US secretary of state Marco Rubio has hailed “good signs” emerging from peace talks between Washington and Tehran, as the search for an elusive deal continues.
"There's some good signs," Mr Rubio told reporters. "I don't want to be overly optimistic... So, let's see what happens over the next few days."
A senior Iranian source said no deal has been reached but the gaps in positions between the two sides has narrowed.
Iran's uranium enrichment and Tehran's control over the Strait of Hormuz remain among the sticking points, the source told Reuters news agency.
Mr Rubio warned that Iran’s desire to impose a toll on ships passing through the strait was acting as a blockade to a potential peace agreement.
"No one in the world is in favour of the tolling system. It can't happen. It would be unacceptable,” he said.
“It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that. So it's a threat to the world if they were trying to do that, and it's completely illegal.”
Meanwhile, fresh US intelligence has found that Iran is rebuilding its military industrial base much faster than expected, US sources told CNN.
Key Points
- Rubio rejects Iranian tolls on Strait of Hormuz tolls but hails 'good signs' in peace talks
- No deal with US but gaps narrowing, says Tehran
- Iran rebuilt military capacity faster than expected during ceasefire, says US intelligence
- Supreme leader ‘issues order’ to keep uranium inside Iran in blow to peace talks
- Trump cancelled Iran strikes after Saudi Arabia issued Hajj pilgrimage warning: report
- US president willing to wait for 'right answer' on Iran peace deal
Global Sumud Flotilla urge people to contact governments over Israeli videos
03:00 , Alex Croft
Activists working with a Gaza-bound flotilla whose passengers have been detained by Israel have urged supporters to contact their governments amid concerns over their treatment.
It comes after videos show dozens of detained activists kneeling in rows with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, in what appears to be an outdoor Israeli port facility. In the background, soldiers armed with long guns can be seen patrolling the area from aboard a military vessel.
"They came as big heroes," Israel's far-right police minister Itamar Ben Gvir says in the video as he walks by the activists while carrying a large Israeli flag.
"Look at them now. See how they look now, not heroes and not anything."
Members of the Global Sumud Flotilla have called on supporters to urge governments to “demand their freedom”.
“Netanyahu's performative outrage over Ben Gvir's treatment of flotilla activists exposes the regime's desperate attempt to control its own narrative while maintaining the same brutal system,” they wrote on Telegram.
“This isn't about one minister — it's about the entire colonial machine.
“Contact your government now: demand their freedom.”
Watch: US military enforces total Iran blockade, reroutes 89 commercial vessels
02:02 , Alex Croft
Trump: US does not want tolls on Strait of Hormuz
01:01 , Alex Croft
President Donald Trump has reiterated earlier comments by US secretary of state Marco Rubio that the US does not want tolls on the Strait of Hormuz.
In comments made to reporters at the White House, the US president added that the US military will retrieve Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
"We will get it. We don't need it, we don't want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it," Trump told reporters at the White House.
Iran is believed to possess about 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium, which Trump says was buried by US and Israeli airstrikes nearly a year ago.
Retrieving the uranium is part of Trump's central objective of his war on Iran that Tehran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters new agency.
Trump tried to deliver an inspirational speech to graduates. It quickly became uncomfortable
23:29 , Alex Croft
It was an all-American rollercoaster of a speech. Donald Trump spoke to the assembled graduates of the US Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday, offering advice, congratulating them on their success … and also commenting on their bodies and going off on a tangent about every political achievement he considers himself to have made.
Introduced by new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin — who clarified that Trump believes in “peace through strength,” an awkward claim as the Iran war festers in the background, that he quickly modified to “but some people only understand strength — the president took the stage.
“Our country is hot,” Trump said, while “under the last administration, we were a dead country.” Iran’s military is decimated, the president added: “Everything’s gone… The only question is: do we go in there and finish the job or do we sign a document?” Admin or annihilation? It’s all just part of Donald’s Wednesday morning routine.
Read more here:
Trump tried to deliver an inspirational speech. It quickly became uncomfortable
Pictured: Israel continues launching attacks on southern Lebanon
22:29 , Alex Croft
UK foreign office cuts Iran war team in half amid budget cuts
22:03 , Alex Croft
The United Kingdom’s foreign office is planning to cut its Iran war team to around half of its original size, according to Bloomberg News.
