US Iran war news highlights: Donald Trump renews Cuba threat – ‘On the way back from Iran’

Iran US war news LIVE updates: A Pakistani tanker carrying a cargo of diesel from Kuwait appeared to be making an outbound transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a rare event in the blockaded waterway.

The Khairpur commenced its journey Thursday morning along the Tehran-approved northern route near Qeshm and Larak islands after repeatedly turning back from previous attempts in recent days, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Now veering south toward the final exit of the passage, the vessel is broadcasting Karachi as its destination with an expected arrival on May 4. – Bloomberg

Iran US war news LIVE updates: Pakistan has conceded its severe vulnerability to the current global oil shock, admitting that the nation lacks “strategic oil reserves like India”, which have enabled New Delhi to mitigate the impact of escalating crude prices caused by Middle East hostilities.

Iran US war news LIVE updates: Iran’s top leadership is seeking to oust foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, accusing him of bypassing the presidency to follow directives from the Revolutionary Guard, media outlet Iran International reported.

The discord stems from allegations that Araghchi has acted less as a cabinet minister and more as an aide to Ahmad Vahidi, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said countries that supported attacks on Iran or allowed their territory, airspace or waters to be used must be held accountable and face consequences, state media Iran International reported citing state media.

In remarks carried by Iranian media, the envoy named Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan, calling on them to assume responsibility for “full compensation” for damage inflicted on Iran during the war.

The Iranian government is intensifying efforts to retrieve missiles and other munitions that were concealed underground or left buried in rubble after US and Israeli airstrikes, NBC news reported.

Citing a US official and two sources familiar with the matter, the report says Tehran is using the pause in fighting to rapidly restore its drone and missile capabilities.

Pakistani mediators expect a revised peace proposal from Iran after US President Donald Trump rejected a previous version, with sources saying an answer could come by Friday.

The president said on Wednesday that negotiations were happening “telephonically” and that his response to any proposal from Iran will depend on how far it goes on limiting its nuclear program. Iran’s previously rejected proposal called for opening the Strait of Hormuz first and dealing with nuclear issues later. – CNN

Trump on Thursday remarked that Iran was “dying” to make a deal. He said that he would not call the US-Iran conflict a “war”, adding that the US has destroyed the Iranian navy and air force.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz angered US President Donald Trump this week with remarks he made on Monday, saying that the United States was being “humiliated” by Iran and criticising the administration for lacking a clear and effective plan to end the war.

On Tuesday, Trump lashed out at Merz directly in a Truth Social post, writing, “the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

Trump added that he is considering pulling US troops out of Germany.

“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

US Iran war news LIVE: Oil rose on Friday as efforts to resolve the Iran war remained at an impasse, with Tehran still blocking the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. Navy blocking exports of Iranian crude.

Brent crude futures for July were up $1.04, or 0.94%, to $111.44 per barrel by 0421 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate futures had risen 41 cents, or 0.39%, to $105.48 per barrel.

US Iran war news LIVE: India’s largest state-run refiner Indian Oil Corporation has raised the prices of liquefied petroleum gas used by industries and jet fuel for foreign airlines from Friday, the company said in a statement.

The price of a 19-kilogram commercial LPG cylinder for industrial clients was hiked by 993 rupees, or 47.8%, to 3,071.5 rupees, the refiner said.

Aviation turbine fuel prices for international airlines were raised by $76.55 per kilolitre to $1,511.86 per kilolitre from $1,435.31, the refiner added.

US President Donald Trump indicated he was open to drawing down American military personnel from other NATO members a day after saying he was reviewing US troop levels in Germany.

Asked if he was considering pulling troops from Spain and Italy as well, Trump responded, “yeah, probably.” The president raised concerns about those countries’ willingness to help the US in its war against Iran.

“Look, why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday.

“We help them with Ukraine,” he added. Trump has repeatedly argued that Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor is primarily a European concern.

The US and Iran showed little sign of breaking their impasse and agreeing to another round of peace talks, with President Donald Trump examining options for new strikes on Tehran ahead of a deadline to seek Congressional approval to extend the conflict.

Trump told Axios the blockade of Iran’s ports is “somewhat more effective than the bombing” and “choking” the country by restricting its oil exports.

