‘No safe haven’: Iran warns military bases in Europe could be targeted in new US war - The Express Tribune
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wanted Vice President JD Vance to focus "his complete and total attention" on any crime and corruption in Democratic-run US cities, saying that effort could save more money than a deal with Iran.
"Our Budget could be quickly BALANCED with the correction of this large scale criminal activity. CORRUPTION is in the Democrat Leadership’s blood!" Trump wrote on social media. "We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!"
Vance, who had taken on a role in trying to resolve the conflict with Iran, distanced himself from Trump's war on Wednesday after Republicans' midterm election rout by Democrats.
He questioned whether it was worth the cost and blamed the Iran war for Republicans' election losses.
Vance, who is seen as a leading 2028 presidential contender, also said an earlier recommendation to end the war was "sound advice."
Trump has repeatedly targeted Democratic-run cities over immigration policies and alleged corruption since taking office in January 2025 for his second White House term.
Trump: I have asked Vance to focus his complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States throughout the U.S. We don’t need a deal with Iran. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got… pic.twitter.com/QRgfz1eWlC
Earlier, Iran's Assembly of Experts, the body of clerics that is responsible for electing and supervising the supreme leader, expressed no trust in international bodies in the face of persistent threats by the Islamic republic's enemies against its nuclear knowledge.
"Repeated threats by the aggressor enemy, especially threats against Iran's nuclear knowledge, show that no hope can be placed in the international bodies," said a statement from the body, reported by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
Important statement by Iran's Assembly of Experts: "Repeated threats by the aggressor enemy, especially threats against Iran's nuclear knowledge, show that no hope can be placed in the international bodies." This body is responsible for electing and supervising the leader.
A vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah on Wednesday, causing a fire in its engine room, British maritime agencies said in reports published on Thursday.
Firefighting efforts were underway, and all crew had been evacuated, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said.
Maritime security firm Ambrey said the vessel was struck at the stern while leaving the Strait of Hormuz.
🔴 A merchant vessel was struck by an unknown projectile 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE’s Ras al-Khaimah on Wednesday while heading out of the Strait of Hormuz, British maritime security firm Ambrey says 🔴 The vessel was hit on its stern, causing a fire in the engine… pic.twitter.com/kifguk3V9F
No injuries or pollution were reported, Ambrey said.
Attacks on shipping in the Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz have increased in recent weeks. The strategic waterway carried nearly one-fifth of the world's crude oil before the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Oman's National Emergency Management Committee discussed on Thursday the latest developments in handling the grounding of an oil tanker off Al Qibliyah Island and the progress of operations to deal with its cargo.
The meeting also reviewed emergency incidents in territorial waters off Oman's Musandam Governorate, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz, and the monitoring of any environmental pollution.
Oman did not identify the tanker or how and when it ran aground.
Two Iranian nationals have been found guilty of spying for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), British police said on Thursday.
Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Manesh, 46, were found guilty of spying for Iran following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
The two were convicted of engaging in conduct “likely to assist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)” after a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court, it added.
BREAKING: Two Iranian nationals who arrived in the UK illegally have been found guilty of spying for their country. Read more: https://t.co/at2Yg3GQVX 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/X6QLEmZyNe
According to police, Sepahvand was also found guilty of engaging in surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research with the intention of committing acts of serious violence against a person in the UK.
The targets of the surveillance included two journalists, a lawyer and a media production professional, police said.
Manesh helped Sepahvand with the surveillance but was found not guilty of a Section 18 National Security Act charge of doing it “with the intention that acts, namely serious violence against a person in the UK, would be committed by others”.
“Following the arrests, the investigation team worked diligently and quickly to translate into English thousands of messages in Farsi and then used mobile phone cell site data to build a compelling record of the surveillance,” Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for CTP, said in the statement.
Police said the surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research took place between August 2024 and March 2025.
Woolwich Crown Court heard that CTP London officers uncovered briefing documents on the cellphones of the three men, which included details of the surveillance targets.
Two oil supertankers were disabled by massive explosions after they ignored warnings against using an "unauthorised route" in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement comes after Iran’s top security official warned earlier this day that Tehran could strike military bases involved in any renewed US offensive against Iran, including bases in Europe.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on X that “every military base involved in the aggression” would be a legitimate target, extending the warning “from West Asia to Europe”.
If the US launches another war against Iran, every military base involved in the aggression—from West Asia to Europe—will be a legitimate target for Iran’s lethal strikes. NO SAFE DISTANCE. NO SAFE HAVEN. NO IMMUNITY.
“No safe distance. No safe haven. No immunity,” he wrote.
