From 13h ago 19.13 EDT Iran war is weakening Europe, says Erdoğan The US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his German counterpart. Erdoğan said: double quotation mark The war in our region is likewise starting to weaken Europe, and if we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.” Erdoğan made the comment to Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Turkish leader’s office, cited by AFP. Share
8h ago 00.06 EDT We’re closing this file now but our live coverage of the Middle East continues in a new blog here, including a fresh summary of the latest developments. Thanks for following along. Share Updated at 00.09 EDT
8h ago 23.45 EDT Earlier today, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released video footage purportedly showing their forces seizing two vessels in the strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said they seized the vessels for what it called maritime violations, and escorted them to Iranian shores, according to statements by the shipping companies and Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency – the first time Iran has seized ships since the war began at the end of February. Iran captures two vessels in strait of Hormuz after ceasefire extension Tasnim reported that the IRGC had accused the two ships – the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and Liberia-flagged Epaminondas – of “attempting to exit the strait of Hormuz covertly”. Share Updated at 23.45 EDT
8h ago 23.31 EDT Looking at how Asian markets have responded to the latest war developments, most equities have fallen. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Wellington are all down. But Seoul rallied more than 1% to a new record thanks to a fresh rally in the tech sector that has been the backbone of a surge in the Kospi index this year. Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were also up. Oil prices remain elevated, with Brent holding above $100 following a surge on Wednesday, though they pared Thursday’s initial gains. Brent crude briefly jumped above $105 earlier today, before dropping to hover around $103. Share
9h ago 22.55 EDT Interim summary Here’s a recap of the latest developments in the Middle East to bring you up to speed. Iran has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz for what it called maritime violations and escorted them to Iranian shores , according to shipping companies and Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, amid Tehran’s closure of the waterway. It is the first time Iran has seized ships since the war began.
The White House said Donald Trump was “satisfied” with the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and “understands Iran is in a very weak position” . The US president had not set a deadline on Iran submitting a peace proposal, press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said, after Trump on Tuesday said he was indefinitely extending the US-Iran ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan until Tehran came up with a “unified proposal” to the US’s negotiating positions.
Iranian officials said they had not agreed to any extension of the truce and criticised Trump’s decision to maintain the sea blockade. Lead Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said a full ceasefire only made sense if the blockade was lifted.
The Pentagon said US secretary of the navy John Phelan would depart the office “effective immediately” , without providing an explanation for his sudden exit amid the naval blockade on Iranian trade.
The war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his German counterpart . Erdoğan said: “If we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.”
Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, and wounded a photographer accompanying her, a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil’s employer said. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday – the deadliest day since a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalil’s death. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said Israeli targeting of journalists and obstructing relief efforts constituted war crimes. View image in fullscreen Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre as they look for survivors on Tuesday. Photograph: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP/Getty Images Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Hormuz strait amid the US naval blockade despite the ceasefire extension. Around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel, while the international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after.
Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said.
United Airlines implemented broad-based rises of 15-20% on fares as it sought to offset the surge in petrol prices while protecting profits, executives said. The big US carrier has also cut its 2026 flying capacity by 5%. Share Updated at 23.37 EDT
9h ago 22.34 EDT Analysis: US and Iran vie for most effective blockade Patrick Wintour Donald Trump’s indefinite shelving of the plan to bomb Iran’s bridges and power stations on Tuesday night is being widely described as leaving the conflict in limbo, but that is anything but the truth. Pakistan insists the prospect of talks in Islamabad has not evaporated, and positive messages are still being exchanged, but in the meantime the site of kinetic activity has switched from land to sea. Both sides are vying to prove they can enforce their blockade of the strait of Hormuz more effectively than the other. It has become a form of gunboat diplomacy brought to life in the most significant geopolitical waterway in the world. Iran, by firing at and seizing commercial ships trying to navigate the strait, is trying to send a message that it can maintain its chokehold on the world economy. The US, through its blockade of Iranian ports, is trying something more immediate. Through sanctions and naval action, it is attempting to make the Iranian economy collapse as Tehran runs out of space to store the oil it is producing and cannot export due to the blockade. It is a trial of strength in which both sides believe they have time on their side. You can read the full analysis here: Strait of Hormuz is hosting gunboat diplomacy as US and Iran vie for most effective blockade Read more Share
