Iran war highlights: Trump warns of strikes on Iran’s power plants: ‘If no deal, we’ll hit every plant’

Iran war LIVE: Kazem Jalali, Iranian envoy to Russia, on Wednesday said Iran would welcome Russia as a mediator to help resolve the conflict with the US and Israel. Jalali outlined a set of key conditions that Iran expects from the two countries for achieving what he described as a "just peace and a lasting ceasefire" in the region, TASS reported.

In an interview with TASS, the Iranian envoy detailed four demands, stressing that their fulfillment remains essential for any meaningful de-escalation. "1. A definitive and complete cessation of aggression and terrorist attacks; 2. The provision of objective and credible guarantees to prevent any resumption of aggression or war; 3. Full compensation for material and moral damages; 4. Respect for Iran's legal jurisdiction in the Strait of Hormuz for the purpose of ensuring international maritime security," Jalali said.

Iran war LIVE: An American journalist who was kidnapped in Baghdad had tried to cross from Syria into Iraq three weeks earlier and was initially turned back, an Iraqi official said on Wednesday. US and Iraqi officials said Shelly Renee Kittleson had also been warned of threats against her in the days before her abduction.

Kittleson, a freelance journalist who has worked for years in Iraq and Syria and was described by those who knew her as deeply knowledgeable about the region and the communities she covered, was kidnapped from a street in the Iraqi capital Tuesday and remains missing.

Iran war LIVE: Discussions are taking place about a possible ceasefire between US and Iran in return for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said.

“Three senior Americans told me that negotiations are underway between the US and Iran on a ceasefire in exchange for opening the Strait of Hormuz. According to them, it's still unclear whether a deal can be reached,” he said in a post on X.

Iran war LIVE: Iran would welcome Russia as a mediator to help resolve the conflict with the US and Israel, Russia's state-run TASS news agency cited Iran's envoy to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, as saying.

Iran war LIVE: Several huge explosions in the west of the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday afternoon, AFP reported. It was unclear what the target was. Israel said earlier on Wednesday it had struck several targets in Tehran.

Iran war LIVE: Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi on Wednesday said that during the ongoing conflict in West Asia, over 20 ships have been attacked, while nearly 1,900 remain stranded in region.

Iran war LIVE: The US will be "out of Iran pretty quickly" and could return for "spot hits" if needed, President Donald Trump told Reuters, hours before he was scheduled to make a primetime address to the nation. Trump also said he would state in the speech that he is considering withdrawing the US from the NATO alliance.

Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump said Iran's new regime had urged the United States for a ceasefire. Trump said he would consider the proposal when the Strait of Hormuz is open, free and clear.

“Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE! We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages,” Trump said in the social media post.

Iran war LIVE: France President Emmanuel Macron has said France will not be 'taking part' in Middle East war. The remark comes after Trump's criticism over France's overflight ban.

Iran war LIVE: Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus and its surrounding areas, Reuters cited state TV al Ekhbariyah as saying on Wednesday. The blasts were likely caused by Israeli air defences intercepting Iranian missiles, as per the report.

Iran war LIVE: State television reports multiple explosions in and around Syria's Damascus.

Iran war LIVE: Iran fired missiles across the Middle East while Israel and the US kept up their bombardment of the Islamic Republic, even as US President Donald Trump fueled market optimism by signaling he’s preparing to exit the conflict.

Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all reported attacks overnight and into Wednesday, while QatarEnergy said a fuel oil tanker was struck in Qatari waters. That incident highlighted the ongoing threat to regional shipping and the month-long effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has choked global energy supplies.

The fighting came a day after Trump suggested he’s keen to withdraw from the war sooner rather than later — regardless of a ceasefire with Iran or deal to open the strait. (Bloomberg)

Iran war LIVE: President Donald Trump warned on Monday that the U.S. would obliterate Iran's energy plants and oil wells if Tehran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran described U.S. peace proposals as "unrealistic" and fired waves of missiles at Israel.

Israel's military said two drones from Yemen had also been intercepted on Monday, two days after the Iran-aligned Houthis entered the war by firing missiles at Israel, and that Lebanon's Hezbollah had fired rockets at Israel.

