May 24: Iran reaffirms military readiness for any new aggression as key gaps remain in deal

By Press TV Website Staff

A clear message was delivered to Washington as a senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution warned that any renewed US aggression would lead to breaking the illegal naval blockade and withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that all national decisions are made with the approval of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. 

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced heightened readiness and reported an increase in cargo transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian forces shot down an Israeli reconnaissance drone in Hormozgan, and officials highlighted ongoing diplomatic coordination with regional partners.

Key developments on day 86 of the war, the forty-sixth day of the ceasefire:

• Iran will break a naval blockade imposed by the United States on its vessels and ports and, more importantly, withdraw from the NPT if the US resumes attacks against the Islamic Republic, Mohsen Rezaei, senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said.
• President Pezeshkian emphasised that Iran does not take any decisions without the approval of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.
• While reports suggest the deal that would end the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran is near completion, key gaps related to important issues remain.
• The president said the Islamic Republic is prepared to reassure the international community that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons.
• Pezeshkian congratulated the nation on the 44th anniversary of the liberation of the strategic port city of Khorramshahr from Iraqi Ba'athist forces, stressing that resistance and sacrifice are deeply rooted in the Iranian spirit.
• IRGC said the armed forces stand ready to deliver a “devastating and hellish” response to the enemy if it wages a new war of aggression against the country.
• The IRGC Navy reported an increased rate of cargo transit via the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, pointing to improved security in the key waterway under its control arrangement. A total of 33 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.
• Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters Major General Ali Abdollahi said outsiders will have no place in the future of the region based on the strategies devised by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
• Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, cited a historical instance of the Roman Empire's failure to secure victory against Persia amid the prospect of the realization of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US following unfaltering Iranian retaliation and resistance.
• Iranian air defence forces shot down an Israeli “Orbiter” reconnaissance drone over the southern province of Hormozgan, according to military sources from the country’s southeastern air defence command.
• Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, said the Islamic Republic pursues peace with strength and diplomacy with dignity.
• Gharibabadi said Tehran and Muscat have held extensive consultations on maritime security and navigation rules in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iran’s embassy in India rejected remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing Tehran of seeking “to take the energy market hostage,” saying the allegations were a deliberate attempt to distort reality.
• Iranian intelligence forces identified and dismantled a foreign-backed terrorist team in the country’s southeastern province of Fars, who had plotted to assassinate certain individuals and carry out acts of sabotage to undermine national security.
• Sheikh Naim Qassem, the leader of the Hezbollah resistance movement, said the Islamic Republic of Iran managed to humiliate the United States and Israel and stands alone as a defiant force against the world’s tyrannical powers.
• Officials in the Nicaraguan city of Corinto designated a street as “Angels of Minab” to honour the memory of the martyred students of the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School who lost their lives in a US strike on the first day of US-Israeli aggression against Iran. 
• Giora Eiland, a retired major general, said Iran has emerged victorious out of the latest bout of American-Israeli aggression targeting the Islamic Republic, describing Tel Aviv and Washington as facing a difficult strategic situation.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir