The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force has stated that Iran’s advanced missiles and aerospace drones are fully locked on American targets and enemy ships across the Persian Gulf region, with forces standing by for the final order to strike.

“The missiles and aerospace drones are locked on the enemy and we are waiting for the firing order,” Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi said in a statement posted on social media on Saturday evening.

The senior IRGC commander’s statement comes amid escalating US provocations in the Persian Gulf and sends a crystal-clear message that the Islamic Republic will not tolerate further American aggression.

This firm warning follows the IRGC’s recent decisive response to hostile American actions. After US forces launched strikes on Iranian ships and tankers near Jask, the IRGC Navy swiftly mounted a precise and overwhelming counter-operation using anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and high-explosive drones.

The Iranian strikes inflicted heavy damage on enemy assets and forced the US vessels to flee the area in disarray.

Iranian officials have condemned these reckless US maneuvers as a dangerous threat to regional maritime security and international navigation.

The IRGC Navy has stressed that the only safe and authorized corridors for transit through the strategic Strait of Hormuz are those designated by the Islamic Republic. Any deviation or hostile move by foreign forces will be met with firm, immediate, and decisive confrontation.

Exercising complete and intelligent control over this vital waterway, the IRGC Navy continues to protect Iranian vessels while safeguarding the security of the Persian Gulf.

The IRGC remains fully prepared and on high alert, ready to respond at a moment’s notice to protect Iran’s interests and the security of the Persian Gulf.

• No Russian military hardware was on display.
• Putin invokes Soviet victory to rally support for army.
• Ukraine, Russia exchange drone attacks overnight.
  

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that his soldiers in Ukraine were fighting an “aggressive force” backed by all of Nato and described his war goals as “just”, in a combative address to the annual Victory Day parade on Red Square.

Putin has made the memory of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II a central narrative of his 25-year rule, and authorities typically mark the parade with pomp and grandeur.

But a spate of Ukrainian long-range attacks in recent weeks prompted the Kremlin to ramp up security measures and downsize this year’s celebrations.

The parade was vastly scaled back compared to previous years, with no military hardware on display for the first time in nearly two decades and only a handful of foreign dignitaries in attendance — most of them leaders of Russia’s close allies.

Both Moscow and Kyiv agreed to observe a three-day ceasefire over the event, following a last-minute appeal from US President Donald Trump. Moscow had threatened a “massive” strike on central Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted the proceedings.

In an address to the parade, attended by Russian military units as well as soldiers from North Korea, Putin invoked the Soviet victory to rally support for his army in Ukraine.

“The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today,” Putin said.

“They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire Nato bloc. And despite this, our heroes move forward,” he said.

“I firmly believe that our cause is just,” he added later.

Three-day ceasefire

After two failed attempts at truces this week by both Russia and Ukraine, Trump announced on Friday a three-day ceasefire between both sides would come into effect from May 9.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard-fought War,” Trump posted on his Truth Social network, adding the ceasefire would be accompanied by a prisoner exchange.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree on Friday ordering the Ukrainian military not to attack the parade and in a separate statement confirmed his government would adhere to the ceasefire to enable the swap of 1,000 detainees from each warring side.

“Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be returned home,” Zelensky said, referring to the historic site in the Russian capital where the annual event is held.

Both the Ukrainian air force and Russian defence ministry reported fewer drone attacks overnight.

Now in its fifth year, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and spiralled into Europe’s deadliest since World War II.

US-mediated talks on ending the fighting have shown little progress since February, when Washington shifted focus to its war against Iran.

Before Trump’s announcement on Friday, Zelensky had balked at the idea of a truce over the parade and warned Moscow’s allies against attending.

Russia had threatened a massive strike on the heart of Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted the commemoration and urged foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital ahead of the event.

Security was tight in the capital before the parade, with AFP reporters seeing empty streets.

Mobile internet was also disrupted.

Only the leaders of Belarus, Malaysia and Laos, as well as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, were set to attend, in contrast to high-profile visitors including China’s Xi Jinping during last year’s event.

Zelensky expressed hope on Friday that US envoys would visit Ukraine in the coming weeks to reboot talks on ending the war.

A flight aborted its takeoff from Denver International Airport late on Friday after striking a person on the runway, with at least one passenger injured, according to the airport and US media reports.

Denver International Airport said in a statement that “Frontier Flight 4345 reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff” at around 11:19pm (local time).

The person hit “was at least partially consumed by one of the engines,” ABC News reported citing an unidentified official. Their condition was not immediately clear.

The airport said “there was a brief engine fire that was promptly extinguished” by the Denver Fire Department.

“We’re stopping on the runway, we just hit somebody, we have an engine fire… There was an individual walking across the runway,” a pilot told air traffic controllers, according to audio from ATC.com.

Emergency crews responded to the scene and bussed passengers to the terminal, the airport said on X.

According to ABC, at least one passenger suffered minor injury.

Frontier Airlines told AFP that the Airbus A321 was departing for Los Angeles International Airport when the incident occurred.

“Smoke was reported in the cabin and pilots aborted takeoff. Passengers were then safely evacuated via slides as a matter of precaution,” Frontier said in a statement.

The jet was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members, according to Frontier.

“We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities. We are deeply saddened by this event,” the airline added.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and runway 17L at Denver International Airport will remain closed during investigation, according to the airport.