Iran has further tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz by cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
An army spokesperson said that supervision of the vital shipping route could generate twice as much revenue as Iran’s oil income.
“After this war ends, there will be no place for retreat,” the spokesperson said, according to comments carried by ISNA news agency.
But US vice president JD Vance insisted that progress was being made in negotiations.
“The fundamental question is, do we make enough progress that we satisfy the President's red line?” he told reporters at the White House.
“And the red line is very simple. He needs to feel confident that we put a number of protections in place such that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Meanwhile, Israel is concerned that Donald Trump could get fed up with the deadlocked crisis in the Middle East and cut a “bad deal” with Iran, according to a report. The US leader is currently on a trip to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping.
Key Points
- Chinese supertanker transits Strait of Hormuz
- Two children killed by Israeli attacks on Lebanon that leave 8 dead
- Trump accuses media of 'treason' for saying Iranian army 'doing well'
- Iran war has cost Trump administration $29bn so far
- Trump says he does not need China's help to end Iran war
- UAE has secretly been carrying out military strikes on Iran - report
- Donald Trump arrives in Beijing for historic summit with Xi
The three issues preventing the US and Iran from agreeing a peace deal
03:00 , Maira ButtThe war in Iran looked at risk of escalation again as Donald Trump dismissed Tehran’s latest peace proposal, undermining hopes the 10-week-old conflict would end soon.
“I don’t like it -- TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” the US president wrote on social media to end a week of cautious diplomacy around a new push to end the war.
The latest Iranian response, sent to mediator Pakistan on Sunday, focused on ending the double blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, lifting American sanctions and drafting guarantees to end the war permanently.
James C Reynolds and Alex Croft report:
The three issues preventing the US and Iran from agreeing a peace deal
Watch: Trump posts slo-mo montage of his arrival in China
02:00 , Maira ButtEU not anticipating serious jet-fuel supply issue in short term
01:00 , Maira ButtThe EU does not expect a serious jet-fuel supply issue in the short term linked to the US-Iran war, EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Wednesday.
"We don't expect a very serious security of supply issue on a very short term,” he said.
“But we cannot exclude that there will be security of supply issues on a longer term. This all depends, of course, on the situation in the Middle East.”
Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel
00:01 , Maira ButtIran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel's intelligence service after the supreme court upheld his death sentence, the judiciary's Mizan news outlet reported on Wednesday.
According to rights group HRANA, the 32-year-old defendant named Ehsan Afrashteh was arrested in 2024 and sentenced to death in 2025 based on confessions that were fabricated.
Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude oil attempts to pass Strait of Hormuz
23:30 , Maira ButtA Chinese supertanker, laden with two million barrels of Iraqi crude, was reportedly navigating the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data.
The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Yuan Hua Hu was observed past Iran's Larak Island, on the eastern side of the strait and heading south.
This voyage, if successful, would mark the third known passage by a Chinese oil tanker through the Strait since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on 28 February.
Iran accuses Kuwait of 'unlawful' attacks on boats
23:00 , Maira ButtIranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has accused Kuwait of “unlawful” attacks on its boats in the Persian Gulf, with four citizens detained.
“In a clear attempt to sow discord, Kuwait has unlawfully attacked an Iranian boat and detained 4 of our citizens in the Persian Gulf,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
“This illegal act took place near island used by the US to attack Iran. We demand immediate release of our nationals and reserve right to respond.”
Iran says 'no place for retreat' as it tightens grip over Strait of Hormuz
22:54 , Maira ButtIran has further tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz by cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
An army spokesperson said that supervision of the vital shipping route could generate twice as much revenue as Iran’s oil income.
“After this war ends, there will be no place for retreat,” the spokesperson said, according to comments carried by ISNA news agency.
Israeli drone strikes hit highway south of Beirut, killing 8, including 2 children
22:00 , Maira ButtIsraeli drones struck three vehicles on the main highway south of Beirut Wednesday, killing eight people, including a woman and her two children, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, hours after telling residents of six southern villages to evacuate.
Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighbors that have been at a state of war since Israel was created in 1948.
Israeli drone strikes hit highway south of Beirut, killing 8, including 2 children
UAE reaffirms diplomacy, rejects confrontation with Iran
21:30 , Maira ButtAnwar Gargash, an adviser to the United Arab Emirates president, said on Wednesday that the UAE remained committed to political solutions and diplomacy amid regional tensions, while stressing the country's right to defend its sovereignty.
UAE said it had not sought conflict and had worked to avoid it, adding that relations between the Arab states and Iran should not be based on confrontation.
It follows reports that the UAE secretly launched military strikes on Iran before a ceasefire was agreed.
Watch: 'I think he is alive', Israeli PM Netanyahu says of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei
21:00 , Maira ButtVance says US 'making progress' in Iran talks
20:30 , Maira ButtVice president JD Vance said he believes progress is being made in negotiations with Iran to end hostilities, after President Donald Trump rejected Tehran's latest proposal as unacceptable.
“I think that we are making progress,” Vance told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.
“The fundamental question is do we make enough progress that we satisfy the President's red line?
“And the red line is very simple. He needs to feel confident that we put a number of protections in place such that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump’s war has barely weakened Iran’s military, with missile power still largely intact, allies warn
20:00 , Maira ButtDonald Trump’s war in Iran has failed to break Tehran’s missile capability despite the president’s claim to have completely defeated the regime’s military, sources say.
Intelligence agencies have reportedly told lawmakers that Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers and underground facilities after a month of ceasefire.
Iran is believed to have restored access to all but three of its 33 missile sites stationed along the Strait of Hormuz, allowing it to project power across the vital waterway and continue testing the American blockade.
A senior Nato source in Europe told The Independent that they estimate Iran still has 60 per cent of its missile capability in tact after ten weeks of war, at a reported cost of $29bn to the United States.
Read the full report by James C Reynolds and Sam Kiley here.
Wizz Air to resume flights to Israel this month
19:30 , James ReynoldsWizz Air will resume flights to and from Tel Aviv on May 28, saying it was an important step in reconnecting Israel with key European destinations.
Most foreign carriers had halted flights after the United States and Israel-led airstrikes on Iran. With a fragile ceasefire in place, some airlines have resumed flights to Israel.
Wizz said its decision follows the latest update from EASA and reflects Wizz Air's "ongoing coordination with international and local authorities, including aviation and security bodies, alongside its overriding commitment to ensuring safe operations."
Chief commercial officer Ian Malin said that the safety and security of passengers and crew remain a top priority, "and we have taken a cautious and measured approach to this decision."
Analysis: Trump’s remarkable military failure shows abject fiasco of his Iran war
19:00 , Maira ButtIran’s missile arsenal is mostly intact and still capable of attacking America’s allies beyond the Gulf states, two months into a joint US-Israeli bombing campaign.
The White House has repeatedly claimed that Iran’s military capacity has been “decimated” and wiped out, but Nato sources have told The Independent this is not true.
“Whatever anyone is saying in public, we estimate that the Iranians have at least 60 per cent of their missile capability. How else can you explain, for example, how they can continue to attack Gulf nations with missiles and drones?” said a senior Nato source in Europe.
The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:
Trump’s remarkable military failure shows abject fiasco of his Iran war
Netanyahu held secret meeting with Emirati president in the UAE during Iran war, PM's office says
18:30 , Maira ButtIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates and met with the Emirati president during the war with Iran, a statement from the prime minister's Office said on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the meeting resulted in an “historic breakthrough” in relations between Israel and the UAE.
Trump’s war has barely weakened Iran’s military, with missile power still largely intact, allies warn
18:00 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump’s war in Iran has failed to break Tehran’s missile capability despite the president’s claim to have completely defeated the regime’s military, sources say.
Intelligence agencies have reportedly told lawmakers that Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers and underground facilities after a month of ceasefire.
