Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, has reflected on the status of the Strait of Hormuz and US attempts to interfere in regional affairs in an exclusive interview with Sputnik.
The Strait of Hormuz is the domain of Iran and Oman alone, and neither the United States nor Europe will be permitted to manage the strategic waterway, Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, told Sputnik.
Around 30 vessels currently pass through the Strait of Hormuz each day, and Iran is ready to accommodate higher traffic.
However, the US is obstructing vessels traveling along the established route.
In this urgent breaking news update, Amir delivers a compelling analysis of the latest developments in the Middle East, unpacking the escalating tensions, key events, and their far-reaching implications for Israel and the world. With his signature insight, Amir explores the spiritual and prophetic significance of these unfolding events, connecting current headlines to biblical truths, and offering clarity on what it all means for the future!
Half a century after Steven Spielberg challenged audiences to think about what lies beyond the starry canopy that defines our universe in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the director is again challenging accepted precepts of faith and singular belief in a supreme being.
His new film Disclosure Day sees him revisit the possibility of aliens: “I absolutely think that they have been here, and they are here,” he outlined in an interview with CBS News.
First he outlined the themes behind the $115 million creation and the answers it (possibly) posed to questions of life, faith and mortality.
“‘Disclosure Day’ is about how, if somebody had the power and if somebody had possession of the entire archive of visual evidence of what’s been happening for the last 80 years, what would happen if they decided to do a data dump across the entire world all at once?” Spielberg said, adding it is as much a “chase” movie as it is a reflection on our very being.
“And the people who are trying to stop that data dump from happening, that is basically the core of this chase movie.”
Then he dived more deeply into God – any God – which acts as a supreme being above and beyond us all. He mused:
The movie takes the position of the believers, or the curious, the ones that have been deeply affected by this. The Emily Blunt character (Margaret Fairchild), you know, something has happened to her. She has no idea what it is. She has to try to understand why this has upended her life.
And the movie also takes the position of the church. What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have? Is God our God only on this planet? Or is God a god for every system where there’s civilization and intelligent life, and even developing life?
Spielberg – who directed and co-produced the movie – feels Christians will find themselves asking of their faith and their beliefs as the movie takes the absolute position of the Church.
He says the questions need answers or will Christians simply see the work as a piece of entertainment predicated on Hollywood’s self-serving need to make money while touching on personal fears.
The Lebanon crisis remains a tug-of-war flashpoint between Tehran and Tel Aviv. The Iranians want to force a situation where any broader peace deal with the US is linked directly to achieving permanent truce in Lebanon. However, the US and Israel have consistently sought to thwart these attempts. According to Bloomberg:
Israel will strike Hezbollah in Beirut in retaliation for any further cross-border attacks by the Iranian-backed Lebanese faction, Israel’s defense minister says in a statement, rejecting a threat by Tehran to resume missile salvos in solidarity with Lebanon.
“Any Iranian attempt to link Lebanon to Iran in attacking Israel will be met with a forcible response, as happened yesterday,” Defense Minister Israel Katz says, referring to an air strike in the Lebanese capital which prompted Iranian missile fire against Israeli targets. If Hezbollah attacks Israel’s northern communities “it will lead to an attack on the Dahieh,” he says, referring to a Beirut suburb where support for Hezbollah is strong.
Still, Israel has by late Monday (local) made clear it is halting attacks on Iran and Lebanon 'for now' after President Trump called for immediate restraint.
Israel Halts Iran Attacks 'For Now'
"After Iran attacked Israel, I instructed the IDF to strike military and economic targets throughout Iran," Netanyahu said in a fresh Monday statement. "For now, the fire has been contained, because after we struck the terrorist regime in Tehran, it ceased attacking us. If the terrorist regime in Iran makes the mistake of attacking us again, we will respond with force." The key lines from Netanyahu:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel had stopped its attacks on both Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, after the Iranian military announced it was halting operations.
In a brief statement Monday, Netanyahu said "Iran and Hezbollah are weaker than ever, and we are stronger than ever - but our struggle with them is not over yet."
Having bombarded both adversaries, he added, "right now, the fire has been halted."
Iran's military headquarters responds: "Should aggression and hostile actions continue—including in southern Lebanon—far more severe and forceful measures than before will follow," it said, according to Iranian state media.
And in a clear sign of the exchange of strikes having ceased:
Iran says flight restrictions have been lifted with airspace returning to normal conditions: state media
Israel's N12 News is reporting that Israel is halting strike on Iran at President Trump's request. There are widespread initial reports that Israeli forces are indeed pausing the attacks, which persisted overnight through Monday morning, and included attack on a major petrochemical complex. However, the latest Israeli messaging has included a warning on the Lebanon front, per Bloomberg:
Senior Israeli official says Israel is stopping strikes in Iran at Donald Trump’s request, but confirms operations in southern Lebanon will continue at full intensity in the coming days. The official also warns that Dahieh in Beirut could be targeted if attacks on Israeli settlements and civilians continue.
There are also emerging reports (via CBS) that Trump did not order any US defensive efforts to protect Israel from the latest Iranian ballistic missile attacks - which were the first against Israel since the early April ceasefire.
Meanwhile, in a fresh message from Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran says "Without a doubt ... the actions of the Zionist regime in the region cannot be separated from U.S. policies." Tehran is rejecting the attempts of the Trump administration to distance the US from Israeli actions: "No one believes that the Zionist regime would carry out any action without prior coordination and cooperation with the United States," Baqaei added.
A big question remains is if this flare-up in major fighting, which has featured the first direct attacks between Iran and Israel since the April ceasefire took effect, will be short-lived or whether it will endure and escalate into sustained war.
So far the situation is showing signs it could be short-lived, after early Monday morning President Trump urged Israel and Iran to immediately stop "shooting" in a Truth Social post. He also expressed that this musts be done "quickly" and is still talking up a "final" peace deal - which at this moment looks as distant as ever. Iran is signaling it is ready to get back to ceasefire, but Israel is again threatening the Beirut suburbs.
A strong earthquake in the southern Gulf off Cuba was felt in parts of South Florida and the rest of the state on Monday.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 6.1 magnitude quake happened about 65 miles west-northwest of Mantua, on the northwest side of Cuba, just after 2 p.m.
The earthquake was reportedly felt in parts of Miami, Tampa and other areas of Florida.
Multiple buildings in Miami were apparently evacuated due to shaking, including Miami-Dade's Stephen P. Clark Government Center and the Dadeland Metrorail Station.
"I felt the ground shaking and felt the monitor moving back and forth, and I wasn’t sure I’m like is this my imagination or is this really happening," said Elisabell Gamboa, one of the evacuees. “But then that’s when I heard everyone needs to evacuate. It happened twice but I felt it once."
"Minor tremors from an earthquake in the Gulf, SW of Cuba have been felt in South Florida. There is no cause for alarm," the Miami Beach Fire Department posted on X.
Officials with the City of Miami said seismic activity was reportedly felt in several areas throughout the city, prompting multiple calls for service.
"Miami Fire-Rescue has responded to each reported incident. At this time, no significant injuries or major property damage have been reported, and all calls have been handled without further issue," city officials said in a statement. "The situation remains stable, and the City will continue coordinating with appropriate agencies while monitoring for any additional impacts."
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said they received four calls possibly related to high-rise buildings shaking that were investigated, but there were no reported injuries and the calls were cleared.
