War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Axios, citing US and Israeli officials, reports that US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call last Thursday that Israel should redeploy its forces out of Syria and Lebanon, according to Reuters.

Explosions previously reported in Andimeshk were the result of “controlled explosions” and there is “no enemy attack”, Al Jazeera reports citing Iranian state media.

Oman says it has evacuated crews from two Liberia-flagged oil tankers targeted off its Musandam and Ash Sharqiyah South governorates, Al Jazeera reports.

In a separate statement, Oman’s Maritime Security Centre says it rescued eight crew members from the oil tanker Al Bahyah after it was targeted near the country’s coast.

Three crew members remain missing, it says.

China has accused the United States of taking the Middle East to “a dangerous precipice” with its war against Iran at the United Nations, AFP reports.

During a debate on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group, China’s envoy to the UN, Sun Lei, says “The US has irrefutable responsibility over the current situation in Yemen and the Red Sea. It is the US that is obstructing the efforts of the Council to end hostilities and allow the [continuation] of the crisis in Gaza and the expansion of the tensions.

“Without the authorisation of the Security Council, and amidst the negotiations between the US and Iran, the US launched military attacks against Iran, once again plunging the situation of the region into a dangerous precipice,” he adds.

Sun is responding to criticism of China by the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, who had just accused Beijing of violating the UN arms embargo in place on the Houthis.

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB is reporting an explosion in Andimeshk in Iran’s Khuzestan province, Al Jazeera reports.

The news outlet has not elaborated on the cause of the explosion.

US President Donald Trump believes that despite heightened tensions in the Middle East, the region is “coming together”.

“Believe it or not, it’s coming together. We’re getting rid of the bully of the Middle East,” Trump tells reporters, referring to Tehran. “They bullied Iraq, they bullied every country. There was fear all over the Middle East.

“I think the Middle East is coming together like it’s never come together before,” he adds.

US President Donald Trump says Iran and Hezbollah may be added to the Russia sanctions bill.

“This is in honour of Lindsey. He wanted this more than any other thing,” he tells reporters, referring to recently deceased senator Lindsey Graham.

“They’d like to add Iran, and they’d like to add Hezbollah,” Trump adds.

US President Donald Trump says he gave Iran a chance and that they made a “big mistake” by firing first.

“I gave them a chance. I wanted to give them a chance at making a deal,” he tells reporters. “Then, all of a sudden, they couldn’t do it, they didn’t like something about it.

“They shot first, and that was a big mistake, because we have been knocking the hell out of them,” he adds.

US President Donald Trump says he withdrew the proposed 20 per cent reimbursement fee after being offered bilions of dollars worth of investment by Gulf states.

“We’ve been doing that for many, many years. It was never fair to me that we would be guarding the Strait … we don’t need the oil, at all,” he tells reporters. “It wasn’t important for us, but it was important for allies … including the major Gulf state countries.

“I put it out yesterday and I thought it was good. I was called by different people, different countries … they said, ‘We’d love to do it a different way, we’d love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars … and we would like to invest tremendously in the United States as opposed to charging a fee.’“

Trump adds that he prefers this option as “nobody should be able to charge a fee for the Strait”.

“The Gulf states are going to invest a tremendous amount of money into the United States and that was very satisfactory to me. I actually think it’s much better,” he says.

US President Donald Trump says Iran has been “destabilised” and their military has been largely destroyed.

“Iran was a big burden on Iraq, because they were the bully of the Middle East, we were just talking about that,” Trump tells reporters while hosting Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Ali-Zaidi at the White House.

“But they’re not going to have that problem anymore because Iran has been very much destabilised, and their military power is just a tiny fraction of what it was four months ago.”

The UN human rights chief says the resumption of hostilities between the United States and Iran is a significant blow to civilians in the region that risks severely disrupting the flow of food, medicines, and other essentials, Reuters reports.

The fighting “undermines peace efforts and deepens instability, with grave risks for human rights across the entire region,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, says in a statement.

“The return to wider hostilities in the Middle East between the US and Iran is a huge setback for civilians in the region and beyond,” he added, urging restraint.

