1 million ago Norwegian teenager sentenced in the UK to 20 years in prison for planning a murder for a gang linked to Iran A Norwegian teenager convicted of traveling to Britain to carry out a contract murder on behalf of an international criminal gang linked to Iran was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison. Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was convicted in July of conspiracy to murder for agreeing to shoot an unknown person for $28,000 last year. He was arrested at a hotel in Huddersfield, northern England, with two guns and ammunition two days after arriving in the UK. In body camera video released by police in the early hours of March 19, 2025, Natland emerges topless from his room and imitates a shooting gesture at an officer with firearms before being slammed against a wall. It is still unknown who his target would have been. Natland, who was working part-time at a pizzeria at the time of his arrest, was recruited by a Swedish organized crime group known as Foxtrot Network while playing online games. The group has links to the Iranian government, according to London’s counter-terrorism police unit. Natland was hired by a 17-year-old young man known as “Generalen.” Last year, a Norwegian court convicted the teenager of attempting to “contribute to murder” and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. A 16-year-old boy is awaiting trial in Norway for his role in the conspiracy. CBS/AP 50 minutes ago Iranian navy says oil tanker burning in Gulf of Oman The Iranian navy said Friday it had identified a burning oil tanker in what it called a prohibited area in the Gulf of Oman, east of the Strait of Hormuz. The navy’s public relations office said in a statement that military surveillance teams “discovered and identified an offending tanker that had caught fire in a prohibited zone.” The ship had “disconnected its tracking systems and was attempting to pass through a prohibited zone in the Gulf of Oman.” The navy did not say how the tanker “caught fire” but added that “the consequences of uncoordinated movements along routes and in prohibited areas are the creation of insecurity and serious dangers for other vessels.” At least three commercial vessels have been hit in the region in suspected Iranian attacks this week. 50 million ago Iran says Strait of Hormuz will reopen if US ‘abandons region’ The Strait of Hormuz will reopen if US “abandons” the Middle East, an Iranian military officer said on Friday. “If the United States leaves the region, the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened and collective security will be established with the participation of countries in the region, and the global economy will improve,” army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia wrote in X. “If you don’t leave, we will expel you.” He did not elaborate on whether he was calling for a withdrawal of military forces sent during the current war, of all US military forces in the region or of US government military and non-military personnel. Ships are seen in the Strait of Hormuz from Bandar Abbas beach, Iran, October 13, 2026. Razieh Poudat/ISNA/WANA/REUTERS Although there were credible reports earlier this month that Persian Gulf oil exports have risen again to near pre-war levels, Iran and the United States continue to offer conflicting narratives, with the Trump administration insisting that the Strait of Hormuz is open, but Tehran claims it is closed. to all traffic unless permission is granted by the Iranian authorities. Greek maritime risk firm Marisks warned Thursday that ships continue to face “indiscriminate attacks” even if they turn off their tracking systems, which many ships have been doing to avoid detection. 50 million ago Iran’s president says Middle East conflict amounts to ‘ecocide’ Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday urged countries to condemn what he called “ecocide” in the Middle East caused by “wars of aggression” against his country. Pezeshkian said conflicts in Gaza and the broader Middle East had taken a significant toll on nature that extended beyond national borders and required “international solutions.” genocide, and it must be condemned,” Pezeshkian said at a nature summit in Armenia attended by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Pezeshkian denounced an “atmosphere of mistrust” between Iran and the United States in a recent interview with CBS News. “As long as they don’t stop doing what they impose on us every day, it will be difficult to trust them,” he said. “Every day the sanctions against us increase. Every day they threaten us. Every day they beat us and do not respect what they have written. So if they do engage in talks, will they actually pursue them?”CBS/AFP 50 minutes ago White House prepares plans to use weapon dubbed ‘mother of all bombs’ on Iran, sources say The White House and the Pentagon have prepared plans to use a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb to attack military sites in Iran if ordered by President Trump, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. A Pentagon official told CBS News: “The War Department plans a wide range of operational scenarios to execute direction at the presidential and secretary level and ensure mission success in any operational environment.” He also touted “productive talks” with Iran, although he did not provide details. CNN first reported Thursday on plans to use the massive ordnance aerial bomb, or MOAB, on Iran. Trump set a precedent with the use of the MOAB, also known as the “mother of all bombs,” when it was used in 2017 to attack. an Islamic State cave complex in Afghanistan. The bomb is the United States’ largest non-nuclear weapon, weighing more than 30,000 pounds and costing $170,000 each.
