The US and Israel on Feb 28 launched what they described as a “pre-emptive” joint strike against Iranian targets, with Trump announcing start of “major combat operations”
Pakistan hosted the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks ended without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
US, Iran hold high-level talks in Switzerland after signingpreliminary agreement to end the war; hold talks in Doha, with mediators citing “positive progress”
US launches strikes on Iran, Tehran retaliates as Hormuz heats up again
France is considering Syria as an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz for Gulf oil, Al Jazeera reports.
In an interview with French network TF1, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says there is a need for diversified energy corridors to ensure reliable supplies to global markets following renewed US-Iran attacks in Hormuz.
“Among all the efforts we have made since the start of this crisis, there is the idea of preparing alternative routes so that we are not dependent on blockages here or there,” he explains.
Reuters reports that oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a near standstill, according to data and sources, as shipping risks have escalated after the US renewed airstrikes on Iran, triggering retaliation by Tehran in the Gulf.
Just two tankers have so far sailed through the strait in the early hours, including the crude supertanker Berg 1, which had loaded at Iran’s Kharg Island and is subject to US sanctions, according to analysis from Kpler.
The Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker Well Sail also transited the strait, Kpler analysis shows. Its previous loading destination was near Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, according to LSEG ship tracking data.
Shipping industry sources say vessels are increasingly switching off their public automatic identification system tracking transponders, making it harder to see all of the ships crossing.
“Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped, which tells you more about risk perception right now than any statement from Washington or Tehran,” Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, writes in a report.
Crude oil tanker Odessa, carrying UAE crude after passing through the Strait of Hormuz with its automatic identification system transponder turned off, navigates the waters at Daesan port, where it is expected to discharge crude oil, in Seosan, South Korea, May 8, 2026. — Reuters/File
The United States has resumed cash shipments to Iraq after a delay, signalling its support for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s administration, with the premier expected in Washington later this month, AFP reports citing a government spokesperson.
Earlier this year, Washington suspended cash transfers to Iraq as it piled pressure on Baghdad to disarm Iran-aligned armed groups, which launched hundreds of attacks on US facilities in Iraq during the Middle East war.
Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi tells AFP that cash “shipments have resumed some time ago”.
“The resumption is a positive indicator” ahead of Zaidi’s visit to Washington, Aboudi says, adding, “We look at it through the lens of cooperation, coordination, and partnership.”
Aboudi says that Zaidi’s top priority in Washington would be “the economic partnership with the United States”.
Oil prices have eased after earlier gains as markets assess the escalating conflict between the US and Iran and its implications for efforts to end the war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures are down 11 cents, or 0.1 per cent, to $77.91 a barrel as of 1322 GMT (6:22pm PKT). US West Texas Intermediate crude futures have dropped 38 cents, or 0.5pc, to $73.14 a barrel.
Iran confirms it has fired 10 missiles at the Azraq military base in Jordan, according to the state-run ISNA news agency.
“The enemy command and control centre in West Asia and the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan were targeted at 2:20pm today with 10 ballistic missiles; in the event of a repetition of aggression, other US bases in the region will not be safe from our heavy fire,” the agency quotes the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying.
Three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been killed in US strikes on Iran, Al Jazeera reports citing the Mizan news agency.
Pakistan and Qatar have made fresh contacts with the US and Iran to halt further military strikes and return to negotiations “as per [the] agreement,” Pakistani government sources tell Anadolu.
“Pakistan, together with Qatar, is in touch with Washington and Tehran to persuade the two sides to end hostilities and return to negotiations as per [the] agreement,” a source close to the mediation process says, referring to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
Qatar has denounced a wave of Iranian missile and drone strikes targeting Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait, calling the attacks a “flagrant violation” of regional sovereignty and international law, Al Jazeera reports.
The foreign ministry urges all sides to de-escalate tensions and return to diplomatic dialogue, emphasising the need to safeguard the Gulf from “unjustified attacks” and protect progress previously made under existing agreements.
A ministry statement adds that Qatar will support any defensive measures taken by its neighbours to preserve their security.
According to Al Jazeera, The New York Times is quoting the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) as saying that US forces struck more than 170 Iranian military targets along the Iranian coast near the Strait of Hormuz in the past two days, including air defence systems, drone and missile storage sites, military speed boats, and logistics infrastructure.
