Bin Ghafir seeks to take over the defense portfolio and tensions escalate in the Strait of Hormuz

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced on Tuesday that he will seek to assume the defense portfolio in the next government, about a month before the legislative elections, according to Agence France-Presse.

The far-right minister said, during a press conference in Jerusalem: “The reason for my candidacy is that it is time to change the prevailing mentality within the Israeli army.”

Ben Gvir, one of the most prominent pillars of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, added: “The time has come to change the security doctrine of the State of Israel, with one goal, which is to achieve a decisive victory on all fronts.”

The minister presented a “security plan” that includes “encouraging voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, disarming the Palestinian Authority, which he describes as “terrorist,” in addition to enhancing support for Israeli soldiers.

In early September, Ben Gvir, known for his provocative statements and movements, presented a proposal to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population and send them abroad.

His announcement of his candidacy for the position of Defense Minister sparked a wave of condemnation among the Israeli opposition.

Gadi Eisenkot, the prime ministerial candidate, accused his main rival, Netanyahu, on the “X” platform, of having “lost his mind” for accepting “the criminal Ben Gvir” into his coalition.

In his youth, Ben Gvir was previously accused more than 50 times of incitement to hatred or violence.

The Strait of Hormuz has returned to the forefront of the American-Iranian escalation, with injuries recorded in two oil and gas tankers during separate incidents, coinciding with Iranian threats to expand the scope of the war and use new weapons, while Washington says that more than 2,000 commercial ships have crossed the Strait during the past months, within American protection and coordination arrangements, amid the continuing sharp decline in navigation traffic through the strategic corridor.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that the oil tanker LR Stephanie, flying the Isle of Man flag, was hit by an unknown projectile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in two crew members being slightly injured.

The Al Maryah liquefied gas tanker, flying the Liberian flag, was also hit while exiting the strait.

The agency said that the party responsible for the two accidents has not yet been determined, while the two tankers continued sailing and did not need to be towed.

It added that neither ship was on the list of ships considered non-compliant by the Iranian Strait of Hormuz Authority.

New hits

On Tuesday, the United States announced the implementation of new strikes on targets belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard inside Iran, in an escalation that coincides with continued tension around the Strait of Hormuz and the targeting of commercial shipping traffic in the region.

The US Central Command (Centcom) said that the strikes came in response to what it described as “attack attempts” recently carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, targeting commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, in addition to American forces deployed in the region.

According to the American account, the strikes targeted military sites linked to the capabilities of the Revolutionary Guard, as part of operations aimed at reducing its ability to threaten commercial shipping and American forces in the region.

The US Central Command had previously announced the continuation of its military operations against Iranian targets linked to the threat to US navigation and forces, while Washington says that its operations aim to reduce Iranian capabilities that can be used against commercial ships and US forces in the region.

Explosions in Qeshm

On the other hand, Iranian television reported hearing the sound of five explosions in the village of Musan on Qeshm Island, in addition to four explosions in the Strait of Hormuz region, while the Fars Agency quoted its sources as hearing the sound of explosions in the cities of Kanarak and Chabahar in the Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran.

Iran also announced, at dawn today, an attack with “Arash” drones that targeted, according to the Iranian account, fuel tanks and accommodation for American forces at the Sheikh Issa base in Bahrain.

There was no immediate American independent confirmation of the extent of the damage that Tehran said it caused to the base, while the Iranian announcement comes within the framework of a series of mutual attacks between the two parties on military sites and targets related to navigation in the region.

It was also not possible to independently verify immediately the nature of the sites that were subjected to the strikes or the extent of the damage resulting from them, while Iranian reports of the explosions came in the wake of the American announcement of carrying out the strikes.

Navigation decline

These incidents come at a time when navigation traffic through the strait has recorded a significant decline. Preliminary data reported by Reuters showed that only two commercial ships crossed the strait on Monday, compared to ten ships the day before, and at levels well below the average movement before the outbreak of war, when about 125 large commercial ships crossed the strait daily.

The agency indicated that tracking data may not reflect the entire navigation movement; There could be ships crossing the strait with their automatic identification devices turned off to avoid detection.

