War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

A loud noise heard on Qeshm island in southern Iran was caused by air defences intercepting small drones and reconnaissance drones, the Hormozgan provincial authorities said, according to the Iranian news agency Students News Network, Reuters reports.

It said that no impact, damage or explosion had occurred.

Oil prices extended losses and stocks rallied on fresh hopes for an end to the Iran war and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while Samsung blasted past the $1 trillion valuation mark as the AI tech boom continued apace, AFP reports.

Investors welcomed Donald Trump’s decision to pause efforts to help stranded ships through the crucial waterway.

Oil prices sank around 4 per cent yesterday. Today, they continued to fall, with West Texas Intermediate briefly dipping below $100 a barrel.

The cheaper oil prices provided support to equities, with investors taking their cue from another record day for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, fuelled again by tech firms. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were all up.

Iranian FA (FFIRI) chief Mehdi Taj says FIFA must guarantee that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is not insulted by the United States if the national team is to travel to the country to play at the World Cup in June, Reuters reports.

“We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they have no right to insult the symbols of our system especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” he said on the sidelines of a pro-government night rally in Tehran.

Vacuum cleaners and vapes could get more expensive if the Iran war drags on for much longer, Chinese factory owners and traders warn, as the world’s manufacturing hub reels from “crazy” costs, AFP reports.

Manufacturing giant China has been comparatively sheltered from fuel shortages thanks to oil reserves and renewable energy, but local factories are picking up a ballooning raw materials bill.

“Basically, we’ve been losing money on all our orders,” said Bryant Chen, a manager at vacuum cleaner factory RIMOO in southern Guangdong province’s Foshan.

The price of plastic has risen roughly 50 per cent since before the Iran war, Chen told AFP as workers behind him fastened suction tubes to metal tanks.

Speaking at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre in Washington, D.C., in early 2012, Henry Kissinger asserted that, since World War II, the US had entered wars without a clear exit strategy, and often sought a way out shortly after engagement. He highlighted the Afghan conflict as an example of a prolonged and unwinnable war. At that time, the US, despite being the world’s greatest military power, was bogged down in a conflict that had entered its second decade. It took another decade for this war to conclude, resulting in utter humiliation for America, which had faced similar challenges in Vietnam and Iraq.

America’s longest war in Afghanistan was triggered by a desire for revenge for 9/11. Its military intervention in Iraq, meanwhile, was initiated under false pretenses regarding the possession by Iraq of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). From the outset, both conflicts proved unwinnable, yet deception masked the failures. For nearly two decades, American leaders misled the public about the disastrous outcomes of these wars.

Read more from Zahid Hussain here.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to the State Department, AFP reports.

The two, who spoke at Lavrov’s request, “discussed the US-Russia relationship, the Russia-Ukraine war, and Iran,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a brief statement that provided no other details.

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi met his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi for talks in Beijing, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, without giving further details, AFP reports.

Araghchi was set to “discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments” with Wang, Iran’s Fars news agency reported earlier.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing on Wednesday morning ahead of scheduled talks with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, according to Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies, AFP reports.

“Seyyed Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing… at the head of a diplomatic delegation. During this visit, our country’s Foreign Minister will discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments with his Chinese counterpart,” Fars reported.

US President Donald Trump has said that he would briefly pause an operation to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing “great progress” toward a comprehensive agreement with Iran, Reuters reports.

“We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom … will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote on social media. He said that the development came at the request of Pakistan and other countries.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US had made some adjustments to a draft UN resolution on the Strait of Hormuz to try and avoid vetoes by China and Russia, reports Reuters.

“Everyone wouldn’t want to see this vetoed again,” he said.

The new resolution, also drafted by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, would require Iran “to cease attacks, mining, and tolling” and demands that Iran disclose the number and location of the sea mines it has laid and cooperate with efforts to remove them.

The US secretary of state said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are “working hard” to advance diplomatic efforts with Iran.

He added that Iran must “accept the reality of the situation” and come to the negotiating table, agreeing to terms that are “good for it, but ultimately good for the world.”

Marco Rubio said that ‘Project Freedom’ was “defensive in nature”, asserting that US forces would only engage militarily if attacked first. “This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation,” he said, adding that there would be “no shooting unless we’re shot at first.”

Commenting on “Project Freedom”, Rubio said the initiative aimed to “rescue” nearly 23,000 civilians from 87 countries who were trapped in the Gulf and “left for dead” in the Persian Gulf. He added that the sailors had been stranded for more than two months.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would continue to deploy its assets to defend freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, reports Reuters.

He insisted the US was taking defensive action in enforcing its blockade of Iranian ports. The initial military operation against Iran was over, he said.

“We are only responding if attacked first. This is a defensive operation,” Rubio said.

He added that the United States has been in touch with a number of ships about moving out of the strait, echoing remarks made earlier by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Rubio said it was time for Tehran to “accept the reality of the situation”, adding that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were continuing to explore a diplomatic solution.

That solution had to address any nuclear material that Iran still had buried “deep somewhere,” Rubio said.

Rubio said peace between Israel and Lebanon was achievable but Lebanese group Hezbollah was a problem, reports Reuters.

“By and large, I think a peace deal between Lebanon and Israel is imminently achievable and should be,” he said.

“The problem with Israel and Lebanon is not Israel or Lebanon, it’s Hezbollah. Hezbollah operates from inside of Lebanese territory.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said 10 civilian sailors have died due to the ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, reports Reuters.

“They’re isolated, they’re starving, they’re vulnerable and at least 10 sailors have died as a result, civilian sailors,” Rubio said, without providing additional details.

He added that the US will continue to target drones and boats that pose a threat to US forces.

“If no shots are fired at these ships and no shots are fired at us, we’re not firing shots, but if we’re fired on, we will respond.”

He also said the US is deploying assets to extend a defensive umbrella over commercial shipping in the strait.

US forces have destroyed seven Iranian fast boats in the waterway, he added.

Operation Epic Fury has concluded with its objectives achieved, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding that there was no desire for an “for an additional situation to occur”. He emphasised that the preference remained for a “path of peace”.

Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, has commended the country’s armed forces for their response to Iranian drone and missile attacks, according to Al Arabiya.

He adds that the UAE “is capable, through the efficiency of its military and the cohesion of its society, of repelling any aggression and confronting any threat”.

Greek lawyers have appeared in court to testify and submit evidence against Israel Katz, Israel’s current minister of defence, Al Jazeera reports.

This comes a few months after the Hind Rajab Foundation, an organisation that takes legal action against individuals accused of war crimes in Gaza, filed a formal complaint against Katz with Greek lawyers on January 21.

The Hind Rajab Foundation says in a statement that “the complaint was submitted in connection with Katz’s visit to Greece and set out allegations relating to his potential responsibility under international law.”

It adds, “The complainants allege that Katz may bear responsibility, both as a participant and an instigator, for conduct allegedly amounting to serious international crimes, including war crimes, torture, crimes against humanity, and genocide, in connection with the ongoing situation in Gaza.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says that Iran’s drone and missile strikes against the UAE yesterday are “condemnable”

“We stand with the brotherly people of UAE and express full solidarity with His Highness the President [Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan], His Highness Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister [Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan] and the leadership and people of UAE,” the deputy premier says on X.

He reiterates that Pakistan will continue its efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region and beyond.