Iran is believed to have restored access to all but three of its 33 missile sites stationed along the Strait of Hormuz, allowing it to project power across the vital waterway and continue testing the American blockade.
A senior Nato source in Europe told The Independent that they estimate Iran still has 60 per cent of its missile capability in tact after ten weeks of war, at a reported cost of $29bn to the United States.
Trump’s war has barely weakened Iran’s military, allies warn
Israeli airstrikes kill 12 including a mother and her two children in Lebanon
17:28 , James ReynoldsIsraeli airstrikes struck seven vehicles in Lebanon on Wednesday, killing 12 people including a woman and her two children, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, hours after telling residents of six southern villages to evacuate.
Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighbours.
Two of Wednesday's drone attacks hit a highway linking Beirut with the southern port city of Sidon, while a third struck the town of Saadiyat near the busy freeway, the state-run National news agency said.
The Health Ministry said those strikes killed eight people in total, including the mother and children.
A fourth strike took place in the early afternoon near the northern entrance of Sidon, leaving one person dead and another wounded, the ministry said. It added that three other drone strikes on cars deeper in southern Lebanon killed three people.
Recap: Chinese tanker sails through Strait of Hormuz as Trump’s peace efforts flounder
17:00 , James ReynoldsA Chinese supertanker sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, data shows, as Donald Trump arrived in Beijing where he will discuss reopening the waterway with Xi Jinping.
The very large crude carrier Yuan Hua Hu, carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude, is now sailing through the Gulf of Oman, online tracker MarineTraffic shows.
The voyage marks the third known passage by a Chinese oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Iran has strengthened its control over the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region with diplomatic efforts still apparently held to a deadlock.
The New York Times reported that Iran has restored operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz during the temporary ceasefire with the US.
Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel
16:28 , James ReynoldsIran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel's intelligence service after the supreme court upheld his death sentence, the judiciary's Mizan news outlet reported this morning.
According to rights group HRANA, the 32-year-old defendant named Ehsan Afrashteh was arrested in 2024 and sentenced to death in 2025 based on confessions that were fabricated.
Recap: UAE carried out secret strikes on Iran, report says
16:00 , James ReynoldsThe United Arab Emirates carried out secret strikes on Iran during the conflict, according to a report, in what would mark the first direct offensive involvement of a Gulf nation in the conflict.
The Gulf monarchy was Iran’s number one target when it began its retaliatory attacks across the region, hitting states that are allied with the US.
The UAE has not publicly acknowledged the strikes, which included an attack on a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April, around the time Donald Trump announced a temporary truce, The Wall Street Journal reported.
UAE has secretly been carrying out military strikes on Iran, report says
Recap: Trump heads to China amid escalating tensions with Iran
15:30 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump headed to China on Tuesday amid escalating tensions with Iran over the lingering conflict.
Speaking before leaving Washington, Trump played down the role China could have in resolving the conflict.
"I don't think we need any help with Iran. We'll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise," he told reporters.
More than one month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, US and Iranian demands to end the war remain far apart.
Asked to what extent the economic strain on Americans was motivating him to strike a deal to end the war, Trump replied: "Not even a little bit."
"I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation ...," Trump said before leaving for China. "I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
Trump’s war has barely weakened Iran’s military, with missile power still largely intact, allies warn
15:04 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump’s war in Iran has failed to break Tehran’s missile capability despite the president’s claim to have completely defeated the regime’s military, sources say.
Intelligence agencies have reportedly told lawmakers that Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers and underground facilities after a month of ceasefire.
Iran is believed to have restored access to all but three of its 33 missile sites stationed along the Strait of Hormuz, allowing it to project power across the vital waterway and continue testing the American blockade.
