War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Asked about Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri warning that the agreement with Israel would “cause a civil war”, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says that the framework “does not require the endorsement of parliament”.

“It is a part of our constitution; it is the prerogative of the president,” Aoun tells reporters at the White House alongside US President Donald Trump. “We are committed to it, and I think the speaker of the parliament really wants to see the end of this war; he is from the south.

“He is actually supportive of what we are doing, but we need to be careful. His position as speaker and a leader of the Shia community — we have to understand how critical his position is,” Aoun adds, emphasising that Berri is a “man of state” and is “supportive of ending the war once and for all”.

US President Donald Trump has said Washington will “see what happens” with regard to Yemen’s Houthi rebels threatening to impose a naval blockade of the Red Sea.

Fielding questions from reporters at the White House, Trump says, “If something like that happens, we take care of it. We’ve done that with the Houthis before, and we haven’t heard from them in a while … and we’ve had no problem with the Houthis and they’ve had no problem with us for a long period of time, including during this conflict.

“I think if there is something like that, we’ll just have to take care of business,” he adds.

Asked about whether Lebanon would join the Abraham Accords despite laws criminalising contact with Israel, US President Donald Trump has said Beirut has “a very important place” with the agreement, which normalises ties with Tel Aviv.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of countries joining pretty soon,” Trump tells reporters, hailing the Accords as a “tremendous success”.

“I think Lebanon has a very important place.”

US President Donald Trump pledges that Washington and Beirut will “solve a lot of problems”, as he hosts Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

“We are going to solve a lot of problems,” he tells reporters, adding, “We’ve already solved some of them.

“As you know, there’s a Hezbollah problem, but we’ve done some things, I think, the world will take notice [of],” Trump adds.

US President Donald Trump, who is currently hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, says the latter’s country has been “a very mistreated country for a long period of time”.

“It’s been hit hard for many decades, really,” he tells reporters in the White House, alongside Aoun.

Kuwait’s foreign ministry says it has summoned Iran’s ambassador over a strike the previous day that targeted a Kuwaiti tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and wounded several people, AFP reports.

The ministry says on X that it delivered “a protest note regarding Iran’s targeting of the Kuwaiti tanker ‘Kifan’ on Monday evening, while it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in injuries to several crew members”.

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni has called on Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, according to the military’s media wing.

“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional and bilateral security and effective border management were discussed,” Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) has said in a post on Facebook.

It adds that Momeni appreciated Pakistan’s “consistent efforts and indispensable diplomatic role in easing regional tensions, encouraging de-escalation and serving as an anchor for peace”.

The meeting has concluded with both parties affirming to maintain close coordination and cooperative mechanisms to safeguard regional security, ISPR says.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has spoken with Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to voice his condemnation of “ongoing Iranian aggressions” against Bahrain, Al Jazeera reports.

He also affirms “Lebanon’s permanent stance in support of it in preserving its security and sovereignty”, according to a statement from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed concern over escalating tensions in the Middle East and reiterated that Pakistan will sincerely mediate between the US and Iran, according to his office.

The premier has expressed these views while hosting Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who is on an official visit to Pakistan.

An official press release issued by the PM Office says: “The prime minister shared his deep concern over the recent escalation in the Gulf region and urged all sides to exercise restraint and refrain from actions that could further destabilise the region.

“While emphasising that Pakistan would continue to play its role as an honest and sincere mediator and facilitator, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment to regional peace and stability,“ it adds.

Bahrain says its air defence systems have successfully intercepted and destroyed “a number of treacherous Iranian aerial attacks”, according to a statement posted on X.

“The General Command affirms that all its branches and units are at the highest level of readiness and fully prepared to defend and protect the kingdom,” it adds, urging civilians to exercise caution and avoid approaching debris from the intercepted projectiles.

Bahrain’s interior ministry says that air radi sirens in the kingdom have been activated and citizens have been urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.

Two ⁠oil ⁠tankers loaded with Saudi crude for China ⁠and India have made ⁠U-turns in the Red Sea and headed for the Suez Canal following a warning from Yemen’s Houthi militia, according to Al Jazeera.

Kuwaiti air defences are currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks, the military says in a statement, calling it “sinful Iranian aggression”.

“The General Staff of the Army notes that if explosion sounds are heard, they are the result of the air defence systems intercepting the hostile attacks,” the statement, posted on X, reads. “Everyone is requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities.”

Lebanon’s military says Israeli troops fired near its soldiers deploying in a so-called “pilot zone” Israel is to withdraw from under a US-backed agreement, AFP reports.

While troops were deploying in Zawtar al-Gharbiya in southern Lebanon, Israeli forces “opened fire in the vicinity of these units”, the army says, adding that “the attack will hinder the implementation of deployment in the pilot zones”.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells Fox Business in an interview that there has been a substantial decrease in China’s purchases of Iranian oil, according to Reuters.

Iran’s interior minister, Eskandar Momeni, has held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the PM House in Islamabad.

According to an X post by the PM’s Office (PMO), the meeting between the two has commenced. The statement did not have any more details about the meeting.

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The United Arab Emirates has condemned renewed Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan with missiles and drones.

In a statement published on X, the UAE foreign ministry calls the attacks “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the brotherly nations and a threat to their security and stability”.

“The ministry reiterated the UAE’s full solidarity with the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding their security and stability,” the statement adds.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the US violated its commitments in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding after Tehran’s achievements in the talks “exceeded expectations”, Al Jazeera reports.

“In these negotiations, we moved forward step by step, and our main position was to open the Strait of Hormuz for oil exports and other vital issues, but the other side violated [the deal],” he states, speaking at the National Industry and Mining Day ceremony.

“The achievements of the Islamic republic in this direction far exceeded expectations, and we were able to manage various issues well in a short time.

Pezeshkian adds that Iran’s supreme leader expressed to him in private meetings the necessity of ending the “neither war nor peace” situation in the country.

The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) says that renewed fighting in the region increases concerns over energy supplies, but that the market still has cushions to absorb the impact, AFP reports.

“The escalation in hostilities affecting the Strait of Hormuz and energy infrastructure in the region increases security of supply concerns and uncertainty over the market outlook,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol says in a statement.

“For the moment, crude oil markets continue to benefit from several cushioning factors,” he adds, pointing to increased exports from several countries and Saudi and United Arab Emirates oil reaching markets by alternative routes.

The level of “interaction” with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is increasing day by day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says in a video clip published on state media, according to Reuters.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since the airstrike that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the start of the war.

Qatar has strongly condemned Yemen’s Houthi rebels for blocking maritime navigation in the Red Sea, as well as statements from the group’s spokesperson accusing Saudi Arabia of “besieging the sister Yemeni people”.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the international community to fulfil its responsibilities in implementing the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2216 on Yemen and Resolution 2722 on the rights and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

The ministry, “affirms that freedom of navigation in international waterways is a fundamental principle of international law, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982”.

“The Ministry renews the State of Qatar’s full solidarity with the sister Arab Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and its support for all measures it takes to preserve its sovereignty and security, and affirms that the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the security of the State of Qatar and the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States,” the statement concludes.

Kuwait says Iran had hit several power and water desalination plants a day earlier, causing fires in the fourth such wave of attacks in as many days, AFP reports.

“In light of the continued Iranian heinous aggressions on the state of Kuwait, several electricity power plants and water distillation stations were subjected to attacks for the fourth day in a row, resulting in fires in several facilities,” the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy says in a statement on X.

Kuwait says Iran again attacked its power and desalination plants causing damage to the crucial facilities, Al Jazeera reports.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has met with the Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad, Prime Minister Office says.