LIVE – War in Iran: Mojtaba Khamenei says the Gulf countries "will no longer serve as a shield for American bases"

Israel has begun operating beyond the “yellow line” it had established for its operations against pro-Iranian Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army said Tuesday.

The army “operates in a targeted manner beyond the forward defense line in order to eliminate direct threats to the citizens of the State of Israel and to the soldiers… in accordance with the directives of the political echelon”, she said in a press release.

Washington and Tehran raised their voices on Tuesday May 26 as negotiations to put an end to the war in the Middle East drag on with no prospect of succeeding quickly. Here’s what you need to remember.

New American strikes. During the night from Monday to Tuesday, the United States launched several strikes against missile sites in southern Iran, despite the signing of a ceasefire on April 8.

Live réaction of Téhéran. Throughout the day, the Iranian authorities reacted vehemently to these strikes. Accusing the United States of having violated the ceasefire, the army said it was ready to launch reprisals. In a written message, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned that Gulf countries “will no longer serve as a shield for American bases.”

An agreement always possible. Washington delayed by asserting that it had carried out “self-defense” strikes, according to Tim Hawkins, the spokesperson for the American Central Command. While traveling in India, Secretary of State Marco Rubio estimated that an agreement with Iran was still possible in the coming days.

به Ùرموده امام شهیدمان ØŒ مذاکره با دشمن خسارت محض است Ùˆ Ùرمودند من با یزید بیعت نخواهم کرد. نقض آتش بس در زمان مذاکره بار دیگر توسط دشمن بدعهد صورت پذیرÙت. نیروی هواÙضای سپاه آماده واکنش قاطع ØŒ سریع Ùˆ اجرای تدابیر Ùرمانده محترم Ú©Ù„ قوا Ù…ÛŒ باشند.

— Seyed Majid Moosavi (@smajid__moosavi) May 26, 2026

An explosion near the waterline damaged an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, the British maritime safety agency UKMTO said on Tuesday, as tensions remained high around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“The crew and ship are safe, although the captain reports that some bunker fuel has spilled into the sea,” the agency wrote on X.

In a statement carried by the Iranian Fars news agency on Tuesday, Iranian army spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi warned the United States and Israel that any further aggression would result in an “even more severe” response.

This new threat follows American strikes which targeted missile sites in southern Iran during the night from Monday to Tuesday.

American bases are no longer protected by the Gulf countriessaid Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Tuesday, in a written statement broadcast by state television.

“It is certain that there will be no going back and that the nations and territories of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases,” declared Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since taking office in early March.

Hello everyone and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the war in the Middle East. Despite the ceasefire with Tehran, the United States announced that it had launched strikes against missile sites in southern Iran on the night of Monday to Tuesday.

The belligerents, still in discussions to end the conflict in the Middle East, continue to postpone the announcement of an agreement. Hopes for peace were dampened on Monday, firstly by the announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of an intensification of the offensive led by his army in Lebanon, then by the American attack against Iran.

The Israeli army called on Tuesday for the evacuation of nearly 20 villages in southern Lebanon, ahead of planned attacks against pro-Iranian Hezbollah.

Arabic-speaking military spokesperson, Avichay Adraee listed, in a first press release broadcast on Telegram, 14 villages, then in a second text five other localities, whose residents are called to go north of the Zahrani river.

A security source in Gaza reported to AFP an intense Israeli bombardment in the west of Gaza City, specifying that he had “no information on the target”.

But “the scale and intensity of the attack fueled speculation that the target was Commander Mohammed Odeh, who succeeded the martyred Commander Ezzedine al-Haddad as head of the al-Qassam brigades in the Gaza Strip,” he added.

Israel announced on Tuesday that it had targeted the new leader of the armed wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, who had been recently appointed to this post after a strike that killed his predecessor.

The Israeli army “carried out today (Tuesday) a strike in Gaza targeting Mohammed Odeh, the new leader of the armed wing of the terrorist organization Hamas and one of the architects of the massacre of October 7”, indicates a joint statement from the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, without specifying whether he had was killed.

“He was appointed about a week ago to replace Ezzedine al-Haddad, eliminated in a strike” on May 15, the text continues.

Israel has begun operating beyond the “yellow line” it had established for its operations against pro-Iranian Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army said Tuesday.

The army “operates in a targeted manner beyond the forward defense line in order to eliminate direct threats to the citizens of the State of Israel and to the soldiers… in accordance with the directives of the political echelon”, she said in a press release.