The move is part of a downsizing strategy lead by British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper.
No deal with US but gaps narrowing, says Tehran
21:46 , Alex Croft
No deal has been reached between the US and Iran but the gaps between the two have been narrowed, a senior Iranian has said.
Iran's uranium enrichment and Tehran's control over the Strait of Hormuz remain among the sticking points, the source told Reuters news agency.
France dismisses idea of Nato engaging in Strait of Hormuz mission
21:37 , Alex Croft
France has dismissed the idea of Nato playing a role in an international mission to open the Strait of Hormuz, its foreign ministry spokesperson said.
This would be inappropriate, Pascal Confavreux told reporters in a weekly briefing.
"Our position is clear and constant. It is that the North Atlantic Treaty applies to the North Atlantic,” he said.
“It is neither its purpose, nor in reality the appropriate alliance, for it then to be focused on an issue in the Middle East and on Hormuz.”
Lebanese economy to be hit hard by Israel-Hezbollah conflict
21:10 , Alex Croft
The war between Israel and Lebanese militants Hezbollah could shrink Lebanon's economy by at least 7 per cent this year finance minister Yassine Jaber has said.
It could cost the country an estimated $20 billion (£14.9bn), he added in an interview.
An economic contraction of between 7 per cent and 10 per cent is forecast for 2026.
The 2024 war cost Lebanon at least $8.5 billion (£6.3bn) in physical damage and economic losses, according to the World Bank. Lebanon's real GDP contracted by 7.1 per cent in 2024, the World Bank said, leading to a cumulative GDP decline of nearly 40 per cent since 2019.
Iran rebuilt military capacity faster than expected during ceasefire, says US intelligence
20:42 , Alex Croft
Iran has been rebuilding its military capacity much faster than expected during a six-week ceasefire with the US and Israel, according to new US intelligence reports.
The ceasefire provided an opportunity for Tehran to restart its production of drones, replace missile sites and reignite its production capacity, four US officials told CNN.
“The Iranians have exceeded all timelines the IC [the intelligence community] had for reconstitution,” one official said.
Top Iranian diplomat and parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that the country had used the opportunity to “rebuild” its strength and military capability.
Maira Butt reports:
Iran rebuilding military capacity faster than expected, say US intelligence sources
Iran splashes propaganda across Tehran in bid to rebuild national support
20:15 , Alex Croft
Iran's leaders are splashing propaganda posters across Tehran boasting of national unity and victory over a global superpower.
It comes just months after crushing protests with mass killings and as war worsens economic pain for their people.
Alongside the images of Revolutionary Guardsmen and a blockaded Strait of Hormuz, authorities are staging military-themed mass weddings and public gun training sessions in mosques to vaunt a spirit of national resistance.
Unlike the revolutionary religious messages of the past, today's propaganda emphasises nationalist themes aimed beyond a hardline support base.
Authorities are still drawing on established Iranian propaganda motifs of national resistance and Western villainy, but downplaying some old revolutionary imagery.
Shi'ite Muslim iconography of martyrdom, a mainstay for decades, has partly given way to Persian national and historical symbols once disdained in the Islamic Republic as harking back to a monarchist past.
Meanwhile, state television coverage of the frequent rallies staged by the authorities features interviews with women without headscarves, something long unshowable in Iranian media.
"It's an attempt to show that everything is normal in Iran, we're all united and we don't butcher our own people," said Ali Ansari, professor of modern history at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
"It'll work to some extent with waverers in the middle but most Iranians don't believe it really."
Putin shares with Xi idea of storing enriched Iranian uranium in Russia - Kremlin
19:43 , Alex Croft
Vladimir Putin discussed the Iran conflict with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to China, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
The Russian leader shared with Xi the idea of transporting and storing Iranian enriched uranium in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Interfax agency as saying.
During the meeting, the pair united to condemn attempts to dominate global affairs using the “law of the jungle” in a thinly veiled swipe at Donald Trump during their joint summit in Beijing - but failed to seal a vital deal on a gas pipeline.