10h ago 22.23 EDT In the US Senate, Republicans have defeated another resolution on war powers that called for an end to US hostilities against Iran. The 51-46 vote was mostly along party lines. It was the fifth time this year that the Senate voted to cede its war powers to Donald Trump over a conflict Democrats say is unjustified and illegal. Share Updated at 22.26 EDT
10h ago 21.43 EDT Lebanon to request truce extension at coming talks with Israel Israel and Lebanon are to hold a new round of talks in Washington on Thursday during which Beirut reportedly plans to request a one-month extension of the ceasefire due to expire in days. Israel said ahead of the talks that it had no “serious disagreements” with Lebanon, calling on it to “work together” against Hezbollah, which opposes the negotiations and isn’t taking part. The two countries’ direct talks on 14 April were their first in decades and the US soon after announced the 10-day truce, set to expire on Sunday. As in the last round, US secretary of state Marco Rubio will bring together Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, in the presence of the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is now also expected to join the meeting, a state department official told AFP. View image in fullscreen Marco Rubio (C) at the talks with Lebanon’s Nada Hamadeh Moawad (R) and Israel’s Yechiel Leiter (L) in Washington DC on 14 April. Photograph: Oliver Contreras/AFP/Getty Images A unnamed Lebanese official told the news agency that Lebanon would request a month-long extension of the truce, as well as “an end of Israel’s bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present, and a commitment to the ceasefire”. Lebanese president Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that “contacts are underway to extend the ceasefire period”. Share Updated at 21.51 EDT
11h ago 21.05 EDT Oil prices jump amid war standoff Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the strait of Hormuz amid the US naval blockade despite the ceasefire extension. Around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel. International oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after. Share
12h ago 20.18 EDT More now on Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killing journalist Amal Khalil and wounding a photographer accompanying her, according to a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil’s employer. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalil’s death on Wednesday. Earlier, it said in a statement it had received reports that two journalists were injured as a result of its strikes. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday – the deadliest day since a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them, Reuters is reporting. They ran into a nearby house, which was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, said Lebanon’s health ministry, the senior Lebanese military official and press advocates. View image in fullscreen Amal Khalil, a Lebanese journalist working for the daily Al-Akhbar newspaper, reporting near a destroyed bridge in Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, last month. Photograph: Mohammed Zaatari/AP Lebanese rescuers were able to retrieve Faraj, who had suffered a head wound, according to Elsy Moufarrej, who runs the Union of Journalists in Lebanon. When rescuers returned to help Khalil, the Israeli military dropped a sound grenade, blocking their access to the damaged building, Moufarrej and the senior military official said. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said the targeting of journalists and the obstruction of relief efforts constituted “war crimes”. He posted on X (translated here): double quotation mark Israel’s targeting of media workers in the south while they carry out their professional duties is no longer isolated incidents, but has become an established approach that we condemn and reject, as do all international laws and conventions. Lebanon will spare no effort in pursuing these crimes before the competent international forums.” The Al-Akhbar newspaper, Khalil’s employer, announced her death on its website. The Israeli military in its earlier statement denied it prevented rescue teams from reaching the area. Share Updated at 20.20 EDT
12h ago 19.46 EDT United Airlines has implemented broad-based rises of 15-20% on fares as it seeks to offset the surge in petrol prices while protecting profits, executives say. The big US carrier has also cut its 2026 flying capacity by 5%. Chief executive Scott Kirby described oil prices as “incredibly volatile” amid the war in Iran but said the company’s plan was based on the assumption that “fuel may remain higher for longer.” The airline was yet to see pullback from customers due to high fares but United might cut back additional flights in 2027 if demand dropped, Kirby said on Wednesday, quoted by AFP. The airline says it expects fuel prices to average $4.30 a gallon in the year’s second quarter, up 55% from the first quarter average. View image in fullscreen United Airlines is hiking fares by 15-20% amid the surge in jet fuel costs. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters Other airlines have also announced fare increases and capacity curtailments in response to the surge in oil prices amid the Middle East war. The head of the International Air Transport Association last Friday called on authorities to put “well-coordinated plans in place” in case of jet fuel rationing. Share Updated at 19.56 EDT
