Iran warns of retaliation after fresh US strikes; White House says Iran report on draft deal is 'complete fabrication'

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Seoul on Wednesday summoned Iran's ambassador to protest after a probe concluded it was "highly likely" that an Iranian-made missile was to blame for a strike on a South Korean ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

In remarks carried by Iranian state media, Tehran's envoy to Seoul denied his country had anything to do with the incident.

The South Korean cargo ship was hit by unidentified projectiles on May 4 in the strait, a key waterway virtually closed since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.

US President Donald Trump claimed Iran had "taken some shots" at the Panama-flagged vessel, while Tehran had denied responsibility for the attack.

Following a weeks-long investigation, the South Korean government said technical analysis concluded that the unidentified projectile that struck the vessel was "highly likely" an alternative version of the "Noor series developed in Iran".

Hamas's armed wing confirmed on Wednesday that its chief, Mohammed Odeh, was killed a day earlier in an Israeli strike in Gaza, after Israel had earlier announced his death.

In a statement naming him as the "Chief of Staff of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades", Hamas's armed wing said Odeh died "on Tuesday evening... in a cowardly assassination operation that resulted in the martyrdom of him, his wife and his children".

Israel on Wednesday declared all areas south of Lebanon's Zahrani River, which runs roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the border, "combat zones" and urged residents to evacuate ahead of strikes against Hezbollah.

The first such sweeping warning since an April 17 ceasefire came as Israel's military launched broad raids on the country's south and east, and as Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli forces beyond an Israeli-declared "yellow line" in the south.

It also came as many Lebanese tried to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha.

US President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz will be “open to everybody” and that the US will “watch over it,” adding that those terms are a part of negotiations with Iran, reports CNN.

Trump also warned Oman not to interfere. “Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow ‘em up,” the president said.

Asked if he would accept a short-term deal that would allow Iran and Oman to control the critical waterway, Trump said, “No, the strait’s going to be open to everybody.”

“It’s international waters. Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it,” Trump said. “That’s part of the negotiation that we have.”

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was not yet satisfied with Iran's offers to make a deal, after Iranian state television reported details of what it claimed was a draft agreement.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting in the White House, Trump added that he was in no rush to reach an accord despite saying at the weekend that one was close.

"Iran is very much intent, they want very much to make a deal. So far they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be," Trump said.

"Either that or we'll have to just finish the job," he said, referring to threats to resume the military operations that the United States and Israel launched on February 28 and paused in April.

Iranian state TV said earlier Wednesday that a draft outline of a memorandum of understanding with Washington included a commitment to lift the naval blockade on Iran, restore traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and withdraw US forces from the Gulf.

The White House called the report a "complete fabrication."

US President Donald Trump said he wouldn’t be content to see Russia or China take shipment of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and insisted there was no discussion of financial relief for the country before it fulfills its commitments, reported CNN.

The remarks offer harder-line positions on two key points that are central to the ongoing negotiations with Iran.

“No I wouldn’t be comfortable,” he said when asked about the prospect of Moscow or Beijing taking the near-bomb-grade uranium, which is currently believed to be buried deep underground.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that all areas south of Lebanon's Zahrani River, which runs roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the Israel-Lebanon border, were considered "combat zones" and urged residents to head north.

"In light of the repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, the IDF will act against it with great force... We advise the residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Zahrani River, as all areas south of the river are considered combat zones," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says: "The bottom line is Iran is never going to have a nuclear weapon. If recent events have done anything, it’s to remind us once again that they are the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism. They can never have a nuclear weapon."

US President Donald Trump said Iran would not get sanctions relief if it gives up its stock of highly enriched uranium, reported CNN, quoting PBS News.

“No, no, not at all. Not sanctions relief, no,” he said in a phone interview Wednesday when asked if the current framework would mean Iran giving up its highly enriched uranium in exchange for sanctions relief.

“They’re gonna give up their highly enriched uranium not for sanctions, relief. No, no, not at all,” he added.

