Iran’s Hormuz toll system targets Saudi-China oil trade – Saudi outlet

7 hours ago

House of Saud, a geopolitical analysis and intelligence outlet focused on Saudi Arabia,reported that Iran’s wartime management of the Strait of Hormuz has created a tiered access system that pressures Saudi crude exports while allowing some regional partners to keep moving through the waterway.

The outlet saidIran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority charges Chinese-linked vessels up to $2 million per transit to move Saudi crude through Hormuz, while Indian-flagged tankers are allowed through free under a bilateral arrangement.

According to the analysis, the system is not a full closure of Hormuz but a managed-access regime with three tracks: exemptions for countries such as India, Iraq and Pakistan; tolls for Chinese-linked operators; and enforcement exposure for vessels that do not comply.

House of Saud said the main effect has been on Saudi Arabia’s oil relationship with China, citing market data showing Saudi crude exports to China have fallen by more than 60 percent since the start of the war.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202605300206

The report said Iran’s approach has made Saudi crude less competitive for Chinese refiners by adding toll, insurance and sanctions-related costs, while Russian pipeline crude reaching China avoids Hormuz entirely.

It also said Saudi Arabia has redirected much of its India-bound crude through the East-West Pipeline to the Red Sea terminal at Yanbu, reducing reliance on Hormuz for that trade. But the outlet argued that the route creates a new concentration risk because it cannot carry all Saudi output and could itself become vulnerable if the conflict expands.

House of Saud said the US Treasury’s recent designation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority adds another layer of pressure by raising sanctions risks for companies or states dealing with Iran’s Hormuz system.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202605304365

Hegseth says blockade on Iran in place as Hormuz dispute deepens

Vessels anchored at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, May 30, 2026.

Summary

• Trump left a roughly two-hour Situation Room meeting without deciding on an Iran deal, NYT reported, though US officials still believe an agreement may be close.

• US and Iranian accounts about a possible agreement diverged sharply, with IRGC-linked outlets saying no final text exists and rejecting Trump’s claims on Hormuz, uranium and frozen funds.

• Hormuz remains central to talks, with Iran saying about 20 ships are crossing daily under IRGC coordination while US and UK forces warned of military operations nearby.

•Tehran’s hardliners intensified pressure on the negotiating team, warning against trust in US talks and rejecting nuclear concessions.

• US military pressure continued, with Hegseth warning Iran to accept the deal or face force and CENTCOM saying US forces remain vigilant in the region.

• Messages from inside Iran point to worsening hardship and social pressure, from medicine shortages and job cuts to renewed morality patrols after the war.

1 hour ago

Hegseth says US blockade of Iran is still in place

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said thenaval blockade on Iran remains in place and warned Tehran that Washington is ready to use military force again if diplomacy failsto produce a deal preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“The blockade is very much still in place,” Hegseth said in Singapore, adding that the Strait of Hormuz had come up repeatedly in talks with US partners.

He said any eventual outcome, whether through agreement or continued pressure,must leave the Strait of Hormuz open and free of tolls.

“Once a deal is had or not, depending on the choice they make, it will be an open strait, a toll-free strait that the entire world can use, which is the way that it should be,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth said Iran claims to control the waterway, but argued that US military pressure had shaped the negotiating dynamics.

“They want to say that they control the Strait, but we do,” he said. “Everything behind the scenes shows that we are in control when it comes to that, including how the dynamics of the negotiation are coming together.”

On the nuclear talks, Hegseth said President Donald Trump’s position had not changed and that any deal must ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

“The goalposts haven’t shifted at all,” he said, adding that Iran knew “very, very clearly” what Washington expected from the negotiations.

“We think we’re in a good place to make that deal,” Hegseth said. “Or they can deal with the War Department. And we are prepared. We’re postured even stronger today than we were on day one to address it that way if we have to.”

Hegseth also said the United States remained focused on strengthening its defense industrial base, including production of air defense missiles, Tomahawks and other munitions, while investing in drone capabilities.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202605308417

Some of these articles are pretty funny!

