East Crisis

US targets Iran’s Larak Island in first exchange of fire in more than a month, sparking reprisals against US forces in Jordan and UAEUS strikes Iranian launchers in strait of Hormuz, prompting Iranian retaliatory attacksWelcome to our live coverage as hostilities between the US and Iran flared again for the first time in a month, with American strikes on Iran prompting retaliation from Tehran.A supertanker caught ⁠fire and was brought to a complete ⁠halt after ⁠hitting two naval mines in ⁠the southern strait of Hormuz, Iran state ⁠TV reported on Monday, ​citing ‌a statement ‌from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.Iran’s supreme leader called the US and Israel enemies of all Islamic nations. In a written message issued six months on from the start of the war, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei also urged rulers of Muslim nations to “know your real enemy, understand its plans and confront it”, the official Irna news agency reported.Israel’s Shin Bet security agency says it urgently evacuated prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s oldest son from the US due to a threat against him. In a brief statement the Associated Press obtained on Sunday, the Shin Bet confirmed there had been a “significant threat” to Yair Netanyahu, without elaborating.US treasury secretary Scott Bessent will step up efforts to isolate Iran economically as he hosts G20 counterparts this week, a US official has said.Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian is due to take part in a summit starting on Monday of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional bloc that seeks to be a counter-influence to the west. Russia’s Vladimir Putin is expected to hold separate bilateral talks with Pezeshkian and China’s Xi Jinping, among other leaders, a Kremlin spokesperson said. Continue reading...

Jared Kushner set to meet Netanyahu following talks with HamasJared Kushner meets with Hamas ahead of talks with Netanyahu on GazaWelcome to our live coverage of the latest in the continuing conflicts in the Middle East.Donald Trump’s envoys met with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo on Sunday, a diplomatic source said, aiming to advance the US president’s Gaza peace plan, even as Israel pressed on with airstrikes ⁠in the territory.Israel resumed its airstrikes on Gaza in the past few days ‌after scaling back the attacks earlier this month. One of those wounded in the Khan Younis strike died from their wounds, medics at Nasser hospital said later. A separate airstrike, which the Israeli military said targeted another militant, hit an apartment in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, wounding several people, medics said.A senior Israeli official said on Sunday that Israel was concerned about Washington’s demand to end targeted assassinations of Hamas militants in Gaza as the group rebuilds its forces, Reuters reported. Trump’s peace ⁠plan calls for the immediate cessation of military operations in Gaza and foresees Hamas disarming as Israeli troops withdraw from the territory and Gaza is rebuilt.Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday condemned Israel’s rejection of the peace road map, saying the country is obstructing peace efforts.The top US military commander in the Middle East visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian Sea amid reports of mental health and supply issues onboard. Adm Brad Cooper praised the leadership of the long-deployed aircraft carrier. Continue reading...

IRGC says strait is ‘a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway’Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp said they will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States meets Tehran’s conditions, including compensation for war damages.The IRGC said their strategy was to maintain the closure “until the enemy accepts all our conditions ... the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway”.Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has said he believes now is the best time for an agreement with the US. “There is cohesion, strength, and unity in the country, and as far as I know, Iran is considered victorious and powerful in this war,” Iranian news agencies quoted him as saying.Oman condemned what it described as repeated attacks on vessels while transiting the strait, without assigning blame, and said that ​negotiations with Iran on arrangements for shipping through Hormuz were “positive and constructive”.The UAE said on Saturday that Iran had attacked a carrier affiliated with the UAE’s state oil company with a missile as it transited the strait of Hormuz. No injuries were reported. The UK maritime trade monitor UKMTO said a ‌vessel had caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile but the fire was put out and there was no reported environmental impact. There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.US Central Command said on Saturday it had allowed more than 30 ships through for humanitarian aid since the current blockade started. US forces have turned away 53 ships, disabled two vessels and boarded two others, Central Command said in a statement on social media. Continue reading...

