The U.S. Senate rejected a resolution on Wednesday that would have directed President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress formally authorised military action.
South Korea’s Oceans Ministry said eight more South Korean vessels have exited the Strait of Hormuz, as shipping traffic gradually resumes through the key oil transit route.
The ministry said five South Korean-operated ships remained in the area as of Friday (26 June) morning, carrying a total of 47 crew members.
Officials declined to provide further details on the vessels, citing requests from shippers and crew members.
President Donald Trump said the United States will soon buy wheat, soybeans and corn from American farmers using Iranian assets frozen under U.S. sanctions.
Trump said the move would redirect part of the blocked Iranian funds toward agricultural purchases, though further details on the mechanism and timeline were not immediately provided.
Crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz rose this week to their highest level since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began in February, following a ceasefire deal that reopened the key shipping lane.
Data from analytics firm Kpler showed four tankers carrying 6 million barrels of crude passed through the strait on Thursday, while two additional tankers carrying 4 million barrels of Iranian crude also departed.
On Wednesday, around 10.8 million barrels were shipped on six tankers, as strong demand (particularly from Asia) drove a rebound in exports after months of disruption.
Despite the increase, overall traffic remains well below the pre-war average of around 125 ships per day. Kpler said the recovery reflects the adaptability of Gulf export systems rather than a full return to normal trade flows.
Iran fired on a cargo ship that had reported earlier on Thursday being hit by a projectile as it attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, two U.S. officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The ship reported being struck on its starboard side by a projectile 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman's port of Dahit, British navy agency UKMTO said.
Reuters
The United Nations’ shipping agency on Thursday paused an evacuation effort to get hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of seafarers out through the Strait of Hormuz after a vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman.
"I have been informed of an attack today in the Gulf of Oman on a vessel which passed through the Strait of Hormuz. This vessel did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework," Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization (IMO), said in a statement.
"I have decided to temporarily pause its implementation in order to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region."
The initiative, which was launched on Tuesday, was a voluntary option for ships and their crew to sail out of the Gulf using two routes – one via Iranian waters and the other via Omani waters, with U.S. oversight, the IMO said this week.
Italy and France have agreed to launch a coalition to support Lebanon after the U.N. UNIFIL peacekeeping initiative in the area expires at the end of the year, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday.
Speaking in the French resort of Antibes after holding talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Meloni said they had also discussed a possible international conference on the issue.
The United States and its Gulf allies on Thursday backed ongoing talks over Lebanon and said those negotiations should not be conditional on the outcomes of other conflicts, adding that all non-state armed groups should be disarmed.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israel opposed withdrawing from the "security zone" in Lebanon despite pressure to do so, adding that the military would remain in what he called "security zones" in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza for as long as necessary and would not withdraw from them.
Lebanon's economy is expected to contract in 2026 as renewed war deepens the country's economic, social and humanitarian crisis, the IMF said.
The fund is working with Lebanese authorities on crisis management measures and longer-term reforms that could eventually be backed by an IMF programme.
A cargo vessel was struck on its starboard side by an unknown projectile about 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman's Dahit, damaging the bridge but causing no casualties or environmental pollution, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.
Authorities are investigating the incident and have advised vessels to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi agreed to continue coordinating maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call on Thursday, Iranian state media said.
The ministers discussed temporary shipping arrangements for the strategic waterway and welcomed recent talks in Muscat, pledging further diplomatic and technical consultations.
Oil prices fell back to pre-war levels on Thursday after the U.S. said shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was nearing normal, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure Gulf allies over Washington's preliminary deal with Iran.
Despite the recovery in tanker traffic, Tehran warned it would continue to control access to the strategic waterway, underlining lingering tensions even as diplomatic efforts gather pace.
Around 57 ships carrying an estimated 1,100 seafarers have transited the Strait of Hormuz under a U.N.-led evacuation plan launched this week, according to the IMO.
The initiative aims to help hundreds of vessels and around 11,000 seafarers leave the vital waterway safely.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Gulf Arab allies any future deal with Iran would protect their security and interests, as he sought to reassure sceptical regional partners during a visit to Bahrain.
