Pakistan hosts the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks end without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
US, Iran hold high-level talks in Switzerland on June 20 after signingpreliminary agreement to end the war; hold talks in Doha on July 1, with mediators citing “positive progress”
US launches strikes on Iran on July 8 in response to attacks on ships in Hormuz, Tehran retaliates as Hormuz heats up again; Trump says ceasefire is “over” on July 10 but talks ongoing
US Marines carry out a verification boarding of the oil tanker Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released on July 16, 2026. — Reuters
Iran’s foreign minister says three people killed while crossing a bridge in Bandar Khamir were “completely innocent”, according to Al Jazeera.
“We will never allow their pure blood to be trampled upon”, Abbas Araghchi says on his official Telegram account. “We will defend every inch of this land until our last breath.”
Kuwait’s state news agency reports that two fires in southern Kuwait were brought under control after sites were targeted in Iranian attacks, according to Al Jazeera.
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz continues to tighten, with only eight vessels having transited the waterway in the past 24 hours — a three-week low, according to Kpler.
The maritime shipping monitor says on X, “Seven of the eight transits used the Iranian route, highlighting a growing concentration of movements through higher risk corridors as operators reassess security, crew safety and insurance exposure.”
Kpler adds that activity was evenly split between low-risk and sanctioned vessels, with no shadow fleet crossings recorded.
“A newly verified physical incident involving the tanker Belma and continued enforcement measures have added to market uncertainty,” the monitor says. “While regional mediation efforts remain under way, commercial shipping patterns suggest military developments are now shaping operational decisions more than diplomatic progress.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have called on Iran to de-escalate and return to negotiations with the US in a joint statement, which comes after a defence and security council meeting, Al Jazeera reports.
“We urge Iran to refrain from endangering further negotiations through military escalations or activities,” the two countries say in the statement, additionally stressing the need to urgently reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
A planned virtual meeting between Lebanese, Israeli and US military delegations has been postponed due to technical issues involving the US and Israeli sides, a senior Lebanese military source tells Anadolu.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, says the meeting has been rescheduled for a later date that has yet to be determined.
The source adds that Israel has not carried out any withdrawals from the occupied areas in southern Lebanon, as agreed during the Rome negotiations held two days earlier.
The Lebanese army continues to conduct patrols in areas where it is already deployed and has not taken control of any new positions from Israeli forces, the source says.
Iranian news agency Tasnim reports that an American missile struck an oil tanker at Kharg Island.
The Deputy Governor of Bushehr for Political and Security Affairs says, “This tanker had also been targeted by the enemy two days ago, in an attempt to prevent it from berthing at this important oil export terminal.”
Yemen’s Houthi defence minister, Major General Mohammed Al-Atafi, has told the country’s Saba news agency that the movement is ready to follow Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s orders, Al Jazeera reports.
“We confirm the readiness of the armed forces to implement any directives issued by the Iranian supreme leader if the siege on the Yemeni people continues,” he tells Yemen’s official state news agency.
He also warns “aggressor countries, particularly the Saudi enemy and those who support it”, that the Houthis have all options available.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres says that attacks on civilian infrastructure are “unacceptable,” after Iran accused the United States of targeting bridges and transport hubs, AFP reports.
“The Secretary General remains deeply concerned by the continuing military escalation between Iran and the United States of America,” spokesman Farhan Haq tells reporters.
“He’s particularly concerned about attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and across the region. Such attacks are unacceptable,” he adds.
The United States has not confirmed Iran’s allegations that it targeted civilian sites.
In a statement posted on X, Qatar’s foreign ministry says attacks launched by Iran are a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the targeted states, and a blatant breach of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the principles of good neighbourliness”, Al Jazeera reports.
Qatar holds Iran fully legally responsible for the attacks and their consequences, the statement adds, asserting Doha’s right to respond under international law and Article 51 of the UN Charter to protect its sovereignty and citizens.
Qatar also expresses solidarity with fellow nations defending their territorial integrity and calls for an immediate halt to all military actions, restraint from further escalation, a serious return to dialogue and negotiations, and adherence to previously reached diplomatic understandings.
In a statement carried by Iranian state television, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy Command says the movements and military equipment of US forces are “under the surveillance” of Iran’s naval units, Al Jazeera reports.
“The Americans are drawing closer by the moment to the zero hour of an operation by Iran’s Armed Forces against Centcom (US Central Command) naval units in the region’s waters,” it adds.
The command concludes its statement with the warning: “Wait and see.”
The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms renewed Iranian strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan with missiles and drones.
In a statement, Abu Dhabi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that these attacks “constitute 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, the State of Qatar, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding their security and stability,” the statement adds.
US Central Command (Centcom) claims its forces have successfully destroyed a “surveillance tower” at Iran’s Chahbahar Port, which it claims was “used for decades by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.
“The destruction of the tower directly degrades [the] IRGC’s ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members,” Centcom adds in a statement published on X.
“Furthermore, the strike protects freedom of navigation in regional waters for all vessels, except for ships attempting to violate the ongoing US naval blockade against Iran.”
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik on Friday said that fuel prices would be fixed daily due to fluctuations in international market prices following renewed hostilities between Iran and the US.
Before announcing the latest cabinet decision on fuel prices, Malik thanked the nation on behalf of the government, who he said have “patiently tried to bear the burden of this war”.
He noted that despite the efforts of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the US-Iran war seemed to be escalating in the region.
“The Cabinet and prime minister have decided … Ogra will be given the responsibility to daily decide the fuel prices based on the international market,” the petroleum minister said.
He added that Ogra would “not just publish the fuel rates on its website that are used to determine prices, but also publish the factors leading to the price that we see in each petrol pump”.
US Central Command (Centcom) has dismissed claims by the Iranian military that American troops were killed during a strike on the Al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.
“No US troops in the region have recently been killed or captured,” Centcom says in a post on X.
The British Home Office has designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under the National Security (State Threats) Act, according to a statement posted on X.
“Anyone who supports or assists the IRGC, or receives payment from it, could face 14 years in prison,” it reads. “Those who commit acts of sabotage could face life imprisonment.”
Iran’s Road Maintenance and Transportation Organisation says all major roads across the country are open and traffic has resumed on damaged sections despite overnight strikes by the US, state broadcaster Press TV reports.
In a statement, the organisation says road maintenance crews have restored traffic on damaged routes in less than 12 hours, including several bridges in the south of the country.
It adds that bypasses have been constructed around the damaged sections, allowing vehicles to resume using the affected roads.
“Despite the enemy’s savage attacks on transportation infrastructure, all road routes across the country remain open and traffic is flowing,” the statement says.
Unidentified individuals have illegally boarded a vessel off the coast of Yemen, AFP reports citing the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre UKMTO.
The UKMTO says the incident took place 65 nautical miles south of Mukalla, a major city on Yemen’s south coast.
“Military authorities have reported that the vessel was boarded by unauthorised personnel whilst transiting east in the Gulf of Aden,” the agency writes on X, without providing further details.
It adds that authorities are investigating and did not mention the status of the ship’s crew.
The prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region has denounced “unjustified attacks” that he blames on Iran and urged Tehran to halt the escalation, AFP reports.
“We condemn the unjustified attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Kurdistan region,” says the office of Masrour Barzani. “While urging the Islamic Republic of Iran to stop this escalation, we also call on the Iraqi federal government and the international community to end these violations.”
The Kuwaiti military says several personnel have been “wounded as a result of enemy drones targeting several facilities and camps affiliated with the Kuwaiti Army this morning, following the heinous Iranian aggression”.
It has published a statement on X saying that the injured were visited by senior military officials in hospital.
