US Iran War Live Updates: Iran negotiating team not heading to Pakistan or Geneva, foreign ministry says

• Trump says US-Iran peace deal is scheduled to be signed on Sunday.

• Iran counters that the signing will not take place on Sunday, urging caution on timelines.

• Iran says the exact date of signing remains uncertain due to hesitation from the other side.

• Pakistan says electronic signing of the US-Iran deal will be followed by technical talks next week.

• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells Jaishankar that violations of US sanctions on Iranian oil will not be tolerated.

• Rubio also says commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz must comply with US directives.

• Iran says it will charge for services provided in the Strait of Hormuz.

• Israeli Air Force conducts strikes on 70 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

• Israeli military activates air raid sirens in northern Israel’s Margaliot area over suspected hostile aircraft infiltration.

• UK PM Keir Starmer expresses support to Trump for efforts aimed at ending the Iran conflict.

• "Iran will secure safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz," said Araghchi
• Iran's Araghchi stated that the sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz belonged to Iran and Oman
• Iranian Foreign Minister wants US threats against Iran to stop, says that Tehran ever succumbs to pressure

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to release billions of dollars to Iran, according to four sources, marking a strategic shift following weeks of Iranian attacks on the affluent Gulf state during the U.S.-Israeli conflict with the Islamic Republic.

The previously unreported move by the UAE to ease tensions comes as Tehran and Washington enter the final phase of broader negotiations aimed at ending the war. Diplomats involved in the talks say the discussions could also include the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenues currently held in foreign banks under U.S. sanctions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that a draft deal with the United States included ending a naval blockade of Iranian ports and arrangements on managing the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

"The naval blockade must be completely lifted. That is the first point mentioned in the agreement," Araghchi said in an interview with state television.

"Iran has made a firm decision that the administration of Strait of Hormuz will no longer be the same as before," he noted, adding that discussions were ongoing with Oman on the matter.

A senior US administration official said negotiations with Iran are nearing completion but cautioned that the parties have not yet crossed the finish line. The official said they were "very close" to an agreement and expressed 80-85% confidence that a deal would ultimately be signed.

A senior US administration official said the proposed Iran agreement achieves Washington's core objectives and includes provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, obtaining enriched material from Iran and implementing an inspection regime.

US officials said the deal is aimed at securing long-term peace in the region. They added that the agreement is performance-based, with benefits for Iran accruing only if it delivers on its commitments.

According to the officials, Iran would be rewarded economically if it complies with the terms of the deal.

• India told the US diplomat that strikes by US naval forces on commercial vessels are “unacceptable.”
• New Delhi said such actions undermine maritime safety, security, and stability in an already sensitive region.
• The US diplomat was asked to relay India’s strong concerns to Washington authorities.

• Potential deal with US would end war including in Lebanon

• Possible US accord sets 60-day negotiation for nuclear deal

• Potential US deal sees release of $24 bn frozen assets

  
  

Egypt urged the United States and Iran to seize what it called an "available opportunity" for a deal to end the war, after President Donald Trump withdrew his threat to carry out further strikes on Tehran.

Cairo's foreign ministry said in a statement late Thursday it hoped "the available opportunity will be seized to reach a deal on the various outstanding issues and to prepare the atmosphere for reaching an end to the war and beginning a new phase of regional stability".

• Iran attack on Kuwait airport causes damage
• Trump cancels Iran strikes after high-level talks, blockade to continue
• Iran commander warns of 'more widespread' war if US attacks
• Qalibaf warns wrong moves could worsen crisis
• UAE and Iran meet face-to-face to try to deescalate tensions
• Iran war: World Bank cuts forecast for global economic growth
• United States will be hitting Iran very hard tonight: Trump
• US, Iran haggle over frozen funds as they inch toward interim deal
• US military disables tanker with missile fire over alleged Iran blockade breach
• 13 Indian flagged vessels stranded in Strait of Hormuz

• Calls on the United States and Iran to redouble their efforts towards a peaceful, comprehensive and durable agreement: UN Chief Guterres
• Urges the parties to return to the full implementation of the ceasefire and avoid any further deterioration: UN Chief Guterres

• United States will be hitting Iran very hard tonight: Trump
• At some point in not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their oil gas markets: Trump

India Shipping Ministry states that 562 Indian seafarers are currently on Indian-flagged vessels, over 18,000 are deployed across the Gulf region, and 13 Indian-flagged vessels are stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.

Two of the ships that were attacked are sanctioned by OFAC, while one is classified as non-compliant, the Indian Foreign Ministry said.

Three more liquefied natural gas tankers have ​exited the Strait of ​Hormuz with their transponders off and are bound ​for destinations in Asia, although the exact timing of their transit is unclear, ship-tracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed. This comes as ‌the United ⁠States and ⁠Iran traded air attacks for a second straight day on Thursday, ​with U.S. President Donald Trump vowing further strikes unless Tehran agrees ​to a peace deal and Washington saying it fired on a vessel carrying Iranian oil. QatarEnergy controlled tankers Lebrethah and Rasheeda ​were last seen west of the ⁠strait on ‌June 1 and April 30 respectively, carrying ​cargoes loaded ​at Ras Laffan, according to the data.