Washington and Tehran raised their voices on Tuesday May 26 as negotiations to put an end to the war in the Middle East drag on with no prospect of succeeding quickly. Here’s what you need to remember.

New American strikes. During the night from Monday to Tuesday, the United States launched several strikes against missile sites in southern Iran, despite the signing of a ceasefire on April 8.

Live réaction of Téhéran. Throughout the day, the Iranian authorities reacted vehemently to these strikes. Accusing the United States of having violated the ceasefire, the army said it was ready to launch reprisals. In a written message, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned that Gulf countries “will no longer serve as a shield for American bases.”

An agreement always possible. Washington delayed by asserting that it had carried out “self-defense” strikes, according to Tim Hawkins, the spokesperson for the American Central Command. While traveling in India, Secretary of State Marco Rubio estimated that an agreement with Iran was still possible in the coming days.

The NGO Netblocks indicates Tuesday that internet access was partially restored in Iran on Tuesday. The day before, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian had ordered the restoration of the internet after nearly 90 days of cuts introduced following demonstrations at the start of the year.

The vice president confirmed Tuesday that first steps have been taken to restore the internet.

📈 Confirmed: Live metrics show a partial restoration to internet connectivity in #Iran on day 88, after 2093 hours of near-total isolation from international networks, the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history. It is unclear if the restoration will be sustained. pic.twitter.com/Fi3z3UCMWp

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) May 26, 2026

به Ùرموده امام شهیدمان ØŒ مذاکره با دشمن خسارت محض است Ùˆ Ùرمودند من با یزید بیعت نخواهم کرد. نقض آتش بس در زمان مذاکره بار دیگر توسط دشمن بدعهد صورت پذیرÙت. نیروی هواÙضای سپاه آماده واکنش قاطع ØŒ سریع Ùˆ اجرای تدابیر Ùرمانده محترم Ú©Ù„ قوا Ù…ÛŒ باشند.

— Seyed Majid Moosavi (@smajid__moosavi) May 26, 2026

An Israeli strike targeting the town of Machghara, in eastern Lebanon, on Monday evening left at least eleven dead, including two children and a woman, the Health Ministry announced on Tuesday.

The ministry clarified that this was a preliminary assessment, adding that “rubble clearance operations are continuing”. Fifteen people were injured, including a child, according to the same source. The Israeli army claimed to have targeted Hezbollah objectives in this area.

An explosion near the waterline damaged an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, the British maritime safety agency UKMTO said on Tuesday, as tensions remained high around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“The crew and ship are safe, although the captain reports that some bunker fuel has spilled into the sea,” the agency wrote on X.

A man found guilty of spying for Mossad, the Israeli foreign intelligence service, was hanged Tuesday in Iran, the judiciary announced. This is Gholamreza Khani Shakarab, “executed for cooperation with the intelligence services and espionage for the benefit of the Zionist regime (Israel)”, reported the judiciary site, Mizan Online, specifying that his conviction had been confirmed by the Supreme Court.

The man was presented as “one of the main operational leaders of Mossad abroad”, who “sought to recruit individuals inside the country” to carry out “actions against national security”. Executions have increased in Iran since the start of the war with Israel and the United States, which began at the end of February.

In a statement carried by the Iranian Fars news agency on Tuesday, Iranian army spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi warned the United States and Israel that any further aggression would result in an “even more severe” response.

This new threat follows American strikes which targeted missile sites in southern Iran during the night from Monday to Tuesday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Tuesday they had shot down a U.S. drone and fired on other aircraft that entered the country’s airspace.

American aircraft “entered Iranian airspace in the Persian Gulf region, and air defense units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps identified and shot down an MQ-9 drone,” the latter said in a statement published on their site Sepah News.

American bases are no longer protected by the Gulf countriessaid Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Tuesday, in a written statement broadcast by state television.

“It is certain that there will be no going back and that the nations and territories of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases,” declared Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since taking office in early March.

Hello everyone and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the war in the Middle East. Despite the ceasefire with Tehran, the United States announced that it had launched strikes against missile sites in southern Iran on the night of Monday to Tuesday.

The belligerents, still in discussions to end the conflict in the Middle East, continue to postpone the announcement of an agreement. Hopes for peace were dampened on Monday, firstly by the announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of an intensification of the offensive led by his army in Lebanon, then by the American attack against Iran.