Read the full report:
Trump’s war has barely weakened Iran’s military, allies warn
UK to legislate to tackle threats from proxy groups of hostile states
14:43 , Alex CroftThe UK will legislate to strengthen its ability to deal with proxies for malign state actors, taking powers to make it possible to ban them in light of increased activity in Britain and a rise in antisemitic attacks.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the government has to "deal with malign state actors" in the wake of a series of attacks on Britain's Jewish community.
In a speech outlining the government's agenda, King Charles said it would "introduce legislation to tackle the growing threat from foreign state entities and their proxies," and would also take urgent action to tackle antisemitism.
It comes after several British lawmakers have called for the proscription of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Watch: Trump dismisses concerns about financial impact of Iran war on Americans
14:15 , Alex CroftEU not anticipating serious jet-fuel supply issue in short term
13:52 , Alex CroftThe EU does not expect a serious jet-fuel supply issue in the short term linked to the US-Iran war, EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Wednesday.
"We don't expect a very serious security of supply issue on a very short term,” he said.
“But we cannot exclude that there will be security of supply issues on a longer term. This all depends, of course, on the situation in the Middle East.”
Three out of four Americans blame Trump for rising prices, new poll finds
13:30 , Alex CroftWith rising gas prices, mortgage rates and consumer prices, most Americans say they blame President Donald Trump for the increased cost of living and worsening economic conditions, according to a new poll.
Between the end of April and early May, roughly 77 percent of respondents to a CNN/SSRS survey said Trump’s policies have driven the cost of living up, with most people blaming his decision to go to war with Iran and the implementation of tariffs as the driving factors.
Trump ran on a campaign promising economic prosperity for the average American, claiming he would end inflation, lower energy prices and cut the cost of everyday items, such as groceries. While the president was able to keep some of those promises in his first year in office, his decision to go to war with Iran in February has had tangible economic consequences for the average American.
Read more here:
Three out of four Americans blame Trump for rising prices, new poll finds
Pictured: Trump disembarks Air Force One in Beijing
13:14 , James Reynolds
In pictures: Israel attacks two cars in Beirut
13:07 , Alex Croft
In pictures: Donald Trump arrives in Beijing for two-day summit
13:06 , James Reynolds
Breaking: Donald Trump arrives in Beijing for historic summit with Xi
13:03 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump landed in Beijing accompanied by an entourage that included Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Elon Musk on Wednesday after pledging to urge China's Xi Jinping to "open up" to US business.
Trump embarks on the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade eager to snag some deals and prop up public approval ratings bruised by his war with Iran.
Apart from trade, the talks will cover a host of sensitive subjects from the Iran war to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China.
Trump is widely expected to encourage China to convince Tehran to make a deal with Washington to end the conflict, though he has said he did not think he would need its help.
Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel
12:44 , Alex CroftIran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel's intelligence service after the supreme court upheld his death sentence, the judiciary's Mizan news outlet reported this morning.
According to rights group HRANA, the 32-year-old defendant named Ehsan Afrashteh was arrested in 2024 and sentenced to death in 2025 based on confessions that were fabricated.
Germany fine for jet fuel, says government
12:35 , James ReynoldsA spokesperson for the German government says the country does not currently see any problem with the energy supply, and that reserves of kerosene are sufficient for 2026.
Earlier today, EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said the EU does not expect a serious jet-fuel supply issue in the short term linked to the US-Iran war.
Iran war casts long shadow over BRICS meeting in India
12:21 , Alex CroftAs a two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping gets underway in New Delhi on Thursday, the Iran war is casting its long shadow from thousands of miles away.
The grouping, which originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded over the years with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran has been urging India, the BRICS chair for 2026, to use the platform to build a consensus condemning US and Israeli actions in the Gulf conflict.
But the United Arab Emirates, which is more closely allied with the US, has opposed this.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in March that some BRICS members were involved directly in the conflict, due to which it had been "difficult for us to forge a consensus."
Another ministry official told Reuters India was hopeful to get a joint statement after the latest round of meetings with foreign ministers.
We’ll be reporting on the meeting over the next couple of days.
