The nuclear file dominated the scene as a briefing addressed the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency's decision to refer Iran's file to the Security Council. The IAEA said Iran had not provided the required information and had not granted it appropriate access to nuclear sites, stressing that any future negotiations must include a clause allowing inspection of Iranian sites. At the Security Council, France's representative demanded to know the fate of 440 kilograms of Iranian uranium, while Russia refused to discuss Iran's nuclear file in the Council. Iran's representative said Israel possesses 200 nuclear warheads outside international oversight and called for non-proliferation in the Middle East, describing the peaceful nuclear program as not threatening global security and peace, and accusing Israel and the United States of impunity. Bahrain's representative said Iran's continued shirking of its international obligations was unacceptable.
On security, the Iranian Navy announced that an oil tanker it described as 'violating' struck naval mines east of the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. Central Command affirmed that its forces remain present in the Strait despite Iran's claims. U.S. President Donald Trump warned of Iranian missile capabilities that could strike Los Angeles, while London spoke of possible Iranian involvement in an alleged targeting of a military base. In southeastern Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan police said gunmen opened fire on a police headquarters in the city of Khash and fled after a clash, and the Revolutionary Guards announced the arrest of members of two terrorist groups in Saravan and Iranshahr. Sources close to Hezbollah said Iran had informed the group of its unwillingness for it to participate in any upcoming war and had not asked it for military intervention, considering that it possesses the necessary capabilities, while Reuters quoted Lebanese security officials as saying Hezbollah had intensified its preparations and received tens of millions of dollars from Iran.
On the domestic front, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said after meeting Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei that the latter enjoys excellent health and is following matters with full oversight and internal calm, noting that the meeting covered war, diplomacy, negotiations, the economic siege, Iran's relations with its strategic partners, especially China, the security of production chains and purchasing power. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since his election as Supreme Leader in March, succeeding his father Ali Khamenei, whom Israel assassinated on February 28, and Iranian authorities have not released video recordings.
Diplomatically and economically, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss bilateral cooperation and energy, with Putin saying construction of the Bushehr nuclear plant continues. Pezeshkian said Washington's measures in the region had shown the need for cooperation among countries subject to U.S. sanctions, that his country sees no need to rely on the United States to settle Middle East issues, warning that the U.S. blockade threatens energy markets and describing unilateral sanctions and forcing countries to comply with them as a blatant violation of international law. Eastward, Iran is seeking to strengthen relations with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan through economic visits and agreements exceeding $400 million covering electricity, oil, gas and railways, amid Iranian reservations over the Taliban's history with Shiites and Hazaras and disputed files including the Helmand River and Chabahar port and Saudi competition for influence in Kabul. A diplomatic source told AFP that an official at the French Embassy in Tehran was subjected to 'intimidation.'