1. 2 hours ago

Maritime advisory says Iran port blockade threat level remains critical

The Joint Maritime Information Center saidthe US blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect and warned ships operating near the Strait of Hormuzand surrounding waters to comply with directions from blockading forces.

In an advisory dated May 29, JMIC said the maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz remains “critical” because of blockade operations.

The advisory saida restricted area is in place due to military blockade operationsin the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the North Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

It said the blockade restricts all traffic entering or leaving Iranian ports, andthat ships helping vessels violate the blockade through ship-to-ship transfersare also considered in breach of the blockade.

JMIC warned that enforcementcould include “disabling and destructive fires” against vessels that do not immediately complywith blockading forces.

Theadvisory urged ships to monitor VHF Channel 16, keep AIS transmissions in linewith company policy, clearly show their transit intentions and report unusual activity to recognized reporting centers.

It said the warning zone wasnot intended to block neutral or merchant shipping, but warned that the US Navy could not guarantee the safety of vessels in areas where military operations are underway.

Ships and aircraft crossing the area were advised to avoid the zone if possible, maintain a 30-nautical-mile distance from US units and be ready to respond to US military hails or queries.

2

2 hours ago

US warnings to ships continue after Trump says blockade will lift – IRGC media

IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency said US military warnings to vessels were continuingdespite President Donald Trump’s remarks that the naval blockade affecting ships in the Strait of Hormuz “will now be lifted.”

Tasnim wrote that mariners hadsaid CENTCOM warnings related to stopping Iranian shipswere still continuing, even after Trump said vessels caught in the strait because of the US blockade could begin the process of “heading home.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iran must agree never to obtain a nuclear weapon, the Strait of Hormuz must be opened immediately without tolls and with unrestricted shipping in both directions,and remaining mines must be removed or destroyed.

Trump also said Iran’s enriched nuclear material would be recovered by the United States, in coordination with the Islamic Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and destroyed.

He made the remarks before heading to the Situation Room to make a final determination on the possible agreement but left the meeting without any decision. (Iran is mad because Trump could be lying to them, when all they do is lie to us!)

3.

3 hours ago

Khamenei adviser says Trump’s blockade shows he does not want talks(silly idiots, everything they say Trump is doing, is they do first it and again)

Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, accused President Donald Trump of “betraying diplomacy” by continuing the US naval blockade and making what he called excessive demands in negotiations.

“The US president is betraying diplomacy for the third time,” Rezaei wrote on X. (KEK, Iran is the snake that they woman brought home.)

He said Trump’s continuation of the naval blockade and his demands at the negotiating tableshowed he was not serious about diplomacy and was pursuing other objectives. (Honestly these idiots think that are unfolding the best diplomacy, they really just get mad when they get caught in lies all the time, and the pretend they are abiding by all the rules.)

EXCLUSIVE

How an IRGC-linked money laundering network operates from London. 1/2

Mojtaba Pourmohsen

Iran International

May 20, 2026, 00:54 GMT+1

A family-run financial network accused of laundering money for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards =•has been operating from London and moving funds through shell companies in China and the UAE, according to sanctions records== and leaked documents reviewed by Iran International.

On May 11, the British government sanctioned four members of the Zaringhalam family forlinks to individuals whose activities contribute to instability in the United Kingdom. At least three of them are believed to reside in London.

One of the sanctioned individuals is Farhad Zaringhalam, 44, a specialist in wireless communications and financial technology who earned both his bachelor’s degree and PhD in electronics from King’s College London.

A former Nokia employee who holds British citizenship,he serves on the board of Pergas Petro Trade Group in Iran and manages a company in Singapore. An address registered under his name belongs to a company in Dubai’s Sama Tower, both of which have been sanctioned by the United States for laundering money for the IRGC.

Some members of IRGC money laundering network in London

Farhad did not respond to Iran International’s requests for comment buttold the Daily Mail he would challenge the British government’s decision.

