Macron says focus is reopening Hormuz as energy shortage fears grow

Germany will soon send a minesweeper to the Mediterranean for a possible future mission in the Strait of Hormuz, German officials said, as Berlin prepares for a potential international operation to protect shipping after the end of the US-Iran war.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany would dispatch a minesweeper and provide a command-and-support vessel, though he did not specify exactly when the ship would depart. A defense ministry spokeswoman later said the navy’s Fulda would be deployed in the coming days with a crew of about 45.

She said the aim was to make a “significant and visible contribution” to an international coalition seeking to protect freedom of navigation in the strait. Any actual deployment to Hormuz, however, would require a lasting end to hostilities and approval from Germany’s lower house of parliament.

Pistorius had already said about a week ago that Germany was preparing for a possible mission. His comments came after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said such an operation would need a legal basis, such as a UN Security Council resolution, as well as approval from the German government and parliament.

The women – Boshra Mostafavi, Nahid Naimi and Didar Ahmadi – were transferred to Kerman prison after being sentenced by an appeals court in the province. According to information received by Iran International, the judge told them during the proceedings: “You are Baha’i, and in an Islamic country you must pay the price for being Baha’i.”

The three had earlier been acquitted by a criminal court in Rafsanjan for lack of evidence, but that ruling was challenged by the local prosecutor and later overturned.

Mostafavi was transferred to prison while pregnant.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned the United States it would face a response if it continues what it described as a “blockade, banditry and piracy” in the region.

In a statement, the command said US forces would meet “a reaction from Iran’s powerful armed forces” if such actions persist.

It added Iran is ready to monitor movements in the region and maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, and would inflict heavier losses in case of further attacks.

The warning to the United States came after US Central Command said a guided-missile destroyer enforced a blockade on an Iranian-flagged vessel heading to an Iranian port.

The US military has said it is enforcing a blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports as part of measures ordered by President Donald Trump.

Separately, TankerTrackers.com said the vessel involved appeared to be the Iranian tanker Herby, which had transferred about 2 million barrels of crude and was delayed returning to Iran due to the blockade.

Qatar condemned a drone attack on two Kuwaiti northern border posts launched from Iraq, calling it a violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty and a threat to regional stability.

In a statement on Saturday, the foreign ministry said Iraq must take responsibility to prevent such attacks from happening again.

Qatar also voiced full solidarity with Kuwait and backed measures to protect its security.

A new multi-use parking facility in Tehran will open soon and can house thousands of people during emergencies, a local official said.

The site, known as Etamad parking in District 10, will operate as a parking garage in normal conditions and serve as a shelter in a crisis.

The facility has about 2,600 square meters of space across four underground levels and capacity for 275 vehicles.