Just before the latest strikes Trump said Iran would be hit ‘very hard’; UAE says Iranian cruise missiles hit two oil tankers in strait, killing a crew member and wounding eightUS launches third night of strikes on Iran as Trump announces Hormuz blockadeUS Central Command said a little over an hour ago that it had finished the military’s latest wave of strikes against Iran.It said in a statement posted on X:During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping Continue reading...
US military says it hit dozens of Iranian sites in strikes on Monday while UN chief warns that a return to full-scale fighting would be ‘catastrophic’US launches new attack wave on Iran as Tehran says diplomacy has proven ‘futile’In a series of social media posts this morning, Oman’s interior ministry said sirens were being activated and urged residents to head to the nearest safe place and await further instructions.As we mentioned in the opening post, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said earlier that it had attacked radar systems in Oman as part of its counter strikes against the US. Continue reading...
Iran has sought to establish a permanent system for collecting fees in the strait of Hormuz and warned vessels not to sail without its authorisationThe US and Iran have again exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults, with Tehran targeting US facilities in states across the Gulf and saying it had again closed the vital strait of Hormuz.The US military began launching more strikes against Iran at 5 pm ET on Sunday, US Central Command said in a statement, “to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait of Hormuz.” Continue reading...
• Iran has launched attacks against several Gulf countries, including Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the UAE, following new military strikes by the United States.
• In a significant escalation of the Middle East crisis, Tehran has announced its intention to close the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
• Separately, the sudden death of South Carolina Senator Graham, who has served in the Senate since 2003, is expected to cause major political shockwaves in Washington.
Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the UAE reportedly came under attack as Tehran says it is closing Strait of HormuzIndia’s foreign ministry has condemned an attack on the commercial vessel – GFS Galaxy – off the coast of Oman earlier today.It said 10 of the 11 Indian nationals on board have been rescued, while one remains missing.The continuing incidents of attacks on commercial shipping in the region are deeply worrisome. We reiterate our call for immediate de-escalation of tensions, and the conclusion of ongoing negotiations for a diplomatic solution so that peace and stability can return to the region. The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region, in keeping with international law, must be restored at the earliest.We have taken control of the strait of Hormuz with power, and we will preserve it with power as well. Continue reading...
Interim truce looks increasingly precarious as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes on US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and QatarHello and welcome to the Guardian’s coverage of the continuing crisis in the Middle East.Iran was pummelled with a volley of missiles for a second consecutive night, with the US military claiming to have struck 170 Iranian targets in the last 48 hours. Continue reading...
Iranian state media report explosions in several locations hours after Donald Trump threatened further military action at Nato summitIran’s IRNA is reporting power cuts in Chabahar after reports of explosions from the area.Tonight’s strikes come 24 hours after the US had launched strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets around the strait of Hormuz and revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Tehran to export oil after Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Millions join funeral procession in capital of Tehran to mourn Khamenei who was kiled in US-Israel airstrikes in FebruaryGood morning, and welcome to the Middle East live blog.Today marks the start of a mass funeral procession for Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Continue reading...
Iran attacked Bahrain and Kuwait after US strikes, and threatened a ‘complete halt’ to talksUS and Iran trade strikes as both sides accuse the other of endangering ceasefireWelcome to our live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Earlier this morning, Iran has said it launched a joint missile and drone operation targeting eight US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. This comes after the US launched further strikes on multiple targets in Iran, a day after it struck Iran in retaliation for a drone attack on a cargo ship in the strait of Hormuz.Ishaq Dar, Pakistani foreign minister, has reportedly held talks with his Bahraini counterpart, Abdulatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, over the phone to discuss the evolving regional crisis. This comes after Bahrain said it had intercepted a number of missiles and drones from Iran.Several Iraqi political officials were arrested early Sunday on corruption charges, Iraq’s state-run Iraqi news agency reported. It said the arrests were based on statement made by former deputy minister of oil Adnan al-Jumaili, who was arrested last month, and “included members of parliament whose immunity had been lifted.”Israeli soldiers have shot and wounded a Palestinian in the Qalandiya refugee camp – north of occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli forces also detained two people and raided homes, according to Wafa news agency. Continue reading...
