US-Iran war news highlights: Exchange of messages between US-Iran with Pak mediation underway, says report

US-Iran war news LIVE: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reaffirmed his administration's absolute commitment to the nation's military readiness, stating that the government supports the strengthening of the armed forces with all its capacity, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported.

The president made the remarks during a high-level security meeting with Major General Amir Hatami, Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army.

"National unity and the authority of the armed forces are the most important backing for the country's security," President Pezeshkian stated during the meeting.

US-Iran war news LIVE: German federal prosecutors said they brought criminal charges against a Danish and an Afghan national suspected of helping to plot the killing of prominent leaders of Jewish organisations in Germany on behalf of Iran.

The defendants, identified only as Danish national Ali S. and Afghan national Tawab M. in line with German data privacy laws, face charges of involvement in attempted murder.

Ali S. is accused of working for the intelligence service of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and maintained close ties with their special unit, the Quds Force, the statement said.

(With Reuters inputs)

US-Iran war news LIVE: Oil gained after a report that Iran’s Supreme Leader issued a directive to keep near-weapons-grade uranium domestically, a key sticking point in peace negotiatitons with the US.

Brent traded near $107 a barrel, after sliding 5.6% in the previous session on comments from President Donald Trump that the US was in the “final stages” with Iran.

Reuters reported the Iranian directive was issued over fears that sending the uranium abroad would leave the country more vulnerable to attacks by the US and Israel.

(With Bloomberg inputs)

US-Iran war news LIVE: Iran has resumed part of its drone production during the six week ceasefire that started in early April, two sources familiar with United States intelligence assessments told CNN.

This is seen as one indication that the country is moving quickly to rebuild some military capabilities that were weakened during US and Israeli strikes.

Four sources told CNN that US intelligence assessments suggest Iran's military recovery is progressing at a faster pace than initially expected.

US-Iran war news LIVE: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States was ready to proceed with further attacks on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to "get the right answers."

Speaking to reporters, Trump said the situation was "right on the borderline" and could escalate quickly.

"Believe me, if we don't get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We're all ready to go," he said at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Trump said, "It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly."

US-Iran war news LIVE: Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi met Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday and discussed matters linked to the US-Iran peace talks, amid reports suggesting a possible visit by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir to Tehran.

Naqvi reached Tehran on Wednesday during his second visit in less than a week, aimed at narrowing differences between the United States and Iran.

Araghchi met Naqvi in Tehran on Thursday morning to discuss the indirect talks between Iran and the US, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

According to state-run Press TV, Munir is "set to visit Tehran on Thursday as Islamabad ramps up Iran-US mediation efforts."

US-Iran war news LIVE: The ministry of ports, shipping and waterways on Thursday said that all Indian seafarers in West Asia are safe amid the ongoing tensions in the region, with the government ensuring the safe repatriation of more than 3300 Indians, including 99 in the last 72 hours alone.

Briefing the media, additional secretary of the shipping ministry, Mukesh Mangal, said that no incident involving Indian flag vessel or a foreign-flagged vessel with an Indian crew has been reported.

"All Indian seafarers in the region are safe. No incident involving Indian flag vessel or a foreign-flagged vessel with an Indian crew has been reported in the past 72 hours. In the past 72 hours, 404 calls and 903 emails have been received. The ministry, through DG Shipping, has facilitated the safe repatriation of more than 3300 Indian seafarers, including 99 in the last 72 hours. Port operations across India remain normal, and no congestion is reported," he said.

(With ANI inputs)

US-Iran war news LIVE: Pakistan stepped up diplomacy on Thursday to hasten US and Iran peace talks as Tehran hardened its stance on the nuclear issue and US President Donald Trump threatened new strikes if he did not receive the “right answers.”

Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir will decide on Thursday whether to travel to Tehran for mediation, three sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.

They sought anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media. Pakistan's interior minister was in Tehran on Wednesday.

"We're speaking to all the various groups in Iran to streamline communication and so things pick up pace," said one of the sources.

US-Iran war news LIVE: A fragile ceasefire remains in place in the conflict that began after US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Following the attacks, Iran launched strikes on Gulf countries hosting US military bases, while fighting also erupted between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Two senior Iranian sources told Reuters there was strong suspicion in Iran that the halt in fighting could be a tactical move by Washington designed to create a false sense of security before launching fresh airstrikes.

Iran's top peace negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said on Wednesday that "obvious and hidden moves by the enemy" indicated that the United States was preparing for new attacks.

Trump said on Wednesday that the United States was prepared to carry out further strikes on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal. However, he also suggested that Washington could wait a few more days to "get the right answers."

US-Iran war news LIVE: Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources told news agency Reuters, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main US demands at peace talks.

Khamenei's order could further frustrate US President Donald Trump and complicate talks on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran.

"The Supreme Leader’s directive, and the consensus within the establishment, is that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country,” said one of the two Iranian sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Iran's top officials, the sources said, believe that sending the material abroad would leave the country more vulnerable to future attacks by the United States and Israel. Khamenei has the last say on the most important state matters.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Oil prices fell on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session as investors monitored peace talks between the United States and Iran, while economic activity in the euro zone shrank sharply.

