Closing summary
We’re wrapping up this live coverage now but our full report can be seen here, and below is a recap of the latest developments. Thanks for following along.
Donald Trump said he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request while awaiting a “unified proposal” from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.
The move comes as the White House put on hold vice-president JD Vance’s planned trip to Pakistan for a second round of truce talks with Iran, which has balked at further discussions.
The US Treasury’s Scott Bessent said that as a result of the US blockade, “in a matter of days, Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in”. In a statement posted on X, Bessent said the US “will continue to apply maximum pressure through Economic Fury to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds”.
Since the war started, fighting has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon, the Associated Press reports. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members throughout the region have been killed.
Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah traded some fire on Tuesday. Hezbollah said it had fired rockets and drones at Israeli forces maintaining a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. In response, Israel said it had struck the launcher, calling Hezbollah’s strikes a blatant violation of the ceasefire.
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, will be part of the US delegation for upcoming direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, according to CNN. Israel and Lebanon, will hold fresh talks in Washington on Thursday, a state department official said.
Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam said the country would need 500m euros ($587m) over the next six months to deal with the humanitarian crisis that has seen 1.2m people displaced from Lebanon’s south, east and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Israel’s military said Tuesday it has sentenced two soldiers to 30 days in jail and removed them from combat duty for smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in Lebanon. Images of an Israeli soldier with a sledgehammer smashing the statue’s head emerged over the weekend, bringing widespread condemnation, AP reported.
The Pentagon says US forces boarded the sanctioned M/T Tifani tanker overnight “without incident” in the Asia Pacific region. “As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran – anywhere they operate,” the US Department of Defense wrote in a post on X.
Gen Majid Mousavi, the aerospace chief for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said oil facilities across the region would be harmed if neighbouring countries allow the US to carry out attacks. “If southern neighbours allow the enemy to use their facilities to attack Iran, they should say goodbye to oil production in the Middle East region,” he told Iranian state media.
Britain will host military planners from over 30 countries for two days of talks starting Wednesday on a multinational mission led by the UK and France to protect navigation in the strait of Hormuz, the defence ministry said.
Updated
Blockade to keep pressure on Iran, White House special meeting decides
Donald Trump convened his core national security team at the White House on Tuesday afternoon to discuss a path forward on Iran and what to do about their failure to confirm participation in more negotiations, according to two people briefed on the matter.
The meeting was attended by JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, defense secretary Pete Hegseth, joint chiefs chairman Dan Caine, CIA director John Ratcliffe, as well as special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who both flew in from Florida to attend in person. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, was not included.
Ultimately, Trump and his team decided in the meeting that they would keep up the pressure on Iran by maintaining the blockade – reducing Iran’s perceived leverage after they closed the strait – to either offer terms that could (1) lead to more talks or (2) lead to strikes, the people said.
Updated