US military contractors need at least three years to replenish stockpiles of three key weapons systems used heavily in the Iran war, according to an analysis released Wednesday, adding to concerns that American forces would have limited firepower in any future conflict with China.

The weapons systems are Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory, and Patriot and THAAD interceptors that defend against incoming missiles and drones.

"The United States has enough munitions for any plausible scenario in the Iran war, but the depleted inventories have created a window of vulnerability for a potential Western Pacific conflict," the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in its new report, provided to The Associated Press. "The time needed to rebuild those inventories has thus become a major concern."

The White House on Wednesday blasted an Iranian state television report about a framework deal with the United States to end the Middle East war as a "complete fabrication".

The Iranian report cited a draft outline of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that it said included a US commitment to lift the naval blockade on Iran and withdraw its forces from the Gulf region.

"This report from Iranian controlled media is not true and the MOU they 'released' is a complete fabrication. Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out. FACTS MATTER," the White House said on X as it lashed out at US media for reporting the Iranian claims.

British households will face higher energy bills averaging £1,862 a year ‌from July after regulator Ofgem hiked its price cap by 13% on soaring wholesale gas prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East, reports Reuters.

The increase, up around £221 from the previous cap of £1,641 for April to June, will hit millions of households on variable tariffs, with analysts warning bills could climb further if disruption ​to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz persists.

The Israeli army issued an evacuation warning on Wednesday for residents of the city of Tyre in south Lebanon and the surrounding areas, saying it was about to strike Hezbollah targets there.

"Urgent warning to the residents of the city of Tyre and the surrounding camps and neighbourhoods as shown on the map - In light of the terrorist Hezbollah organisation violating the ceasefire agreement and targeting Israeli territory, the IDF is compelled to act forcefully against it," Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, wrote on X, attaching a map of the Tyre region with some localities highlighted.

"The IDF does not intend to harm you. For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately, according to the area shown on the map, and move north of the Zahrani River."

Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli forces beyond an Israeli-declared "yellow line" in south Lebanon on Wednesday despite a ceasefire, a day after Israel said it was expanding ground operations.

Israel this week vowed to intensify operations in Lebanon, a move that came ahead of talks on Friday between Lebanese and Israeli military delegations at the Pentagon and a new round of direct negotiations next week aimed at ending the hostilities.

Israel stepped up strikes on south and east Lebanon on Tuesday, issuing evacuat

Iranian state television said on Wednesday a draft framework deal with the United States included a commitment to lift the naval blockade on Iran, restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the US to withdraw its forces from the Gulf region.

Tehran and Washington have in recent days been swapping proposals to end the war, which broke out on February 28 and engulfed the Middle East, while a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8.

The report cited what it described as a draft outline of a potential memorandum of understanding, while noting that the text was "still not finalised".

Iran has since kept a tight control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy conduit, while the US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and coasts since April 13.

"The United States has committed itself to lifting Iran's naval blockade and to cease harassing ships passing to or from the Islamic Republic of Iran," the state TV report said.

Iran, reported CNN, says ships belonging to “hostile countries” remain blocked from traversing the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, amid ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington.

The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said today “vessels belonging to ‘hostile countries’ are prohibited from passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” IRIB reported, adding that Tehran will continue its “cooperation” with countries that comply with the “Iranian order.”

Oil prices plunged Wednesday on rekindled hopes for progress in US-Iran talks aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.

Brent North Sea crude, the international benchmark, fell 5 per cent to $94.61 a barrel, while the main US contract, WTI, tumbled 5.9 per cent to $88.31 a barrel.

Iran's intelligence ministry said on Wednesday that the goal of the United States and Israel remained to overthrow the Islamic republic and break up the country.

"The enemy is now pursuing through other means the objective of overthrowing and partitioning the country, which it openly declared at the beginning of the recent war but failed to achieve through military attack," the ministry said in a statement carried by Iranian media.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards official said on Wednesday that renewed war with the United States was unlikely but warned that Iran stood ready against any attack.