Israeli forces carried out missile strikes on what they called military infrastructure in Tehran and infrastructure used by Iran-backed Hezbollah in Beirut, leaving black smoke hanging over the Lebanese capital.

Turkey's defense ministry said a ballistic missile launched from Iran entered Turkish airspace before being shot down by NATO air and missile defenses deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, the fourth such incident since the start of the war. (Reuters)

Iran war LIVE: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei praised Hezbollah in a message to the Lebanese group’s chief, vowing continued support, according to his Telegram channel.

Iran war LIVE: Iran on Wednesday said its Security Council has approved safe passage to Bangladesh's six fuel-carrying ships waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz amid continued war in West Asia.

As petroleum reserves continue to dwindle in Bangladesh, heavily dependent on imported fuel, five LNG shipments from Qatar and one crude oil cargo from Saudi Arabia, carrying nearly 5 lakh tonnes of LNG and around 79,000 tonnes of crude oil are waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

"Iran does not want Bangladeshis to face any hardships and will provide all necessary assistance for transporting fuel through Hormuz," Iranian Ambassador in Dhaka Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi told a press conference here. (PTI)

Iran war LIVE: Global oil supplies are expected to be hit twice as hard this month as in March, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday, underlining the urgent need to resolve the conflict over Iran that U.S. President Donald Trump said could end soon.

While Trump signalled he could wind down the war within weeks even without a deal, he also scaled up threats to pull the United States out of the NATO defence alliance if European states did not help stop Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

"I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knows that too, by the way," Trump told Britain's Daily Telegraph, saying he had moved beyond merely reconsidering U.S. membership.

The remarks on the war underscored Washington's shifting and at times contradictory statements about a conflict that has killed thousands, spread across the region and caused unprecedented energy disruption. (Reuters)

Iran war LIVE: Britain will this week hold a meeting of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz which has been crippled by the Middle East war, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will host the discussions, Starmer told reporters during a Downing Street press conference, without specifying the day of the talks.

The meeting will "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities", Starmer said.

"Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped," he added.

The discussions will include countries who recently signed a statement saying they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz", Starmer said. (AFP)

Iran war LIVE: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly said that Iran has "zero" trust in the United States, saying that there is no truth to the claim of negotiations with any party in Tehran.

Reacting to reports of a possible US ground operation in Iran, Aragchi said that Tehran is waiting for them. "I don’t think they’d dare to do such a thing. There will be a lot of strength waiting for them," he said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

"We know very well how to defend ourselves. In a ground war, we can do it even better. We are completely ready to confront any sort of ground attack. We hope they do not make such a mistake," Araghchi added.

Iran war LIVE: Iran hit an oil tanker off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait’s airport on Wednesday while airstrikes battered Tehran — an unrelenting tempo hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was nearly ready to wind down the war.

Trump, who is scheduled to address the nation later in the day, said he could walk away from the war in two to three weeks once he felt confident Iran would not be able to build a nuclear weapon — even if Tehran does not agree to a ceasefire. (AP)

Iran war LIVE: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said the UK will host an international diplomatic conference this week on ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Starmer says 35 countries have signed a statement committing to work together on restoring maritime security to the key oil transport route.

He said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will lead a conference on the issue, and military planners are also working on plans for security once the Iran war ends.

Starmer said "a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity" is needed to restore stability.

Iran war LIVE: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would act in the country's interest, whatever the "noise", when asked about U.S. President Donald Trump saying he was strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO.

"Whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I'm going to act in the British national interest in the decisions that I make," Starmer told reporters on Wednesday.

Iran war LIVE: US-Israeli strikes hit steel complexes in central and southwest Iran on Wednesday, AFP reported.

Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump said he was strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO after allies failed to back U.S. military action against Iran, according to an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph.

Trump described the alliance as a "paper tiger" and said removing the United States from the defence pact was now "beyond reconsideration," the newspaper reported. He said he had long held doubts about NATO's credibility.

"Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration," Trump told the newspaper when asked about whether he would reconsider U.S. membership of the alliance after the conflict. (Reuters)

Iran war LIVE: Iran has reportedly struck the Amazon AWS building in Bahrain.

Further details are awaited.

Iran war LIVE: India's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is scheduled to meet in Delhi at 7pm (local time) on Wednesday amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East region.