Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has shared an update on supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, saying he met with him recently, according to Mizan.
“What stood out to me more than any other issue in this meeting was the manner of confrontation, the type of gaze, and the humble and deeply intimate manner of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution; an approach that transformed the atmosphere of the discussion into an environment based on trust, calm, empathy, and direct dialogue,” Pezeshkian said.
The eldest son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not been seen in public since US-Israei strikes sparked the war with Iran on 28 February. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth previously suggested the supreme leader had been left “disfigured”.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump said that the war with Iran would “be over quickly” as Tehran reviewed a new US peace proposal aimed at ending the conflict
The US president said he had “very good talks” with Iran over the past 24 hours but stressed that there’s “never a deadline” on when Tehran will respond back to the proposal.
Iran said a US proposal to end the war is "still being considered".
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Key Points
- Iran reviewing US proposal to end war
- Trump says US-Iran deal very possible after good talks in past 24 hours
- Israel launches first strikes on Beirut in three weeks
- Briefing: What we know on the 69th day of the US-Israel war on Iran
US to sanction Iraqi official for allegedly aiding Iranian oil sales
16:15 , Maira ButtThe US Treasury is moving to sanction Iraq’s deputy minister of oil, Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, for supporting the sale of Iranian oil, according to the Wall Street Journal.
He is reported to have authorised the trucking of several million dollars’ of Iraqi oil per day to a smuggler who then went on to combine it with Iranian crude, the treasury is due to announce, according to the WSJ.
It is reported to be the latest move to pressure Iraq to severe commercial ties with Iran.
Watch Live: Live: Trump meets Brazilian president after pressure campaign to free ally Bolsonaro
16:03 , Maira ButtHow Trump’s ‘one page memo’ could take us back to square one in Iran - after thousands of lives lost and economic ruin
15:45 , Maira ButtDonald Trump once more believes he is closing in on a deal to end the two-month conflict with Iran, despite both sides appearing unwilling to budge on key issues.
Thousands of people have died in strikes across the Middle East since the war began on 28 February. Global trade has been decimated, inflicting massive economic damage and driving millions into poverty and hunger. Violence has spread across the region, notably between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
But the latest proposal to end the war could see the US exit with key questions still unanswered.
The latest offer is based on a one-page memorandum of understanding, which in turn is expected to lay out a wider framework for another month of more detailed negotiations on the lingering nuclear issue.
James C Reynolds reports:
How Trump’s ‘one page memo’ takes us back to square one in Iran
In pictures: US secretary of state Marco Rubio meets Pope Leo amid Trump tension
15:20 , Maira Butt
Trump posts chart bragging about how the Iran War is shorter (so far) than WWII or Vietnam
14:48 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump has bragged about how his ongoing war in Iran is so far shorter than the Second World War, the Vietnam War and the Korean War.
The war in Iran began more than nine weeks ago on February 28 after the U.S. and Israel launched joint missile strikes, pounding the Middle East nation and assassinating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump’s graphic posted Wednesday night claimed the “Iran Excursion” had been going on for six weeks.
Trump posts chart bragging about how the Iran War is shorter than WWII or Vietnam
Pakistan says it expects Iran deal soon
14:19 , Maira ButtAmong reports of an impending US-Iran deal, Pakistan has confirmed that an agreement could be imminent.
“We expect an agreement sooner rather than later,” spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said today.
“We hope the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but to international peace as well.”
He did not give details of a timeline saying: “What I can tell you, and this is what I have stated before, that we remain positive, we remain optimistic, and we hope the settlement will be soon rather than later.”
Emirates airline defies Iran war disruption to record profits
13:48 , Maira ButtEmirates airline has announced a record full-year net profit of $5.4 billion, asserting its robust financial position to navigate rising jet fuel costs and disruption from the conflict in Iran.
The Gulf carrier, posting results on Thursday, cited strong cash reserves as key to its resilience.
Net profit for the 12 months ending March rose to $5.4 billion in the 12 months to the end of March, from $5.2 billion a year earlier.
Higher passenger yields – a measure of ticket prices adjusted for distance flown – offset a slight decline in passenger numbers, which stood at 53.2 million.
Watch: Trump says Iran strike ‘would’ve been worth it’ even if oil hit $200
13:15 , Maira ButtIn pictures: Aftermath of Israeli strikes on Lebanon
12:45 , Maira Butt
Maersk hikes shipping prices to offset cost hit from Iran war
12:15 , Maira ButtShipping container giant Maersk has revealed it is facing a 500 million US dollar (£367 million) hit each month from disruption caused by the Iran war and is passing on costs to customers through higher freight rates.