“Trump wants to end the Iran war, but not on the terms proposed by Tehran,” said Becca Wasser and Chris Kennedy, analysts at Bloomberg Economics. “That suggests the question is no longer whether he escalates to push for a better offer, but when and how. We think the most likely window for action is within the next two weeks, and that renewed US strikes are the most likely course.”

Sixty days have passed since the US launched a surprise attack on Iran. With a ceasefire currently in effect, the Trump admin is reportedly trying to use this pause in fighting to skip the need for a congressional approval.

Why?

It is a because a US law requires a president to either terminate, or ask for an additional 30-day window for an orderly withdrawal for all US military operations undertaken without congressional authorisation – such as the current Iran war, which reached the 60-day mark today, on May 1.

Ceasefire rehtoric to avoid nod?

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, arguing that Trump does not require congressional authorisation to continue a war beyond 60 days because the ceasefire agreement reached with Iran has paused the clock on any such obligation.

“We are in a cease-fire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses, or stops, in a cease-fire,” he said.

Axios on Wednesday reported about the briefing, signalling that the US president is open to considering resuming combat operations in Iran to break the logjam in negotiations or to deliver a final blow before ending the war.

Three sources of knowledge on the matter told Axios that CENTCOM has prepared a plan for a “short and powerful” operation in Iran, likely including infrastructure targets, in an effort to break the current deadlock and push both sides towards a common consensus after multiple failed rounds of negotiations.

Another proposal expected to be presented to Trump involves seizing control of parts of the Strait of Hormuz to restore commercial shipping — a move that could require deploying ground forces.

A third plan which might come up in the briefing is a special forces operation to secure Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday received a briefing on new plans of strikes on Iran by the CENTCOM, ANI reported quoting Axios.

Two US officials told Axios that the briefing by CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper and Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs lasted for around 45 minutes.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that despite the military operation in Iran, he will not call it a war. He said the US has destroyed Iranian navy and air force and that the country is “dying to make a deal.”

Talking to the reporters, Trump said, “Iran is dying to make a deal… their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, and every ounce of any form of equipment practically is gone.”

Talking about the military capacity of Iran, Trump claimed that their drone factories are about 82% down. He also added that the US has “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capacity.

The United States of Emirates issued a travel ban for Iran, Lebanon and Iraq on Thursday. UAE’s ministry of foreign affairs urged “nationals in the country” to return to the emirate “at the earliest opportunity.”

“In light of the current developments taking place in the region, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces a travel ban for citizens of the United Arab Emirates to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lebanese Republic and the Republic of Iraq,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday denounced the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, saying it amounts to continued military action against Iran.

In a post on X, Pezeshkian said, “What is being done under the guise of a naval blockade is an extension of military operations against a nation paying the price for its resistance and independence.”

“Continuation of this oppressive approach is intolerable,” he added.

His comments came shortly after Hegseth argued the Trump administration does not need congressional authorization to wage war on Iran, citing the ceasefire that took effect on April 8.

It will soon be 60 days since a surprise US-Israeli attack on Iran triggered a full-blown war between the countries, the ripples of which were felt across the Middle East. A big question now looms. Will US President Donald Trump adhere to the legal 60-day limit on unauthorised wars or will the conflict continue?

Under the War Powers Act of 1973 in the US, any war started without Congressional authorisation, as is the case with the Iran war, has a 60-day limit for military action, surpassing which an additional 30-day window for an orderly withdrawal can be obtained.

Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday vowed to protect Tehran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, which the US President Donald Trump has claimed multiple times that he “obliterated.

In a statement read by a state television anchor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the only place Americans belonged in the Persian Gulf is “at the bottom of its waters” and that a “new chapter” was being written in the region’s history, as reported by AP.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over as supreme leader following the killing of his father in the war’s opening airstrikes.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday remarked that only a handful of people, including him, know the status of peace talks with Iran.

“Nobody knows what the talks are except myself and a couple of other people,” he said speaking to reporters in Oval office.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday argued that US President Donald Trump does not require congressional authorisation to continue a war beyond 60 days because the ceasefire agreement reached with Iran has paused the clock on any such obligation.

Hegseth was testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he said that the ceasefire paused the 60-day clock. “We are in a cease-fire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses, or stops, in a cease-fire,” he said.