The Iranian ambassador to the UN in Geneva described Israeli attacks on Lebanon as a red line in negotiationsHello and welcome to our live blog of the Middle East.The Iranian ambassador to the UN in Geneva has just warned that Tehran’s red line in negotiations with Washington is that Israel will cease attacks on Lebanon, including the capital of Beirut. The ambassador added that Iran “will respond” if Israel violates the memorandum of understanding established on Thursday in any way, including with attacks on Lebanon and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.JD Vance said the talks with Iran created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” to end the war. “The final deal is the house,” the US vice-president told reporters. “We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people.”When asked how soon IAEA inspectors could come to Iran, JD Vance said nuclear inspectors were called at 2am last night – but no one picked up the call. “As you can expect, not many people are answering their phone at two in the morning,” the vice president said.US secretary of state Marco Rubio will begin a trip to three Gulf countries on Tuesday amid negotiations with Iran to end the war in the Middle East, his spokesperson said. Visiting the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, Rubio will discuss “the memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and free safe transit through the strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region,” state department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.Tehran did not negotiate on its nuclear programme and did not accept any new commitments in Sunday’s talks with the US in Switzerland, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told the official IRNA news agency on Monday. Iran’s interaction with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue in accordance with current procedures, subject to the approval of Iran’s parliament and the decisions of the Supreme National Security Council, Baghaei added. Continue reading...
Temperatures could hit 38-40C in parts of England and Wales, smashing June record set in 1976; red alerts in France after 19 heat deathsTwo children found dead in car in France as heatwave hits EuropeWith temperatures forecast to reach 38-40C in parts of England and Wales, Britain’s national weather forecaster issued a rare red weather warning covering an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday.These were reserved for the most severe events, the Met Office said, meaning this heatwave was expected to bring “severe and significant impacts” including widespread health risks for many – not just those who were normally more vulnerable to the heat – and even danger to life. Continue reading...
Negotiations due to continue for rest of week in Switzerland after tense start as Iranians protest against threat from Donald TrumpIran hails ‘progress’ as first day of talks with US conclude after shaky startThe first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran ended in Switzerland on Monday, mediators said, after a tense opening marked by Tehran saying it had again closed the strait of Hormuz and Donald Trump repeating his threats to resume attacks on Iran.Mediators Qatar and Pakistan said Washington and Tehran agreed to a roadmap towards a final deal within 60 days and that technical talks would continue for the rest of the week in the Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock.The talks had a tense start, with Iranian negotiators walking out in protest against Trump’s threats. Iranian state media said the talks had entered a “difficult phase” and recessed after the “publication of an insulting message by the US president”. But high-level negotiations continued before concluding in the early hours of Monday, with Pakistan and Qatar saying technical talks between the two sides would continue for the rest of the week.After Trump’s threats became public, the Iranian delegation refused to return to the room where talks were held, though messages were still being traded via Pakistani and Qatari mediators, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media his country had secured waivers for oil and petrochemical exports, the release of some frozen assets and the launch of a reconstruction and development plan for Iran. The US did not immediately comment on the claims.Iran said at the weekend that it had again stopped maritime traffic through the Hormuz strait, in response to continuing fighting in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, and that Sunday’s talks would not cover substantive issues such as Iran’s nuclear program.In Switzerland, US vice-president JD Vance played down the impact of the violence in Lebanon, saying progress had been made towards ending hostilities there. “These things are always a little bit messy,” said Vance, leading the American delegation.In the US, Trump threatened to resume attacks on Iran if it did not rein in its allies. “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump said on social media, apparently referring to Hezbollah. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”Despite Trump’s threats, Vance told reporters the US president had “asked us to turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran”.Five vessels passed the strait on Sunday, a sharp drop from the 26 ships spotted a day earlier, data from analytics firm Kpler showed. The data may exclude vessels that switch off their transponders while travelling in the Gulf.Sunday appeared to be the quietest day in Lebanon for some time, with no reports of major violence by nightfall, after two days of heavy Israeli strikes, which killed many people including civilians, and fire from Hezbollah fighters on Israeli positions. Reuters journalists in southern Lebanon on Sunday saw some of the heaviest traffic since the memorandum of understanding was signed, with residents returning to their homes, some waving Hezbollah flags.With news agencies Continue reading...