Under the proposed agreement Tehran would control inbound traffic according to reportsUnderstanding reached on coordinates for shipping route through Hormuz, Iran saysAn Israeli strike that killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and injured her colleague Zeinab Faraj in April was a war crime, three rights organisations said on Thursday.Investigations from Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International and Legal Agenda showed that Israel deliberately and directly attacked Khalil and Faraj, with apparent knowledge that they were civilians. The organisations called for the attacks to be investigated as war crimes, while HRW called for states to halt arm sales to Israel and put targeted sanctions on Israeli officials responsible for ongoing crimes. Continue reading...

While Trump suggests deal could come as soon as today, Iran indicates that ongoing talks with Oman would not lead to its immediate reopeningHello and welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East.US officials, including Donald Trump, have said a deal over the strait of Hormuz could be reached today, with continued diplomatic efforts potentially paving the way for US-Iran talks to resume.The possible agreement between Iran and Oman on arrangements for vessels to pass through the strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with the immediate opening of the strait. Negotiations regarding arrangements for vessel traffic through the strait of Hormuz are purely Iranian-Omani and have no connection to the United States. If US violations continue, the strait of Hormuz will not open even with an agreement between Iran and Oman. The opening of the strait of Hormuz depends on a change in behaviour and correction of US violations. Continue reading...

Foreign ministry says efforts to reach resolution between the US and Iran were continuing despite conflicting statements from Trump and TehranHello and welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East.Qatar’s foreign ministry said efforts to reach a diplomatic solution between the US and Iran were “ongoing”, despite conflicting statements from Tehran and Washington over whether negotiations had resumed. Continue reading...

Iranian spokesperson says there are no plans to receive or send a delegation following US president’s assertion that talks would take place todayTrump says Iran talks set for MondayHello and welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East.Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, told reporters at a weekly press briefing on Monday that Iran is not currently holding any talks with the US, Reuters reports – contradicting claims made by Donald Trump on Sunday night that talks with Iran would happen the next day. Continue reading...

• Hamas official Ghazi Hamad stated that the group is willing to hand over its weapons to a new Gaza administration established by Trump’s Board of Peace. • The transition is contingent upon the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. • This potential disarmament marks a significant milestone aimed at ending years of conflict and destruction to improve the daily lives of Gazan citizens.

Response from Hamas and Israeli officials suggest Gaza deal still faces obstacles; Tehran launches drone strikes at Kuwait in retaliation for recent US attacksTrump claims agreement for ‘complete disarmament’ of Hamas in Gaza but support uncertainSaudi Arabia prepares sea and possible land offensive against HouthisDonald Trump claims a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles and conditions remained in the Palestinian territory.“The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump said on social media. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”Twenty-five commodities vessels passed through the ⁠Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, while traffic through the strait ⁠of Hormuz ⁠remained ​low with only two tankers transiting, according to Kpler shipping ⁠data.Analysts are expecting major oil companies to report large profits while fighting between Iran and the US impeded petroleum shipments. Six of Europe’s largest oil companies have posted first-quarter profits of $22bn altogether, a total 43% higher than the same time last year, according to Global Witness.Saudi Arabia on Thursday said it had set up a maritime defence alliance of 14 regional countries to secure navigation around the Bab al-Mandab strait.An Iranian strike hit a Chinese firm’s building in Kuwait on Thursday, severely damaging the structure and killing a worker, Kuwait’s military said, hours after Jordan’s air defences shot down five missiles launched from Iran.Egypt’s government said on Thursday authorities were analysing drone fragments from an unprecedented strike on one of its ports, after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned of regional escalation. His government had earlier confirmed that a fire on two gas vessels in the Damietta port – one of which was US-owned – was a result of a drone strike, the first to target the country since the outbreak of the Middle East war. Continue reading...

Bank’s wariness about inflationary pressures from the conflict lie behind decision to hold steady at 3.75%Business live – latest updatesThere is a threat of high inflation coming to the UK, but only from the conflict in the Middle East which could keep oil prices high for much longer than was expected when Donald Trump first began attacking Iran.It is the war that makes the difference between a benign outlook for inflation and one that puts it back on a rising trajectory, top UK central bankers believe. Continue reading...