"The possibility of war is low because of the enemy's weakness, the armed forces are lying in wait with full magazines," said Mohammad Akbarzadeh, deputy political chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying.

"Do not doubt that we will turn the area from Chabahar to Mahshahr into a graveyard for aggressors," he said, naming places at each end of Iran's lengthy southern coast. 

British energy bills are set to rise this summer, the sector regulator announced on Wednesday, as the Middle East war drives wholesale gas prices higher.

The US-Iran conflict, with its effective months-long closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, has sent oil and gas prices soaring and raised concerns about a fresh spike in inflation.

Energy market regulator Ofgem said the price cap that suppliers can charge customers will increase by 13 percent from July, adding around GBP18 ($24) per month to the average bill.

A typical annual bill for gas and electricity will rise to about GBP1,862 per year, Ofgem, which sets the cap every quarter, said in a press release.

The regulator cited "volatility in global energy markets" as a reason for the unusual summer increase, a period when energy demand is typically lower.

However, gas prices remain well below the height of the energy crisis in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February that year, Ofgem added.

Israel said on Wednesday it had killed the new head of Hamas's armed wing in Gaza, Mohammed Odeh, in a strike the day before, days after killing his predecessor in a similar attack.

In a post on X, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the "commander of the armed wing of the Hamas terrorist organisation in Gaza was eliminated yesterday and sent to meet his associates in the depths of hell". Hamas has not yet commented.

Mumbai: Ten Indian sailors, detained in Iran in July 2025 on an oil tanker, have been released after "sustained diplomatic engagement", India's shipping authorities said late Tuesday.

The sailors on the MV Harbour Phoenix were "detained, arrested and imprisoned in Iran following the vessel's interception near Jask Port in July 2025", the Directorate General of Shipping said in a statement.

"The seafarers have now been released and reunited safely," the shipping authority said.

Lebanon said Israeli strikes on the country's south killed 31 people on Tuesday, as Israel said it was intensifying attacks despite a truce in its war with Hezbollah.

In a statement, the health ministry said 31 people, including at least four children and three women, were killed in attacks and 40 wounded. Fourteen were killed in Burj al-Shamali near Tyre.

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Israel's military clashed with the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group Tuesday along a strategic river in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops pushed farther north, days ahead of talks in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli delegations.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict appeared more nominal by the day, complicating efforts at a broader peace in the Iran war as Tehran wants an agreement to include an end to the fighting in Lebanon.

The Litani River has been a de facto boundary in Lebanon, with large areas to the south under Israeli military control despite the ceasefire that's been in place for over a month.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after meeting with his defense minister and senior military officials that Israel will expand its operations in Lebanon.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted Afghanistan’s fragile trade lifelines, worsening shortages and raising costs after conflict with Pakistan had already shut key border routes. Aid agencies, including the World Food Programme, say food and nutrition supplies have been severely affected, while Afghan businesses face stranded shipments, soaring transport costs and growing fears of economic collapse despite increased reliance on Central Asian trade routes.

The military has denied resuming escorts of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. In a statementm the Central Command, which overseas US military operations in the Middle East said "Project Freedom has not resumed, and US forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz."

US President Donald Trump said he had shifted a rare Cabinet meeting planned for Wednesday at his Camp David retreat to the White House because of bad weather. The meeting at the secluded lodge in the Maryland hills was expected to focus on talks to end the Iran war.

Tensions between the US and Iran surged again after Tehran warned of retaliation over fresh military strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites and mine-laying boats near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

Iran condemned the US attacks as a "gross violation" of the ceasefire.

The overnight attacks marked the first direct US strikes inside Iran since a fragile ceasefire framework began taking shape earlier this month.

According to US Central Command, American forces launched what officials described as “self-defence strikes” against missile batteries and vessels allegedly threatening US aircraft and commercial shipping routes in southern Iran. Iran condemned the operation as a violation of ongoing ceasefire negotiations and warned Washington that any further attacks would trigger a response.