Rubio said Washington would not agree to any arrangement that undermines the security or prosperity of its long-standing Gulf allies.
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani welcomed on Thursday Oman's announcement of a corridor for the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Al Zayani made the remarks as he chaired a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the country.
Iraq will consider "all available options" if OPEC does not significantly raise its production quota, a senior oil ministry official told Reuters.
The official said the country faces a severe financial crisis following the Iran war and urgently needs a higher quota. Sources added Iraq has discussed leaving OPEC, but currently plans to remain and push for an increase.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says no meeting took place with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in Switzerland despite his request, adding there are no plans to grant access to nuclear sites damaged in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
He added any future access would depend on a final agreement and practical steps by the other side, including the lifting of sanctions.
An Israeli military official said on Thursday a soldier was killed in southern Lebanon after a vehicle had overturned. The official described the incident as an accident.
Earlier, the military said a soldier had died during "operational activity".
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said NATO and its member states, including Italy and Romania, must be held accountable for their alleged involvement in what he described as illegal and criminal attacks against Iran, referencing remarks by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
In a post on X, Baghaei criticised remarks by the U.S. Secretary of State on Iran and the anti-Israel resistance movement in Lebanon during his Gulf tour, saying that peace is not possible if Washington continues its interventionist policies.
Baghaei also rejected what he called contradictory U.S. positions on a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war, stressing that “commitment for commitment” requires reciprocal obligations and adherence to agreed terms.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud held a phone call on Wednesday, stressing efforts to support stability in West Asia and advance Iran-U.S. negotiations
The two sides stressed the importance of continued consultations and joint cooperation to achieve positive and lasting results in the negotiations, it reported.
Araghchi briefed his Saudi counterpart on progress in implementing the recently signed Iran-U.S. peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) and the consultations held within that framework, it added.
The U.S. Senate rejected a resolution Wednesday that would have directed President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress formally authorised military action.
The measure failed in a 47-50-1 vote after Republican leaders argued that another congressional rebuke could undermine ongoing negotiations to end the war.
The resolution sought to reassert Congress’ constitutional authority to declare war and would have required the administration to halt U.S. military involvement in or against Iran without a declaration of war or specific authorisation for the use of military force.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Thursday that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is only possible through routes approved by Tehran, warning vessels against using newly announced shipping lanes not coordinated with the Islamic Republic.
In a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, the IRGC Navy described any newly announced route through the strategic waterway made without Iran’s knowledge or coordination as “unacceptable” and “completely dangerous.”
U.S. President Donald Trump voiced frustration Wednesday with several NATO allies over insufficient support during the war with Iran.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House, Trump was asked whether he still believed some European allies had treated the U.S. unfairly and what they could do to improve relations.
Trump said he had been "disappointed" by the response of several key NATO members, including Italy, the UK, Germany and France.
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said it had struck U.S.-linked military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, claiming damage to air defences and radar systems, as U.S. forces carried out a 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran. The IRGC also said two oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz.
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Kylian Mbappé has become the first player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot on more than one occasion. The French forward won the award presented to the top goalscorer of the tournament for the second time, despite France being knocked out in the semi-finals.
The United States launched fresh strikes against Iran after two U.S. service members were killed in Jordan. U.S. President Donald Trump paid tribute to the fallen troops as Iran warned of further escalation.
Overnight U.S. strikes caused blackouts in southwestern Iran and hit the northwestern city of Tabriz for the first time. Separately, a U.S. soldier died in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said it had struck U.S.-linked military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, claiming damage to air defences and radar systems, as U.S. forces carried out a 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran. The IRGC also said two oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil prices fell on Tuesday as markets balanced reports of renewed diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran with continued military escalation and fresh threats to global energy supplies.
Overnight U.S. strikes caused blackouts in southwestern Iran and hit the northwestern city of Tabriz for the first time. Separately, a U.S. soldier died in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone.
The United States launched fresh strikes against Iran after two U.S. service members were killed in Jordan. U.S. President Donald Trump paid tribute to the fallen troops as Iran warned of further escalation.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will make his first trip to the White House this week to present a plan to U.S. President Donald Trump on how to disarm Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and secure Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon.
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