War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

China has called for a lasting truce in the Middle East, and for shipping lanes to be reopened “as soon as possible”, as the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, AFP reports.

“A comprehensive and lasting ceasefire should be reached as soon as possible to facilitate the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Shipping lanes should be reopened as soon as possible in response to the calls of the international community,” it added in a response to a question on whether US and Chinese presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discussed the Iran war during their summit in Beijing.

Iraqi officials have approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about securing financial assistance as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, a source close to the Fund and an Iraqi government official said, Reuters reports.

Initial conversations took place during last month’s spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, and discussions are ongoing about how much funding Iraq would need and how any loan would be structured, the source close to the IMF said.

An Iraqi official advising on financial policy said Iraq is in preliminary discussions with the IMF and World Bank over a loan to finance the country’s budget, given a sharp revenue shortfall caused by halted oil exports following the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

India has raised petrol and diesel prices for the first time in four years by about 3 rupees ($0.03) per litre, according to retailers in Delhi, as the country aims to recoup some of the losses incurred due to higher global oil prices, Reuters reports.

Global oil prices spiked at more than $120 per barrel, before pulling back to around $100 to $105 a barrel following the near-closure and severe disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

India is among the last major economies to raise retail fuel prices. A litre of diesel in Delhi will cost 90.67 rupees and petrol 97.77 rupees.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said that Chinese officials made clear at the US-China summit that it wants to see the Strait of Hormuz reopen without restrictions or tolls and that Beijing will act pragmatically to limit military support for Iran, Reuters reports.

“It’s really important for China to have the Strait of Hormuz open, no tolling, no military control, and that was clear from the meeting. So we welcome that,” Greer told Bloomberg television in a live interview from Beijing, where he participated in meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“With respect to Chinese involvement with Iran, our view is the Chinese are being very pragmatic, and they don’t want to be on the wrong side of this,” Greer added.

“They want to see peace in that area. President Trump wants to see peace in that area. So we have a lot of confidence that they will do what they can to limit any kind of material support for Iran.”

US President Donald Trump suggested that hunting down Iran’s enriched uranium was primarily for political optics, after Israel demanded it as a goal, AFP reports.

“I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it’s — I think, it’s more for public relations than it is for anything else,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview from China.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who alongside Trump ordered an attack on Iran starting February 28, said in a recent interview that the war was “not over” because the sensitive nuclear material “has to be taken out” of the country.

United States President Donald Trump said he would not be much more patient with Iran as he urged Tehran to reach a deal with Washington, Reuters reports.

“I am not going to be much more patient,” Trump said in an interview aired on Thursday night on Fox News’ ‘Hannity’ programme. “They should make a deal.”

Talks between Israel and Lebanon on an expiring ceasefire were “positive” and will take place as planned for a second day, a US official said, AFP reports.

“We had a full day of productive and positive talks that lasted from 9am to 5pm (1300-2100 GMT). We look forward to continuing this tomorrow and hope to have more to share then,” a senior State Department official said.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty have discussed the situation in the Middle East, including developments surrounding Iran, during talks on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, Al Jazeera reports.

According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, both sides have stressed the need for a “peaceful solution” to the crisis and called for greater international efforts towards a “sustainable long-term settlement”.

Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi vows to ensure that the state will have a monopoly over weapons, AFP reports citing the INA state news agency.

Zaidi’s government programme, which he has presented to parliament, includes “reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces”, INA quotes the parliament media office as saying.

The US, a key powerbroker in Iraqi politics, has recently piled pressure on Baghdad to disarm groups allegedly supported by Iran, which it designates as terrorist organisations.

US Admiral Brad Cooper has told a congressional hearing that Central Command (Centcom) was created as a “direct response” to threats from Iran.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has terrorised the region and made hostility to the United States a core tenant of its rule,” he says.

Hezbollah claims it launched two attacks on Israeli military targets as a response to what it calls Israeli violations of the ceasefire and attacks on southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

In separate statements, the group claims fighters carried out attacks targeting a gathering of Israeli soldiers at the Ras an-Naqoura site, as well as an Israeli army Humvee vehicle at Tayr Harfa.

The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms a “terrorist attack” targeting an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

The ministry affirms that this attack “constitutes a grave threat to the security of international navigation and represents a dangerous escalation aimed at undermining the stability of critical waterways”.