Brent crude futures dropped 82 cents, or 0.8%, to $104.20 a barrel by 0949 GMT, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 60 cents, or 0.6%, at $97.66.

Both benchmarks dropped around 5.6% on Wednesday to their lowest in more than a week after US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were in the final stages.

US-Iran war status: Iran is assessing the latest peace proposal from the US, as the countries seek to avoid a resumption of hostilities.

“We have received the American side’s points of view and are reviewing them,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said late Wednesday, according to the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency.

The exchange of messages is based on Iran’s 14-point text from several weeks ago, Baghaei said. That plan essentially suggests a short-term deal that would see Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the US lift a blockade of Iranian ports, with the warring sides then going into deeper negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.

US-Iran war status: Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that the Iran crisis can only be resolved through diplomatic channels that take Iranian interests into account.

Speaking at a briefing to reporters, Zakharova said that only Iran itself should decide the fate of its uranium reserves.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Twenty Iranian sailors who had been on board a vessel seized by the United States have returned to Tehran from Islamabad, according to Iran's IRNA news agency.

“The release was achieved after intensive consultations between Iranian Foreign Minister and his Pakistani and Singaporean counterparts,” the report added.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Pakistan's army chief was due in Iran Thursday, Iranian media reported, with Islamabad mediating as the Islamic republic examines a new US proposal to end the Middle East war.

The reported visit by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan's foreign relations, comes a day after President Donald Trump warned that negotiations to end the war were on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed strikes.

On Thursday, Iran's ISNA news agency said Munir's visit was aimed at continuing "talks and consultations" with Iranian authorities, without providing details. Other Iranian media carried the same report.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Iran "is responding to a text sent by the US", Iran's ISNA news agency reported on Thursday, adding that the visit of Pakistan's army chief to Tehran was in order to minimise the gaps and help reach an official announcement of understanding.

This comes after US President Donald Trump raised hopes with his remark that the negotiations are in final stages, but added a warning for Iran of “nasty things” if answers are not "100 per cent good".

Iran war news LIVE: Twenty Iranian sailors who were on board a vessel seized by the US off the coast of Singapore have returned home after diplomatic efforts between the Iranian foreign minister and his Pakistani and Singaporean counterparts, IRNA news agency reported on Thursday.

(Via Reuters)

Iran war news LIVE: Oil prices edged higher on Thursday after suffering sharp losses a day earlier amid hopes of a possible US-Iran peace deal.

Brent crude rose 0.4% to $105.42 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate gained 0.5% to $98.76. Both benchmarks had plunged nearly 5.6% on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were in the “final stages”.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Iran has confirmed it is reviewing a new message from the United States as efforts intensify to prevent a return to open conflict.

According to Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had received “the American side’s points of view” and was assessing them. The exchange is reportedly based on Iran’s earlier 14-point proposal involving the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief and wider nuclear negotiations.

Iran war news LIVE: Iran's new body overseeing the Strait of Hormuz has reportedly said its claimed area of control now expands to waters south of the United Arab Emirates' port of Fujairah, which hosts oil infrastructure designed to bypass the strategic waterway.

Traffic through Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which a fifth of world's energy requirements used to flow, has come under Iranian control due to Iran's geographical advantage since the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States on February 28.

In a post on X on Wednesday accompanied by a map, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority said it had outlined "the regulatory jurisdiction for the management" of the strait.

It said this covered the area between the line extending from "Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE... to the line connecting the tip of Qeshm island in Iran to Umm Al-Quwain in the UAE".

(via AFP)

US-Iran war news LIVE: Pakistan's army Chief Asim Munir will decide on Thursday whether to travel to Tehran as part of the mediation effort, three sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters. This came after Iranian media reported that Munir will be visiting Tehran on Thursday.

The sources cited by Reuters sought anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media. Pakistan's interior minister was in Tehran on Wednesday.

"We're speaking to all the various groups in Iran to streamline communication and so things pick up pace," said one of the sources.

US-Ira war news LIVE: Iran is rebuilding military industrial base faster than expected, CNNN reported on Thursday, citing US intel. Iran is reportedly already producing drones.

Just in | Pakistan army chief General Asim Munir will be travelling to Iran on Thursday for negotiations, reported Reuters, citing ISNA (Iranian Students' News Agency).

ISNA reported that Pakistan army chief's upcoming trip to Tehran is part of mediation efforts between US and Iran.

As negotiations with the United States hang by a thread, a hard-line Iranian general linked to notorious attacks at home and abroad over the past decades is believed to be emerging as a key figure in the talks.

Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who heads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible end to the war with the United States, Associated Press reported, citing experts.

He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khameini, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

-via AP

US-Iran war news LIVE: Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying by local media on Thursday that they are reviewing US' views on peace proposal.

"We have received US views and are reviewing them,"Baghaei said, reported by Iran's state-backed agency Nour.