Page 3 - Iran

Iran, US signal Hormuz deal near, but key differences still remain

Iran said on Wednesday it is in the "final stage" of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, and US President Donald Trump has said a deal could be announced this week. That could potentially reopen the critical waterway, ease pressure on the world economy and help bring an end to the war. But the agreement is likely to be contingent on the US lifting its blockade on Iran's ports. The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would cement Iran's grip over the strait, which would amount to a major loss for the US and a break with global norms. Iran has insisted on some measure of control over the strait, saying it will not go back to being an open international waterway, as it was before the war. The US, along with Israel, launched the war on February 28, citing various goals including toppling Tehran's government and ending its nuclear programme. Those have not been achieved, and the conflict has devolved into a fight over the strait as Iran's ..

Iran may secure control of inbound traffic from proposed Hormuz deal

A proposed Iran-Oman deal could give Tehran greater oversight of ships entering the Gulf via Hormuz, even as Houthi attacks keep regional shipping on edge

US-Iran having 'very good discussions', Hormuz to open very soon: Trump

Trump has often threatened massive strikes if Tehran did not ​reach an agreement and then cited progress in talks that have so far failed to end hostilities

An angry Trump struggles to understand defiant leadership of Iran

Iran's leaders have perplexed several American presidents, perhaps none more than President Trump

Iran, Oman near deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz amid push to end war

Iran and Oman are inching toward a deal to reopen the disputed Strait of Hormuz and potentially help bring an end to the war. The emerging agreement calls for ships to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, two regional officials told The Associated Press. Any deal, though, appears contingent on the United States lifting its blockade on Iran's ports. The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait. Elsewhere, a mass funeral was held in Gaza City for more than 100 people killed in an Israeli strike early in the conflict. A memorial service was also held in Beirut, for victims of a 2020 port explosion, and Yemen's Houthis claimed they fired at a Saudi Arabian airport. Here is a look at the most important developments in the Middle East on Tuesday: US officials suggest strait deal imminent Senior US officials struck an optimistic tone on Tuesday, suggesting a deal

An emerging deal could bolster Iran's control of Strait of Hormuz

The deal would address President Trump's most urgent political problem by allowing ships to move again. But it would give Iran strategic leverage it did not have before the war

Iran says Hormuz talks progress after Trump calls off planned strikes

Trump said Sunday that a deal to open the waterway may be close and that new unspecified talks with Iran would begin on Monday

Iran's leaders show united front on war strategy but differ over endgame

With escalating attacks against US bases and its allies over the past week, Iran's leaders are showing considerable unity over their war strategy: hanging tough, determined to show Iran can endure more than America and its allies can. But within the leadership, there are sharp differences over what the endgame should be. On one side, the ultra-hardliners who oppose any negotiations with the United States are pressing for total victory in the war. Known as the "Paydari" movement -- Persian for "stability" -- they are hard-core ideologues who want to enforce the Islamic Republic's control over society. On the other, those who support President Masoud Pezeshkian and powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf -- who doubles as Iran's chief negotiator -- see military pressure as a way to win a negotiated deal with the United States. This camp is also spurred by concern over the economic toll Iran is suffering from the war and the need to adapt to social change in the ...

Iran claims to destroy three US F-35 jets, damage three more in Jordan

Iran claims it destroyed US F-35 fighter jets at Jordan's Al-Azraq Air Base after American strikes on Qeshm Island, as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate

Iran rejects Oman's proposal for joint management of Strait of Hormuz

Iran has rejected an Omani proposal for joint regional management of the Strait of Hormuz, calling it unrealistic

US fast-tracks Russia-Iran sanctions bill that could target India, China

A bipartisan group of US Senators on Tuesday agreed to fast-track the bill that would allow President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on major purchasers of oil from Russia as well as Iran, a move that would affect countries such as China and India. The provisions of the Russia sanctions bill, originally piloted by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, will now also extend to restrict funding for Iran's energy and weapons sector. "We are proud to announce an agreement on legislation to stop purchasers of Russian oil and gas from fueling Putin's war machine and to continue restricting the Iranian regime's ability to support terrorism and build its nuclear programme," a group of senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties said here. An earlier version of the bill focused only on Russia. Iran has been added to the legislation on the suggestion made by Trump. The announcement was made by Democratic senators Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, and Republicans Darline

Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles as US-Saudi launch strikes in Iraq

Jordan's air defences intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday, the country's military said, hours after the US military said it had knocked down an Iranian missile barrage launched against American forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting. In a statement, the Jordanian military said the missiles had been "intercepted and destroyed." Earlier, US Central Command said they "remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness," and that it worked with Saudi Arabia's forces to strike sites in Iraq that Tehran-backed militias have used to launch attacks in recent days. In announcing the strikes in Iraq, the US warned that further attacks on American troops or Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure risked additional action. The United States and Iran had experienced a period of calm, during which neither announced attacks for about three days following weeks of escalation over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway and narrow ...

Iran war further draws down key US air defence stockpiles: Analysis

Recent fighting with Iran used up more of the US military's already diminished stockpiles of advanced missile interceptors, potentially putting American troops at more risk if hostilities resume, a new analysis says. Shrunken inventories of Patriot and THAAD interceptors may force the US and its Middle Eastern allies to take more risks to conserve those air defences, according to the analysis from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. For example, it said, American forces may launch fewer missiles against incoming Iranian drones and missiles, raising the chance of one getting through. "That percentage may not go up a lot, but it goes up a little," said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and now senior adviser at CSIS who co-authored Monday's report with research associate Chris H Park. The nation's advanced weapons stockpiles have become a flashpoint in the five-month-long conflict, along with the threat to the lives of American service ...

US military thwarts Iranian missile on troops, Saudi intercepts drones

Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at American forces in the Middle East on Tuesday, shattering a brief pause in fighting as mediators tried to get both sides back to negotiations and toward a ceasefire, the US military said. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted, US Central Command said in a statement, adding that US forces "remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness." The United States and Iran had experienced a period of calm, during which neither announced attacks for days following weeks of escalation over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway and narrow chokepoint through which 20 per cent of the world's oil normally flows. Iran effectively closed the strait when the war began by firing at freighters and tankers off its coast or threatening, too. Following the signing of an interim ceasefire deal in June, a battle for control over the strait has erupted. Iran demanded that ships use a route near its coastline and said it can ...

Mojtaba Khamenei commends Hezbollah's 'unyielding' stance against Israel

Iran's Supreme Leader praises Hezbollah's steadfastness against Israel, reiterates Tehran's support for the group, and says resistance remains the only path forward amid the ongoing regional conflict

LPG tanker with 28 Indian crew members attacked in Iranian waters, all safe

The Indian Embassy in Tehran said all 28 Indian crew members aboard the Mozambique-flagged LPG tanker DISHA are safe after the vessel came under attack in Iranian waters

The Iran war has cost US $37.5 billion: Why the Pentagon wants billions more | Trump | Oil

The Pentagon says the US-Iran war has already cost America $37.5 billion, and it wants another $87 billion from Congress. But as casualties mount and political opposition grows,

US launches new strikes on Iran as clashes escalate over shipping routes

The US military announced Thursday that it is conducting the 13th night of strikes against Iran as clashes escalate over shipping routes. Earlier Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, potentially widening the Iran war as international oil topped USD 100 a barrel. US Central Command said the latest attacks are designed to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters" as the Americans push to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping. Meanwhile, the Houthis threatened to shut down another key trade route, with the world economy already reeling from Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The threat came as Iran and the US have stepped up attacks as they vie for control of the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas transited in peacetime, setting off a scramble for alternative routes. President Donald Tru

Trump: Will destroy bridge, power plant for each Iranian attack in Strait

4 more tankers changed course in Red Sea; Marco Rubio says still ready for talks but Iran not serious

US identifies 3rd service member believed to be killed in Iranian attack

The US military has confirmed that a third service member is believed to be dead in Friday's attack on a base in Jordan and identified them as Sgt Angel S Rampersad, 28, of New York. The confirmation brings the death toll to 18 US service members killed since the war began. On Monday, the Pentagon identified 1st Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, as the two other soldiers who were killed in Jordan in Friday's attacks. The soldiers were killed by Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in the first troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war. They were deployed to support a US mission against the Islamic State group, a US Central Command statement said. After the attack, US Central Command announced that two servicemembers were killed and another was missing. The following day, the military command said that troops found unidentified remains and that an examination process to verify the