IDF claims continuing strikes come after Iran-backed group repeatedly violated ceasefire; JD Vance cancels trip as US-Iran talks set for Friday cancelledUS-Iran talks in Switzerland abruptly called offJD Vance tells Iran deal critics in Israel: Trump is your only ally left in the worldWelcome to our continuing live coverage of events in the Middle East.Israel’s military says it is attacking Hezbollah in several areas across southern Lebanon and has been striking throughout Thursday night.Vance lashed out at Israeli critics of the Iran deal, saying Donald Trump was Israel’s only ally left in the world, in a sharp rebuke that referenced the billions in defence aid the country receives from America. Trump “is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time”, Vance told reporters.Trump said the US expected “a complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel”, adding in a social media post: “We encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold.”Iran’s supreme leader said he approved the deal with the US despite having a “different view”, without elaborating. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in message read on state television: “In principle, I had a different view [about the memorandum of understanding], but I issued my permission due to the commitment that the honourable [Iranian] president, as the chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, gave me on behalf of himself and other members to protect the rights of the Iranian nation and the resistance front.”In Khamenei’s message on Thursday – his first reaction to the Iran-US deal – he claimed Trump had “used all kinds of levers” to secure the deal “out of desperation”. The US president has claimed the agreement is a victory for Washington and averts a “worldwide depression”.Iran announced plans to introduce a system of maritime fees in the strait of Hormuz after the 60-day period of negotiation triggered by the signing of the memorandum of understanding with the US. Tehran, claiming a historic victory over the US, said the strait was under its control and a European plan for a naval mission to escort ships though the vital waterway would not be welcome, reports Patrick Wintour.Vance said the 60-day period in which to reach a final agreement with Iran started on Thursday. That would set a deadline for the final agreement between Iran and the US as 17 August.US Central Command ended its blockade in the Hormuz strait, it announced on social media. The US naval blockade of the strait had been in effect since 13 April, with control of the waterway being a key point of conflict in the war. Marine Traffic data showed that at least seven ships had crossed the strait on Thursday.The US would restart military action and reimpose a blockade against Iran if it did not fulfil its commitments under the signed agreement, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said at a meeting with Nato defence ministers in Brussels.Khamenei said in his message that he received assurances from Pezeshkian about the deal and that it would not be accepted “if the American side wants to make excessive demands”. “It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy’s point of view,” he added.Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the agreement’s signing ceremony in Switzerland, which was due to take place on Friday, was cancelled as it is understood that the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran has already been signed remotely.EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she was representing the bloc’s position on the Middle East, after Israel announced it was severing diplomatic relations over allegations she had compared the country to apartheid South Africa. Continue reading...
Chief Iranian negotiator says key waterway will ‘not return to prewar conditions’ after 60-day window; both sides sign memorandum of understanding extending truceReaction: Donald Trump’s Iran deal met with anger, relief and incredulityAnalysis: Trump’s Iran deal is result of unrealistic ambitions for an untenable warPakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said earlier in the day that the agreement between the US and Iran agreement was taking “immediate effect” after being signed by both sides.He said on social media that “as a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade”. Continue reading...