13h ago 19.13 EDT Iran war is weakening Europe, says Erdoğan The US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his German counterpart. Erdoğan said: double quotation mark The war in our region is likewise starting to weaken Europe, and if we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.” Erdoğan made the comment to Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Turkish leader’s office, cited by AFP. Share
13h ago 18.49 EDT US navy secretary to leave office ‘immediately’, says Pentagon The Pentagon has announced that US secretary of the navy John Phelan will depart the office “immediately”, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit. The move amid the US naval blockade of Iranian ports comes after the US army’s top officer, Gen Randy George, and two other senior officers were removed earlier this month during the continuing war with Iran. Phelan “is departing the administration, effective immediately”, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X on Wednesday, adding that undersecretary Hung Cao – Phelan’s deputy – would replace him in an acting capacity. The exit just a day after Phelan addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the navy’s annual conference in Washington DC, and spoke with reporters about his agenda – see our full report here. View image in fullscreen John Phelan, who the Pentagon says is immediately leaving his role as US secretary of the navy, speaks as Donald Trump listens in Florida in December. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP Donald Trump has overseen a purge of top military personnel since returning to office early last year, including the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen Charles “CQ” Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February 2025. Other senior officers dismissed include the heads of the US navy and coast guard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice-chief of staff of the air force, a navy admiral assigned to Nato and three top military lawyers, reports Agence France-Press. The chief of staff of the air force also announced his retirement without explanation just two years into a four-year term, while the head of US Southern Command retired a year into his tenure. Share Updated at 19.28 EDT
13h ago 18.37 EDT Trump hasn't set Iran deadline to submit peace proposal, says White House Donald Trump has not set a deadline on Iran submitting a peace proposal, the White House said on Wednesday. The US president on Tuesday announced he was indefinitely extending a ceasefire with Iran at the request of mediator Pakistan until Tehran responded to the US’s negotiating positions or until talks were concluded “one way or the other”. Trump also said the US would continue its naval blockade of Iranian ports. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists on Wednesday: double quotation mark The president has not set a firm deadline to receive an Iranian proposal, unlike some of the reporting I’ve seen today. Ultimately, the timeline will be dictated by the commander in chief. Share Updated at 18.39 EDT
14h ago 18.17 EDT Lebanon’s prime minister is reportedly saying Israel is targeting journalists and obstructing relief effort and that that constitutes war crimes. Nawaf Salam also said Lebanon would spare no effort in pursing those crimes with relevant international bodies. We’ll have more on his comments soon. As mentioned earlier, Al Jazeera reported that the employer of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil confirmed she was killed in an Israeli attack earlier on Wednesday. Share Updated at 18.20 EDT
14h ago 17.59 EDT Interim summary Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a journalist after rescuers were blocked from accessing the building where she was buried under rubble because of further Israeli fire, according to several witnesses. Amal Khalil was covering developments near the town of al-Tayri with the photographer Zeinab Faraj when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them. They ran into a nearby house, which was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and lead negotiator, said that reopening the strait of Hormuz would be “impossible” while the US and Israel committed “flagrant” breaches of the ceasefire , including the US naval blockade, “the hostage-taking of the world’s economy” and “Zionist warmongering”. He added in a post on X that the US and Israel “did not achieve their goals through military aggression, nor will they through bullying”.
Donald Trump is “satisfied” with the naval blockade, and “understands Iran is in a very weak position” – according to the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. She highlighted that reports of a three-to-five-day deadline for the extended ceasefire are “not true”. “The cards are in President Trump’s hands right now,” she told the media during a press conference in Washington.
Lebanese state media reported that Israeli strikes killed at least four people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. Hezbollah launched, according to the report, a drone attack against Israeli forces in the region, which further jeopardizes the US-brokered ceasefire. The National News Agency (NNA) said an Israeli strike hit a car in Tayri, a village in south Lebanon, killing two people inside. An Israeli airstrike in the southern town of Yohmor killed another two people, the NNA and Lebanon’s health ministry said.
Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, have been killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said. The Palestinian health ministry said Aws al-Naasan, 14, and Jihad Abu Naim, 32, were killed in the attack on the village of al-Mughayyir, in which three others were wounded. Share Updated at 18.01 EDT