Hormuz maritime security threat remains critical, UKMTO says

Iran’s central bank has no current plans to dissolve or merge any banks, the country’s state media reported on Monday.

Banks with balance-sheet imbalances were taking steps to improve capital adequacy and correct their financial positions, according to the report.

The central bank’s policy toward such banks will continue as in the previous year, and they will remain restricted from overdrawing from the central bank, the report said.

The Iranian vessel M/V Touska, seized by US forces after attempting to breach a naval blockade, has been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation to Iran along with its crew, a CENTCOM spokesman told ABC News.

The ship was intercepted in April after US forces said it failed to comply with repeated warnings while attempting to pass through restricted waters.

The transfer comes as Donald Trump has announced a new initiative aimed at guiding commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran had condemned the seizure as unlawful and described it as “piracy,” amid already heightened tensions over maritime control in the region.

The report identified the men as Mehdi Rasouli and Mohammadreza Miri, who were described as “Mossad elements” involved in what authorities called a “coup” in January 2026, and Ebrahim Dolatabadi, described as a key figure in unrest in the Tabarsi area.

State media said Rasouli and Miri had a “direct role” in the killing of a member of Iran’s security forces during the events, while Dolatabadi was accused of leading groups involved in clashes that resulted in further deaths.

Rights groups say Iran has executed at least 25 political prisoners since the beginning of US-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.

Tehran executed another political prisoner in Urmia prison on Sunday, the judiciary reported, identifying him as Mehrab Abdollahzadeh.

Born in 1997 in Urmia, he had been arrested on October 22, 2022 during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests.

Two other men were executed on Saturday after the Supreme Court upheld their death sentences for spying for Israel and cooperating with the Mossad intelligence service.

The judiciary’s media center said Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bekrzadeh were hanged in Urmia Central Prison following legal proceedings.

US officials say the new Strait of Hormuz initiative will not necessarily involve direct US Navy escorts for commercial vessels, according to Axios.

Instead, naval ships will operate “in the vicinity” and be ready to respond if Iran’s military targets shipping, two officials told the outlet.

They said the US will also provide commercial vessels with guidance on the safest routes through the strait, including lanes believed to be free of mines.

The details suggest a focus on coordination and deterrence rather than continuous escort operations, even as tensions over maritime security in the region remain high.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the United States will not station Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for the time being, citing limited availability rather than political differences.

“The Americans don’t have enough for themselves right now,” he told ARD public broadcaster.

The missiles, promised under former US President Joe Biden in 2024, were intended to bolster Germany’s deterrence until Europe develops its own capabilities.

He rejected suggestions that the developments were tied to his recent criticism of Donald Trump over the Iran war, including remarks that Tehran had “humiliated” Washington in negotiations.