Israel’s continued military operation in southern Lebanon puts at risk the agreement reached between Iran and the US on SundayFull report: Iran says peace deal dependent on Israel’s withdrawal from LebanonAnalysis: Where does Iran deal leave US-Israel relationship?Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Iran’s military has threatened to respond to Israel after strikes in southern Lebanon killed four people, despite an agreement being reached between Tehran and Washington to end the Middle East war, including in Lebanon.A US-Iran deal aimed at ending the Middle East war will be signed at Switzerland’s mountainside Burgenstock resort on Friday, the Swiss foreign ministry confirmed to AFP. The site, located near Lucerne in central Switzerland, is difficult to access and therefore easily secured. It “was proposed by the Pakistani and Qatari mediators, as well as by the US and Iran”, Switzerland’s foreign ministry said.Two months of final negotiations will begin immediately after the initial deal between the US and Iran is signed. Negotiations will continue for a 60-day window after the ceremony, officials told AFP, leading to a plan for the lifting of economic sanctions and decisions on the fate of Iran’s nuclear programme.Trump said that he would send the deal with Iran to the US Congress for a review. “I like the idea, send it to Congress please,” he said at the start of a meeting with the UAE president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the G7 summit. “I mean who wouldn’t approve it.”Speaking at the G7, Trump has said the strait of Hormuz will be open by Friday and that the full text of the peace deal will be released in a “formal setting”. Trump also said he expects the “second stage” of the deal “to go quickly”.The US will allow Iran to immediately start selling oil and fuel again as part of the deal to end the war, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. Iran can only sell oil if they keep to the terms of the deal, as US official told Reuters. It includes the free flow of navigation in the strait of Hormuz and not obtaining an nuclear weapon.An Iranian deputy foreign minister said the two-month US naval blockade on Iranian ports had been lifted ahead of the planned formal signing of a deal ending the war. “The lifting of the blockade was something we had emphasised from the outset. It has now begun, and the blockade has been lifted prior to the formal signing” scheduled for Friday, said Iranian deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, according to the government’s website.Qatar, a key mediator between the US and Iran, said it believed the framework peace agreement could deliver security to the Middle East. “We are cautiously optimistic that the signing of the memorandum of understanding will lead to the next phase of regional security through the talks that will take place on the nuclear programme and on other issues,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari told reporters in Doha, as he praised Pakistan’s mediation efforts. Continue reading...
The US vice-president also said nuclear inspectors would return to Iran as part of the deal with Washington to end the warFull report: Trump declares deal ‘all signed’ as G7 leaders try to tie loose endsHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran ahead of the expected signing of the framework peace deal in a couple of days. America’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran is “a very general document”, the US vice-president, JD Vance, has said, adding that specifics of the deal will be worked out during further negotiations.With a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran signed, Trump said the strait of Hormuz “will be completely open” by Friday. A signing ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday in Geneva, which Trump said he will probably not attend.The deal included a ceasefire in Lebanon but did not provide for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from areas that they occupied. Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam has said diplomatic efforts with the US are continuing in order to achieve the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from territory in southern Lebanon.However, in his first public address after the deal signing, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces will also remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria “for as long as necessary”. He also announced he would be running for relection.Hezbollah has welcomed the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, saying it had resulted in a comprehensive ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon. In a written statement, the Tehran-backed militant group warned Israel that it would not accept any attacks that violate Lebanon’s sovereignty or targeted its people. It said Lebanon’s inclusion in the agreement reflected Iran’s commitment to ending the war. Continue reading...
Deal could see strait of Hormuz immediately ‘open to all’, but Trump says US retains the ‘ultimate alternative’ if talks failHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Peace talks between the US and Iran grind on with Donald Trump on Saturday saying the US is set to sign a new agreement with Iran today, and claiming the deal would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while reopening the strait of Hormuz to international shipping.Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said on Saturday Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing within 24 hours to be followed by technical-level talks next week. “We are closer to a peace deal than ever before,” Sharif wrote on social media.But an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, counselled caution. “We will have to wait and see about the exact date of the signing of the memorandum of understanding, although it will not be tomorrow,” Baghaei was quoted as saying. “The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out.”Pro-government night-time rallies continue across Iran, and have now been held for more than 100 nights, with some people protesting an agreement with the US. A resident in the north-eastern city of Mashhad told Reuters in Dubai that some protesters chanted: “Death to the compromiser,” in an apparent reference to the foreign minister Abbas Araqchi.Meanwhile, Trump discussed the efforts to end the Iran conflict in a call with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, Downing Street said on Saturday. Continue reading...