US announces attacks early on Thursday, as experts say strikes carried out by both sides in previous day increase risk of return to all-out war US-Saudi strikes in Iraq push region into ‘uncharted territory’, analysts warnWelcome to our live coverage of the continuing crisis in the Middle East.The ​US has said it is conducting ​airstrikes ‌in ‌Iran, after a lull of several days in direct US attacks on targets in Iran.The renewed hostilities sent oil prices spiking. Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.3% to $88 a barrel.The office of the Iraqi president, Nizar Amidi, called the US-Saudi airstrikes on multiple logistics and weapons sites in eastern Iraq “a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty”.An oil refinery in Jazan, on the Red Sea coast, had temporarily shut down due to “relatively significant” damage from a Houthi attack on Saturday, a Saudi official told the Associated Press.Saudi Arabia is seeking to build an international coalition to protect ⁠shipping in the ⁠Red ​Sea from Houthi attacks, Reuters quoted two people familiar with the deliberations as saying. Continue reading...

Latest attacks come after Trump vowed ‘major military punishment’ for Tehran and its Houthi alliesUS missiles struck targets across Iran on Friday after Donald Trump vowed “major military punishment” for Tehran and its Houthi allies in Yemen for extending the Middle East war to a second major shipping chokepoint, the mouth of the ⁠Red Sea.The US Central Command said it targeted Iranian military command centres, communication networks, drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and maritime capabilities. Continue reading...

• Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have attacked tankers in the Red Sea, asserting that the vessels violated their established blockade. • The US military has launched its 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian-linked targets to degrade Tehran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. • In a significant diplomatic shift, the US has signed a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia to stabilize regional security.

US military says it is degradimg Tehran’s ability to threaten ships in strait of Hormuz; Houthis say tankers violated their blockade; US signs nuclear deal with Saudi ArabiaWelcome to our live coverage of the continuing crisis in the Middle East.The US military announced on Thursday evening it had began a 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets at the direction of Donald Trump. Continue reading...

US military completes 11th night of strikes as attacks overshadow diplomatic efforts in Pakistan to salvage interim ceasefire dealHouthis threaten attacks on shipping tankers if they use Saudi ports on Red SeaWhat is Pickaxe Mountain, Iran’s underground nuclear facility?Donald Trump on Tuesday made new threats to attack and destroy Iran’s nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain.Here’s what we know about Pickaxe Mountain, why it has captured Trump’s attention and how the US military could strike at the deeply buried complex. Continue reading...

Revolutionary Guard claims attack on oil tanker and two other ships; Houthis in Yemen say they are imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red SeaFull report: Almost 100 troops injured in recent weeks, Pentagon admits, as Iran launches reprisals on US alliesWelcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis.Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members ‌were killed ​in ⁠action ​over the ​weekend.A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites.Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces.Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 ⁠a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.47 a barrel.Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties.The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground. Continue reading...

Preliminary deal aimed at ending the war has collapsed as US and Iran fight to break deadlock over strait of HormuzUS says another service member killed as Israel warns Tehran’s attacks coming closeHello and welcome to our live coverage of developments in the Middle East.The US military says it is beginning its ninth night of strikes on Iran, with an interim deal aimed at ending the war appearing to have all but collapsed.Bahrain’s interior ministry said overnight to Monday that its air raid sirens had sounded. “Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” it said on X. Bahrain, host of the US Fifth Fleet, has been targeted by Iranian strikes in recent days.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Monday it launched a “surprise attack” on an enemy command centre in Syria, in a statement reported by state news agency Irna. They attack was “in revenge for the blood of martyred soldiers of Iranshahr”, a city in south-east Iran, Irna said on Telegram.Iran said it targeted two US bases in Kuwait in response to more than a week of intensifying attacks, which Tehran says have hit transport and infrastructure sites, including an under-construction nuclear power plant.Kuwait and Bahrain have borne the brunt of attacks by Iran on its Gulf neighbours since hostilities resumed this month despite a ceasefire and memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.Jordan also reported intercepting missiles, a day after the US military said the two service members were killed there Friday and another had gone missing in action as they “defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks”.US Central Command’s announcement that a service member died in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of an unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone brought to 17 the confirmed number of American military fatalities since the war began. Iran’s health ministry said on ‌Saturday that 50 people had been killed ​and more than 500 injured in US strikes ​on the country over the past three weeks. Continue reading...

