US-Iran war highlights: In a good spot, says Vance on Iran talks; Trump threatens ‘big hit’

US Iran war news LIVE: Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that no special arrangements had been introduced for the export of energy products, but warned that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had made regional supply chains more complex.

US Iran war news LIVE: In Tehran’s Haft-e Tir Square, crowds gathered around a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as he demonstrated how to use an AK-47 rifle, amid growing fears of renewed US strikes.

Using illustrated boards, the soldier spent nearly 30 minutes explaining different types of ammunition and showing how to assemble and dismantle the Kalashnikov assault rifle.

Iranian authorities have recently set up military training booths across the capital to teach civilians basic weapons handling, part of efforts to prepare the public for the possibility of fresh conflict.

US Iran war news LIVE: Israeli army releases fresh evacuation alerts for areas in south Lebanon.

US Iran war news LIVE: Gold prices declined on Tuesday, hovering close to a one-and-a-half-month low touched in the previous session, as persistent inflation concerns and expectations of higher U.S. interest rates weighed on the metal.

Spot gold fell 0.5% to $4,542.07 per ounce by 0922 GMT, after dropping to its lowest level since March 30 at $4,479.54 on Monday.

Meanwhile, US gold futures for June delivery slipped 0.3% to $4,545.50.

US Iran war news LIVE: US President Donald Trump said that he is holding off the scheduled attacks on Iran at the request of the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

However, he said that he has instructed the US military to remain prepared for a full-scale attack on Iran if a deal is not reached.

This comes after President Trump turned down Iran's fresh peace proposal to stop ongoing West Asia crisis, saying that it it falls short of expectations and does not represent any meaningful progress towards a deal, reported Axios, citing a senior US official and a source briefed on the matter.

US Iran war news LIVE: Oil prices fell after US President Donald Trump said he had called off a planned military strike on Iran scheduled for Tuesday following appeals from Persian Gulf allies.

Brent crude slipped toward $110 a barrel after rising 2.6% on Monday, while West Texas Intermediate for July traded below $104.

In a social media post, Trump said the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had urged him “to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran” as “serious negotiations are now taking place.”

US Iran war news LIVE: Pakistan has deployed nearly 8,000 troops, fighter jets and an air defense system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense agreement, Reuters reported on Monday, citing unnamed officials.

The deployment includes around 16 JF-17 fighter jets sent to Saudi Arabia in early April, two squadrons of drones, and a Chinese-made HQ-9 air defense system, apart from the troops, according to the report.

The equipment is being operated by Pakistani personnel and financed by Saudi Arabia.

US Iran war news LIVE: Even though US President Donald Trump delayed the strikes against Iran following request from the premiers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Republican leader is expected to meet his top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday, Axios reported.

US Iran war news LIVE: Senior Advisor of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, Mohsen Rezaee, has warned US President Donald Trump over the latter's repeated threats of attack, stating that the "iron fist of Iran's armed forces will force the US to retreat and surrender."

Taking shots at Trump over the US President's claim of "putting off" a planned attack on Iran, Mohsen Rezaee pointed out the indecisive nature of the US President and stated that he has a "vain hope" of making Iran surrender.

"He sets a deadline for a military strike and then cancels it himself! With this vain hope of making the Iranian nation and officials surrender! The iron fist of the powerful armed forces and the great Iranian nation will force them to retreat and surrender," Rezaee said in a post on X.

Trump on Monday said that he has "put off" a planned attack on Iran for a short period amid "big discussions" with the country over the ongoing West Asia crisis. (ANI)

US Iran war news LIVE: Iran's latest proposal to end the war to the US is not a meaningful improvement and is insufficient for a deal, the White House believes, Axios reported, citing a senior US official and source briefed on the matter.

US President Donald Trump is expected to meet his top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options against Iran, the report said.

US Iran war news LIVE: President Donald Trump said he called off a strike on Iran planned for Tuesday after an appeal by the leaders of Persian Gulf allies, who called for more time to pursue a diplomatic resolution.

“I put it off for a little while, hopefully maybe forever, but possibly for a little while, because we’ve had very big discussions with Iran, and we’ll see what they amount to,” Trump said at a White House event on Monday evening, hours after his announcement in a social media post.

“I was asked by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and some others if we could put it off for two or three days, a short period of time, because they think that they are getting very close to making a deal,” Trump added. “If we can do that, where there’s no nuclear weapon going into the hands of Iran, I think, and if they’re satisfied, we will be probably satisfied also.” (Bloomberg)

US Iran war news LIVE: Tehran's latest peace proposal to the United States involves ending hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon, the exit of U.S. forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for destruction caused by the US-Israeli war, state media reported on Tuesday.

In Tehran's first comments on the proposal, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran also sought the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen funds and an end to the U.S. marine blockade on the country, according to IRNA news agency.

The terms as described in the Iranian reports appeared little changed from Iran's previous offer, which U.S. President Donald Trump rejected last week as "garbage".

US Iran war news LIVE: The Iranian foreign ministry said on Monday that Tehran is working with Oman to establish a new mechanism for managing the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing tensions over the waterway's control.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, at a press conference, said, "The Strait of Hormuz is an important waterway for the entire world, and we have always worked to protect safe traffic through this route."

"We continue to strive to ensure that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is carried out in complete safety. Iran and Oman consider themselves obligated to fulfil their responsibilities in this regard," he added.

