US Iran war news highlight: US launches new strikes on Iranian military site amid talks, says report

US and Iran news LIVE: Iran and the United States are continuing indirect negotiations through intermediaries amid ongoing tensions, with no immediate breakthrough in sight following renewed exchanges of fire and persistent distrust between both sides.

Despite the uncertainty, markets in Tehran are showing cautious optimism, with the Iranian currency rising by more than 5% this week, suggesting expectations of a possible understanding.

Iran’s economy remains under heavy strain due to domestic mismanagement and mounting US pressure, including reported disruptions to maritime supply routes. Traders in Tehran say supply shortages and price volatility are already affecting consumer goods, with availability of imported electronics becoming increasingly unpredictable.

US and Iran news LIVE: US secretary of state Marco Rubio has recalled his visit to Mother House in Kolkata, saying that “Mother Teresa’s legacy of faith, compassion, and service inspires us all”.

In a post on X, Rubio said he was “deeply moved” by the experience and highlighted that her work continues to have a lasting impact.

During his recent four-day visit to India, he also visited Missionaries of Charity centres in Kolkata, including Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, before holding meetings in New Delhi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Indian officials.

US-Iran war news LIVE: The United Arab Emirates has welcomed a UN Security Council statement expressing “grave concern” over a May 17 drone attack on its Barakah nuclear power plant.

The UAE mission to the UN said the Council had “spoken in unity” and called for an “immediate and permanent cessation of all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” including threats or strikes targeting peaceful nuclear facilities.

It also urged accountability for those responsible for the “act of aggression,” including actors operating through proxy networks. The UAE’s foreign ministry had earlier called on Iraq to prevent hostile actions launched from its territory following the attack.

US and Iran news LIVE: Israeli settlers are setting fire to Palestinian properties in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, footage shows. Homes and buildings are deliberately being torched and engulfed in flames.

The clip, obtained by Al Jazeera, shows thick smoke billowing over the area as structures are burned and damaged in what appears to be targeted destruction of civilian property. The incident comes amid rising violence and “ethnic cleansing” in the occupied territory, as per the UN.

US and Iran news LIVE: Over a period of around 10 hours on Tuesday, the Israeli military issued forced displacement orders covering nearly 50 locations across Lebanon. Residents were instructed to evacuate ahead of planned strikes and move north of the Zahrani River, roughly 40km from the Israeli border.

The list of affected areas included Nabatieh city, Machgharah and Sohmor in the Bekaa Valley, and numerous towns across southern Lebanon such as Borj Qalaouiye, Jebchit, Deir Kifa, Kfar Sir, Qabrikha, Majdal Selem, Touline, and Borj Rahhal, among others, Al Jazeera reported.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Trump posted on Truth Social saying that if Iran were to surrender, it would have to admit that its navy was “gone and resting at the bottom of the sea” and its air force was “no longer with us”.

He added that Iran’s military would need to “walk out of Tehran, weapons dropped and hands held high, each shouting ‘I surrender, I surrender’ while wildly waving the representative White Flag”.

He further said Iran’s leadership would have to sign “documents of surrender” and acknowledge defeat to the US.

Trump also accused major media organisations of bias, saying “The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN” and others in the “Fake News Media” would still portray Iran as having a “Masterful and Brilliant Victory” over the US. He went on to criticise Democrats and the media, saying they had “gone absolutely CRAZY!!!”.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Israeli forces have killed Muhammad Odeh in Gaza, whom Israel says was the new head of Hamas’s military wing and a key planner of the 7 October attack. The operation was carried out on the instructions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, with Netanyahu vowing to continue targeting those involved in the 2023 assault, saying: “We will get to all of them.”

According to Israeli officials, Odeh previously headed Hamas’s intelligence apparatus during the 7 October attack and had recently been appointed to replace a senior commander killed in an earlier strike. He was also accused by Israel of involvement in killings, abductions and attacks on civilians and soldiers.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Israel and Hezbollah clashed along the Litani river in southern Lebanon. This came as Israeli forces pushed deeper into Lebanese territory despite a US-brokered ceasefire.

Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would expand its occupation, with troops “seizing strategic areas” and fortifying a security zone near the border. Israeli strikes reportedly hit more than 100 targets in Lebanon overnight. These included hits in the Bekaa Valley, killing at least 12 people.

Hezbollah claimed multiple rocket, artillery and drone attacks on Israeli forces and vehicles along the river. They said it repelled Israeli advances.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Cory Booker, a Democratic senator, criticised Trump over his handling of Iran. He said the administration’s strategy strengthened Tehran’s position and worsened the regional situation.

In a US media interview, Booker said Trump’s approach to negotiations had “completely backfired”. “He’s got us in a situation that’s worse than it was before. A more extreme regime, Strait of Hormuz now is a leveraging point for them,” he said.

Booker further accused Trump of mishandling the conflict, saying: “Donald Trump is being played as fool what he is, for getting us into this in the first.”

US-Iran war news LIVE: The IMF is in talks with Bangladesh over a new financial aid package after Dhaka sought support to manage economic shocks linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran, AFP reported.

Bangladesh earlier pursued around $2bn in loans from global lenders to address rising fuel costs and energy vulnerabilities. IMF representative Ivo Krznar said discussions are ongoing over the country’s reform agenda and policy priorities.

