War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

United States President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that he believes the war on Iran is nearing an end, promising that petrol prices will drop when the conflict is over.

Citing an unnamed lawmaker, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that an Iranian parliamentary committee is reviewing a preliminary bill that would bar US, Israeli and other “hostile” vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

On Thursday, Iran and Oman said they had agreed on coordinates for shipping routes through the strait, whose closure has triggered a global energy crisis. The two are currently engaged in talks to resolve disagreements between the US and Iran over how the strait should be controlled. It is hoped that once these are resolved, broader peace talks between the US and Iran can continue.

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An Iranian official says that a framework of understanding with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz has been agreed upon, Al Jazeera reports.

“The general framework of the understanding with Oman has been determined, and the final text and details will be announced soon,” Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, tells the IRNA state news agency. “Of course, the final decision must be made at higher levels.”

Nabil Fahmy, the secretary-general of the League of Arab States, has condemned the Houthi attacks on the Najran region of Saudi Arabia, as well as the attacks on sites belonging to the Yemeni government forces in Marib and Hadramout, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, Fahmy has stressed that targeting Saudi territory and endangering civilian lives, along with the attacks inside Yemen, represented a “very dangerous path that threatens the security and stability of the region and undermines the chances of de-escalation and a political settlement”.

“Fahmy expressed the Arab League’s full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of any aggression targeting its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, while stressing the need to stop the Houthi attacks and the ongoing escalation inside Yemen,” the statement reads.

“The Secretary-General stressed that the current stage requires a halt to the escalation and refraining from any actions that would expand the circle of confrontation, and a return to the political track,” it adds.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the ongoing situation in the Gulf and Ukraine during a phone call with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to the Kremlin, Al Jazeera reports.

Kremlin adds that Putin ⁠has expressed his ⁠gratitude to the UAE for ⁠its role ⁠in organising ⁠exchanges of prisoners of war and detainees between ‌Russia and Ukraine.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels shelled residential neighbourhoods and displacement camps in the government-held city of Marib, killing at least two civilians and injuring 14 others, AFP has cited the health minister.

“Shelling by the terrorist Houthi militia today, Friday, targeting residential neighbourhoods and displacement camps in the city of Marib, has resulted — according to an initial toll — in the deaths of two civilians and injuries of varying severity to 14 others,” says Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh in a post on X.

Hizam al-Assad, a member of the political bureau of the Houthi movement, has threatened Saudi Arabia’s army and its “mercenaries”, Al Jazeera reports.

“There is no security for the invading Saudi forces, nor for their mercenaries, nor for their camps on our land,” he has said on X.

He adds: “And whoever condemns the operations of our armed forces should open their country and territory to the establishment of Saudi camps, and allow the recruitment and enlistment of mercenaries from among their own people.”

“Our armed forces are compelled to reclaim our rights, lift the siege on our country, and confront every individual who obstructs our people’s path towards attaining their rights, freedom, and independence, regardless of their nationality,” he has also said in a separate post.

Oil prices edge lower as investors weigh signals that Gulf states and Iran are closing in on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a temporary arrangement aimed at allowing for broader talks to bring the Iran war to a close, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures were down 57 cents, or 0.7 per cent, at $81.92 a barrel at 1014 GMT.

US West Texas Intermediate futures have fallen 33 cents, or 0.4pc, to $76.96.

A Houthi drone attack on Yemen’s Marib province killed three members of government forces and wounded another four, a Yemeni military source told AFP.

“Three killed and four wounded in a preliminary toll from the Houthi drone attack on the Harib area, in the south of Marib,” the source said.

Oil has extended gains amid further concerns around the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran, working with Oman, suggested banning vessels deemed hostile from the strait and heavily fining those which violated the proposed rules, Reuters notes.

Brent crude futures were up 85 cents, or 1.03pc, at $83.34 a barrel by 11:34am PKT. US West Texas Intermediate futures rose 52 cents, or 0.67pc, to $77.81.

Oil futures settled up more than $3 a barrel yesterday as an Iranian lawmaker said a parliamentary committee is reviewing a preliminary bill to ban US, Israeli and other vessels deemed hostile from the Strait of Hormuz, and fine violators of the proposed restrictions up to 20pc of cargo value, according to the Fars news agency.

Analysts said the events that have unfolded this week signalled that the hostilities between Iran and the US are not yet over.

Saudi Arabia expects imminent coordinated attacks from the north and south by Iran-aligned Iraqi militias and Yemen’s Houthis, Reuters reports, citing an unnamed senior Saudi official.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said intelligence reports from Saudi Arabia, the United States and other regional countries indicated civilian and economic sites could be targeted, including energy infrastructure, ports and airports.