US president says ‘great settlement’ reached but Iranian spokesman says there has been no final conclusionFull report: Trump claims US and Iran on verge of signing peace agreementHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Iran’s foreign ministry has contradicted claims from Donald Trump that a peace deal between Washington and Tehran could be signed as soon as this weekend.Trump said he was cancelling a third day of US airstrikes and bombings that he had earlier said would happen because “discussions” with Iran “have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved”. He also said on social media: “Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others.”Israel, however, said it was “not a party to” what prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described as an emerging memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran. But the office said Netanyahu had spoken with Trump and that the final agreement at the conclusion of negotiations would include the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region – measures that have been red lines for Iran in the past.The strait of Hormuz would open “as soon as we sign” the documents of the “great settlement” reached with Iran, Trump said. “The whole Middle East is happy.”Iranian media said the country’s forces had stopped a “violating tanker” from entering the strait of Hormuz. The report from the Fars news agency – closely linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – came shortly after the sound of explosions were reportedly heard near the port city of Bandar Abbas.Trump had earlier posted on social media that the US would seize Iran’s Kharg Island “in the not too distant future”, but later said the seizure would be off the table “if we sign this agreement”.The price of oil rose after Trump threatened a “very hard” attack on Iran, but plunged hours later after he said he was cancelling the strikes. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.9% to $86.08 a barrel, on top of a 2.6% drop overnight, and Brent dropped 1.5% to $89.08 a barrel, having fallen nearly 3% overnight. Asian stocks joined a global rally, with South Korea’s Kospi surging 7.4% and Japan’s Nikkei up 2.7%.A strike wounded 10 staff members of a hospital in the Lebanese city of Tyre on Thursday, the facility’s director told the AFP news agency, as Israeli raids continued in the country’s south. All three of the historic city’s hospitals have been hit since the start of the latest war between Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and Israel in early March.India’s government voiced a “strong protest” after three Indian seafarers were killed in US military strikes against oil tankers travelling through the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...
US launches second round of airstrikes on Iran, and Tehran responds by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and JordanUS strikes Iran for second day, as ceasefire appears close to collapseWelcome to our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.The US has launched a second round of airstrikes, after Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations, and Iran responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.US Central Command said it had “completed” its latest round of airstrikes just before sunrise in Iran. It said the strikes targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites,” and were carried out by the US air force, Marines and Navy.The sounds of explosions echoed around Tehran, the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the strait of Hormuz.Iran responded by launching strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.Kuwait closed its airspace as its air defences fought off the attack. Kuwait’s directorate general of civil aviation said flights were being diverted to other airports, without elaborating.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had fired ballistic missiles at a US command centre in Jordan, according to state media.Iran’s UN envoy said the US should refrain from threats of force if it wants a deal.Israel early on Thursday warned residents in the north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon.The international benchmark for crude oil traded above $93 a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25% since the start of the war. Continue reading...
