US-Iran war highlights: Iran says no final decision on US deal after Trump announces 'great settlement'

US President Donald Trump said "discussions and final points" had been approved by the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and others.

US-Iran war highlights: US President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran could sign a peace agreement as early as this weekend, a move that would pave the way for the reopening of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. If finalised, the deal would mark the most significant diplomatic breakthrough so far in efforts to end the three-month conflict, which has claimed thousands of lives and triggered a sharp rise in global energy prices.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that Tehran is likely to approve the agreement, although the country has yet to issue an official response.

Trump said that he had canceled planned strikes against Iran, hours after threatening further bombings and expressing a desire to "take" the country's key oil export hub of Kharg Island.

"Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Trump said "discussions and final points" had been approved by the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and others.

"The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly," he said.

Trump's ‘bombing tonight’ remarks

The United States will hit Iran “very hard tonight” and move to take control of the country’s oil and gas infrastructure and markets, Donald Trump said Thursday. In a post on Truth Social, the US President claimed Iran’s military capabilities had been significantly degraded and warned of imminent action.

“The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defence, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT," he said.

Trump also suggested that Washington would target key Iranian energy infrastructure, including major oil export facilities such as Kharg Island, a central hub for the country’s crude exports.

"At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America,” he wrote.

Explosions heard in Sirik coast

An explosion was heard off the coast of Sirik in Iran's southern Hormozgan province on Thursday, Iranian state television reported. The cause of the blast was not immediately known, and authorities had yet to provide further details. Sirik lies near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said US forces disabled the tanker MT Jalveer in the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly violated the Iran blockade. This was the third commercial vessel carrying Indian crew that was targeted by American forces this week, they said.

US-Iran ceasefire updates

A tense, two-month-old ceasefire between the two countries is rapidly deteriorating following a consecutive second night of American airstrikes. On Thursday, the Iranian foreign ministry issued its sharpest rebuke yet, declaring that Washington’s military actions have rendered the hard-fought truce “practically meaningless.”

The recent spike in hostilities follows Washington's allegations that Iran downed a US Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week. US Central Command (CENTCOM) then launched "self-defence strikes" targeting Iranian air defence networks, radar sites, and ground control stations in southern provinces like Hormozgan.

Strait of Hormuz to remain 'closed'

Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority has reportedly instructed vessels that have already received transit permits to remain patient, saying the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until further notice, according to Iranian state media.

The United States carried out a second wave of airstrikes on Iran into Thursday morning, after President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would "pay the price" for delays in negotiations. The fresh attacks marked another escalation in tensions between the two countries and threatened efforts to preserve a fragile ceasefire.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Thursday that it had carried out retaliatory strikes against 18 US military sites located at airbases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Bahrain's interior ministry said warning sirens had been activated.

The strikes mark the latest turn in the growing military confrontation between the two sides, raising fears of a return to full-scale conflict, which had been put on hold in early April after both countries agreed to a fragile ceasefire.

US strikes ‘multiple targets’ in Iran

The US military said it carried out strikes on several targets in Iran for a second consecutive day, after President Donald Trump accused Tehran of delaying negotiations on a temporary peace agreement.

“CENTCOM forces launched strikes on Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defence sites across Iran,” CENTCOM said in an update posted on X.

The command said US forces “fired precision munitions on Iranian targets that posed a threat to US forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters” in “response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.”

“US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” it added.

Iran Guards target US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that it had carried out retaliatory attacks on 18 US military targets at airbases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Bahrain's interior ministry said warning sirens had been activated.

"During two waves of operations, eighteen important targets belonging to the US Army in the bases of Ali and Ahmad Ahmad Air Force (were hit)," the Guards said in a statement carried by state-run IRNA. The statement added that they also "hit and destroyed Sheikh Isa air bases".

Iran's top military command warned that it would target any vessel attempting to move through the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained largely shut for months.

Kuwait closes airspace, then reopens later

Kuwait earlier temporarily closed its airspace and diverted flights due to Iranian attacks, the Kuwait Civil Aviation Authority said.

Hours later, it reopened its airspace and Kuwait International Airport returned to normal operations.

IRGC commander’s ‘bring region into hell’ warning

IRGC Aerospace Force commander Brigadier General Majid Mousavi warned that Iran would respond across West Asia if the Strait of Hormuz was made “unsafe”.

“We will bring the region into hell for you from across Iran if you make the sacred Strait of Hormuz unsafe,” he was quoted as saying by Iran International.

US-Iran negotiations: What’s the latest?

The second day of US strikes came after Trump complained that Iranian negotiators were moving too slowly and were "playing us for suckers."

Earlier this week, he had indicated that a peace agreement could be reached within days.UN chief Antonio Guterres warned against a return to "full war."

However, diplomatic efforts continued. A diplomat familiar with the matter told AFP that Qatari negotiators had travelled to Tehran "to meet with the Iranians in an effort to bridge the remaining gaps."

Iran foreign ministry, meanwhile, said that the recent attacks had made the nearly two-month ceasefire "practically meaningless".

Washington wants Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Tehran maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

Iran has said that any agreement aimed at ending the conflict must also stop fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. However, Israel has stepped up its military operations against the Lebanon-based group.

The conflict has pushed energy prices higher after Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key route through which about one-fifth of the world's oil supply normally passes.