Saudi Arabia had also observed drones and missiles being moved, suggesting coordinated operations from both directions, the official said.

The official said the reported threats were particularly alarming as Riyadh continued to pursue de-escalation and a negotiated settlement, adding that contacts with all parties, including Iran, and mediation efforts appeared to be moving “in the right direction”.

The official said the planned attacks could be intended to disrupt those diplomatic efforts.

The official said Saudi-US cooperation remained “very high” at all levels, including operationally with US Central Command.

Israeli artillery struck the town of Al-Mansouri in southern Lebanon, Press Tv reports.

US President Donald Trump has ordered new investigations into the disclosures of the Pentagon’s munitions stockpile, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing administration officials.

Describing the move as an effort to “battle damaging revelations about the Iran war”, WSJ reported that the order came after multiple media reports on depleted munitions levels associated with the war, “despite administration assurances that the US has what it needs to fight Tehran and world powers such as Russia and China”.

“Trump has privately vented to cabinet officials and aides about the reports on munitions levels because he says they would embolden the Iranian regime and weaken the US position in trying to cap Tehran’s nuclear programme,” the WSJ report read.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has criticised his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan for accusing Israel of “destabilising Syria”, claiming that Türkiye is undermining Israel’s security by establishing military bases in Syria, Al Jazeera reports.

“What Minister Fidan wants is for Israel to stop protecting itself from threats to its security. This will not happen,” he wrote on X.

“Israel will continue to take all measures necessary to defend its citizens against any threat,” the minister said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, in a telephone conversation have discussed bilateral relations and the latest regional developments, IRNA reports.

During the phone call, Araghchi briefed his Mauritanian counterpart on Iran’s ongoing diplomatic initiatives to de-escalate regional tensions following recent illegal military actions by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran.

The two foreign ministers reaffirmed their mutual commitment to enhancing bilateral ties and strengthening cooperation between the two nations within international organisations.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dwindled to 33 vessels from Monday to Thursday this week, data showed, versus 50 in the week-ago period, as markets watched talks between Iran and Oman for signs of progress in reopening the key waterway, Reuters reports.

Four vessels transited the strait a day earlier, including a very large crude carrier, Nissos Kea, carrying about 2 million barrels of Basrah crude loaded in Iraq, Kpler data showed.

Of the rest, two were laden with liquefied petroleum gas, and one was a minor bulk carrier.

Just six crude oil tankers have exited the strait this week, Kpler data showed. A total of 21 vessels have entered it so far, mostly via the Iranian route.

Several Chinese and Indian refiners have sought vessels this week to enter the strait and load crude at Iraq’s Basrah Oil Terminal, attracted by steep discounts, shipping sources said.

However, no vessels have been fixed so far as shipowners are wary of entering the waterway, they said.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has discussed the situation in the Middle East and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea with French President Emmanuel Macron during a phone call, Al Jazeera reports, citing the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

It said that the two leaders discussed joint efforts to enhance stability in the region and achieve security following attacks on Saudi targets by Yemen’s Houthis.

US President Donald Trump told reporters that he believed the war with Iran would be over soon and said the armed forces were experiencing issues with supplies of some weapons, Reuters reports.

“I think it’s going to end pretty soon. I don’t think they can go much longer,” Trump said in the Oval Office in a reference to Iran.

When asked about the status of munitions stockpiles, Trump said the country had an almost unlimited supply of certain weapons but acknowledged inventories of others were limited.

“We have certain types of munitions that are very powerful, that we have unlimited, virtual unlimited supply. We have others where it’s a little bit tighter,” Trump said.

Oil continued its rise amid further concerns around the opening of the Strait of Hormuz as Iran, working with Oman, suggested banning vessels deemed hostile from the strait and heavily fining those who violated the proposed rules, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures rose 99 cents, or 1.2 per cent, to $83.48 a barrel by 0010 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate futures rose 85 cents, or 1.1pc, to $78.84.

Yemen’s Houthis killed at least 58 government troops in missile and drone attacks, a military source said, in one of the deadliest days of the country’s civil war in four years, AFP reports.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebels attacked government positions with ballistic missiles and drones in response to an alleged military buildup backed by neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

Israel has refused to withdraw from more areas of south Lebanon unless the Lebanese army has full control of an initial two “pilot zones”, a Lebanese presidential source tells AFP.

The seventh round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel has been held in Rome under US auspices.

The Lebanese source tells AFP, on condition of anonymity, that the talks had “not yielded definitive results regarding the pilot zones”.

While the outlook from Beirut is dim, a US State Department spokesperson tells AFP that the talks were “productive”.