War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has stated that his country will “carry out [its] historical duty as protector of security” in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on X, Araghchi says he discussed this with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, adding that Iran is a “reliable partner of all friendly nations, who can rely on safety of commerce”.

US Central Command says that since the imposition of a naval blockade on Iranian ports, 75 commercial vessels have been redirected and four others disabled to “ensure compliance”.

Spain’s boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s war on Gaza puts it “on the right side of history”, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said ahead of the final in Austria.

“In the face of illegal war and also genocide, silence is not an option. And we cannot remain indifferent to what continues to happen in Gaza and in Lebanon,” Sanchez says in a video message posted on X.

“This year, therefore, will indeed be different. We will not be in Vienna, but we will do so with the conviction that we are on the right side of history.”

Lebanon’s health ministry says that 657 people have been killed and 1,444 injured since a ceasefire was declared between Lebanon and Hezbollah in mid-April, Al Jazeera reports.

It adds that at least 2,951 people have been killed and 8,988 others wounded in Israeli attacks since March 2.

US President Donald Trump has said he would accept Iran suspending its nuclear weapons programme for 20 years, as long as its commitment is “real”, according to Al Jazeera.

In a series of statements, Hezbollah has claimed to have hit an Israeli tank near the town of Bayada, as well as targeting three Israeli military bulldozers operating in the town of Khiam, Al Jazeera reports.

The Lebanese group has also claimed a rocket and artillery attack on a group of Israeli soldiers positioned in the town of Rashaf.

According to Al Jazeera, the Lebanese and Israeli delegations have arrived at the US State Department on the second day of US-sponsored negotiations.

When asked if he had rejected Iran’s latest proposal, US President Donald Trump has replied in the affirmative.

“I looked at it, and if I don’t like the first sentence, I just throw it away,” he tells reporters on Air Force One.

Asked what the first sentence of the rejected proposal was, Trump says it was “unacceptable”.

“If they have any nuclear of any form, I don’t read the rest of it,” he states.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei says Iran’s “courageous resistance” has made the country better prepared to confront the US, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement to mark National Persian Language Preservation Day and commemorate the poet Ferdowsi, Khamenei says Iran “has demonstrated during the recent Sacred Defence (against the US-Zionist invasion) that Ferdowsi’s legendary tales are a reality of their lives and a reflection of their heroic character”.

He adds that the “valiant, Quranic concepts” in Ferdowsi’s epic poem Shahnameh “unite all Iranian ethnicities and social strata in preserving their identity, independence and in the battle against the ‘Zahhak-like’ aggressors”, referring to the personification of evil in Iranian mythology.

The naval forces of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are allowing more ships to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state television says, after Tehran blocked the waterway following US-Israeli strikes, AFP reports.

“More vessels can now pass through the Strait of Hormuz with the coordination of the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” or IRGC, a state TV reporter said from the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.

“This indicates that many countries have accepted the new legal protocols that Iran and the IRGC naval forces have established in this region and in the Strait of Hormuz.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he had a good phone call with US President Donald Trump after his China trip and that both agreed Iran must return to the negotiating table, open the Strait of Hormuz and must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons, Reuters reports.

Merz said in posts on X that he and Trump also discussed a peaceful solution for Ukraine and coordinated their positions ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, adding that the United States and Germany were strong partners in a strong NATO.

US President Donald Trump has said that he is weighing lifting sanctions on Chinese companies that buy Iranian oil and will make a decision soon, Reuters reports.

Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back to the US after a two-day state visit to China. He also said he was “okay” with Iran suspending its nuclear program for 20 years, but that there has to be a “real” commitment from Tehran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has congratulated new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on securing parliamentary confidence after he was sworn in on Thursday, Al Jazeera reports.

“I hope that in this new phase, and drawing on the deep ties between our two peoples, we will witness a new chapter of strategic cooperation,” he says, adding that Iran would “remain by Iraq’s side on the path of development and the consolidation of security”.

Speaking to reporters, Trump also declared that the US had gained a “total military victory in Iran”.

In response to a question, the US president asserted, “ We knocked out their entire navy, we knocked out their air force, we knocked out their leaders in the second division, we knocked out their leaders in the third division”.

On being asked if hostilities could resume, the US president said, “I don’t want to say anything. I can only say with very, very strong conviction that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon”.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says his government had received messages from the United States indicating that President Donald Trump’s administration was open to continuing talks aimed at ending the Middle East war, AFP reports.

“What was said that the United States rejected Iran’s proposal or Iran’s response to the American proposal was a few days ago, when Mr Trump tweeted and said that it was unacceptable,” Araghchi tells reporters in the Indian capital, New Delhi.

“But after that, we received messages again from the Americans saying that they are willing to continue the talks and continue the interaction.”

Trump says Xi “feels strongly“ that Iran can’t have nuclear weapons and wants Iran to open up the Strait of Hormuz.

He made the comments while speaking to reporters.

Araghchi, in response to a question regarding Pakistan’s role in US-Iran mediation, said that the process “has not failed but was on a very difficult course”.

He said this was due to the “American behaviour and the mistrust that exists between us”.

“We appreciate any country which can help,” he added.

US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters, has said that the US agreed to a ceasefire with Iran “as a favour to Pakistan”.

He maintained that “we really did the ceasefire at the request of other nations, I would not have been in favour of it”.

“We did it as a favour to Pakistan, they are terrific people, the field marshal, the prime minister.”

Araghchi, addressing reporters in New Delhi, said that “parts of” the final statement of the Brics ministerial were “blocked by a certain country which has its own special relation with Israel”.

He termed the development “unfortunate,” stressing the country, which he did not name, “stopped the statement due to their support for Israel and the US in their aggression against Iran”.

He expressed hope that the “country will come to an understanding that we are neighbours and have to live with each other”.

“The Israeli and Americans cannot protect them,” he added.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he is open to any support, including from China, to help resolve the conflict in the Middle East, AFP reports.

“We appreciate any country who has the ability to help, particularly China,” he told reporters in the Indian capital, where he attended a meeting of the BRICS bloc of nations.

“We have very good relations with China, we are strategic partners to each other, and we know that (the) Chinese have a good intention, so anything that can be done by them to help diplomacy would be welcomed by the Islamic republic.”

Araghchi has also reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz remained open, stating that all vessels — except those belonging to countries in war with Iran — can pass.

“The vessels that want to pass should coordinate with our military because of the mines and obstacles which exist; we will guide them to pass,” the foreign minister said.

He maintained that the safe passage of vessels through the strait was in Iran’s “interest and policy”. Araghchi stressed that the source of the insecurity in the region was “US aggression”.

He added that Iran, along with Oman, was ensuring the safe passage of all vessels.

Continuing his press conference, the Iranian foreign minister says that “there is no solution” to the US-Iran war, “but a negotiated one”.

He also warned of “spoilers who try to derail diplomacy,” stating that the “spoilers” were trying to drag the US into another war.

Aragchi expressed hope that “wisdom and diplomacy will prevail and we go in line with diplomacy to find a negotiated solution”.