You can read our writeup of Putin’s visit to Beijing here.
Trump cancelled Iran strikes after Saudi Arabia issued Hajj pilgrimage warning: report
19:14 , Alex Croft
President Donald Trump cancelled new attacks on Iran after Saudi Arabia warned strikes during the Hajj pilgrimage would cause serious “reputational damage”, according to a report.
The US leader threatened to restart a bombing campaign on the Islamic Republic after efforts to reach a deal appeared to be deadlocked but later backtracked and said that he was in no rush to end the conflict.
Earlier this week he said he was “an hour away” from attacking the country and that Gulf leaders had intervened.
Trump was told that America’s standing within the Muslim world would suffer serious damage if attacks were carried out during the holy period, two senior Gulf officials told the Middle East Eye.
Our foreign affairs reporter Maira Butt writes:
Trump cancelled Iran attack after Saudi Arabia issued Hajj pilgrimage warning: report
'It would be unnacceptable': Rubio on Iranian proposals for a toll system in Strait of Hormuz
18:49 , Alex Croft
We can bring you more quotes from US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who we earlier reported had stated Iranian attempts to collect tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz was blocking a potential peace deal.
"No one in the world is in favor of the tolling system. It can't happen. It would be unacceptable. It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that. So it's a threat to the world if they were trying to do that, and it's completely illegal," Rubio told reporters.
He also told reporters there had been some progress in talks with Tehran to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, but that Washington was dealing with "a system that itself is a little fractured."
"There's some good signs," the secretary of state said. "I don't want to be overly optimistic... So, let's see what happens over the next few days."
Watch: US military enforces total Iran blockade, reroutes 89 commercial vessels
18:26 , Alex Croft
Trump: US does not want tolls on Strait of Hormuz
17:59 , Alex Croft
President Donald Trump has reiterated earlier comments by US secretary of state Marco Rubio that the US does not want tolls on the Strait of Hormuz.
In comments made to reporters at the White House, the US president added that the US military will retrieve Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
"We will get it. We don't need it, we don't want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it," Trump told reporters at the White House.
Iran is believed to possess about 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium, which Trump says was buried by US and Israeli airstrikes nearly a year ago.
Retrieving the uranium is part of Trump's central objective of his war on Iran that Tehran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters new agency.
US-Iran peace deal impossible if Tehran insists on Strait of Hormuz tolls, says Rubio
17:34 , Alex Croft
A peace deal between the US and Iran would be unfeasible if Tehran demands a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday.
He did say, however, that there are some “good signs” in negotiations between the two countries.
Pakistani mediators are due to travel to Iran today for further talks, Mr Rubio added.
He also turned his attention to Nato, declaring that Washington was “very upset” over the military alliance’s response to the Iran crisis.
Rubio says a Hormuz tolling system would make diplomatic deal unfeasible
17:10 , Maira Butt
A diplomatic deal between the United States and Iran would be unfeasible if Tehran implemented a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday
Trump says he could run for prime minister in Israel claiming ‘99 percent approval rating’
16:47 , Maira Butt
As the Iran war continues to hurt his popularity at home, Donald Trump has said he could run for prime minister in Israel, claiming a “99 percent approval” rating in the country.
The president did not clarify which poll he was basing the claim on, but it would mark a stark contrast with his approval ratings in the U.S. which have hit another low in his second term amid soaring costs and the unpopular conflict in the Middle East.
“Right now I’m at 99 percent in Israel, I could run for prime minister,” he told reporters Wednesday. “So maybe after I do this I’ll go to Israel and run for prime minister.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
Trump says he could run for prime minister in Israel claiming ‘99 percent approval’
Full story: Iran rebuilt military capacity faster than expected during ceasefire, says US intelligence
16:18 , Maira Butt
Iran has been rebuilding its military capacity much faster than expected during a six-week ceasefire with the US and Israel, according to new US intelligence reports.
The ceasefire provided an opportunity for Tehran to restart its production of drones, replace missile sites and reignite its production capacity, four US officials told CNN.
“The Iranians have exceeded all timelines the IC [the intelligence community] had for reconstitution,” one official said.
