Iran US War LIVE: Iran has declared that the strategically important Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States ends its naval blockade of Iranian ports. The senior official also warned that reaching a final peace deal was still a distant prospect, AFP reported.
Iran US War LIVE: What happened in the last few hours?
- The UK Military Maritime Merchant Operations (UKMTO) reported that two gunboats belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps opened fire on a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker and its crew were later confirmed safe, although the vessel and its destination were not released, the AP reported. Separately, TankerTrackers.com reported that several ships, including an Indian-flagged supertanker, were forced to turn back in the strait after coming under fire from Iranian forces.
- One of the vessels attacked was identified as the Sanmar Herald, an Indian government source told Reuters.
- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a televised address that while there had been some progress in discussions with the United States, significant gaps remained and several key issues were still unresolved, suggesting that the talks were far from a breakthrough. “We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf, one of Tehran’s negotiators in talks aimed at ending the war launched by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.
- US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said there were “very good talks” with Iran but warned Tehran against trying to “blackmail” the United States.
- “Hezbollah denies any connection to the incident that occurred with UNIFIL forces in the Ghandouriyeh-Bint Jbeil area and calls for caution in making decisions and assigning responsibility for the incident until the Lebanese Army investigates the full circumstances of the incident,” the group said.
- Brent crude fell 9% to around $90 a barrel on Friday, erasing most of the gains it has posted since the war began. Diesel prices in the US and Europe were also lower, Bloomberg reported.
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