Iran war updates: Tehran slams US’s ‘reckless military adventure’ in Hormuz

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Here are some of the day’s top developments:

• The US military said it struck two Iranian-flagged oil tankers trying to enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman – the second straight day of naval confrontations.
• Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said “every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the US opts for a reckless military adventure”.
• Dozens of people have been killed in a series of Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon in one of the deadliest days since fighting began with Hezbollah on March 2.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged European allies to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action against Iran as it blocks the Strait of Hormuz.
• At least one sailor was found dead after the US attack on an Iranian ship on Thursday night, with 10 other seafarers wounded and four missing.
• US Central Command says US forces have “redirected” a total of 57 commercial vessels and “disabled” three vessels since it began its blockade on Iranian ports.

An oil slick is spreading off the coast of Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil export terminal for the Islamic Republic, The New York Times reports, citing satellite images.

It was not immediately clear what caused the spill located off the island’s west coast. It appeared to cover more than 52 square kilometres (20 square miles), according to an estimate by Orbital EOS, which monitors oil spills.

The slick appeared to be spreading southward towards Saudi Arabia’s waters.

Kharg Island is at the heart of Iran’s oil export industry, a linchpin of the country’s battered economy, and lies in the Gulf north of the narrow, strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Kharg Island has Iran’s largest oil terminal, oil pipelines, storage tanks and related infrastructure.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) demanded immediate international action to end Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory and advance a two-state solution.

Delivering a statement on behalf of the OIC group during a meeting at UN headquarters, Turkiye’s UN ambassador, Ahmet Yildiz, said the Palestinian issue has reached a breaking point amid continuing violence and political deadlock.

“The need for practical measures to resolve the Palestine question and the crises in the Middle East have become more pressing in view of the broad implications for global peace and security,” said Yildiz.

The meeting focused on conditions in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and was organised by several member states of the UN Security Council, including the UK and France.

Yildiz condemned ongoing Israeli assaults on Palestinians across the occupied territory.

“The devastating war in Gaza and ongoing assaults by Israel, the occupying power, on the Palestinian people and their rights, land, security and dignity across occupied Palestine make it a matter of urgency to address the root causes,” he said.

“The illegal Israeli occupation must end. We call for respect of the ceasefire in Gaza, which is being violated every day by Israel.”

As the world’s attention remains focused on the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran, the Israeli army and settlers continue to carry out attacks across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Here are some of the incidents reported by the Palestinian Wafa news agency in the past few hours:

• A Palestinian man and his child were injured after being attacked by Israeli settlers in the village of ash-Shuyukh, south of Hebron.
• Israeli troops forced residents of al-‘Asa’asa village in the Jenin governorate to exhume the body of a deceased relative from his grave.
• Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian in the town of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem.
• Israeli soldiers assaulted Palestinians in the Burak Sulayman area between the town of al-Khader and the village of Artas, south of Bethlehem.
• Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian resident’s home in the village of al-Lubban Asharqiya, south of Nablus.

Talks between the US and Iran could resume as early as next week in Pakistan’s capital, a news report says.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said the two sides are working with mediators to formulate a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding that would set the parameters for a month of talks aimed at ending the war.

The draft is said to include discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme, easing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, and the possible handling of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles to another country.

Key issues remain unresolved, however, it noted.

The extent of any sanctions relief remains up for debate and could prevent talks. If negotiations progress, the initial one-month period could be extended by mutual agreement, according to the Journal.

The ⁠US ⁠Treasury has announced sanctions against 10 ⁠individuals and companies for assisting efforts by Iran’s military ‌to secure weapons and raw materials used to build Tehran’s Shahed drones.

The sanctions targeted some entities in Hong Kong and China.

The Treasury said it’s also prepared to take action against any foreign company supporting illicit Iranian commerce, including airlines.

The Treasury move ⁠comes days before President Trump plans ⁠to travel to ⁠China for a ⁠meeting with President Xi Jinping and as efforts ‌to end the war in Iran have ‌stalled.

Israeli warplanes targeted a home in the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City after issuing a forced evacuation threat.

A hospital source told Al Jazeera six Palestinians, including two children, were wounded in the Israeli air strike that destroyed the house. Neighbouring homes were also damaged.

Israel has escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip over the past few weeks.

The enclave has been devastated by more than two years of genocidal war, which killed more than 72,500 Palestinians. The rising attacks come as the new US-backed governance structures seem to have been sidelined.

Russian Foreign ⁠Minister ⁠Sergey Lavrov has told his UAE ⁠counterpart that US-Iran talks ⁠need to be supported to prevent a resumption of hostilities in ‌the Middle East.

“The Russian side emphasised the need to focus on supporting the ongoing negotiations between ⁠Iran and the ⁠USA,” a Foreign Ministry statement said of Lavrov’s ⁠phone conversation with Foreign Minister ⁠Sheikh Abdullah ⁠bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Russia doesn’t want “to jeopardise the prospects for stabilisation by ‌resuming ‌hostilities”, a statement said.

Qatar’s prime minister has had a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance in Washington, DC and ending the war on Iran and bringing lasting stability to the Middle East was among the main topics discussed.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Vance, who arrived earlier in Washington, DC, spoke about the ongoing efforts of Pakistan in mediating peace proposals between the two sides, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

During the meeting, the two talked about “the necessity for all parties to respond to the ongoing mediation efforts in a manner that opens the door to addressing the roots of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, leading to the achievement of a comprehensive agreement that realizes lasting peace in the region”.

The casualty toll from an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese town of Toura, in Tyre district, has risen to four deaths and 15 injured, the National News Agency reports.

Earlier, we reported that two people were killed and five others wounded.

Residents of Toura received forced displacement orders from Israeli forces earlier, along with nearly a dozen other towns in southern Lebanon.

Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, has compared controlling the critical waterway in the Gulf to a country possessing a nuclear weapon.

“The Strait of Hormuz represents an opportunity as precious as an atomic bomb,” said Mokhber.

“Indeed, having in one’s hands a position that allows you to influence the global economy with a single decision is a major opportunity.”

Iran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the strait since the ⁠war began with US-Israeli air strikes across Iran on February 28.

The US imposed a blockade on Iranian vessels last ⁠month.

Hezbollah says it fired a missile salvo at a group of Israeli soldiers in the southern Lebanese town of Tayr Haifa.

The Lebanese armed group also said it launched “a squadron of attack drones” at the Meron Air Operations Base – a key Israeli military surveillance and command centre in northern Israel, reported the National News Agency.

Several army vehicles and Israeli troops were targeted “with appropriate weapons” in the town of Deir Siryan.

Hezbollah added that a guided missile was launched at a Merkava tank operating in the town of Taybeh.

Tehran’s Governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian has released a statement saying all government office personnel in the province – including those working in ministries and executive agencies – will return to work in-person starting tomorrow.

We don’t know what is in the 14-point memorandum of understanding that the US sent to the Iranians.

We understand from some administration officials the question of nuclear armament is part of those 14 points and that it suggests a moratorium on the enrichment of uranium.

It is also believed to cover the status of the Strait of Hormuz with the US potentially lifting its blockade and Iran freeing passage for all ships without imposing tolls. Those are news reports about what is in the proposal, but we do not have confirmation of what exactly is in it.

However, it would be very surprising if President Trump authorised any proposal that did not specify some form of nuclear reduction or nuclear disarmament for Iran. He has repeatedly said one of his “red lines” is that Iran cannot become a nuclear power – now or ever.