US-Iran war LIVE updates: The Israeli military said it launched an interceptor after detecting a suspected aerial target in the airspace over areas it occupies in southern Lebanon. It added that no warning sirens were activated, in line with standard protocol. (Al Jazeera)

US-Iran war LIVE updates: Israeli forces raided the Far’a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. They entered with military vehicles, searching homes and arresting several Palestinian residents, according to Wafa outlet. In a separate operation, a child was also detained during a raid in Silwad, northeast of Ramallah.

US-Iran war LIVE Updates: US President Donald Trump has said he halted fresh strikes on Iran at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, asserting that serious discussions were underway with Tehran that could lead to an acceptable deal.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Monday late afternoon, without any reference to Pakistan, the mediator in the US-Iran war.

"I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday)," Trump said. (PTI)

US-Iran war LIVE Updates: Oil edged higher in choppy trading as fresh doubts emerged over the fate of peace negotiations between the US and Iran that could secure the reopening of the critical Strait of Hormuz.

West Texas Intermediate futures rose 3% to close above $108 a barrel and Brent futures closed around $112 a barrel as both sides deemed fresh proposals insufficient to ending the war. Oil pared some gains post settlement when US President Donald Trump said he had called off planned attacks on Iran set for Tuesday at the request of other Middle Eastern countries.

Traders have been bracing for a possible resumption of the fighting that roiled the Middle East earlier in the conflict, prolonging the closure of Hormuz to vital energy flows and risking further damage on infrastructure.

Oil has risen almost 50% since the US and Israel first attacked Iran at the end of February, with deeply reduced flows of crude and liquefied natural gas making its way to buyers around the world. Prices have been extremely volatile, however, with steep drops at times when a peace hopes seem to be taking shape. (Bloomberg)

US-Iran war LIVE Updates: Iran remained defiant in statements issued on state media after Trump's announcement, warning the U.S. and its allies against making any further "strategic mistakes or miscalculations" in attacking Iran, while contending the Iranian armed forces were "more prepared and stronger than in the past."

Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said Iran's armed forces are "ready to pull the trigger" in the event of any renewed U.S. attack, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency.

"Any renewed aggression and invasion ... will be responded to quickly, decisively, powerfully, and extensively," the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, Ali Abdollahi, was quoted as saying. The Iranian peace proposal, as described by a senior Iranian source, appeared similar in many respects to Iran's previous offer, which Trump rejected last week as "garbage".

It would focus first on securing an end to the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz - a major oil supply route that Iran has effectively blockaded - and lifting maritime sanctions.

US-Iran war LIVE Updates: US President Donald Trump has said he halted fresh strikes on Iran at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, asserting that serious discussions were underway with Tehran that could lead to an acceptable deal.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Monday late afternoon, without any reference to Pakistan, the mediator in the US-Iran war.

"I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday)," Trump said. (PTI)

US Iran war news LIVE: President Donald Trump has considered himself an effective dealmaker above all else, but he appears to have hit a wall with Iran as his tough talk, threats and even military action have not moved Tehran from its long-established positions.

With shifting goals that make it difficult to judge the status of the U.S. effort, Trump and his top aides have insisted the United States has already won the war and that Iran is ready to reach an agreement in the wake of escalating U.S. threats during a tenuous ceasefire.

But Trump once again backed down, saying Monday that he had put plans for an imminent resumption of attacks on hold at the request of Gulf Arab states because “serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.”

Although he said he had called off strikes planned for Tuesday, Trump kept up the bravado, saying he told military leaders “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.” Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

Despite growing internal unrest, a crippled economy and the deaths of many of its leaders, there is no evidence Iran is set to meet Trump's demands — many of which it has long rejected. In fact, it has dug in. That has left Trump’s stated top objectives unrealized: Iran has yet to agree to abandon its nuclear program or its ballistic missile development, or cease support for its proxies in the region, including those in Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.

US Iran war news LIVE: Iran's Fars news agency earlier said Washington had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.

US Iran war news LIVE: Iran has defended its demands, including the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of long-standing sanctions. "The points raised are Iranian demands that have been firmly defended by the Iranian negotiating team in every round of negotiations," Baqaei was quoted as saying. As Baqaei dubbed the conflict as illegal and baseless, he also defended an Iranian stipulation that the US pay war reparations.

US Iran war news LIVE: Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Monday that the US had agreed to waive sanctions on Tehran's oil exports during the negotiation period. The oil waiver is among Tehran's key demands to agree to a peace deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, the US hasn’t confirmed offering a waiver, which would be in place until a final agreement is achieved, according to Tasnim news agency.

US Iran war news LIVE: Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was slightly higher last week, returning to levels in line with the average recorded since the start of the Middle East conflict after hitting a wartime low.

A total of 55 commodity vessels crossed the strategic waterway between May 11 and 17, according to data from Kpler, marking a sharp increase from the previous week, when just 19 vessels crossed.

US Iran war news LIVE: Iran submitted its latest 14-point proposal to the US after making some amendments.

A Pakistani source told Reuters on Monday that Islamabad has shared a revised proposal with the US, warning that the two sides "don't have much time" to narrow their differences.

While there aren't any details available on Iran's revised proposal, the source reportedly told the news agency that Tehran and Washington "keep changing their goalposts". "We don't have much time," they said.