Iran bans in-person classes at private schools

US intelligence believes Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains involved in shaping Tehran’s war and negotiation strategy despite not appearing in public since being injured in strikes that killed his father, CNN reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the assessments.

According to the report, Khamenei is recovering from burns and other injuries while remaining largely isolated and communicating through couriers rather than electronic devices.

CNN said US intelligence believes Iran’s leadership remains fractured, with senior IRGC commanders and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf handling much of the day-to-day decision-making as Tehran reviews US proposals to end the conflict.

An Iranian lawmaker rejected claims that Tehran had dumped oil into the sea near Kharg Island after satellite images showed large oil slicks around the key export hub.

Jafar Pourkabgani, a member of parliament representing Bushehr province, said the slicks were caused by “oil residue and ballast water waste from European tankers” discharged into the sea.

“This claim is false and part of the enemy’s psychological operation,” he wrote on X, referring to allegations that Iran had released oil because storage tanks were full.

Satellite images published on Friday appeared to show large oil slicks around Kharg Island, with some reports estimating the affected area at around 40 square kilometers.

Experts cited by Fox News said the slick could be linked to operational strain in Iran’s oil export system, though the exact cause has not been independently confirmed.

Image credit: EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTIN/Handout via Reuters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing Iran-US negotiations during a phone call on Friday, the Russian foreign ministry said on Saturday.

Moscow stressed the need to support diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States and warned against any renewed fighting that could harm civilians and infrastructure in Iran and neighboring Arab states.

The two sides also discussed deliberations at the United Nations and agreed to stay in contact in support of what Russia described as a long-term and sustainable settlement.

Internal divisions inside Iran are complicating efforts to reach a deal with the United States, with factions favoring continued conflict competing against officials pushing for diplomacy, the New York Post reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with mediation efforts.

According to the report, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has gained influence during the war and now holds decisive power over whether Tehran accepts any agreement.

“One faction there right now is at its highest point ever in its history — the IRGC,” one source told the newspaper.

The report said US officials believe the divisions help explain repeated flare-ups around the fragile ceasefire and delays in Iran responding to US proposals.

An Iranian education official said the UAE was the only country to revoke the licenses of Iranian schools following the recent war involving Iran, the US and Israel.

According to ISNA, the acting head of Iran’s Center for International Affairs and Overseas Schools said around 1,300 of the 2,300 Iranian students previously enrolled in UAE-based Iranian schools had transferred either to schools inside Iran or to international schools in the UAE.

The official said about 1,000 remaining students who could not return to Iran were being taught online through Iran’s school administration office in Istanbul.

Students in Iran’s final two years of high school who plan to take the national university entrance exam must sit final exams either inside Iran or in countries where official Iranian exam centers operate, including Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Kuwait and Iraq, the official added.