Turk has raised the alarm about the potential human rights impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“It is a vital lifeline on which millions are reliant. Disruptions to the flow of food, medicines, and other necessary commodities have severe socio-economic and humanitarian consequences, both regionally and globally,” he states.

Iran’s Fars news agency is reporting that explosions have been heard on Qeshm Island, Al Jazeera reports.

The report said the cause of the blast remains unknown.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports that “American projectiles” have exploded near Kish Power Plant in the country’s Hormozgan province.

The agency reports that “technical parameters suffered damage”.

“Temporary and scheduled power outages will be inevitable, and their schedule will be announced to the residents of Kish,” the Kish Water and Electricity Engineering Company says.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has praised the resilience of the Iranian people amid renewed strikes by the United States, stating that historically, southern Iran has been “a symbol of resistance against colonialism”.

“Today, too, the noble people of this land, with patience, steadfastness, and perseverance, are honourably enduring the difficult days resulting from the enemy’s aggression. I stand beside and am grateful to these loyal and resilient people,” he writes on X.

The Kuwaiti military says it is currently “confronting hostile aerial targets” within the country’s airspace.

“The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosion sounds, if heard, are the result of air defence systems intercepting hostile attacks,” the military says in a post on X. “Everyone is requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities.”

US President Donald Trump says he will forego the 20 per cent reimbursement fee for protecting the Strait of Hormuz with “trade and investment deals that the various Gulf states will be making into the United States”.

A day prior, Trump said that in addition to reinstating Washington’s naval blockade, the US would take a 20pc fee on all cargo passing through the strategic waterway.

The president says in a Truth Social post that he has made the decision following “highly productive conversations” with leaders in the region.

He adds that the Strait of Hormuz is “open to all ship traffic, except for Iran and that is because of their lying, violent, malicious leadership, which is taking them down the path of total destruction”.

“We will therefore have a full blockade, but only on ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything have to do with Iranian cargo,” Trump writes.

The Strait of Hormuz has recorded the lowest navigational passage of ships since the signing of the MoU on June 17, with only four ships passing since this morning, Al Jazeera reports.

According to data from MarineTraffic, the passage includes an oil tanker and three container ships.

The navigational data also shows the four ships departing ports in Oman and the UAE before crossing the strait, but hiding their final destination and ownership registration data upon their return.

Oil prices have risen by over 3 per cent after fresh US strikes against Iran, fuelling fears for the future of Middle East peace efforts and raising the risk of another spike in inflation, AFP reports.

As of 1330 GMT (6:30pm PKT), Brent North Sea Crude is up by 3.8pc at $86.48 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate is up 3.1pc at $80.57 a barrel.

Iran’s IRIB broadcaster reports that 180 lawmakers have issued a statement demanding retaliation for strikes by the United States and ending the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding with the US.

The broadcaster adds that forming a special negotiation commission, passing the Strait of Hormuz Management Law and providing full support to the armed forces were also considered.

IRIB notes that Iran’s parliament has 290 members.

The Strait of Hormuz will never reopen through US attacks and “respecting the rights of the Iranian people” is the only path to restoring passage through the strategic waterway, an Iranian military spokesman says, according to Anadolu.

According to Iranian state television, Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia says: “The Strait of Hormuz will never reopen through US attacks, war or evil. The only way to reopen it is by respecting the rights of the Iranian people.”

Akraminia adds that Iran remains committed to avenging the assassination of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and all those who lost their lives during the war.

Israeli and Lebanese representatives have begun another two-day round of US-mediated talks in Rome, the sixth round of direct negotiations since the ceasefire between Iran, US and Israel was declared in April, Al Jazeera reports.

The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to Washington are leading the delegations, with the US ambassadors to Lebanon and Israel also in attendance.

Israeli media reports that, unlike previous rounds, military representatives from both sides will not be participating in this round of negotiations.

Beirut is hoping to secure an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, although expectations for swift progress are low.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to strike powerfully against Iran if Tehran carries out a new attack on his country, AFP reports.

“I will say it to the leaders of Iran: Do not count on things remaining quiet if you attack us,” Netanyahu says at a conference, according to a video released by his office. “The days are over when someone strikes us and we don’t hit back with a decisive blow. “