Iran claims victory; France, Saudi seek Hormuz bypass

Iran’s president says the world has accepted that it’s won the war with the United States, while France and Saudi Arabia are expected to discuss plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the US and Israel launched a war with Iran nearly six months ago. 

Meanwhile remarks by the US Ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria appear to contradict official US position over the Golan Heights. Iranian state media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian said the war with the US should end since the world has already accepted that Iran has won. Iran sees its control over the Strait and not giving into US demands as a win.
“The entire world approved our victory and the US is hated,” he said according to IRNA news agency. Iran sees its control over the Strait and not giving into US demands as a win.
The remarks came as the Trump administration is touting a crushing financial campaign against Iran, promising an “economic D-Day” against the country. 
President Donald Trump announced that the US would be imposing an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on Iran, aiming to force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear programme and fully reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.

In an interview, Tom Barrack said that Israel “still” occupies the territory in violation of UN resolutions.

In his comments made to Mario Nawfal, a Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur, Barrack said that “in the Golan, with Syria, they (Israel) still occupy the Golan, against the UN resolutions.”
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981. The UN considers the territory occupied Syrian land and the annexation null and void, with UN resolutions calling for Israel’s withdrawal to the June 4, 1967, line. 

In March 2019, Trump signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, reversing decades of US policy. The move did not change the territory’s status under international law or win broader international recognition.

Colombia became the second country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan this month, joining the United States.
Barrack’s remarks sparked a backlash Saturday from conservative activist and US presidential ally Laura Loomer, who posted on X that he “should resign for his lack of understanding of US foreign policy.”

French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to discuss the effects of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and plans to develop routes around the waterway during the Saudi leader’s two-day visit to Paris beginning Sunday, according to officials in the presidency who are not authorized to be 
publicly named. 

Proposals under consideration include increasing trade through Omani ports outside the Persian Gulf, expanding or doubling pipelines in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, and developing new rail links, the officials said.

France and Saudi Arabia have formed a joint task force on energy and logistics connections between the Middle East and Europe that is scheduled to meet at ministerial level on Monday. 
The officials said the work was already well advanced and would focus on identifying the most strategic projects, securing financing and establishing roles for 
French companies. 

The visit will be Mohammed bin Salman’s first trip abroad since he travelled to Washington in November 2025, according to the officials.     (AP )