“The UAE expressed its solidarity with the Republic of India and its full support for all measures aimed at safeguarding the security and safety of its vessels and interests,” the statement reads.

A ship was reported seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and was heading for Iranian waters, Reuters reports citing a British maritime agency.

British maritime security agency UKMTO reported that “unauthorised personnel” had boarded a ship anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah, and were steering it towards Iran.

“The company security officer reported that the vessel was taken by Iranian personnel while at anchor,” Vanguard says.

The Iran war is increasingly turning into a prolonged war of attrition, analysts say, with all sides relying as much on economic pressure, endurance and political calculation as on military confrontation, according to Anadolu.

Despite intermittent exchanges of fire and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, experts say neither side appears capable of securing a decisive victory, raising the prospect of a drawn-out confrontation centred on exhausting the opponent economically, militarily and psychologically.

“This has turned into a war of attrition — a test of patience,” says Ahron Bregman, a senior teaching fellow at King’s College London. “The question is: who will break first?”

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has made a flurry of statements on renewed US and Israeli threats against his country and the war in general, according to Al Jazeera.

“We are used to these threats,” he tells the IRNA news agency. “They have been repeating their threats in various forms and ways for a long time, but they themselves know that they have not and will not get any results from these threats and even from the war they launched.”

He says there is no military solution to the issues related to Iran, adding that Iran will “not bow down”.

Araghchi adds that the other side should know that it must seek solutions to the issues with Iran in a place other than the military arena.

Iran’s football federation chief says no visas have yet been issued for the national team to play World Cup games in the United States, Al Jazeera reports.

“Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. They must give us guarantees because the visa issue has still not been resolved,” state news agency IRNA quotes federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying.

“We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet.”

Players are expected to travel to the Turkish capital, Ankara, for fingerprinting as part of the visa process.

Saudi Arabia is discussing a “non-aggression” security agreement between Iran and other nations in the Middle East as soon as the US-Israel war on Iran definitively ends, Al Jazeera reports citing a news report.

Quoting an unnamed Arab diplomat, The Financial Times reports that the pact would be modelled after the 1975 Helsinki accords, which the United States and European nations signed with the Soviet Union and its allies.

The diplomat told The FT that whether an agreement comes together “all depends [on] who is in it”.

“Without Israel, it could be counterproductive because after Iran, they are seen as the biggest source of conflict. But Iran is not going anywhere, and this is why the Saudis are pushing it,” the envoy is quoted as saying.

Two unidentified diplomats have also expressed scepticism that the United Arab Emirates would join such a pact, the news report added. The UAE has close ties with Israel after signing the Abraham Accords to normalise relations in 2020.

Hezbollah has claimed a series of attacks on Israeli military positions and equipment in southern Lebanon, including a strike on a Merkava tank and multiple drone attacks, Al Jazeera reports.

In separate statements, the group said it targeted an Israeli position in Adaysah with a drone, as well as “technical equipment” at the newly established Balat site.

Hezbollah also claimed it carried out attacks targeting an Israeli military position near the Deir Siryan river and a Merkava tank in the town square of Taybeh.

US President Donald Trump says President Xi Jinping had offered China’s help to open the Strait of Hormuz and pledged not to send military equipment to aid Iran in its war against the US and Israel, AFP reports.

“He said he’s not going to give military equipment… he said that strongly,” Trump tells the ‘Hannity’ show on Fox News, after the two leaders met in Beijing.

“He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said ‘if I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help,’” Trump adds.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists the US does not need China’s help on Iran, while reiterating that President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have found “common ground” on the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

“We’re not asking for China’s help. We don’t need their help,” Rubio tells NBC.

He has also warned Tehran against trying to use divisions in US politics to influence negotiations with Washington.

“What the president’s making clear is, if the Iranians think they are going to use our domestic politics to pressure him into a bad deal, that’s not going to happen.”

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it is paying close attention to the energy shock caused by the conflict in the Middle East and its implications for fertiliser shipments, Reuters reports.

History shows it took about six months for increases in fertiliser prices to translate into higher food prices, and in some cases reduced yields and food security issues, IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack tells a briefing.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has hailed the country’s citizens for their national solidarity and unity, noting that it is key to overcoming a crisis.

“The people of Iran have shown that the way to overcome challenges is through national solidarity, and just as they stood together during the forty-day war, they will also pass through the era of reconstruction with empathy and unity,” he has said on X.