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps says it has targeted an airbase in Jordan hosting US forces, as well as Kuwait and Bahrain, in response to US strikes Trump launches strikes against Iran after downing of US army helicopterWelcome to our live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Iran says it has launched a missile attack at an airbase in Jordan hosting US forces, after also targeting Kuwait and Bahrain. The Revolutionary Guards said missiles have targeted the Muwaffaq Salti airbase, which is known to host US F-35 fighter jets and other aircraft.The US launched multiple waves of strikes on Iran in response to a military helicopter crash off the strait of Hormuz that Donald Trump said Iran had downed. The Associated Press reported that the Apache helicopter that crashed went down after colliding with an Iranian drone, but it was not clear whether the collision was intentional.US strikes were reported across Iran’s southern coast, on the strait of Hormuz. After more than three hours of military action, US central command (Centcom) said strikes were “completed”, adding that the US remained ready to defend against “unjustified Iranian aggression.”Soon after, Iran launched retaliatory attacks against the US, according to the countries state media, which said American bases in the region and the US fifth fleet in Bahrain were targeted with drones. Kuwait and Bahrain issued air raid alerts and reported that air defences were active in repelling attacks. Iran also claimed it had targeted a US base in Jordan with long range missiles.Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said no attack would go “unanswered”, soon after the US launched strikes on Iran. Posting an image of the strait of Hormuz with the label, “Forever Persian Gulf”, Araghchi says that “despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination.”Five hours before the airstrikes, Trump had posted on social media that the US “must” respond to the helicopter crash, from which two crew members were rescued in stable condition. Before his social media post, however, Trump appeared to downplay the crash, telling the Wall Street Journal in a phone interview that it “wasn’t a big deal” and that “the pilot is fine.”Iranian state media reported that no air military operations have taken place in the strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours, according to Reuters.Lebanon’s health ministry said 11 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Tyre on Tuesday. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) had reported the first strike taking place not long before Israel’s military issued an evacuation warning for the entire city and surrounding areas ahead of strikes there. Continue reading...
Despite Donald Trump’s calls for calm, Israeli military says it struck military targets in central and western Iran in response to attacks by TehranIsrael strikes Iran despite Trump plea as Middle East crisis threatens to escalateHello and welcome to our live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Israel launched airstrikes early on Monday targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire from Tehran, attacks that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a regional war.Iran’s attacks appeared to be in retaliation for Israel strikes on Beirut’s Dahiyeh southern suburb area targeting Hezbollah infrastructure despite the truce agreement with Lebanon. Two people were killed and 20 wounded in Beirut, the Lebanon health ministry said.A missile was launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory, the Israeli military said, adding its aerial defence systems were operating to intercept the threat. Israel’s rescue services say there were no reports of casualties or impacts.Oil prices jumped more than 3% after Iran’s strikes, with the price of Brent crude – the international benchmark – rising 3.29% to $96.15 a barrel in early trading on Monday.Iran’s missile barrage was the the first since a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, said US bases and assets in the region were now “legitimate targets”.The strait of Hormuz will be opened but under new conditions to be set by Iran and Oman, including a transit fee, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, told the Russian newspaper Izvestia – a position Trump strongly opposes.Trump said Netanyahu would have no choice but to accept whatever deal the US negotiated with Iran because “I call the shots”, the Financial Times reported. “He won’t have any choice,” Trump said. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He [Netanyahu] doesn’t call the shots.” Continue reading...
Israel claimed it was attacking Hezbollah command centers in response to attacks on northern IsraelWe are seeing reports of Israeli attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, Dahiyeh, with at least three explosions heard so far. The Israeli military claimed about an hour ago in a post on X that it was striking Hezbollah infrastructure in the Lebanese capital, without providing evidence.In a joint statement, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military had struck “terrorist” headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs in apparent retaliation for Hezbollah firing toward northern Israel earlier. Continue reading...
The country’s defence minister said the IDF will not withdraw from southern Lebanon and will not allow the ‘return of the population’Israel and Lebanon agree to renew ceasefire as Trump seeks to overcome barriers to Iran dealIsrael Katz said the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon was a “great achievement in Lebanon, on the ground and also on the diplomatic level”.“We promised security to the residents of the north and we delivered,” the Israeli defence minister said in a statement, according to the Times of Israel. Continue reading...
