Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that France has agreed to accelerate the delivery of equipment and missiles to Ukraine and will provide licenses for the production of relevant missiles, following a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Zelensky said in a social media post that he briefed Macron on recent strikes on Ukrainian territory, stressing that air defense systems remain Ukraine's most pressing need. He said Macron expressed readiness to help facilitate communication between Ukraine and other partner countries that have the necessary missiles for the Patriot air defense system.
Macron also posted on social media that he was shocked by the heavy civilian casualties caused by a strike on a shopping center in Ukraine. He said he had confirmed with Zelensky that France would step up support for Ukraine's air defense capabilities, in particular by providing interceptor missiles.
According to Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinform, Russian drone strikes hit a shopping center and other facilities in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, killing at least 16 people and wounding 130 others.
Zelensky says France to accelerate air defense deliveries to Ukraine
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), the body responsible for maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, announced on Sunday that vessels violating Iranian protocols for transiting the waterway will face restrictions on their future passages.
It made the announcement in a post on social media platform X while listing some of the restrictions as "fines, detention, or confiscation."
The PGSA called on "cargo owners shipping to and from the Persian Gulf" to review the list of "Non-Compliant Vessels" on its website prior to chartering to avoid potential issues.
Meanwhile, Hassan Qashqavi, spokesman of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, said on Sunday that the committee has approved an article of a draft plan aimed at safeguarding security in the strait, under which the country will charge fees for the services it provides in the waterway, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
He said that the article was approved during the committee's Sunday meeting, saying based on it, fees will be charged for the navigation, environmental services, refueling under special conditions, insurance and safety services provided by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.
Iran says violating vessels to face restrictions on future passages through Hormuz Strait