US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social: "If Iran surrenders, admits their Navy is gone and resting at the bottom of the sea, and their Air Force is no longer with us, and if their entire Military walks out of Tehran, weapons dropped and hands held high, each shouting “I surrender, I surrender” while wildly waving the representative White Flag, and if their entire remaining Leadership signs all necessary “Documents of Surrender,” and admit their defeat to the great power and force of the magnificent U.S.A., The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn’t even close. The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!! President DJT"

The Israeli military issued two new evacuation warnings on Tuesday for residents of 19 villages across southern Lebanon, as it expanded its ground operations deeper inside Lebanese territory.

"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River," the military's Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, wrote on X, listing 14 villages.

Minutes later, he issued another warning calling on residents of five more villages to evacuate.

KLM has decided to cancel flights to Dubai up to and including August 2. Flights to Riyadh and Dammam have been canceled up to and including July 12, it announced through its website.

Israel said it targeted the new chief of Hamas' armed wing in a strike in Gaza on Tuesday, just days after his predecessor was killed in a similar attack in the Palestinian territory.

"Under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, the IDF has just carried out a strike in Gaza targeting Mohammed Odeh - the new commander of the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organisation and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre," a joint statement issued by Netanyahu and Katz said.

Odeh was appointed as chief of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades after his predecessor Ezzedine Al-Haddad was killed in a strike in Gaza earlier in May.

Iranians reacted with a mix of skepticism, caution and sarcasm on Tuesday after internet monitors reported a partial restoration of online access following months of near-total isolation under a nationwide shutdown imposed by Iranian authorities.

“Yes, I’m connected, but I still have to use a VPN. Don’t get too excited though — the internet isn’t fully open, it’s just no longer completely shut down,” a 46-year-old man in Tehran told CNN on the condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Several strikes hit the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on Tuesday after an Israeli evacuation warning, an AFP correspondent said, as an Israeli military official confirmed ground operations had expanded deeper into the country.

The latest strikes came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ordered his military to intensify attacks on Hezbollah to "crush" the Iran-backed group, the same day at least 11 people were killed in a strike in eastern Lebanon.

An AFP correspondent in Nabatieh reported airstrikes following the warning on Tuesday and saw plumes of smoke rising from various locations within the city.

An Israeli military official told AFP that troops had begun operating beyond the Israel-announced "Yellow Line" in south Lebanon, which runs around 10 kilometres (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory.

The leaders of Iran and Qatar spoke over the phone today about de-escalation efforts regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to a readout of the conversation shared by Qatar’s Amiri Diwan, the administrative offices of the emir, reported CNN.

It added, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, spoke to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, where they “reviewed the latest developments in the region and the efforts being made to reduce escalation, preserve regional security, and strengthen peace and stability,” the Amiri Diwan said.

Day 88: Iran condemns US attacks as violation of ceasefire

Day 87: 'Proceeding nicely': US-Iran talks intensify, oil drops

Day 86: US-Iran talks: Trump says 'I don’t make bad deals'

Day 85: Trump: Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’, Hormuz to open

Day 84: UAE backs WHO move against Iran's attacks on civilians

Day 83: Trump rejects tolls in Hormuz: 'We want it free'

Day 82: Trump says US-Iran talks are ‘right on the borderline’

Day 81: Iran’s position 'unclear', deal 'uncertain': VP Vance

Day 80: Trump says 'holding off on attack on Iran tomorrow'

Day 79: Trump says 'clock is ticking' for Iran

Day 78: Iran plans new Strait of Hormuz toll system

Day 77: Israel and Lebanon extend ceasefire by 45 days: US

Day 76: World leaders call for security in Strait of Hormuz

Day 75: Trump arrives in Beijing for summit with Xi

Day 74: Iran signals potential 90% Uranium enrichment

Day 73: Trump calls Iranian response 'totally unacceptable'

Day 72: 'As of today, Tehran’s restraint is over': Iran official

Day 71: Iran keeps US waiting on response to peace plan

Day 70: US fires on Iran tankers as talks hang in balance