The warning followed remarks earlier on Wednesday by Kioumars Heydari, deputy chief of the Iranian Armed Forces’ General Staff, who said Tehran was prepared to strike beyond the region if attacked again.
Heydari told Iranian broadcaster IRIB that US bases and interests were within range of Iranian missiles and drones. He said countries that allowed aircraft to attack Iran from their territory could face retaliatory strikes.
In a separate interview with Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV, Rezaei said Iran will not allow even a single particle of enriched nuclear material to leave the country, and there will be consequences in the event of any new US strikes on the Islamic Republic.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a directive that the country's enriched uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said in May.
"We need the enriched material to design ships and submarines that work on nuclear energy", Rezaei said, adding that Tehran has informed Moscow that its enriched nuclear material will remain in the country and "we will use it ourselves".
Russia has previously offered to remove uranium from Iran as part of a potential deal to ease US concerns but said it was for Tehran to decide whether to remove it or not.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran has conveyed its conditions to the US, but Washington has yet to issue a formal or specific reply, leaving the next move in US hands.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera TV network, Ghalibaf, who also heads Iran’s negotiating team, said Tehran’s response addressed the legitimate rights of the Iranian people, who have faced US and Israeli aggression, threats and crimes, according to IRNA.
Speaker @mb_ghalibaf : Ball in US court, Iran determined to end state of no war, no peacehttps://t.co/MvcuVXhuBo pic.twitter.com/I68CFslvHO
“The ball is now in the US’s court; it must make a decision and announce it,” he said, referring to the seven conditions Iran had laid out as prerequisites for further negotiations.
Ghalibaf said Tehran remained ready to reach an agreement if Washington honoured its previous commitments.
He said the lack of trust in the United States was the main obstacle to an agreement, pointing to Washington’s "record of hostility" toward Iran and its failure to honour commitments.
“The main obstacle to an agreement is this lack of trust,” Ghalibaf said, adding that the US could not expect Tehran to agree to all its demands.
He rejected US criticism that Iran’s demands were “unreasonable,” stating that they concerned basic rights rather than additional concessions.
Ghalibaf said Tehran’s demands include an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, an end to interference in the Strait of Hormuz, the withdrawal of additional US forces deployed to the region following the war, and the lifting of sanctions.
He described the naval blockade as “a brutal act of war under international law,” saying it had obstructed food supplies, trade and healthcare services and disrupted people’s lives.
“These are the minimum conditions we have set so that, if they are fulfilled, we can continue negotiations,” he added.
The seven-point framework also includes an end to the war on Iran and the resistance front, as well as a ceasefire in Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Lebanese territory, Ghalibaf said.
He said Qatar and Pakistan were acting as the main mediators between Tehran and Washington, while Russia, China and other regional countries were also seeking to bring the two sides closer.
Speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera, Parliament Speaker @mb_ghalibaf said: Today, Qatar and Pakistan are the two official mediators between Iran and the US. pic.twitter.com/9izQEDflum
Saudi Arabia said early on Thursday that debris from two intercepted ballistic missiles had fallen in Sabuhah village in the kingdom’s Makkah region.
The missiles were launched by Yemen’s Houthi group, said Saudi Civil Defence.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki also announced that its air defences intercepted and destroyed a drone in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.
On Wednesday, the coalition reported intercepting and destroying five missiles and two drones.
Three cruise missiles were launched toward the Riyadh region, while two ballistic missiles were intercepted in western Saudi Arabia, it said. The two drones were intercepted in the Mecca and southern regions.
US Vice President JD Vance is considering holding face-to-face talks with a senior Iranian security official as Washington seeks a way out of the war with Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing US and Middle Eastern officials.
President Donald Trump has recently signalled to aides and foreign counterparts that he is open to Vance taking the lead in renewed negotiations with Tehran, giving the vice president authority to pursue diplomatic efforts, according to the report.
Discussions about a possible meeting remain at an early stage, with no date set. However, Washington and Tehran are communicating through mediators and regional allies about the next steps, according to the report.
The Journal reported that Vance sent a letter in October to Iran’s Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, requesting a meeting.
The move carries significant political risks for Vance, who could become the public face of negotiations if they fail to secure an agreement, the report said.
A successful outcome, however, could strengthen his standing as the official who helped bring an end to an unpopular conflict.
The report also said Trump had privately questioned the June framework agreement negotiated with Vance's involvement, reportedly arguing that it gave Iran time to recover and generate oil revenues before a US naval blockade was imposed.
A White House official rejected claims that Trump had second thoughts about the agreement, saying negotiators had acted in good faith.
Vance has also publicly linked the war to Republicans' poor performance in last weeks’ midterm elections, noting growing political pressure on the administration to find a way to end the conflict.
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