Middle East crisis live: US and Iran in blockade stalemate as Washingtonâs navy secretary leaves office âimmediatelyâ
White House says Tehran in âvery weak positionâ; Iran says two seized ships transferred to its coast; US navy secretary exiting post âeffective immediatelyâ, says PentagonâImpossibleâ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid âflagrantâ ceasefire breaches, Iran saysWelcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.Iran has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz a day after Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off US attacks, while there is no sign of peace talks restarting.Trump was âsatisfiedâ with the US naval blockade and âunderstands Iran is in a very weak positionâ, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The US president had not set a deadline on Iran submitting a peace proposal, she said, after Trump on Tuesday said he was indefinitely extending the ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan until Tehran responded to the USâs negotiating positions or until talks were concluded âone way or the otherâ.The Pentagon announced that the US secretary of the navy, John Phelan, would depart the office âeffective immediatelyâ, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit. The US armyâs top officer, Gen Randy George, and two other senior officers were removed earlier this month amid the continuing war with Iran.The US-Israeli war against Iran is âstarting to weaken Europeâ, Turkish president Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan has told his German counterpart. ErdoÄan said: âIf we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.âIsraeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, and wounded a photographer accompanying her, a senior Lebanese military official and Khalilâs employer said. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday â the deadliest day since a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalilâs death.Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them, Reuters reported. They ran into a nearby house that was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, said Lebanonâs health ministry. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said Israeli targeting of journalists and obstructing relief effort constituted war crimes.Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Hormuz strait amid the US naval blockade despite the truce extension. Around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel, while the international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after.Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said.United Airlines implemented broad-based rises of 15-20% on fares as it sought to offset the surge in petrol prices while protecting profits, executives said. The big US carrier has also cut its 2026 flying capacity by 5%. Continue reading...
theguardian.com