slammed Netanyahu, saying his remarks were a result of “the discomfort caused by the truths we have consistently voiced on every platform”.

“Netanyahu, who has been described as the Hitler of our time due to the crimes he has committed, is a well-known figure with a clear track record,” the ministry said in a statement.

On Monday, Fidan said Israel “cannot live without an enemy” and was “seeking to declare Turkiye the new enemy”.

“This is a new development in Israel… turning into a state strategy,” he had said.

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir reached Tehran on Wednesday and held a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other officials, according to a post on the Iranian government’s X account.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) described the visit as part of “ongoing mediation efforts” for de-escalation between Iran and the US. ISPR said that CDF Munir had arrived in the Iranian capital alongside a formal delegation and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Later, Araghchi posted on X: “Delighted to welcome Field Marshal Munir to Iran. Expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s gracious hosting of the dialogue, emphasising that it reflects our deep and great bilateral relationship. Our commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region remains strong—and shared.”

The development came hours after Iran said that exchanges with the United States via Pakistan had continued following negotiations in Islamabad over the weekend that yielded no result.

“Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through Pakistan,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

“Today, we are very likely to receive a Pakistani delegation as a continuation of the discussions in Islamabad,” he added.

Baqaei asserted that Tehran’s right to enrich uranium was “indisputable” although the level of enrichment is “negotiable”.

The Iranian official said the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy could not be “taken away under pressure or through war”.

“Regarding the level and type of enrichment, we have always stated that this issue is negotiable. We have emphasised that Iran should be able to continue enrichment in accordance with its needs,” he added.

Baqaei also said some of the US demands during the talks with the US were “unreasonable and unrealistic”, without elaborating.

He insisted on Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, saying it could not be “taken away under pressure or through war”.

The level of enrichment, he said, remains “negotiable” and “Iran should be able to continue enrichment in accordance with its needs”.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that talks between Washington and Tehran could resume over the next two days and that “we’re more inclined to go” to Pakistan, according to The New York Post.

“You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump said.

“It’s more likely, you know why? Because the Field Marshal is doing a great job. He’s fantastic, and therefore it’s more likely that we go back there,“ he told The NY Post. “Why should we go to some country that has nothing to do with it?”

This was after he earlier told the US media outlet that discussions were “happening, but, you know, a little bit slow”, before indicating that a second round of direct negotiations would likely happen somewhere in Europe.

And on Wednesday, in a clip shared of an interview shared by Fox, Trump said that the war with Iran is “very close to over”.

Pakistan hosted direct Iran-US talks in Islamabad on Saturday and Sunday, marking the highest engagement between the two sides since 1979. The talks ended without an agreement despite nearly 21 hours of talks. While no breakthrough was achieved, both sides indicated that the diplomatic channel remained open.

On Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told a meeting of the federal cabinet that “full efforts” were ongoing to resolve the conflict.

Noting that the truce was still holding, he said, “As I am talking to you, matters that are not resolved, full efforts are underway to resolve them.”

The ceasefire between the US and Iran, brokered on April 8 after weeks of conflict, is set to expire on April 22. While technically intact, it is increasingly precarious.

The US has moved toward enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, prompting a warning from Tehran that such a move would be a violation of the ceasefire.

Israel “cannot live without an enemy” and its government is now trying to portray Turkiye as one, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday.

“After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” Fidan said in a televised interview with Anadolu Agency.

“We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkiye the new enemy,” he said.

“This is a new development in Israel… turning into a state strategy,” he added.

Turkiye, a fierce critic of Israel, had joined diplomatic efforts with Pakistan and Egypt aimed at de-escalation during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Tensions between Turkiye and Israel have steadily escalated since the latter’s war on Gaza erupted following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attacks.

Netanyahu ‘described as the Hitler of our time’: Turkiye

The dispute entered a new phase over the weekend after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his US counterpart Donald Trump of “possible provocations and sabotage” that could jeopardise an initial ceasefire arrangement in the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Subsequently, on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticised Erdogan in a post on X and vowed Tel Aviv would continue to confront Tehran and its regional allies.

Later on Saturday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also lashed out at Erdogan on X, calling him a “paper tiger”.

Erdogan “who did not respond to missile fire from Iran into Turkish territory and has proven to be a paper tiger, is now fleeing into the realm of anti-Semitism and calling for show trials in Turkiye against Israel’s political and military leadership”, Katz said on X.

The Turkish foreign ministry then slammed Netanyahu for remarks targeting Erdogan, saying the remarks were a result of “the discomfort caused by the truths we have consistently voiced on every platform”.

“Netanyahu, who has been described as the Hitler of our time due to the crimes he has committed, is a well-known figure with a clear track record,” the ministry said in a statement.

It contended that Netanyahu’s “current objective is to undermine ongoing peace negotiations and continue his expansionist policies in the region”.

“Failing this, he risks being tried in his own country and is likely to be sentenced to imprisonment,” it added, referring to his long-running corruption trial.

The ministry noted that an arrest warrant had been issued against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“Under Netanyahu’s administration, Israel is facing proceedings before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide,” the Turkish ministry pointed out.

“The fact that our president has been targeted by Israeli officials with baseless, brazen, and false allegations is a result of the discomfort caused by the truths we have consistently voiced on every platform,” the ministry said.

“Türkiye will continue to stand by innocent civilians and will further its efforts to ensure that Netanyahu is held accountable for the crimes he has committed,” it asserted.