Top Iranian diplomat and parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that the country had used the opportunity to “rebuild” its strength and military capability.
Iran rebuilding military capacity faster than expected, say US intelligence sources
Full story: Supreme leader ‘issues order’ to keep uranium inside Iran in blow to peace talks
15:45 , Maira Butt
Iran’s supreme leader has directed that his nation’s near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior sources said, hardening Tehran’s stance on one of the main US demands at peace talks.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's order could further frustrate president Donald Trump and complicate talks on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Israeli officials told Reuters Mr Trump had assured their government that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, needed to make an atomic weapon, would be sent out of the country and that any deal must include a clause on this.
Read the full story below.
Supreme leader ‘issues order’ to keep uranium inside Iran in blow to peace talks
More than 40 US military aircraft lost or damaged in Iran war during $29 billion Operation Epic Fury
15:15 , Maira Butt
More than 40 U.S. military aircraft have been lost or damaged since the start of the war with Iran, a Congressional report has revealed.
Operation Epic Fury has led to the destruction of 42 aircraft, including F-15 fighter jets, an F-35 Lightning II aircraft, drones, and a HH-60W Jolly Green II combat search-and-rescue helicopter due to incidents including friendly fire and combat operations.
The F-35A Lightning II alone is worth around $110m, according to the Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
42 US military aircraft lost or damaged in Iran war during $29bn Operation Epic Fury
Watch: US military enforces total Iran blockade, reroutes 89 commercial vessels
14:45 , Maira Butt
Trump says Netanyahu ‘will do whatever I want’ after long phone call with Israeli leader
14:15 , Maira Butt
Donald Trump has said Benjamin Netanyahu will do “whatever I want him to do” after the two leaders held a lengthy phone call over the war in Iran.
In a “dramatic” conversation on Wednesday, the pair are said to have clashed over whether to resume strikes in Iran or give negotiators more time to reach a deal.
The US president had been expected to relaunch military attacks imminently, but called off plans on Wednesday in order to give Tehran a chance to “give the right answers”.
Nicole Wootton-Cane reports:
Trump says Netanyahu ‘will do whatever I want’ after phone call with Israeli leader
Italy asks EU to adopt sanctions against Israeli minister Ben-Gvir
13:45 , Maira Butt
EU foreign ministers should discuss at their next meeting the adoption of sanctions against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.
Tajani said on X he had made a formal request to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, on account of the Israeli minister's “unacceptable actions” against Gaza flotilla activists.
Netanyahu issues rare rebuke to far-right Israeli minister over video taunting handcuffed Gaza flotilla activists
13:20 , Maira Butt
Israel’s national security minister drew a rare rebuke from Benjamin Netanyahu and sparked a huge global backlash after releasing videos taunting detained flotilla activists who tried to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
Itamar Ben-Gvir released footage on Wednesday showing him walking among some of the approximately 430 detainees and telling them they should be jailed for a long time.
“Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords,” says Ben-Gvir, waving a large Israeli flag. One handcuffed activist shouts “Free Palestine” as Ben-Gvir walks by and is immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel.
James C Reynolds reports:
Israeli minister sparks fury over video taunting handcuffed Gaza flotilla activists
Fifa to ban pre-revolutionary Iran flag at World Cup in United States
12:40 , Maira Butt
Fifa is set to prohibit fans from bringing the pre-revolutionary Iran flag into stadiums at the World Cup in the United States – a ruling also made for the last World Cup in Qatar.
While similar in its red, white and green band formation, the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag has a lion and the sun in the middle, while the official flag, changed following the Iranian revolution in 1979, has an Islamic symbol and phrasing, depicting the shift from a monarchy to a theocratic government.
The pre-revolutionary flag has been used by Iranians in the US and worldwide as a symbol of protest and standing against the current regime and, while prohibited at the 2022 World Cup, some fans managed to sneak the flag into stadiums in Qatar.
Fifa to ban pre-revolutionary Iran flag at World Cup in United States
UK foreign office cuts Iran war team in half amid budget cuts
12:10 , Maira Butt
The United Kingdom’s foreign office is planning to cut its Iran war team to around half of its original size, according to Bloomberg News.
