Iran hails Hormuz speedboat strategy as veteran IRGC commander urges peace Tehran touts naval tactics as pressure on US intensifiesIranian state-linked media is promoting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) fleet of high-speed attack boats as a key weapon in Tehran's campaign to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, even as a prominent former IRGC commander calls for an end to the country's war with the United States. The contrasting messages highlight growing debate inside Iran over whether to escalate the conflict or seek a negotiated settlement. Speedboats branded Iran's 'winning card'The IRGC-affiliated Hamshahri newspaper described the force's fleet of fast attack craft as Iran's "winning card in the Persian Gulf," arguing that they remain one of Tehran's most effective deterrents against US naval operations. According to the report, Iran's strategy relies on deploying large numbers of small, inexpensive, high-speed boats capable of launching coordinated "swarm attacks" against much larger warships. Rather than matching the US Navy ship for ship, Tehran believes overwhelming an adversary with speed, numbers and manoeuvrability raises the cost of military operations while restricting freedom of movement in the Gulf. The newspaper said the speedboats form part of a wider network of naval mines, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones that together create what it described as a strategic encirclement of the Strait of Hormuz. Veteran IRGC founder calls for peaceWhile hardline voices continue demanding military confrontation with Washington, Brigadier General Hossein Alaei, the first commander of the IRGC Navy, has publicly argued that Iran's interests are better served by ending the war. Alaei said that although Iran had defended itself and retaliated against its enemies, continued fighting ultimately harms the Iranian people. He also praised the now-collapsed memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington, claiming it represented a diplomatic victory for Iran. According to Alaei, Iran conceded little beyond agreeing to future discussions on its nuclear programme, while the agreement temporarily halted Israeli military operations against Lebanon. His intervention reflects a widening split between older IRGC figures favouring de-escalation and hardliners who oppose renewed negotiations with the United States. Iranian students allege repression abroadA separate investigation by BBC Persian alleges Iranian students studying in Belarus have faced detention and deportation after criticising the Islamic Republic on social media. One student, dental trainee Khatereh Khodadadi, said she was arrested after celebrating online reports of the killing of Iran's former Supreme Leader. She claimed Belarusian security agents questioned her political and religious beliefs before imprisoning her and later deporting her to a third country with a 30-year ban from Belarus. Another student alleged the Iranian Embassy in Minsk supplied Belarusian authorities with a list of government critics, accusations the embassy has not publicly addressed. Similar allegations of cooperation between Iranian diplomatic missions and local authorities have also surfaced from Armenia, where some Iranian protesters claim their passports were confiscated. Pilot identified after Qatar strikeIranian media have also identified Brigadier General Majid Kazemi as one of the pilots killed during a March strike against the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Reports say two Iranian Su-24 tactical bombers carried out the attack before being shot down while returning to Iran. The operation had previously received little official acknowledgment, and Iranian authorities have released few details about the mission or the identities of the other aircrew involved. The latest disclosures come as fighting between Iran, the United States and regional allies continues to expand, with military activity spreading across the Gulf, Iraq and Yemen while competing voices inside Tehran debate whether the conflict should continue or give way to diplomacy. SOURCE
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