• The US military confirmed a service member was killed in Iraq during a "controlled detonation" of a downed Iranian drone. • This marks the third confirmed troop death following a new round of airstrikes intended to "swiftly punish" Iran for its actions. • A separate attack targeted electricity generation units, forcing the ministry to trigger emergency plans to stabilize the power grid.

Fresh attack comes after Iran’s supreme leader warned Washington would pay for ‘seeking to escalate’ the conflictTwo US troops killed and one missing in Jordan after Iranian attacksThe US military said it launched new airstrikes against Iran to “swiftly punish” the country’s Revolutionary Guard for an attack in Jordan that killed two American service members, left one missing and four requiring hospitalisation.Speaking to the New York Post, the US president, Donald Trump, described the deaths as a “shame”. “They did it because they don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said of the troops. “And it just shows you how bad (the Iranians) are,” he added.The two US troop deaths on Friday were its first from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X: “Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”Iran appeared to target Saudi Arabia as ​well as other US Gulf allies and Jordan on Saturday after US attacks on Iranian bridges, power facilities ‌and other infrastructure.Mojtaba Khamenei said US actions had shown that Trump’s signature was “utterly worthless and devoid of credibility”, warning of “even heavier costs and further humiliation” for ‌the US, in a statement carried by the ‌official social media accounts of Iran’s supreme leader and state media.The American deaths brought the number of US service members killed since the war began to 16, while more than 430 have been injured. Iran’s health ministry said on ‌Saturday that 50 people had been killed ​and more than 500 injured in US strikes ​on the country over the past three weeks.In Iraq, a base near Irbil of the Kurdistan Freedom party, an Iranian Kurdish dissident group, was struck by a drone early on Sunday, wounding eight of its members, according to a military official with the group.The most significant damage from Iranian strikes on Saturday occurred in Kuwait, where a water desalination plant and an oil facility were hit, according to the Kuwait authorities and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. It was the second attack against a desalination plant in two days in the tiny nation that depends on desalination for 90% of its drinking water. Continue reading...

Iranshahr airport and southern rail station and two bridges attacked, Iranian media saysThe Iranian health ministry said 38 people have been killed in Iran in recent US attacks, with more than 400 others injured.Reporting the figures on X, Hossein Kermanpour, head of public relations for Iran’s ministry of health, said 22 women and nine children were among the injured. Continue reading...

Iran reports explosions in several cities including capital while US military says it also hit and disabled tanker in strait of Hormuz US attacks oil tanker in strait of Hormuz as strikes reported in TehranPakistan has called on the US and Iran to end the violence and resume negotiations as stipulated in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in June with Islamabad’s mediation.“While the implementation of the MoU is facing challenges, Pakistan will continue to encourage all sides to end the violence and resume technical level talks in accordance with the MoU,” Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson for the Pakistani foreign ministry, said at a press briefing today. Continue reading...

Central Command says US aircraft fired missiles into oil tanker’s smokestack in strait of Hormuz as US strikes Iran for fourth consecutive dayTrump again threatens to strike Iran’s power plants amid impasse over strait of HormuzFor a second day in a row, US strikes targeted Iran’s southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country’s only civilian nuclear plant, according to the state news agency IRNA quoting a local official.“In continuation of the brutality of the American enemy, three points in the city of Bushehr were attacked today,” Mohammad Mozaffari, the governor of Bushehr, was quoted as saying.In the recent attacks on the southern part of the country, more than 30 civilians lost their lives. While expressing our condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families, we honour the memory of the fallen. The government will stand by the people with all its might. The south of Iran is the beating heart of this land. The south of Iran, the soul of Iran.” Continue reading...

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...