U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could destroy Iran’s infrastructure “in two days,” while Tehran warned the U.S. would face growing economic costs from the conflict. The remarks came as Hezbollah reported new attacks on Israeli forces despite an extended Lebanon ceasefire.
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Trump said the U.S. could wipe out Iran’s key infrastructure within two days, while calling Iran unpredictable after repeated failures in talks.
South Korea has criticised Iran’s reported plan to charge ships using the Strait of Hormuz, saying it would breach international law and threaten free navigation on a key global trade route.
The UAE said its decision to leave OPEC and OPEC+ was a strategic choice based on its future energy plans, not due to political disagreements with other members.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke by phone and stressed the need to continue diplomatic efforts towards a compromise-based peace agreement.
Iran said it will reopen its stock market next Tuesday after suspending trading during the conflict with the U.S. and Israel to prevent panic selling and protect investors.
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FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom said talks with Iran’s FA were “constructive” and “very positive” ahead of the 2026 World Cup, despite ongoing concerns over visas and travel restrictions linked to tensions with the U.S. and Iran.
Iran remain scheduled to play all three Group G matches in the United States.
Iran will reopen its stock market on Tuesday (19 May) after trading was suspended during the conflict with the United States and Israel, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.
“The suspension of stock market activities from the start of the war was aimed at protecting shareholders’ assets, preventing panic-driven trading and allowing for more transparent pricing conditions,” Hamid Yari, deputy supervisor at the Securities and Exchange Organization, said on Saturday.
“Now, with the reopening of the stock market, we will see the full resumption of all capital market sectors,” he added.
Demonstrators gathered in central Vienna on Saturday to protest against Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, amid continuing anger over the war in Gaza.
Protesters waved Palestinian flags, carried banners calling for a ceasefire and accused organisers of applying double standards by allowing Israel to compete while the conflict continues. Chants supporting Palestinians echoed through parts of the Austrian capital as police monitored the demonstration.
The protest comes as this year’s Eurovision contest has again become a focal point for political tensions across Europe. Similar demonstrations have taken place in several cities in recent months, with critics arguing that Israel should be excluded from the competition over its military campaign in Gaza.
Organisers of the contest have repeatedly defended Israel’s participation, insisting that Eurovision remains a non-political event run by public broadcasters rather than governments.
The war in Gaza has sparked widespread protests globally since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military offensive in the strip.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to Russian state news agency RIA.
"Both sides emphasised the importance of continuing the political and diplomatic process aimed at reaching compromise-based peace agreements," the Kremlin said.
One person has been killed and five others injured in clashes between protesters and security forces on the Comorian island of Anjouan, as unrest over rising fuel prices spreads across the country.
Authorities said the violence broke out after fishermen protesting fuel price hikes gathered in the island’s capital, Mutsamudu, where roads were blocked with stones. An investigation into the death has been launched.
The protests began earlier this week after the government increased diesel prices by 46% and petrol prices by 35%, blaming the hikes on the Middle East conflict. Officials say 39 people have been detained since the strike started.
Iran has prepared a mechanism to manage traffic through the Hormuz along a designated route that will be unveiled soon, the head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee Ebrahim Azizi said.
Azizi added that only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would benefit from the arrangement.
He said fees would be collected for specialised services provided under the mechanism.
Soaring diesel prices since the onset of the Iran war are draining already tight U.S. school district budgets, making it more expensive to bus students and run generators in a shock officials say they will not be able to afford for long.
School districts from Yakima, Washington to Waco, Texas are tapping emergency funding reserves to keep buses running.
In remote Alaska, officials are scrambling to secure enough fuel to keep the lights on, according to Reuters interviews.
The United Arab Emirates said its decision to withdraw from OPEC and OPEC+ was a sovereign and strategic move based on a broad assessment of its production policy and future capabilities.
The UAE energy minister added that the decision was not politically motivated and did not reflect divisions with partner countries.