Kuwait has resumed air traffic after a temporary suspension caused by Iranian attacks, the Civil Aviation Authority said. The authority added that Kuwait International Airport is operating normally and flights have resumed according to schedule.

Demand for Indian ​government bonds faltered on Thursday ​as renewed U.S.-Iran strikes drove oil prices higher and raised ​concerns about the economic fallout for the world's third-largest oil importer. The United States launched new strikes on multiple targets overnight in Iran, with President Donald Trump threatening ‌even more attacks ⁠if ⁠no peace deal is secured. Brent crude futures surged 1.6% to $94.55 in Asian trade. It ​has risen 30% since the war began on February 28.

India voiced its firm opposition to attacks on merchant shipping amid the ongoing Iran conflict, as it told the UN Security Council that several of its nationals have died or are missing due to attacks in the region. "We expressed our deep concern at the conflict in Iran and the Gulf region that unfortunately began in the holy month of Ramadan and urged all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation and prioritise the safety of civilians," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said Wednesday.

Bahrain's air defences intercepted and destroyed Iranian "aerial attacks," according to the media adviser to the Bahraini king in a post on X.

The UN atomic watchdog board on Wednesday demanded Iran fully cooperate with the agency, provide “complete information” about its stockpile of near weapons-grade nuclear material and grant its inspectors access to Iranian nuclear sites. The resolution stressed that providing information and access are “essential and urgent” in order to enable the International Atomic Energy Agency to verify that there is no “diversion of nuclear material”.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted U.S. aircraft at Jordan's Al-Azraq Air Base with 12 ballistic missiles, according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency.

Kuwait has temporarily closed its airspace and diverted flights due to Iranian attacks, the Kuwait Civil Aviation Authority said.

The Israeli military said its Home Front Command issued an early warning following launches from Lebanon toward northern Israel.

Majid Mousavi, chief of the IRGC Aerospace Force, vowed a fierce response to the latest U.S. attacks, saying Washington's “audacity” would be met with “hell” across the region. According to Iran's Tasnim news agency, Mousavi warned that if the U.S. makes the Strait of Hormuz unsafe, Iran will make the entire region “hell” for American forces, calling it a response to U.S. actions in the region.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted on Thursday 18 “important” U.S. military-related sites at the Ali Al-Salem and Ahmed Al-Jaber bases in Kuwait, as well as the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, describing the attacks as part of its response operations to U.S. strikes, according to Al Jazeera.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Thursday that claims that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz are false, adding that commercial ships continue to transit the waterway. CENTCOM also denied Iranian media reports that a U.S. warship had been attacked in the Strait, stating that no American warships have been struck.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that Iranian leaders telephoned him directly and asked him to stop a bombing wave that was under way, Fox News reported. Trump told Fox News in an interview that US forces had hit Iran with 49 Tomahawk missiles in its latest bombing raid early Thursday Iran time. If Iran does not accept US terms for ending the war, "we'll bomb the S- out of them tomorrow night," Trump said, according to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst. Iran's Revolutionary Guards however quickly denied that Tehran had asked Trump to halt the bombing, the IRNA state news agency reported. "Trump's claim that Iranian officials have contacted him is strongly denied and is a cover for escaping war," the Guards said.

Twenty-two countries including the United States and European nations jointly warned Iran on Thursday to stop attacking people "on our soil". Iran's security services were condemned for their "deplorable" use of international and local criminal gangs for plots in Europe, North America and Australia. "Attempts to kill, kidnap, harass, intimidate, or otherwise attack people on our soil, undermines national sovereignty and international norms. These actions must stop immediately," the countries said in a joint statement. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence services and its foreign operations branch, the Quds Force, had engaged in "lethal plotting and malign actions" against Iranian dissidents, journalists and Jewish and Israeli communities and interests, they said.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Thursday the strikes were carried out in response to Iranian threats against U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Thursday that its forces launched strikes on Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites across Iran as part of ongoing military operations.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States will be hitting Iran hard tonight and will target key facilities in the country. Warning Tehran against further escalation, Hegseth said it would be "unwise" for Iran to challenge the U.S. further, adding that the planned strikes will advance American military interests and strengthen Washington's diplomatic position.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Apache helicopter pilots are in good shape and asserted that most Iranian missiles have failed to hit their intended targets.

Last month, I directed our Great U.S. Military to execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Strait, and into the Open Market. More than 200 Commercial Ships have safely traveled through the Strait. This wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran. Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost. It’s over for Iran! Thank you for your attention to this matter: US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social

Oil prices climbed more than $2 a barrel Thursday as Iran declared the critical energy chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, ‌closed after ⁠the U.S. ⁠launched additional strikes against Iran. Brent futures rose $2.30, or 2.47%, to $95.40 a barrel, while U.S. West ​Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed $2.60, or 2.89%, to $92.63. U.S. crude futures gained more than $3 earlier in ​the session. Iran's top joint military command announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, including oil tankers and commercial ships, saying any ​vessel that will attempt passage will be shot ⁠at.