US president says he would ‘like to meet’ Mojtaba Khamenei, who US officials have previously said was injured in attacks, and says Iran has said it will not have a nuclear weaponHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Donald Trump has claimed Iran has agreed it will not have a nuclear weapon and that the country’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is involved in negotiations with the US.One person was killed and several people were injured in an Iranian drone attack that targeted Kuwait’s airport, according to authorities and state media. Flights were suspended this morning but some later resumed after the country’s civil aviation authority said it assessed the damage at the airport.The attack came hours after US forces fired a Hellfire missile to disable a tanker attempting to break through the American blockade of the strait of Hormuz, and later said they repelled Iranian reprisal attacks in the region and attacked sites on Iran’s Qeshm Island.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it attacked the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain with missiles and drones in response to the strike on Qeshm, a claim the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) denied.Centcom said two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait “fell short or broke apart enroute”, and that three missiles targeting Bahrain were intercepted by US and Bahrain.US forces also said they shot down three one-way attack drones “launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters” but gave no further details.Israel kept up strikes on southern Lebanon, pressing its campaign against Hezbollah a day after Donald Trump asked Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Beirut to avert further escalation in the three-month-old war. Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire hit south Lebanon on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, Lebanese state media reported. Israel’s military ordered residents of the city of Nabatieh, a major Hezbollah stronghold, to leave ahead of strikes.Lebanon’s government has said it would seek a full ceasefire in a new round of talks with Israeli officials in Washington that began on Tuesday, the latest in a series of face-to-face meetings Beirut has attended despite Hezbollah objections.Hezbollah said it fired artillery shells at Israeli troops near Beaufort and targeted Israeli military vehicles south of Nabatieh on Tuesday. It has not announced cross-border attacks since Monday. Continue reading...
Israeli military says it intercepted missiles from Lebanon this morning while Netanyahu says his forces will continue operating in the south of the countryTrump says Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to ‘stop all shooting’Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Donald Trump has hailed an agreement to de-escalate the fighting in Lebanon, which has killed thousands of people and inflamed tensions in the broader US-Israeli war with Iran.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) threatened to open “new fronts” and keep the strait of Hormuz closed over Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, state media reported. “Iran considers crossing the red lines in Lebanon and Gaza to mean direct war,” state TV quoted the IRGC’ intelligence organisation as saying.The ceasefire already in place between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon, Iran’s top diplomat said yesterday after Netanyahu ordered attacks on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut. “Violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” foreign minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X.US secretary of state Marco Rubio will face questions at Congress today for the first time since the Iran war began. He will testify before House and Senate committees on the state department’s 2027 budget request, where he is expected to face questions about Trump’s war efforts and shifting diplomatic goals.Oil prices jumped and equities slid as Middle East peace talks stumbled and tensions mounted between Iran and the US. Crude futures shot more than 5% higher yesterday as an Iranian news agency announced Tehran had suspended the negotiations with the US via mediators, AFP reported.US forces intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait late on Sunday, the US military said yesterday. No American personnel were harmed, it added. Continue reading...
Kuwaiti state media report sirens sounding across the country, as officials say air defences active over the countryEuropean leaders condemn Israel’s deepening incursion into Lebanon US central command (Centcom) has said that it struck targets in Iran over the weekend, in a statement that came just minutes after Kuwait announced it was under attack.Labelling their actions “self-defence”, the US said it hit Iranian “radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk, Iran and Qeshm Island”.The measured and deliberate strikes occurred on Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters. U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters.” Continue reading...
Capture of Beaufort castle near the city of Nabatiyeh comes despite a nominal ceasefire and shortly before talks due in the USIsraeli troops have captured a mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in their deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter of a century.The capture of Beaufort castle near the city of Nabatiyeh came after days of intense fighting and airstrikes in nearby villages where Israeli troops fought Hezbollah members in the rugged area.Israel has expanded the scope of its operations in Lebanon sending troops across the Litani River, which previously served as a de facto boundary. Israel has designated the area from the Litani up to the Zahrani River a combat zone. Some residents have already left the area due to the intense strikes in recent days, but people remain in many of the area’s towns.Hezbollah overnight claimed two attacks targeting Israeli troops and a Merkava tank in the southwestern town of Bayada near the border. In recent days, the group has said it has clashed with Israeli troops in several towns just north of the river near Nabatiyeh and the castle.The Lebanese Health Ministry said the death toll in the country since March was 3,371, including civilians and combatants. The Israeli army announced Sunday that one of its soldiers had been killed the previous day by a Hezbollah explosive drone in southern Lebanon, bringing to 25 the number of Israeli military deaths since early March.US president Donald Trump said he had secured guarantees from Iran that it would not develop nuclear weapons, as reports emerged he had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Tehran. Trump has said his priorities for any deal include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and re-opening the blockaded strait of Hormuz.Benjamin Netanyahu said he has given orders to the Israeli army to seize control of 70% of the Gaza Strip in a move that threatens to torpedo an already fragile ceasefire and create catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the already devastated territory. Continue reading...