Two children killed by Israeli attacks on Lebanon that leave 8 dead
12:00 , Alex CroftIsraeli airstrikes killed eight people on a highway south of Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanon's health ministry said, as conflict between Hezbollah and Israel continued on the eve of a third round of US-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel.
Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel have been trading blows despite a ceasefire announced last month, with hostilities largely focused in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are occupying a self-declared security zone.
The three separate airstrikes were carried out well beyond the main theatre of conflict in the south, targeting vehicles on the coastal highway in an area around 20 km (12 miles) south of Beirut, security sources said.
The Lebanese health ministry said the dead included two children.
The Israeli military didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel escalates attacks on Gaza after halting Iran strikes
11:36 , Alex CroftIsrael has escalated its attacks in Gaza in the five weeks since halting its joint bombing with the US in Iran.
The military is redirecting its fire back on the ruined Palestinian enclave where the military believes Hamas fighters are tightening their grip.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 120 Palestinians, including eight women and 13 children, were killed in Gaza since the Iran war was paused on April 8 - 20 per cent more than in the five weeks prior when Israel was flying sorties over Iran.
Conflict monitor ACLED, which tracks Israeli attacks in Gaza, said in a monthly report for April that Israel had carried out 35 per cent more attacks last month than in March.
The increase in Israeli strikes on Gaza is a further sign of stalled progress under U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to halt the war there and begin reconstruction.
"The war is still ongoing," said Lafi Al-Najjar, 36, a blind Palestinian, one of whose sons was killed on April 28 in an Israeli attack.
"It stopped in the announcement, but in reality and on the ground, the war has not stopped," said Najjar, whose family have been living in a tented camp in the ruins of Khan Younis, once Gaza's second-largest city.
Chinese supertanker attempts Strait of Hormuz passage, trackers show
10:59 , Alex CroftA Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude was attempting to sail through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data.
The Very Large Crude Carrier Yuan Hua Hu was past Iran's Larak Island and was on the eastern side of the strait and heading south, the data showed.
If successful, the voyage would mark the third known passage by a Chinese oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Iran has appeared to firm up its control over the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
The Yuan Hua Hu loaded nearly 2 million barrels of Basrah Medium crude at Iraq's Basrah terminal in early March and has remained stranded inside the Gulf since then, according to the tracking data. It is headed to Asia.
Watch: Trump heads to China amid escalating tensions with Iran
10:37 , Alex CroftUAE has secretly been carrying out military strikes on Iran, report says
10:21 , Alex CroftThe United Arab Emirates has carried out secret strikes on Iran during the war started by the US and Israel earlier this year, according to a report, in what would mark the first involvement of a Gulf nation in the conflict.
The Gulf monarchy was Iran’s number one target since it began its retaliatory attacks across the region, targeting states that are allied with the US.
The UAE has not publicly acknowledged the strikes, which included an attack on a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April, around the time Donald Trump announced a temporary truce, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Read more here:
UAE has secretly been carrying out military strikes on Iran, report says
Trump and Xi prepare to discuss Iran and Strait of Hormuz
10:15 , Alex CroftShweta Sharma reports:
The Iran war will weigh heavily in talks as it has also complicated the broader US-China relationship.
China maintains close economic and diplomatic ties with Iran, absorbing some 90 per cent of its exports. The double blockage of the Strait of Hormuz – a route critical to global oil supplies – has suddenly thrust China into the centre of Trump’s Middle East calculations.
The Trump administration has criticised Beijing for giving a critical financial lifeline to Tehran with its energy purchases and threatened banks with secondary sanctions if they worked with Chinese refiners engaging with Iranian oil.
China arrives at this summit in an unusually comfortable position.
“It has weathered the energy crisis better than expected and studiously avoided getting embroiled in the Iran situation, despite being an ostensible ally and biggest recipient of Iranian oil,” Jonathan Sullivan, director of China programs at the Asia Research Institute of UK’s Nottingham University, told The Independent.