The move is part of a downsizing strategy lead by British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper.
Iran's supreme leader orders near-weapons grade Uranium must stay in Iran, say sources
11:45 , Maira Butt
Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that near-weapons grade Uranium must stay in Iran, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters on Thursday.
The US is adamant that Tehran must forfeit its right to enrich uranium and give up its nuclear development while Iran has insisted that it has the right to continue to do so.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since his father was killed in a US-Israeli strike on 28 February.
Watch: Donald Trump claims he has ‘99.9% support’ in Israel
11:00 , Maira Butt
Global Sumud Flotilla urge people to contact governments over Israeli videos
10:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Activists working with a Gaza-bound flotilla whose passengers have been detained by Israel have urged supporters to contact their governments amid concerns over their treatment.
It comes after videos show dozens of detained activists kneeling in rows with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, in what appears to be an outdoor Israeli port facility. In the background, soldiers armed with long guns can be seen patrolling the area from aboard a military vessel.
"They came as big heroes," Israel's far-right police minister Itamar Ben Gvir says in the video as he walks by the activists while carrying a large Israeli flag.
"Look at them now. See how they look now, not heroes and not anything."
Members of the Global Sumud Flotilla have called on supporters to urge governments to “demand their freedom”.
“Netanyahu's performative outrage over Ben Gvir's treatment of flotilla activists exposes the regime's desperate attempt to control its own narrative while maintaining the same brutal system,” they wrote on Telegram.
“This isn't about one minister — it's about the entire colonial machine.
“Contact your government now: demand their freedom.”
Recap: US military boards Iranian-flagged oil tanker suspected of trying to breach blockade
10:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
The US military said Wednesday that it boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of trying to violate the American blockade.
US Central Command said on social media that the M/T Celestial Sea was searched and redirected after being suspected of trying to head to an Iranian port. It's at least the fifth commercial vessel to be boarded since the Trump administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping in mid-April, several days into a ceasefire, to pressure Tehran into opening the strait and accepting a deal to end the war.
The military boarded the tanker after Trump said Monday he had called off renewed military strikes on Iran in an effort to make progress in negotiations to end the war.
Jet fuel shortage: All the airlines cancelling flights as Jet2 issues update
09:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
British travellers have cause to celebrate after Jet2 reassured customers that their summer holidays will proceed as normal, confirming it has ample fuel and will not impose surcharges.
The UK’s third-largest airline announced on Wednesday that it has received "positive updates" from its fuel suppliers, detailing increased production and additional imports from areas unaffected by the Middle East conflict.
This positive news comes despite the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warning travellers to brace for higher air fares as airlines can no longer absorb the escalating costs stemming from disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:
Jet fuel shortage: All the airlines cancelling flights as Jet2 issues update
Recap: Iran 'reviewing Washington's position'
09:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Iran said on Thursday it was reviewing Washington's latest position on ending the war after US President Donald Trump suggested he was prepared to wait a few days to "get the right answers" from Tehran but warned of renewed attacks if it did not agree to a deal.
"We have received US views and are reviewing them," Iranian state-run agency Nour News quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
Pakistan, which hosted peace talks last month and is acting as the conduit for messages between the two sides, continues to mediate between Tehran and Washington, he added, with several rounds of communication having taken place.
Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir is set to travel to Tehran on Thursday to continue mediation.
"Believe me, if we don't get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We're all ready to go," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Trump said, "It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly."
Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. "We're in the final stages of Iran. We'll see what happens. Either have a deal or we're going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won't happen," Trump told reporters earlier in the day.
"Ideally, I'd like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way."
Outrage as Israeli minister filmed taunting international activists detained in Israel
08:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Israeli police on Wednesday forced detained activists who were aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind their backs while a minister looked on, drawing criticism from foreign leaders and even from inside Israel's own government.
The activists were aboard a flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Tuesday and later taken to an Israeli port.
The flotilla, which had set sail from southern Turkey, represented a renewed attempt to deliver vital assistance to war-shattered Gaza. Its organisers stated their objective was to break Israel's ongoing blockade of the territory by providing humanitarian supplies. This comes as aid bodies continue to report severe shortages, despite a US-brokered ceasefire, in place since October 2025, which included guarantees for increased aid.