The Danish group, which carries around one in five of the world’s seaborne containers, said costs will surge in the current quarter and next, but it is so far fully offsetting this through price rises.
Chief executive Vincent Clerc said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz could start impacting global trade and consumer demand.
Maersk hikes shipping prices to offset cost hit from Iran war
Israel says it has killed commander of Hezbollah's Radwan force
12:08 , Maira ButtIsrael says it has killed the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force in a strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The Radwan group is the most elite faction of the armed group.
Hezbollah is yet to comment on the reports.
The three issues Trump and Iran need to solve for a peace deal to be agreed
11:50 , Maira ButtIran and the United States are closer than ever to agreeing on a peace deal to bring an end to the war, sources have claimed, with Donald Trump declaring there have been “good talks over the last 24 hours”.
The White House is currently awaiting Tehran’s response to a one-page memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at ending the war and setting a framework for future nuclear negotiations, Axios reported.
Some officials in the US, who expect a response before the weekend, told the outlet that the two sides are “not far, but there is no deal yet”.
Alex Croft and James C Reynolds report:
The three issues Trump and Iran need to solve for a peace deal to be agreed
Iranian president says he met with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei recently
11:24 , Maira ButtIranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that he met with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei recently, according to Mizan news agency.
The eldest son of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not been seen in public since his father’s death in a US-Israeli strike on 28 February.
Since then, he has had written messages conveyed to the media through various means. Reports suggest that he is still in contact with the political and military establishment and is issuing orders.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth previously said the leader was “wounded and likely disfigured.”
Rubio arrives to meet Pope Leo as Trump keeps up attacks on pontiff
11:01 , Maira ButtUS secretary of state Marco Rubio arrived at the Vatican on Thursday for a potentially fraught encounter with Pope Leo as President Donald Trump has continued a series of disparaging attacks on the Catholic leader over the Iran war.
Rubio's convoy drove through the central Roman boulevard leading to the Vatican under tight security, arriving at 9am GMT for the first visit between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year.
The closed-door meeting between Leo and Rubio, who also serves as Trump's national security adviser, is expected to last about a half-hour. Rubio will meet afterwards with the Vatican's top diplomat, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Watch: Israel shares footage of Lebanon bombing campaign
10:35 , Maira ButtWarning ‘dramatic’ rise in food prices ahead as farmers feel the squeeze from Iran war
10:17 , Maira ButtA farming group controlled by the Duke of Westminster is warning of “dramatic” rises in food prices due to spikes in fertiliser costs linked to the war in Iran.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, through which large quantities of oil, gas and other fuels usually pass, has already led to jumps in fuel costs in the UK.
This week, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) warned that supermarkets were already absorbing huge extra costs due to the conflict in the Middle East and said those costs would inevitably filter through to consumers. It wants the government to delay new tax and regulatory rules.
Warning ‘dramatic’ rise in food prices as farmers feel the squeeze from Iran war
Trump ‘scrapped Project Freedom after Saudi Arabia suspended US access to bases and airspace’
09:46 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump dramatically backtracked on Project Freedom after just two days because its Gulf ally Saudi Arabia blocked access to its military bases and airspace, according to reports.
Just 48 hours after announcing the operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the US leader paused the initiative to enable negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Iran had attacked ships across the Gulf and struck a port in the UAE, on Tuesday.
It has now emerged that Trump’s decision to pause the operation was driven by complaints by Saudi Arabia, two US officials told NBC News.
Trump ‘scrapped Project Freedom after Gulf ally suspended US access to airspace’
Maersk CEO says oil supply chain 'deeply disrupted' but trade less impacted
09:21 , Maira ButtMaersk has said that it does not expect the war in the Middle East to have a material impact on its financial results.
However, CEO Vincent Clerc said that the conflict has had a huge impact on its energy costs.
“The large part of our higher costs due to rising bunker fuel prices will be covered by our customers,” he said on Thursday.
Clerc said that although the oil supply chain is deeply disrupted the trade the company does has been less impacted. The company stuck to its profit forecast after beating its first-quarter profit forecasts.
Shell profits soar 24 per cent as oil prices skyrocket because of Iran war
08:47 , Maira ButtShell has announced a higher-than-forecast surge in profits for the first three months of the year, thanks to rocketing oil prices caused by the Iran war.