“Watching the US get embroiled in a mess of its own making, weakening its alliances in the Middle East and perhaps fatally weakening the transatlantic alliance and so on is the Chinese strategy right now”, he added, referring to Nato.
Beijing is focused on what the Middle East looks like after the war ends and how China can position itself to fill whatever vacuum the US leaves behind. But it is not threatened in the near term, and it knows it.
“Trump is under water from different directions and could really do with China's help [most pressingly to sort out the Iran impasse, but also by getting a win on soybean orders or rare earths]” Sullivan argued.
Days before the summit, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, where China called for the swift reopening of the strait. Analysts say the visit’s timing underscored Beijing’s role and a potential sway over Tehran in could influencing the direction of the conflict.
Iran retains enough firepower to cause 'serious disruption', says former US official
09:53 , Alex CroftA former US official has told The Independent that Iran retains enough firepower to wreak “serious disruption” in the Middle East if a full-scale war with the US were to resume.
“Even after recent losses, my assumption is that Iran still retains enough of these capabilities to create serious disruption in the region,” said Frank A. Rose, former assistant secretary of state for arms control in the Obama administration.
He said Ian likely retains “significant inventories” of ballistic and cruise missiles, drones, and naval mines.
It also still has the capacity to launch attacks via their proxy groups in the Houthis of Yemen and Lebanese militants Hezbollah.
“Even a degraded Iran can threaten maritime traffic and energy infrastructure in the Gulf,” Mr Rose added.
Nine small earthquakes strike near Tehran overnight - report
09:29 , Alex CroftA series of nine small earthquakes struck the Pardis area east of Tehran overnight, Mehr news agency reported on Wednesday.
The tremors have renewed fears among experts and residents that the Iranian capital could face a major seismic disaster.
The repeated activity has revived concerns that accumulated tectonic pressure beneath and around the capital, which lies close to several active fault lines, could at some point in the future trigger a much larger earthquake.
While tremors in the area are frequent, it is far less common for several to take place in a row.
The tremors, recorded over a single night in eastern Tehran province, were felt in an area close to the Mosha fault, one of Iran’s most active seismic zones.
Trump’s war has barely weakened Iran’s military with missile power still largely intact, US intelligence says
08:58 , Alex CroftDonald Trump’s war in Iran has failed to break Tehran’s missile capability, US intelligence assesses, despite the president’s claim to have completely defeated the regime’s military.
Intelligence agencies have reportedly told lawmakers that Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers and underground facilities after a month of ceasefire.
Iran is believed to have restored access to all but three of its 33 missile sites stationed along the Strait of Hormuz, allowing it to project power across the vital waterway and continue testing the American blockade.
The storage and launch facilities buried underground across the country have fared as well, with some 90 per cent now “partially or fully operational”, sources told the New York Times.
Read our full report:
Trump’s war has barely weakened Iran’s military, US intelligence says
Two cars in Beirut hit by Israeli strikes - Lebanese media
08:39 , Alex CroftTwo separate Israeli strikes targeted two cars in Lebanon's Jiyeh area south of Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanon's state news agency NNA is reporting.
We haven’t yet heard any information on any casualties and there has been no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Watch: 'I think he is alive': Israeli PM Netanyahu says of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei
08:23 , Alex CroftIran war casts long shadow over BRICS meeting in India
07:59 , Alex CroftAs a two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping gets underway in New Delhi on Thursday, the Iran war is casting its long shadow from thousands of miles away.
The grouping, which originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded over the years with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran has been urging India, the BRICS chair for 2026, to use the platform to build a consensus condemning US and Israeli actions in the Gulf conflict.
But the United Arab Emirates, which is more closely allied with the US, has opposed this.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in March that some BRICS members were involved directly in the conflict, due to which it had been "difficult for us to forge a consensus."
Another ministry official told Reuters India was hopeful to get a joint statement after the latest round of meetings with foreign ministers.
We’ll be reporting on the meeting over the next couple of days.