Israel claims that its naval blockade on Gaza is entirely lawful.
You can read the full report below:
Outrage as videos show Israeli minister taunting activists detained in Israel
Watch: Trump claims Netanyahu ‘will do whatever he wants him to do’
08:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Who is Ahmadinejad, the leader US and Israel 'planned to install' in Iran?
07:45 , Stuti Mishra
Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is considered a staunch opponent of Israel and the US and had previously called to “wipe Israel off the map”. In the years after his presidency he expressed criticism of Ayatollah Khamenei’s government and support for Ukraine, warning that President Vladimir Putin would have “no achievement” to show for it.
His freedom of movement had recently been restricted amid the civil unrest across Iran, which saw thousands of protesters killed according to human rights organisations. He had attempted to run for president but was disqualified from elections by the establishment.
Close allies of Mr Ahmadinejad have been accused of spying for Western countries and Israel, including his former chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashai who was put on trial in 2018.
Pakistan army chief to visit Tehran in mediation effort between US and Iran
07:34 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir will travel to Tehran on Thursday as part of ongoing Pakistani mediation in talks and consultations between Tehran and Washington over the Iran war, Iran's ISNA news agency said.
US and Israel ‘planned to install hardliner Ahmadinejad as Iran’s new leader’ after war: report
07:20 , Stuti Mishra
The United States and Israel entered the war in Iran with the aim of installing former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the country’s leader, according to reports.
The plan, developed by the Israelis with Mr Ahmadinejad’s consultation, fell apart following the outbreak of war, US officials briefed on the discussions said.
Read the full story:
US and Israel ‘planned to install hardliner Ahmadinejad as Iran’s new leader’
US military boards Iranian oil tanker suspected of breaching blockade as Senate defies Trump on war
06:58 , Stuti Mishra
The US military has boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman suspected of trying to bypass the American blockade of Iranian ports, US Central Command has said, as pressure mounts at home on US president Donald Trump over soaring fuel prices.
The vessel, identified as the M/T Celestial Sea, was searched and redirected after being suspected of heading to an Iranian port. It is at least the fifth commercial vessel boarded since the Trump administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping in mid-April.
The incident came as the Senate on Tuesday advanced legislation seeking to force Mr Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, with a growing number of Republicans defying the president in a 50-47 vote. Fellow Republicans are facing political headwinds ahead of November's midterm elections as petrol prices skyrocket.
Nearly three months since the war began on 28 February, 1,550 vessels from 87 countries remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, the US military said. Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz while the US enforces its blockade on Iranian ports and Iranian-linked ships as far afield as the Indian Ocean.
Oil edges higher with no peace deal progress
06:31 , Stuti Mishra
Oil prices edged higher early on Thursday, a day after Brent crude dropped 5%. Brent, the international standard, gained 48 cents to $105.50 per barrel, while U.S. benchmark crude added 52 cents to $98.78 per barrel.
Brent remains well above its roughly $70 level from before the war with Iran. Prices have been yo-yoing on rising and falling hopes that the United States and Iran can reach an agreement to allow oil deliveries to fully resume from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard holds public weapons training in Tehran amid war threat
06:00 , Stuti Mishra
Iran's Revolutionary Guard is holding regular public weapons demonstrations in Tehran, teaching civilians to handle assault rifles, according to The Associated Press, as US president Donald Trump threatens to restart the war if negotiations break down.
At a training session on Tuesday, male and female participants received instruction on handling Kalashnikov-style assault rifles, with those completing the course receiving a card certifying them as "Janfada", meaning those who sacrifice their lives. Military vehicles mounted with machine guns have also featured in parades through the capital, and a ballistic missile adorned the stage at a mass wedding.
"This is necessary for all our people to get trained because we are in a war situation these days," Ali Mofidi, 47, a Tehran resident attending Tuesday's session, told AP.
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi criticised the demonstrations, particularly footage of young boys handling assault rifles, comparing the scenes to "child hostage-taking and arming by groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria."