US-Iran war news LIVE: The Israeli military said a projectile launched from Lebanon landed in an open area in northern Israel after air raid sirens sounded across several regions. The military said it identified “a launch” crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, adding that there were no casualties, as per Al Jazeera.

This came after Hezbollah claimed multiple attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. It included strikes targeting tanks, armoured vehicles, communication systems and a platform hosting the Iron Dome missile defence system. The group also claimed it had downed two Israeli quadcopters.

US-Iran war news LIVE: After Israel bombed Lebanon and killed killed 31 people on Tuesday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that there was “more to come”.

In a lengthy statement on social media, Netanyahu said Israeli troops were “deepening” their bombing operations in Lebanon, with “large” forces operating on the ground. They were “seizing and controlling areas” and fortifying a “security zone” inside Lebanese territory, he said.

The Israeli prime minister also claimed that during the US-brokered ceasefire in mid-April, Israel killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. He said Israel was leading a “massive national effort” to counter Hezbollah’s drone capabilities, particularly after the group deployed first-person view attack drones guided by fibre optic cables.

“Against Hezbollah, we do not stop fighting for a moment, and there’s more to come until ensuring the full security of Israel’s citizens,” Netanyahu said.

US-Iran war news LIVE: US senator Lindsey Graham questioned Pakistan’s neutrality in US-Iran ceasefire talks, saying “Pakistan as a mediator is more than problematic” because of Islamabad’s long-standing “animosity towards Israel”.

In a post on X, Graham claimed that “Iranian military aircraft are being housed on Pakistani air bases” and described past remarks by Pakistani leaders against Israel as “disturbing”. He also demanded clarity on whether Pak would join the Abraham Accords after US Trump asked several Muslim-majority countries to normalise ties with Israel.

US-Iran war news LIVE: An “unprecedented” deployment of US fighter jets and refuelling aircraft at Israeli airports is reportedly affecting civilian aviation and airport capacity, according to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster.

The report said dozens of US military planes remain stationed at Ben Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport despite the ceasefire with Iran, and are not expected to leave Israel “at this stage”.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Former US ambassador-at-large for counterterrorism, Nathan Sales, accused Iran of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and attempting to place mines in the Strait of Hormuz. This came after the US bombed areas near Hormuz again amid active ceasefire talks.

Speaking to Fox News, Sales claimed Iran had been “caught red-handed” while allegedly trying to block the strategic waterway. “They were trying to lay mines to block the Strait of Hormuz, and they were threatening our forces. So, this was entirely in self-defence,” he said.

Sales also defended recent US strikes, arguing that Tehran had violated the ceasefire “since day one”. “If the Iranians are concerned about the fragility of the ceasefire, they can take a good look in the mirror,” he added.

US-Iran war news LIVE: What’s happened so far:

Iran and the United States remain engaged in fragile negotiations aimed at turning the current ceasefire into a longer-term agreement. Disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions continue to delay a breakthrough.

Iranian officials have accused the US of “blatant violations” of the ceasefire and warned that any renewed attacks would trigger a “much heavier and stronger” response.

The IRGC said 25 vessels, including oil tankers, passed through the Strait of Hormuz under its security coordination.

Senior Iranian officials returned from “intense talks” in Doha as diplomatic efforts continued behind the scenes.

Internet access in Iran has been partially restored after weeks of blackouts and restrictions. President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered authorities to restore services, although residents say access remains limited.

Trump is set to hold a Cabinet meeting at the White House after cancelling a planned Camp David gathering because of bad weather.

In Lebanon, Israeli air strikes killed at least 31 people on Tuesday.

Israeli forces have expanded ground operations north of their self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon, while residents continue to flee amid heavy bombardment and repeated displacement orders.

US-Iran war news LIVE: One person was killed in a US strike in the Eastern Pacific. Two others survived, according to the US Southern Command.

The military said it immediately alerted the US Coast Guard to launch search and rescue operations for the survivors following the strike. No American military personnel were harmed during the operation, officials said, as per Reuters.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Iran’s consul general in Mumbai, Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh, said the US’ “lack of stability” in decision-making remains one of the main obstacles to reaching a ceasefire agreement with Tehran.

Speaking to ANI, Motlagh criticised US negotiators, saying they often lacked the authority to make decisions independently. “At present, the main obstacle is the United States. They lack stability in their decision-making,” he said.

He also accused US President Donald Trump of sending mixed signals during negotiations. “He says one thing at night and another in the morning. This inconsistency makes it very difficult to reach a conclusion,” Motlagh said.

The Iranian diplomat claimed that Washington may use negotiations “as a cover for other intentions”, while insisting that talks between the two sides have not reached a deadlock. According to him, intermediaries are still carrying messages between Tehran and Washington despite disagreements over Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions.

US-Iran war news LIVE: US President Donald Trump said his Cabinet will no longer meet at Camp David on Wednesday because of expected bad weather conditions. Instead, the meeting will take place at the White House, as originally scheduled for most Cabinet gatherings.

“Based on the possible bad weather conditions tomorrow, we will be having our Cabinet Meeting in the White House, and will be postponing the Cabinet trip to Camp David,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.