Sirens sounded in Bahrain and explosions were reported in Iran's Karaj as tensions escalated sharply in the region on Thursday. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier that Washington would bomb key facilities in Iran, while Iran's UN ambassador declared that Tehran has never negotiated under threats and will never submit to pressure or coercion. Separately, Iran's Tasnim news agency, citing a military source, warned that Iran would target new U.S. interests if the Americans take action.

• PM Modi holds telephone conversation with the Kuwait leader
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• Iran would be "unwise" to challenge US further, US defense secretary Hegseth says
  
• IAEA board passes resolution demanding Iran report uranium stocks, diplomats say
  
• Qatari negotiators travel to Tehran to narrow gaps in US-Iran talks: diplomat
  
• Two suspects taken from Lebanon to Israel for questioning: army
  
• Israeli strikes on south Lebanon kill 12
  
• US, other nations issue joint statement condemning IRGC 'lethal plotting and other malign actions in Europe'
  
• Iran says it will reassess US talks after overnight clashes
  
• Russia calls for 'restraint' in Iran war after new strikes
  

Qatari negotiators travelled to Tehran to address remaining differences between the US and Iran, a diplomat told AFP on Wednesday, as talks between the warring sides appeared stalled.

"Following consultations with the US, Qatari negotiators travelled to Tehran this morning to meet with the Iranians in an effort to bridge the remaining gaps," the diplomat with knowledge of the situation said on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks.

The diplomatic effort came after Iran and the US exchanged fire following the downing of an American helicopter, further straining a ceasefire that took effect in April.

Iran is reassessing the future of talks with the United States following overnight clashes, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to Iranian media outlet SNN. Baghaei accused Washington of damaging diplomatic efforts through what he described as continued violations of the ceasefire, saying U.S. actions were undermining the prospects for a political resolution and harming the diplomatic process.

An explosion was heard near Iran's Qeshm Island, the country's semi-official Mehr news agency reported, citing local sources. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear, and there was no immediate information on potential damage or casualties. Qeshm Island lies near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route, and the report comes amid heightened tensions in the region following recent military exchanges involving Iran and the United States.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has held separate telephonic conversations overnight with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Turkiye to review intensifying geopolitical friction, it was reported by the country's IRNA news agency. The diplomatic dialogues focused primarily on a thorough assessment of the latest regional developments following the US attacks on areas in southern Iran, according to the report. During these high-level exchanges, the US military aggression and the violation of Iran's national sovereignty and territorial integrity were strongly condemned by Araghchi. The Iranian Foreign Minister further utilised the platform to signal Tehran's unwavering position on armed pushback.

Precautionary emergency protocols were triggered as air raid sirens were activated across Bahrain for a second time within an hour, prompting authorities to renew public safety warnings amid escalating regional friction. In an official statement issued in a post on X, Bahrain's Interior Ministry told people, for the second time in the past hour, to "remain calm and head to the nearest safe place". The renewed activation of emergency warning networks underlines the high-alert state in the Gulf nation, following recent hostile projectile incursions and drone threats targeted at strategic assets in the region.

The Jordanian military said on Wednesday it shot down five missiles launched from Iran, as Tehran and Washington engaged in tit-for-tat strikes after the downing of a US helicopter. "We intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran towards Azraq. The interception resulted in debris falling, but there were no casualties or material damage," the Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement.

The rupee is poised to open weaker on ​Wednesday, with a subdued ​risk environment dampening sentiment while steady dollar demand from ​equity outflows and importer payments keeps the currency under pressure. The rupee is expected to open in the 95.40 to 95.44 per dollar range, per traders, after settling ‌at 95.35 ⁠on Tuesday. The ⁠currency, which rallied on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India rolled out ​measures to attract inflows, has since lost momentum on persistent dollar demand from ​importers and equity outflows, bankers said.

The US military said late Tuesday that it had "completed" its retaliatory strikes against Iran over the downing of an attack helicopter. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said on X that it had "completed self-defense strikes against Iran." "CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from US Air Force and Navy fighter jets," the post said.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said strikes along Iran's southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz had stopped after Washington launched them in response to an attack that downed a US helicopter. "The situation is now reported to be calm," IRIB said on Telegram

Israeli airstrikes on the historic city of Tyre in southern Lebanon and surrounding areas killed 11 people Tuesday amid an Israeli military warning for the entire city to evacuate. Israel's army said its forces killed a gunman who had managed to infiltrate Israeli territory from Lebanon and opened fire on its troops. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported raids on more than a dozen other locations across the country's south, as Israel pressed on with its war against the militant group Hezbollah.

Iran's ​Revolutionary ​Guards said they had ​attacked the U.S. Fifth Fleet in ‌Bahrain ⁠with ⁠drones in response ​to U.S. strikes on areas ​in southern Iran earlier on Wednesday, ​state ⁠media reported, ‌adding ​that ​clashes were continuing. In ⁠a statement, the Guards warned ​of "a more severe response" ​if what they described as U.S. "aggression" continued. The ‌Guards said the U.S. strikes ​damaged ​a telecommunications ⁠tower and two water tanks in the ​Iranian port town of Sirik.