The oil giant reported underlying earnings of 6.92 billion US dollars (£5.09 billion), more than double the result in the previous three months and 24 oer cent higher on a year ago.
Most analysts had expected the group to report profits of 6.36 billion US dollars (£4.67 billion).
Shell profits soar amid surging oil prices because of Iran war
Watch: Iran releases video of what it says is recon drone shot down over Strait of Hormuz
08:14 , Maira ButtAll the times Trump said the war in Iran was over - and how the markets reacted
07:50 , Maira ButtDonald Trump has once again announced that the Iran war is over - despite no peace deal being finalised between the two countries.
The US president has declared the end of military operations against Tehran on dozens of occasions, in what critics have said it is an attempt to calm market instability caused by the conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, choking global oil supply and throwing the world into the worst energy crisis in history.
All the times Trump said the war in Iran was over - and how the markets reacted
Israeli strikes kill 13 in Lebanon
07:30 , Shweta SharmaIsraeli air strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon killed at least 13 people and wounded more than a dozen on Wednesday.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, at least four people were killed and three others injured in an Israeli strike on the town of Zellaya in the western Bekaa region.
Israel also carried out strikes across southern Lebanon using fighter jets and drones, while artillery shelling on the village of Mayfadoun killed two people, the agency reported.
In separate attacks later in the day, five more people were killed and 15 wounded in an Israeli strike on Siksikiyah, while two others were killed and one person injured in the town of Khirbet Selm in southern Lebanon.
Iran 'categorically denies' involvement in South Korean vessel blast
07:15 , Shweta SharmaIran has denied any involvement in the explosion aboard a South Korean-operated vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.
In a statement, Iran’s embassy in Seoul said it “firmly rejects and categorically denies” allegations that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic were linked to the incident involving damage to the Korean ship.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the exact cause of the explosion and subsequent fire would only be determined after the vessel is brought to port for inspection.
US president Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that Iran had fired on a South Korean cargo ship in the strait.
The Iranian embassy also said that recent actions by the US and Israel had led Tehran to view the Strait of Hormuz as a key part of its “defensive geography”.
It added that security protocols in the strategic waterway had changed amid heightened tensions caused by what it described as “hostile forces and their allies”.
Israel says it is investigating photo of soldier holding up cigarette to Virgin Mary statue
06:46 , Shweta SharmaA picture of a statue of the Virgin Mary appearing to show a man in uniform holding a lit cigarette to its mouth is being investigated by the Israeli military.
The image, which circulated on social media, appeared to depict a statue of the Virgin Mary in Debel.
It was the same town where Israeli soldiers were photographed destroying a crucifix last month.
The man in the picture, who appears to be wearing an Israeli military uniform, makes it seem as though the statue is smoking.The IDF said it is reviewing the image and “views the incident with the utmost severity.”
It added that the picture was taken “several weeks ago”.
“The incident will be investigated, and command measures will be taken against the soldier in accordance with the findings,” the military said in a statement.
“The IDF respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities.”
In pictures: Damage in Beirut after Israeli strike
06:30 , Shweta SharmaIsrael struck Beirut for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, with Israel saying it targeted a commander of the militant group's elite Radwan force in the city's southern suburbs.
Israeli media reported that the commander was killed in the strike, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military or Hezbollah.
Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli airstrike killed four people, including two women and an elderly man in the town of Zelaya in southern Lebanon.
Rubio to meet Pope Leo as Trump keeps up attacks on pontiff
06:26 , Shweta SharmaUS secretary of state Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday, in a potentially fraught encounter as president Donald Trump has issued a series of disparaging remarks against the leader of the Catholic Church over the Iran war.
Rubio, who also serves as Trump's national security adviser, was due to arrive at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace around 11.15am for the visit, the first between the Pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year.
The closed-door meeting is expected to last about half an hour, after which Rubio will also meet the Vatican's top diplomat, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Leo, the first American pope, drew Trump's ire after criticising the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration's hardline anti-immigration policies.
Oil prices fall sharply towards $100 on hopes of Iran deal
06:15 , Shweta SharmaOil prices fell sharply and Asian stock markets surged to record highs as hopes grew that the US and Iran were nearing a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though optimism was tempered by continuing military tensions in the waterway.
Brent crude fell 7.8 per cent to $101.27 a barrel on Wednesday – down from more than $115 earlier in the week – after US president Donald Trump said the strait could be "open to all" if Iran accepted a reported agreement, the details of which he did not disclose.
