Middle EastLive'We'll bomb them': Trump threatens Oman if they get in way of Hormuz deal
SUMMARYUS Iran War News Live Updates: The conflict between Iran, the United States and their regional allies remains unresolved, with tensions continuing across the Middle East despite signs of diplomatic activity. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had made no decision to resume negotiations with Washington, while Qatar and Pakistan continued to exchange messages…
Trump, meanwhile, stated Iran still possessed missiles and drones but only a fraction of its previous stockpiles. He claimed Iran’s missile manufacturing capacity had been largely destroyed and again insisted that Tehran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. He also threatened further economic pressure, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning of measures that had “never been seen”.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a major flashpoint, with the UAE accusing Iran of attacking two ADNOC tankers with drones. While Yemen’s government stated it had thwarted Houthi attacks in Taiz.
The wider regional fallout is also being felt in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, elsewhere, Iran-aligned Houthi forces vowed to continue targeting Saudi military positions. While Jared Kushner is preparing to travel to the Middle East to push forward plans for Gaza after difficulties with a US-brokered ceasefire arrangement.
, activists delivered food and water to Palestinian families surrounded by Israeli settlers.
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Iran has decided to shift its policy from defensive to “fully offensive” due to the deadlock in efforts to agree a permanent end to its war with the United States, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.
Progress towards peace negotiations and a resumption of oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt, with no sign that the warring parties are moving towards ending the conflict that the US and Israel launched on February 28.
“Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions,” the Iranian official remarked, adding that Tehran would conduct a “timely and precise” military attack to break the US naval blockade if diplomacy failed.
Monday marked the day by which Iran and the United States were expected to reach a final agreement under a memorandum of understanding agreed in June and aimed at ending the war.
Qatar said on Tuesday that US-Iran negotiations, mediated by Pakistan, required more time to reach a agreement, a day after President Donald Trump said he had postponed planned attacks to provide the process a chance.
“We are supportive of the diplomatic effort by Pakistan that has shown seriousness in bringing parties together and finding a solution, and we do believe it needs more time,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference.
Trump. This person had indefinitely extended the truce and produced clear he wanted to exit a war that has proved to be politically damaging, said on Monday he had prepared a new military attack for the after day after Iran rejected his outlines of a deal.
But on Monday, Trump remarked on social media that he had suspended the attack after the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates asked him to give negotiations a chance.
“We want to protect the people of the region from being basically the main losers of any escalation in the region,” al-Ansari noted.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that his administration had established a direct backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards but said he was in no hurry to end the war, Fox News noted on Monday.
“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump said of the IRGC. “I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry.”
Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani played a role in relaying messages between the United States and Iran and in efforts to ease tensions, a spokesperson told Iran International on Sunday.
Trump additionally threatened to bomb Oman if it obstructed the United States amid the conflict over the Strait of Hormuz.
“Keep in mind that insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz was imposed on us, on the region and on the entire world, and the reason for it was the illegal military action of the United States,” Baghaei said, referring to the complexity of efforts to establish arrangements for the waterway.
He stated the talks were aimed at creating mechanisms that would ensure “both the sovereignty of the two coastal states and the safe passage of commercial ships in this waterway.”
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Iran and Oman are continuing talks to establish a mechanism for secure commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran saying the discussions have been prolonged due to the complexity of the problem, the involvement of multiple actors and what it called “destructive efforts” by malicious parties.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei made the remarks during his weekly gathering.
South Korea on Monday said it is closely consulting with the United States on ways to produce practical and military contributions to international discussions on a ceasefire in Iran and efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korean Yonhap News Agency.
As per Yonhap News Agency, the presidential office also remarked Seoul and Washington have closely coordinated on maintaining a firm combined defence posture and conducting joint drills and exercises, and will continue such coordination on related matters.
The development comes as US President Donald Trump has instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and describing the drills as “costly” and “inappropriate”.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday (local time), Trump said he was “not happy” that the United States had previously agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea.
“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea,” Trump noted.
In Sunday’s post, Trump also stated he had recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung whether Seoul would like to join the effort to denuclearise Iran, and was informed, “No thanks.”
“The government takes note of President Trump’s social media message,” the presidential office in Seoul said.
The post came as the summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise between Seoul and Washington was set to commence Monday in South Korea. North Korea has long condemned the annual drills as a rehearsal for an invasion.
The Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) also expressed hope that the friendly relations between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could contribute to renewed dialogue on the Korean Peninsula.
“We expect friendly relations between the North Korean and US leaders to lead to meaningful North Korea-US talks and the start of discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” Cheong Wa Dae stated, pledging to play a role as a “pacemaker” to that end.
The White House has repeatedly affirmed that Trump remains open to dialogue with Pyongyang “without any preconditions.”
Trump had three in-person meetings with Kim during his first term: in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi in February 2019 and at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.
The joint military drills, named “Ulchi Freedom Shield”, are scheduled to begin on August 17 and continue until August 27. The exercises will include training to counter drones, GPS disruption and cyberattacks as the US and its allies seek to adapt to North Korea’s evolving military capabilities. (ANI)
Iran presumed that three military pilots missing since a March operation were being held captive and would pursue their fate through legal and international channels despite its diplomatic engagement with Qatar, the foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
“Until the circumstances are clarified, we presume that the three missing pilots are being held captive, and we will use all available legal and international channels,” Esmail Baghaei stated.
He said four pilots took part in an operation on March 2 and the body of one of them was afterwards returned to Iran.
Diplomatic efforts began shortly after their disappearance and included correspondence with the International Committee of the Red Cross and consultations through embassies, he said.
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