Qalibaf: We can hit any target

In Tehran, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said that Iran is now able to launch its missiles “without obstacles” at any target it wants.

Qalibaf said, during a ceremony honoring veterans of the Iraq-Iran war and reported by Tasnim Agency, that his country had moved from a stage in which it was facing difficulties even in obtaining barbed wire, and its cannons had a range of no more than 14 or 15 kilometers, to a stage in which it could target “any point it wanted” with its missiles.

The Iranian Parliament Speaker added that his country would not surrender in what he described as a “hybrid war,” which he said included the economic, military, and diplomatic fields, stressing that Iran would respond forcefully, according to what was reported by “Tasnim.”

Threatening the “Guards”

In the same context, the spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Brigadier General Hussein Mohebi, said that Iran would change the scope of its operations if it was exposed to a new attack, speaking about the possibility of using weapons that he described as “amazing.”

Tasnim News Agency quoted Mohebi as saying that the war showed that Iran was able to continuously develop and test new weapons, noting that one of these tests took place during an attack targeting an American aircraft carrier. The Iranian official refused to reveal the details of the weapon he was talking about, saying only that the test achieved a successful result, according to his account.

Mohebi said that the Revolutionary Guard continues to work on developing its military capabilities and producing and testing new systems, adding that what happened during the recent confrontation showed, according to his assessment, that some advanced American military technologies have become accessible to Iranian forces.

In another statement reported by “Tasnim,” Mohebi said that the naval forces of the Revolutionary Guard seized an American unmanned submarine, and that Iran intends to study the technologies found in it through what he described as “reverse engineering.” There is no independent American confirmation of this story in the available information.

The Iranian official also spoke about the Strait of Hormuz as one of the main power cards in the confrontation, saying that Tehran will not allow navigation arrangements to be imposed on it by force, and threatening to expand the scope of the confrontation if the United States resumes military operations against Iran.

Mohebi's statements come at a time when Tehran is treating the strait as an essential part of the confrontation with Washington, while the United States and its regional partners are trying to keep some shipping movement through the vital corridor.

The statements of Ghalibaf and Mohebi reflect an escalation in Iranian military rhetoric. It combines hints at advanced missile capabilities, talk about new weapons that have been tested, and warnings against expanding the scope of operations if Iran is exposed to a new attack.

An American move to secure navigation

On the other hand, US Central Command (Centcom) said that more than 2,000 commercial ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz during the past months as part of protection and coordination arrangements led by US forces in cooperation with regional partners.

The US command also reported the redirection of more than 100 commercial ships as part of its maritime measures related to the blockade imposed on Iran, while Washington says that these measures aim to ensure compliance with restrictions imposed on the movement of ships linked to Iranian ports.

This comes at a time when Central Command says that US forces and their partners are working to keep the main transit corridors open to trade and energy movement, in the face of the security risks that have now surrounded the strait.

New York atmosphere

These statements coincide with a remarkable political development regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Today, Reuters quoted a senior Iranian official as saying that Tehran is ready to reopen the Strait within seven days, on the condition that the United States takes initial steps to reduce military pressure and lift the blockade on Iranian ports.

According to Reuters, the Iranian delegation present in New York to participate in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly has full powers to enter into diplomatic negotiations, while Tehran submitted a proposal to end hostilities to the United States through mediators on September 16.

Reuters reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is in New York, coinciding with the presence of US President Donald Trump to participate in the General Assembly meetings, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington is open to holding talks with the Iranians, without setting a date for a direct meeting yet.

In New York, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said, after his arrival to participate in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, that the goal of the visit is to defend the rights and interests of the Iranian people, considering that the United Nations represents an international platform to present his country’s position.

Araqchi added that confidence in the international organization had been damaged, accusing some countries of giving themselves and their allies the right to act without adhering to international law.

He said that the General Assembly meetings constitute an opportunity to discuss the reasons for the decline in confidence in the United Nations and ways to restore it, according to what was reported by Iranian media.

After his arrival in New York, Araqchi made a phone call with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, during which they discussed the agenda of the General Assembly and the organization’s efforts to promote international peace and security, according to Tasnim Agency.