The widerZaringhalam family has long been linked to sanctions evasion and financial networksserving the Islamic Republic.

Nasser Zaringhalam, 66, owns Berelian Exchange. Three years ago, Iran International published exclusive footage of conversations inside his exchange office in which he explicitly referred to circumventing sanctions.

In June 2025, theUS Treasury Department sanctioned both Nasserand hisexchange house for involvement in terrorism financing.

Documents published by WikiIran show thatNasser and his exchange office registered at least 37 shell companies in the UAE and Chinaand maintained more than 140 bank accounts there to evade sanctions.

One document shows him asking Zagros Petrochemical Company to transfer €3 millionto Fanzhian International, a shell company in China. The transaction was processed through Zhishank Bank.

The principal shareholder ofZagros Petrochemical Company is Parsian Oil and Gas Group, which belongs to Ghadir Investment Company, the holding company of the Armed Forces Social Security Organization.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202605191058

>>24660792

2/2

The CEO of Parsian Oil and Gas Group is IRGC Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi Dastjerdi, a former deputy defense minister.

Ahmad Vahid Dastjerdi, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (left)

Another leaked document reviewed by Iran International indicates that Nasser Zaringhalam laundered money for Shiraz Petrochemical Company through Moderate General Trading, his UAE-basedexchange house, which is also under US sanctions. The principal shareholder of Shiraz Petrochemical is likewise the Armed Forces Social Security Organization.

A separate document showsmore than €890,000 transferred through a shell companyinto a bank accountin China before the funds were moved onward to Germany.

According to available records, Nasser Zaringhalamholds citizenship from Saint Kitts and owns a house in Finchley, a district in North London with a large Iranian population.

Britain has also sanctioned Nasser’s son, Pouria Zaringhalam, 29, who holds both British and Saint Kitts citizenship. According to municipal registration records, he has lived in properties in Finchley and Canary Wharf in recent years. In Iran, he serves on the board of Mehr Shabestan Mazandaran Company.

British authorities have confirmed he resides in London.Samples from Mansour Zarrinqalam’s cooperation documents with Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company

Another sanctioned family member, Mansour Zaringhalam, 63, owns Mansour Zaringhalam & Partners Company, also known as GCM Exchange. The United States sanctioned him and his exchange office last year for financing the IRGC.

One leaked document shows Mansour delivering funds belonging to Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company in cash after laundering the money and transferring it back to Iran.

Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company, Iran’s second-largest company by revenue, has been sanctioned for financing the IRGC Quds Force and is a major economic arm linked to the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters.

In a contract reviewed by Iran International, Mansour committed himself to creating “a suitable financial structure” for transferring money and receiving foreign currency payments. Another clause stated that he would reduce transfer risks by establishing such a network “while observing security principles.”

Britain also sanctioned Fazlollah Zaringhalam, 74, brother of Nasser and Mansour. Fazlollah, who also holds British citizenship,owns Zaringhalam & Partners Exchange and resides in London, according to the British Treasury.

Eight years ago, one of Fazlollah’s sons, Farshad, who owned an exchange office in Tehran, was sentenced to ten years in prison for disrupting Iran’s foreign exchange system. Another son, Behzad, owns an exchange office in Tehran’s Saadat Abad district.

In Tehran, however, the network’s operations appear to be coordinated in part by Mitra Zaringhalam, sister of the Zaringhalam brothers. The 53-year-old owns Zarin Tehran Investment Company. Both she and her company have been sanctioned by the United States for financing terrorism.

The sanctions come amid heightened scrutiny of Iranian-linked activity in Britain following a string of incidents in North London targeting Jewish sites and media organizations opposed to the Islamic Republic.

The group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, which is close to the Iranian government, has claimed responsibility on social media for some of the attacks.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202605191058

Watch your back Iran and UK

No One Saw this Coming: Trump Just Conquered Iran Like Alexander the Great

11:29

Promethean overview

https://youtu.be/tTlDdNgsWFY