📰 Baghaei: Hormuz will reopen only when US aggression stops, not by American claims

🔹Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the Strait of Hormuz will not return to normal as long as the US insists on its naval blockade and military aggression, stressing that current conditions result from the US attack on Iran, not an Iranian "leverage" move.

🔹"The market follows its own laws. Iran has taken necessary measures under international law and self-defense. As long as America insists on blockade and aggression, security will not return to this strategic waterway," he said.

🔹Baghaei revealed that message exchanges through mediators continue regarding Iran's seven-day plan, and while Rezaei said the US has accepted some conditions, "we do not consider the response sufficient and are carefully reviewing it to announce our final position in the coming days."

🔹On Yemen, he said a roadmap between Yemen and Saudi Arabia had been agreed but never implemented, expressing Iran's readiness to help facilitate dialogue: "Continued tension only benefits the Zionist regime."

🔹He also condemned France's crackdown on students, calling it a "flagrant violation of human rights," and dismissed US concerns over Iran potentially leaving the NPT: "When you attack a country's nuclear facilities and the IAEA and Security Council do nothing, what benefit does NPT membership have?"

Gen. Shekarchi: We will not allow enemy's regional order to be renewed in West Asia

🔹Senior Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said America has resorted to fuel smuggling to escape its self-made quagmire in West Asia, asking: "Can maritime banditry and fuel smuggling prevent America's definite defeat? Never!"

🔹"Neither psychological operations nor media claims can hide defeat or change battlefield realities," he said, adding that recent insults by US officials against Iran's civilization and history "only strengthen the resolve of the heroic Iranian people."

🔹"Regional countries must exit the ineffective US security umbrella. Washington cannot even secure itself in the region, let alone others."

🔹"We will not allow the US-Zionist desired regional order to be renewed in West Asia."

Iran, Turkmenistan emphasize expansion of parliamentary, economic cooperation

Transport Minister Farzaneh Sadegh met Turkmenistan's parliamentary speaker in Awaza, stressing inter-parliamentary ties and increased trade. She announced construction of the Gumdag–Atrak road will begin within one to two months by an Iranian contractor. Talks also covered rail, transit, energy, and trilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan and Russia.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/530967/Iran-Turkmenistan-emphasize-expansion-of-parliamentary-economic

Defense chief: We must fill Armed Forces' hands to defend Iran

🔹Acting Defense Minister Brigadier General Ibn al-Reza stressed the need for comprehensive readiness: "We must fill the Armed Forces' hands with full preparedness to defend Iran."

🔹Responding to US officials' remarks against Iranian civilization, he said they either don't know history or are "playing with fire." "Iran's civilization cannot be damaged by a few hateful remarks."

🔹"Those who ignite civilizational confrontation should not assume its flames will never reach them."

🔹"Iran has neither borrowed its identity nor needs permission to preserve it. We defend our history and national interests against any threat."

Nude Trump sculpture sparks political controversy at European Parliament

A gold-covered sculpture of Trump naked, sitting on a frail man's back, was displayed at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Titled "The Orange Plague," it drew criticism from lawmakers and Slovakia's PM, who demanded its removal. Others defended it as political satire. Artist Jens Galschiøt said he wanted to attack Trump personally over his climate and foreign policies.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/530956/Nude-Trump-sculpture-sparks-political-controversy-at-European

Jajarm: A budget-friendly rural escape in North Khorasan

With its historic railway station, quiet villages, and proximity to Touran National Park, Jajarm offers an affordable alternative to Iran's busy tourist spots. Yet poor rail facilities, limited tickets, and weak visitor services remain major obstacles. Better transport and modest investment could turn this rural town into a gateway for North Khorasan tourism.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/531003/Jajarm-offers-budget-friendly-rural-escape-but-rail-links-need

The weapon shifting Yemen's frontlines

Yemen's new Shawaz drone has shifted frontlines near Bab al-Mandab, targeting Saudi-backed forces in Lahij, Al-Wazi'iyah, and Kahbub. Low-cost and maneuverable, it provides live video for strikes and reconnaissance, minimizing Yemeni losses. Footage has countered Saudi claims of advancing toward Mokha, showing retreats and attrition instead—mirroring Hezbollah's psychological impact on Israeli forces.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/531009/The-weapon-shifting-Yemen-s-frontlines

Yemen leaves Riyadh grounded

Riyadh's airport has been hit five times since October 6, with flights almost entirely cancelled and Western embassies warning citizens away. Saudi officials admit interceptor stocks are low. Sanaa's doctrine is "airport for airport, blockade for blockade." Washington is staying out, offering condolences but no strikes, as its own Iran war consumes munitions ahead of midterms.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/531010/Yemen-Leaves-Riyadh-Grounded

The Persians return to Athens

Rubio's Acropolis speech revived the old trope of Greek freedom versus Persian slavery, casting Iran as an irrational "cult of death." But scholars note Athens was more disciplined than Persia, and participatory governance existed elsewhere—in the Prophet's and Imam Ali's rule. As Edward Said wrote, every European speaking of the Orient was "a racist, an imperialist, and almost totally ethnocentric."

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/531007/The-Persians-return-to-Athens

German silence on Gaza and the West Bank 'has been loud': Philippe Sands

Accepting Germany's Book Trade Peace Prize, human rights lawyer Philippe Sands criticized Berlin's "inappropriate silence" on Israeli crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. He said restricting those who speak out is "indecent," and that Germany—which has called out horrors from Ukraine to the Uighurs—"knows about ethnic cleansing" in Gaza yet stays silent. "Silence is not the way."

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/531011/German-silence-on-Gaza-and-the-West-Bank-has-been-loud-Philippe

Tehran Symphony Orchestra to perform "In Italian Style" at Vahdat Hall 🎻

🔹The Tehran Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Nasir Heydarian and featuring cellist Majid Esmaili, will perform "In Italian Style" on Tuesday, October 20, at Vahdat Hall. 📅

🔹The program opens with Schubert's "Overture in the Italian Style," followed by Khachaturian's "Rhapsody Concerto" with Esmaili on cello, and concludes with Schubert's Symphony No. 2. 🎼

Gen. Vahidi: No extra-regional power has the right to intervene in Hormuz

🔹IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Ahmad Vahidi stated: "No extra-regional power has the right to threaten, maintain a domineering presence, or intervene in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf."

Gen. Javani: US miscalculation trapped it against Iran's Armed Forces

🔹IRGC Political Deputy Brigadier General Yadollah Javani said the US and Zionist regime believed Iran's system would collapse after the Leader's martyrdom or street unrest—a strategic miscalculation that failed.

🔹"From before Trump's presidency, Americans tried with all their might to corner Iran, but failed against the nation's steadfastness," he said in Babol.

🔹"Iran is the nation of Imam Hussein and martyrdom. As Soleimani predicted, the enemy starts the war, but its end leads to the enemies' surrender."

🔹He called the people's 226 consecutive nights of street presence "unparalleled in human history" and the foundation for final victory.