Axios reported the US believed it was close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war, citing four sources, which would declare an end to hostilities and begin a 30-day period of negotiations on reopening the strait, limiting Iran's nuclear programme and lifting US sanctions.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said the US proposal was still being considered.
Iran to respond to US peace proposal Thursday: report
05:50 , Shweta SharmaIran is expected to respond to a US proposal to end the war on Thursday, CNN has reported.
The report cited a regional source after Iran said it was reviewing the proposal.
Uncertainity and confusion within Iran amid talks for end to war
05:40 , Shweta SharmaScepticism has emerged from within Iran’s political establishment after Tehran said it was considering a US peace proposal.
Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for parliament’s foreign policy and national security committee, dismissed the proposal as “more of an American wish-list than a reality”.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also appeared to ridicule reports suggesting a breakthrough was imminent.
Writing in English on social media, he said “Operation Trust Me Bro failed”, arguing that reports of progress amounted to American spin after Washington failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that an agreement to end the war – now in its 69th day after beginning on 28 February – is within reach, though negotiations have repeatedly stalled over several contentious issues.
Chief among them are Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that handled roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies before the conflict erupted.
Four Israeli soldiers injured in Lebanon
05:05 , Shweta SharmaFour Israeli soldiers were injured in an explosive drone attack in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military, which blamed the incident on Hezbollah.
One soldier sustained serious injuries, while three others were lightly wounded.
The troops were evacuated to hospital for medical treatment and their families have been informed.
Israel launches first strikes on Beirut in three weeks
04:46 , Shweta SharmaThe Israeli military carried out a strike on Wednesday on the southern suburbs of Beirut in a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh, saying it targeted the commander of the militant group's elite Radwan force, according to an official Israeli statement.
The strike was the first to hit Beirut's suburbs since the 16 April ceasefire, although hostilities in the south of Lebanon have not halted.
"Radwan operatives, led by this commander, were responsible for firing at Israeli communities and harming IDF soldiers," a joint statement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense minister Israel Katz said.
Iran reviewing US proposal to end war even as key demands remain unaddressed
04:36 , Shweta SharmaIran said on Wednesday it was reviewing a new US peace proposal that sources claimed could formally end the war, though major disagreements remain over Tehran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, quoted by ISNA news agency, said Tehran would soon convey its response to the proposal.
"The American proposal is still being reviewed by Iran and after concluding, it will inform the Pakistani side of its opinion," Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei said.
Sources familiar with mediation efforts, including a Pakistani official, said negotiators were close to finalising a one-page memorandum that could formally end the conflict.
The proposed framework would reportedly pave the way for talks on reopening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, easing US sanctions on Iran and setting limits on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
However, it remains unclear how the latest proposal differs from a 14-point plan Iran reportedly submitted last week, and Tehran has yet to formally accept the new terms.
Trump says US-Iran deal very possible after good talks in past 24 hours
04:28 , Shweta SharmaAfter the US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the military operation in Iran was over after achieving its objectives, US president Donald Trump said Iran was ready for a deal.
"They [Iran] want to make a deal. We've had very good talks over the last 24 hours and it's very possible that we'll make a deal up there," Trump said, adding: "I think we won."
Trump also repeated his claim that Iran had agreed to never obtain a nuclear weapon “among other things”, though Tehran has not publicly confirmed the assertion.
Iran’s nuclear programme remains one of the central sticking points in negotiations between the two sides.
Briefing: What we know on the 69th day of the US-Israel war on Iran
04:18 , Shweta Sharma- US president Donald Trump predicted on Wednesday night that the war in Iran would “be over quickly” as his administration seeks a deal to end the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
- Trump reiterated Washington’s long-standing position that “we cannot allow them to have a nuclear weapon”.
- Tehran pushed back against mounting US pressure, saying negotiations must be based on “good faith” rather than coercion.
- Israel struck Beirut on Wednesday for the first time since last month’s ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, targeting what it said was a commander from the group’s elite Radwan force in the southern suburbs of the city. Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz announced the operation in a joint statement.
- Regional tensions deepened after reports emerged that Saudi Arabia refused to allow US servicemembers to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Air Base or use Saudi airspace in support of the proposed US military plan.
- US officials told NBC News that Riyadh communicated its objections directly to Washington amid concerns over wider regional escalation.
- Kuwait also reportedly blocked US access to military facilities following the surprise announcement of “Project Freedom”, according to Drop Site News.
