Iran bars US warships from Persian Gulf

Iran's army chief of staff Ali Abdollahi announced Saturday that US warships will be barred from the Persian Gulf "under no circumstances and at no time," according to state television, directly rejecting President Donald Trump's stated ambitions in the region. The declaration comes despite a ceasefire agreement reached in April following US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Iran war in late February. Iran continues to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, attacking ships crossing without permission, while the US maintains a blockade of Iranian ports. The US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, has not ruled out a US military strike on Iran within days. Meanwhile, Iranian President Massud Peseschkian is scheduled to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow on October 27 for a gas exporters' summit, with economic and geopolitical issues on the agenda.