Iran releases map of its "controlled maritime zone" in the Strait of Hormuz
05:40 , Stuti Mishra
Iran's newly-created Persian Gulf Strait Authority on Wednesday released a map of what it claims is its "controlled maritime zone" in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post to X, the PGSA defined the zone as the "line connecting Kuh Mobarak in Iran and the south of Fujairah in the UAE in the east of the strait to the line connecting the end of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm al-Qaiwain in the UAE in the west of the strait."
Anyone transiting through the area for the purpose of passing through the strait "requires coordination with, and authorisation from" the PGSA, the post said.
1/
— PGSA | نهاد مدیریت آبراه خلیج فارس (@PGSA_IRAN) May 20, 2026
جمهورى اسلامى ايران محدودهٔ نظارتى مديریت تنگه هرمز را به این شرح تعيین کرده است: «خط اتصال كوه مبارك درايران وجنوب فجيره درامارات در شرق تنگه تاخط اتصال انتهاى جزيره قشم درايران و ام القيوین امارات درغرب تنگه.» pic.twitter.com/3ELSwYx5Bp
Iran says negotiations ongoing but it has 'suspicion over America's performance'
05:20 , Stuti Mishra
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran was pursuing negotiations "with seriousness and good faith, but it has strong and reasonable suspicion over America's performance."
Iran submitted a new offer to the US this week. Tehran's descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms previously rejected by Mr Trump, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of US troops.
Mr Trump on Tuesday said he had been an hour away from ordering attacks this week in response to requests from several of Iran's Gulf neighbours.
Trump says willing to wait for a few days to get 'right answer' on Iran peace deal
05:00 , Stuti Mishra
Donald Trump has said the United States was ready to proceed with further attacks on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to "get the right answers."
Speaking to reporters, Mr Trump said the situation was "right on the borderline" and could escalate quickly. Six weeks after he paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have shown little progress, while soaring gasoline prices have weighed on the president's approval ratings.
"Believe me, if we don't get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We're all ready to go," he said at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Mr Trump said: "It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly."
Iran warned against renewed attacks. "If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time," the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.
Mr Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.
"We're in the final stages of Iran. We'll see what happens. Either have a deal or we're going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won't happen," he told reporters earlier in the day.
"Ideally I'd like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way."
Trump: Netanyahu will do whatever I want him to
04:40 , Stuti Mishra
Donald Trump has claimed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will do whatever is asked of him, insisting the pair are on the same page over negotiations to end the Iran war.
"He's fine, he'll do whatever I want him to do,” the US president told reporters at an airbase in Maryland, according to American media.
The comments came after a report by Israel’s Channel 12 of a “lengthy and dramatic” phone call about Trump’s decision to call off a return to military attacks.
“He's a very- very good man. He'll do whatever I want him to do. And he's a great guy," he added.
Iran war briefing for Thursday 21 May:
04:10 , Stuti Mishra
- Donald Trump has claimed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will do whatever is asked of him, insisting the pair are on the same page over negotiations to end the Iran war.
- Trump said he was "in no hurry" to make a deal to end the war. He said the United States was ready to proceed with further attacks on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to "get the right answers."
- Iran's foreign minister Esmaeil Baghaei told news agency Nour News: "We have received US Views and are reviewing them".
- Pakistan continued to mediate exchanges of messages between Tehran and Washington, Baghaei said, adding that several rounds of communication had taken place based on Iran’s original 14-point framework.
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to push the war "beyond the region" if the US or Israel resume attacks, promising "crushing blows … in places you cannot even imagine."
Iran war has caused world's worst energy shock, says IEA
20:14 , Alex Croft
The International Energy Agency says the Iran war has produced the world's worst energy shock.
It warned on Thursday that the peak of summer fuel demand coupled with a lack of new Middle East supply means the market could enter the "red zone" in July and August.
Some ships are managing to transit the strait, but only a trickle compared with the 125-140 daily passages before the war.
Iran's IRNA news agency said 31 ships had passed in the last 24 hours in coordination with the Iranian navy.
Iran said it aimed to reopen the strait to friendly countries that abide by its terms that could potentially include fees.