President’s remarks indicate the two countries remain far apart over initial deal to end warAfter 88 days of near-total internet blackout in Iran, long-delayed messages, images and poems flooded phones and social media feeds at about 5pm on Tuesday, when still-limited connectivity flickered back to life.The first reactions, however, were not celebratory. Many new posts were threaded with scepticism, anxiety and anger.The Israeli military declared a new swathe of southern Lebanon a combat zone and said residents in the area should move north, warning it would act “with great force” against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in the zone. The statement on Wednesday appeared to signal a further escalation after more than 120 strikes hit Lebanon’s south and east on Tuesday, despite a ceasefire.The major Lebanese city of Tyre has come under constant Israeli bombardment, according to local media. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it is hitting Hezbollah targets in the ancient coastal city in southern Lebanon, a day after issuing a warning forcing thousands of people to leave Tyre and surrounding areas. Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported two people were killed in Tyre in an Israeli drone strike on Thursday morning. Continue reading...
Strikes further strain supposed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, and came as Iran said US had violated separate truceWelcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Israel pounded Lebanon with more than 120 airstrikes on Tuesday in one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks, Lebanese security sources said, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military was deepening its operations in the country.On Monday Netanyahu said Israel was “intensifying” its military operations in Lebanon, with the IDF operating with “large forces on the ground” in order to take control of “strategic areas”.Meanwhile, the proposed peace agreement between Iran and the US seemed to remain on the table despite US bombings of Iranian targets. The Iranian foreign ministry denounced the US attack – aimed at missile launchers and efforts to lay fresh mines in the strait of Hormuz – as “an act of bad faith” and “a definitive violation of the ceasefire” and said it would not leave aggression unanswered. But Iran did not pull out of talks that were continuing under the joint mediation of Pakistan and Qatar. Here’s our report.US president Donald Trump will hold a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, with the Iran war expected to be at the top of the agenda. All cabinet members, including outgoing director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who leaves her post on 30 June, were expected to attend the meeting.US Central Command denied reports that that US navy has “quietly” resumed so-called ‘Project Freedom’ in the strait of Hormuz. “US forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through the strait of Hormuz,” Centcom said in a statement shared on X.Oil rose back above $100 a barrel on Tuesday, after the fresh US strikes on Iran dashed hopes of a breakthrough, with experts saying that whatever the outcome of peace talks, the global energy market may now be past the “point of no return”.In Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have killed Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Odeh in an airstrike, 11 days after killing his predecessor. In a statement on X, the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, praised the IDF and intelligence agency Shin Bet for their “brilliant execution”. Continue reading...
US Central Command claims targets also included boats trying to lay mines, rattling ceasefire, while Iranians meet with Qatari prime minister in DohaIsrael escalates strikes in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows to ‘crush’ HezbollahWelcome to the Guardian’s continuing live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for talks to end the war.Trump said the enriched uranium held by Iran could be destroyed inside the country, in a process overseen by an international nuclear agency. Experts said his announcement could amount to a major concession to Tehran.Trump also said any deal to end the war with Iran should require certain countries in the region – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan – to sign up to the Abraham accords. The agreements aimed at normalising relations with Israel were brokered by the US during Trump’s first term.Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah in Lebanon, dealing another blow to hopes for a US-Iran deal. Tehran has demanded that any peace accord apply to the fighting in Lebanon as well.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi praised Hezbollah for the Tehran-backed militant group’s ongoing resistance in Lebanon against Israel. Continue reading...