Centcom says the strikes were intended to degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait.
The US newspaper adds that the number of strikes was about 14 times the number of targets Washington hit in the most recent two-day escalation in June.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi says the framework agreement signed between Beirut and Tel Aviv under US auspices demonstrates that such decisions are a matter for the Lebanese state alone, Al Jazeera reports.
Speaking during a visit to Cyprus, Raggi says the deal “has demonstrated to everyone, first and foremost Iran, that negotiations are an exclusively Lebanese responsibility, to be decided by no one other than the Lebanese state”.
Oil prices have risen as markets assess the escalating conflict between the US and Iran and its potential impact on efforts to end the war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.
Brent crude futures are up 53 cents, or 0.68 per cent, to $78.55 a barrel as of 1148 GMT (4:38pm PKT). US West Texas Intermediate crude futures gain 39 cents, or 0.53pc, to $73.91 a barrel.
Bahrain has held talks about getting its Formula One Grand Prix back on this year’s race calendar.
“There is the talks about maybe plugging in some of the races that were cancelled back into the calendar. No confirmation still on that, [but] potentially,” Bahrain’s Minister of Sustainable Development Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, tells Reuters in an interview on just as regional tensions began to flare again.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled along with Saudi Arabia’s race back in March after the war broke out.
Hostilities between the United States and Iran will need to ease again, but Formula One sources say the most likely slot for Bahrain is the weekend of October 3-4, between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku and the Singapore Grand Prix on October 11.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy says that US attacks on Iran and intervention in redirecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupting the strategic waterway’s gradual reopening and jeopardising the interests of countries benefiting from it, Reuters reports.
The Guards add that transit capacity under Iran’s supervision has recovered to about 50 per cent of pre-war levels over the past two weeks, and that transit capacity is only being expanded for vessels granted permits to use routes designated by Iran.
They warn that any further US intervention would draw a “crushing response”.
Al Jazeera, citing Iran’s Mehr news agency, reports that more explosions have been heard in Bandar Abbas, an Iranian port city on the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran’s ISNA news agency reports that a US attack on the city of Sirik has hit a fishing pier, killing three people and injuring 15 others, according to local authorities.
The US embassy in Jordan has issued a countrywide shelter-in-place alert for American nationals, according to a post on its X account.
“Reports indicate missiles, drones, or rockets are in Jordanian airspace. Seek overhead cover and shelter in place immediately. Remain indoors and pay attention to local announcements and alerts,” the embassy warns, adding that it will monitor the situation and provide information as needed.
It further instructs US nationals to monitor local media for information; contact airlines directly for flight change details; be aware of surroundings and “remain vigilant for anything appearing out of the ordinary”; and contact the Jordanian police if in immediate danger.
Shipping monitor TankerTrackers.com has written in a post on X that Iran has exported 10 million barrels of crude oil overnight, in anticipation of a renewed US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Jordan has intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran, according to state news agency PetraNews.
“The interception operations resulted in the fall of shrapnel without any human casualties or material damage,” PetraNews quotes the Jordanian Armed Forces as saying.
“We are operating at the highest levels of readiness to protect the kingdom’s airspace and defend its sovereignty and the safety of its territories,” it adds.
Sirens are blaring in Jordan, an AFP correspondent reports, hours after Iran’s military said it had targeted sites in Gulf countries in retaliation for US strikes.
State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka adds: “Alarm sirens sounded in Jordan on Thursday to alert citizens and urge them to follow instructions.”
Lebanese presidency has said that a US delegation was expected to arrive in Lebanon soon to oversee the implementation of Israel’s withdrawal from “pilot zones” in the south, citing the American ambassador, AFP reports.
Lebanon is demanding that Israel withdraw from these zones before taking part in a new round of negotiations scheduled for July 15 and 16 in Rome, a diplomatic source familiar with the talks has told AFP.
A US projectile has struck the area surrounding Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, Iran’s deputy governor of Bushehr province has told state media, Reuters reports.
The official has said several locations in Bushehr province, including the perimeter area of the nuclear facility, were hit in US attacks.
