The United States and Iran have traded fresh strikes, with the U.S. hitting military sites and Iran launching missiles and drones at bases and ships near the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping remains active, but tensions are rising as calls grow for restraint and renewed talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that nuclear talks with the United States would only take place at a later stage and would not proceed unless a proposed interim deal was implemented, state TV reported. He said the interim deal would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending conflicts on multiple fronts, adding that a memorandum of understanding had not yet been signed and could still change.
Araghchi said that management of the Strait of Hormuz would not return to the pre-war era, that sovereignty over the strait belonged to Iran and Oman, and that Iran would secure safe passage for ships through it.
French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday called on the U.S. and Iran to seize the opportunity to end a situation that is unsustainable and sign an initial peace deal, which is close to be signed, according to a senior U.S. administration official.
"We call on both sides to seize this opportunity to end a situation that is clearly untenable and only creates losers... that is what I told my Iranian counterpart," he said in an interview with cable TV channel LCI.
Barrot said he spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday morning.
"I am cautious, but the positive signs are accumulating," he said. "I feel both sides have a will to reach this deal."
Any peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran will be signed remotely if the final stages of negotiations are completed, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said.
Earlier, the U.S mooted Europe as a potential location for the signing of any agreement.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on has called on the U.S. and Iran to seize the opportunity to end a situation that is unsustainable and sign an initial peace deal, which is close to be signed, according to a senior U.S. administration official.
"We call on both sides to seize this opportunity to end a situation that is clearly untenable and only creates losers... that is what I told my Iranian counterpart," he said in an interview with cable TV channel LCI.
Barrot said he spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Friday morning.
"I am cautious, but the positive signs are accumulating," he said. "I feel both sides have a will to reach this deal."
Management of the Strait of Hormuz won't return to the pre-war era, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, adding that authority over the sea passage belongs to Iran and Oman.
Araghchi, however, said that Tehran would secure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Our sword will always hang over the Strait of Hormuz," he added, noting that nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran wouldn't begin unless a proposed interim deal was implemented, according to Iranian state TV.
The United Arab Emirtes (UAE) has agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, four sources told Retuers.
The tactical shift by the Gulf State, which has come under repeated Iranian attacks during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, coincides with the final stages of broader negotiations between Tehran and Washington about ending the war.
Two regional sources told Reuters that the UAE had agreed to release a total of $10 billion, more than $3 billion of which had already been delivered.
Two other sources with knowledge of the arrangement put the total funds involved at $20 billion, adding that the move had been agreed in return for a halt to Iranian attacks on the UAE.
The Strait of Hormuz would reopen and the U.S. would lift its blockade on Iranian ports under the terms of a peace deal, a senior unnamed U.S. official has said.
Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that funds would not be released to Iran for signing a deal with the U.S. or attending a meeting, adding that the potential deal is structured to ensure that economic benefits would flow to Tehran if it meets its obligations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that an "Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding" for addressing the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran had "never been closer", but urged media outlets to refrain from speculating about its contents until it was finalised.
Araghchi said Iran would share all details with the public in due course, in what he called Tehran's responsible and transparent approach.
An emerging deal between the United States and Iran is "performance-based" and Tehran gets none of its frozen assets until it carries out its part of the agreement, a senior Trump administration official said on Friday.
Israeli troops will not withdraw from Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has said in a post on X.
"The IDF will continue to defend our borders and our citizens from the peak of Mount Hermon, the mountains of Lebanon, the areas of our land in the Samaria region, and most of the territory of Gaza—against the threats posed by jihadist forces and organizations, as a central lesson from the events of October 7," Katz said in a post on X translated from Hebrew to English.
"The IDF will not withdraw from the terrorist camps in northern Samaria, which have been evacuated of residents, and if necessary, the operation will be expanded to additional terrorist camps," he added.
An emerging deal between the United States and Iran is "performance-based" and Tehran gets none of its frozen assets until it carries out its part of the agreement, a senior Trump administration official said on Friday.
Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not allow Iran to aquire nuclear weapons while he is Israeli leader.
"As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel—Iran will not have nuclear weapons. There is full agreement between me and President Trump on this issue," Netanyahu said in post on X translated from Hebrew.
"For over 30 years, I have been at the forefront of the international campaign against Iran's nuclear program," he added.
"Had it not been for this campaign, Iran would long ago have had atomic bombs to destroy Israel.
"Iran is working to destroy the Jewish state, and I dedicate my life to preventing them from doing so."
Iran’s Mehr news agency reports that a draft memorandum of understanding with the U.S. includes commitments to lift sanctions, remove U.S. forces from around Iran, and end the naval blockade.
The report also says the deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, cancel oil sanctions and release Iran’s frozen funds, with final negotiations focused on nuclear and economic issues and excluding Iran’s missile programme.
Hezbollah says it carried out 17 attacks on Israeli forces and positions in southern and eastern Lebanon, targeting soldiers, vehicles and a command centre with rockets, artillery and drones.
The group also claimed it shot down and intercepted Israeli drones, while Israel has not yet commented.
A U.S. official says commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues, despite the latest tensions.
The official said Iran appeared to target ships transiting the waterway in the recent incident.
Iranian forces did not allow a tanker to enter the Strait of Hormuz without coordination to pass, Iranian state media reported early on Friday, shortly after sounds of explosions were heard near the port city of Bandar Abbas.
U.S. forces have shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a U.S. official.
The drones appeared to target commercial ships, though the official said traffic through the waterway continues.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrai...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the ...
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 p...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia is now facing pressure from both ends of the Arabian Peninsula. While the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting Gulf shipping and energy flows, fighting has intensified in western Yemen, bringing the Houthis back into direct confrontation with the kingdom.
Iran has warned it will retaliate against any future U.S. attacks, saying American energy interests and infrastructure across the Gulf could become targets in a further escalation of the conflict.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment