🗣 Key takeaways from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin’s interview with TASS on the sidelines of a Russia-Uzbekistan conference organized by the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the Uzbek president:

▪️Russian forces have seized the initiative on the ground in the conflict with Ukraine

▪️The negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian crisis are currently “on pause” amid US and Israeli aggression against Iran

▪️Russia and Central Asian countries should demonstrate unity and strengthen their partnership amid escalating international tensions and intensifying sanctions pressure

▪️Moscow expresses readiness to normalize relations with Georgia if Tbilisi is also prepared to take such steps

▪️The United States is working to get Kiev to agree to compromises with Moscow

▪️Tashkent is resisting Western pressure and chooses cooperation with Moscow over joining anti-Russian sanctions

▪️The West effectively does not recognize the sovereignty of Central Asian countries and is attempting to obtain data on Russia from them

🇮🇷 An Iranian Majlis representative confirms full consensus across government, military, and top system levels: the Strait of Hormuz will never return to its pre-war status.

"The permanent passage of Israeli ships through the strait will be banned — for all of history, under our management."

Legislation being finalized includes:

➡️ Transit & pilotage tolls on all vessels
➡️ Pollution levies
➡️ Mandatory "Persian Gulf" designation for transiting ships
➡️ Permanent Israeli shipping ban

Full details to be released after parliamentary approval.

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🇺🇸⚔️🇮🇷 "We recommend that within the next 24 hours, families of American military personnel who have been deployed to West Asia contact their children." - Iran's Army Chief on X

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🗣 Key takeaways from Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s statements at the weekly briefing:

▪️Vladimir Zelensky’s pleas for an Easter truce are yet another PR stunt aimed at getting a chance to replenish the losses sustained by Ukraine’s military before continuing hostilities

▪️Zakharova accused the UN Secretariat of deliberately refusing to cooperate with Russia regarding the events that took place in Bucha four years ago

▪️Despite the provocative actions of the United States and Israel, Iran remains committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has maintained dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) until recently

▪️Russia is grateful to Azerbaijani authorities for their assistance in delivering humanitarian aid to Iran

▪️The Russian Foreign Ministry warns Russians of the growing risk of detentions and arrests at the request of the United States in third countries

▪️NATO appears to be edging closer to a military confrontation with Russia, as evidenced by escalating military expenditures and heightened activity

▪️Moscow urges Paris to immediately release the founder of the SOS Donbass organization, Russian citizen Anna Novikova

▪️EU sanctions against Iran will not lead to a normalization of the situation in the Middle East

▪️Transferring control over the Strait of Hormuz to third countries or establishing supranational governing bodies without the consent of every single Gulf state would not help ease tensions in the region

▪️Tehran currently controls the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz; the US cannot challenge this despite all the military power it has amassed in the Middle East and the Indian Ocean

▪️To restore normal, constructive relations with Russia, the European Union must recognize the failure of its current anti-Russian policies

▪European ⁠Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visiting Bucha resembles a return to the crime scene

▪Russia will not accept Israeli threats against the Caspian Sea Region