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
Kuwait’s defence ministry has said that three border posts and an offshore oil platform were attacked during a fresh exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran, AFP reports.
“Three land border posts in the north of the country were subjected to a cowardly attack, resulting in material damage,” the statement said, without specifying the origin of the assault.
It added that an “offshore drilling platform belonging to the Kuwait Oil Company… was targeted by a hostile drone, resulting in material damage and the injury of one worker”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate halt to escalating attacks across the Gulf.
In a post on X, Guterres says that he is “deeply concerned”, pointing to US attacks on Iran and Iranian attacks on targets in neighbouring countries. “These attacks must all stop.”
“A return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences – for the peoples of the region, for international peace & security & for the global economy,” he stated.
“I urge Iran & the US to urgently resume negotiations & to address outstanding issues through diplomacy.”
The US carried out several strikes on Iranian missile and air defence systems and targeted small speed boats of the IRGC at several locations around the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reports, citing a senior US official.
Iranian state media has reported that an employee of a telecommunications company was killed in attacks in the southern province of Hormozgan on the Gulf, as hostilities resumed between Tehran and Washington, AFP says.
“Following the enemy attack on Farur in Bandar Lengeh, one employee of the Mobile Communications Company of Iran was killed while carrying out his duties, and two of his colleagues were injured,” the IRNA state news agency reported.
Israel will hold national elections on October 27, the last date allowed by law, its parliament says, with the vote widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership since the Gaza war erupted, AFP reports.
The Knesset, as parliament is known, is set to end its current term on July 17, allowing the ruling coalition to complete a full four-year term for the first time in decades.
“Since the current Knesset is expected to serve its full term and the next general election is already set by law for October 27, with no intention of shortening the legislature’s tenure, there is no need to enact a Knesset Dissolution Law in the usual sense,” parliament said in a statement.
Public opinion turned critical of the ceasefire that halted the war Israel and the US launched against Iran in late February, which led to a deal between Tehran and Washington that many view as unfavourable to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the plenum of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, Israel on November 10, 2025. — Reuters/File
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand says Ottawa “stands with the Gulf States as they face another barrage of attacks from Iran”.
The latest attacks “undermine efforts to restore security and stability in the region,” she wrote on X, adding that strikes on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz “are a violation of international law”.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has issued a statement condemning Iran’s latest attacks, Al Jazeera reports.
The organisation said the strikes on Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Jordan are a “flagrant and ongoing violation of the sovereignty of these states”.
“The ongoing attacks and assaults on ships and obstruction of international trade are a clear breach of international law and the United Nations Charter and the Organisation’s Charter,” it added.
Several explosions have been in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas and the Qeshm Island maritime area, Al Jazeera reports, citing Mehr and Fars news agencies.
The UAE has strongly condemned renewed Iranian “hostile attacks” on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and Oman, WAM news agency reports.
In a statement, the UAE’s foreign ministry affirmed that “these hostile 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 Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and Oman, and its support for “all measures aimed at safeguarding their security and stability”.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command, reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, warning that if one enters the Strait after trusting Centcom will be “leaving in lifeboat”.
Three people were injured in Qatar after Qatari Defence Ministry intercepted, what it describes as, “fire” around 5:30am, Al Jazeera reports.
As a result of shrapnel falling three people were injured, including one child. And they’re now being treated in hospital for those injuries.
In the morning, there were alerts on everybody’s phone in Qatar saying the threat level had been raised, that they were expecting some kind of missile or drone attack.
Large explosions were heard over Doha, following the alerts.
The threat level has now returned to normal, and it has been quiet since those explosions happened, according to Al Jazeera reporters.
Pakistan has urged all sides to “exercise restraint, take immediate steps towards de-escalation, and uphold respective commitments” as stipulated by the Islamabad MoU, in a statement shared by the Foreign Office (FO).
“Pakistan remains committed to providing all support towards achieving lasting peace and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy.”
The FO statement also reiterates the mediator’s support for “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all brotherly countries in the region”.
The MoU with Iran “was always performance-based and one of the conditions was that Iran cannot terrorise commercial vessels transiting the Strait”, US ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation says.
In an interview with CNN, Matthew Whitaker has said that Iran “should expect” US response to its attacks.
He adds, “President Trump is a peacemaker and he wants a deal with Iran.”
Reiterating Trump’s words, Whitaker has said that Iran is “controlled by a bunch of crazy people”.
President Donald Trump says the United States hit Iran hard in response to its latest attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.
“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump has told CNN by telephone in an interview centering mainly on the death of Senator Lindsey Graham.
Trump has said the United States and Iran had been close to “a deal” on Saturday.
“They were giving up everything, and then all of a sudden two hours after that they hit a ship with a drone. These people, there is something wrong with them,” he has said.
US President Donald Trump has said that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic, though the US and Iran continue to trade attacks that have raised concerns over safety on one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes, Reuters reports.
Trump’s comments were made during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is “currently not possible” due to US military’s “recent illegal movements”, Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) says in a post on X.
“As soon as stability and calm are restored, all requests will be reviewed based on the schedule, and the necessary permits will be issued.”
The Iranian agency mandated to authorise and regulate transit through Hormuz has said that the only way to obtain a transit permit is through its website.
The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels and US military forces are “positioned and prepared” to ensure freedom of navigation, US Central Command has said, Reuters reports.
Oman says it has rescued 23 crew members from a commercial ship while one remains missing after the vessel was struck off the Gulf sultanate’s eastern coast, AFP reports.
“Twenty-three crew members were rescued and provided with necessary medical care. Search operations are continuing for one crew member who remains missing,” Oman’s Maritime Security Centre has said in a statement.
The agency says it received a distress call from the Cypriot-flagged GFS Galaxy 4.4 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate.
US Central Command has said the ship had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, accusing Tehran of attacking it.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have intercepted and shot down a US cruise missile near Khorramabad in Lorestan province, IRNA reports.
According to an IRGC statement, the missile was destroyed by a cutting-edge air defence system operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force and integrated into Iran’s national air defence network.
Oman has summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest Iran’s drone strikes in Musandam and Al Batinah, the foreign ministry of Oman has said in a post on X.
Oman’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs, Sheikh Khalid bin Hashel Al Muslahi, has expressed “Oman’s dismay at these irresponsible acts, calling for the necessity of adhering to the provisions of state sovereignty, good neighbourliness, non-interference in internal affairs, and respect for the customs and ethical values that bind the two neighbouring countries and peoples”.
The United Arab Emirates has “strongly condemned” the renewed Iranian strikes targeting the region, Al Jazeera reports.
The Foreign Ministry has said the “aggressive attacks constitute a blatant violation of the sovereignty of these brotherly nations and a threat to their security and stability”.
It has reiterated its solidarity with its neighbours — Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait — that also came under attack.
