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Patriot to Crete
Greece moved a Patriot air defense battery to Crete after threats by senior Iranian officials against US bases in Europe, according to Kathimerini as cited by The Jerusalem Post.
“Greece has moved a Patriot air defense battery to Crete”
The report said the battery, personnel and equptment were moved overnight and were expected to be deployed near the Souda military base as Greece’s Defense Ministry and armed forces remained on heightened alert.
The Jerusalem Post also said allied intelligence was concerned that Iran still has a significant number of ballistic missiles, with a reported range of over 2,000 km that would place parts of southeastern Europe, including Greece, within range.
In parallel, PBS reported that Iran’s hard-line leader of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, warned on X that "If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner," and said Iran would target other oil-shipping routes from the Persian Gulf.
PBS added that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said a memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June was the best way to move beyond a situation of "neither war nor peace," while the interim deal opened a 60-day period for talks that ended last week with no signs of compromise or extension.
Retaliation and negotiations
PBS said Iran’s top security body warned that Tehran would see any country’s support for new U.S. economic measures as an "act of war," while Iran’s president defended the mid-June memorandum as the best path out of the stalled conflict.
On the same track of escalation, News On AIR said tensions escalated after President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Tehran, with negotiations remaining stalled over uranium stockpiles, sanctions relief, and compensation for war-related damages.
News On AIR reported that Iranian media said the U.S. wants Iran to hand over 400 kilograms of enriched uranium to the US and keep only one nuclear facility active, and also wants to drop demands for war compensation and accept that most frozen Iranian assets will stay blocked.
The PBS account described a recently created Iranian authority listing dozens of vessels it said would face restrictions on future transits, while the U.S. military said its blockade of Iranian ports had redirected 70 commercial ships and disabled three as of Sunday.
PBS further said Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir would lead a delegation to Tehran on Monday, with Iranian state television citing Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, and describing the visit as part of Islamabad’s efforts to de-escalate tensions between the United States and Iran.
Sanctions, mediation, and risk
The Jerusalem Post reported that Athens was in contact with the US and Israel over potential threats to military bases in Greece and Cyprus, while it also described Tehran considering attacking US bases in Europe if conflict escalates.
“"Any escalation in this situation will undoubtedly have consequences,"”
Cadena 3 Argentina said Iran promised a tough response to new U.S. sanctions, quoting Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei warning that "Any escalation in this situation will undoubtedly have consequences," and adding that Iran’s hands were not tied.
Cadena 3 Argentina also said Iran maintained conditions for reopening the strait, including lifting the US naval blockade, the withdrawal of American forces from the region, and reparations for damages suffered during the war.
Al-Jazirah Net framed the diplomatic effort as a test for mediators, saying Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi would visit Tehran on Tuesday to complete consultations, and that Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Monday as part of regional mediation.
Al-Jazirah Net tied the mediation to the stalled memorandum timeline, saying the deadline specified in the memorandum expired on August 17 without an extension or a final agreement, after which "the military tension rose again" and General Asim Munir returned to Tehran amid unprecedented mutual threats.