Iraq exported 10 million barrels of oil in April via the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s new oil minister, Basim Mohammed, said at a press conference on Saturday.
Mohammed said Iraq plans to engage with OPEC to boost the country’s production and export capacity, adding that Baghdad aims to reach a production capacity of 5 million barrels per day.
FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom will meet Iranian FA (FFIRI) officials in Istanbul on Saturday and offer "reassurance" over Iran's participation in the World Cup.
Iran is scheduled to play all three World Cup group matches in the United States but the team's participation in the 11 June to 19 July tournament has been in question since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
An Iraqi national accused of involvement in multiple attacks against U.S. interests in Europe has been arrested and brought to the U.S. to face six terrorism-related counts, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.
Prosecutors said the suspect, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, was a senior member of the Iran-backed militia Kata’ib Hezbollah and accused him of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.
Al-Saadi is accused of coordinating or supporting nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States, "including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.
South Korea’s oceans minister is opposed to Iran’s reported move to impose fees on ships passing through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, calling the action a violation of international law.
Speaking at a news conference, Hwang Jong-woo said the waterway is an international shipping route where free navigation must be guaranteed, according to Yonhap News.
“Charging shipping tolls in the strait is practically equivalent to blocking the waterway,” said Hwang, adding that, the Strait of Hormuz consists of international waters protected under international agreements.
Hezbollah said that it had carried out 33 attacks targeting Israeli forces, military positions, and vehicles in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours.
The group said the attacks were carried out in response to continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and attacks on civilians and areas in southern Lebanon.
In separate statements, Hezbollah said the attacks targeted Israeli troop and vehicle gatherings in the towns of Rashaf, Qouzah, and Hadatha.
The U.S. will face growing economic consequences from its “war of choice” on Iran, the Iranian foreign minister warned Saturday.
Abbas Araghchi said on X that Americans would be forced to bear the rising costs of a conflict with Tehran.
The United Arab Emirates said that it does not seek protection from any party and is capable of deterring aggression, while reaffirming its right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The remarks were made by Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar during a meeting of BRICS bloc foreign ministers in New Delhi.
Al Marar rejected Iranian accusations and criticism directed at the UAE and dismissed attempts to justify attacks targeting the country and others in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington could rapidly destroy Iranian infrastructure, while insisting he had not underestimated Tehran's resilience in the war.
"I didn't underestimate anything. We hit them unbelievably hard," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
He added that the U.S. "left their bridges, we left their electricity capacity. We can knock that all out in two days. Everything."
Trump described repeated breakdowns in diplomacy with Iran, saying negotiations had become unreliable and unpredictable.
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Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing will attend a video conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday (12 June) to discuss global economic imbalances, marking a rare high-level engagement between China and G7 nations ahead of next week's summit in France.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 7 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, has met Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, in Islamabad to discuss the China-facilitated Urumqi Process and regional security concerns.
The United States has warned Oman against supporting any effort to impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington would penalise any parties involved in facilitating such a system.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry says 19 citizens have been repatriated following a deadly drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov on 5 June.
The Pakistani city of Karachi is struggling under severe heat and humidity as the country enters a prolonged heatwave period. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of above-normal temperatures across much of the country between 7 and 12 June.
Ukraine's military said it struck a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in the Black Sea as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt Moscow's energy and logistics networks. The move underscores Kyiv's focus on targeting maritime assets it says are used to bypass sanctions on Russian oil exports.
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American base in Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to seize Kharg Island and other major Iranian oil and gas facilities, escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American base in Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides.
Concurrent with the renewed military standoff between Iran and the U.S. in the Middle East, Tehran and Washington are clashing at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors is holding its quarterly meeting in Vienna.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has warned that escalating conflict in Iran and the wider region is placing multiple World Heritage sites at risk, with reports of damage to historic monuments caused by nearby airstrikes and shockwaves.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out attacks against a U.S. base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported.
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