
The development comes as Trump escalated his rhetoric against Iran (Photo: AP)
Iran-US War LIVE: The Wall Street Journal, citing Gulf officials, reported that several countries in the region did not know Washington had been preparing a possible attack on Iran scheduled for May 19. Officials from other Gulf countries reportedly told the newspaper they had no prior knowledge of the planned strike before Trump disclosed it publicly.
Trump postponed ‘planned strike’ on Iran before: US President Donald Trump earlier said he postponed a planned strike on Iran at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE Tuesday, noting that “serious negotiations are now taking place,” while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed that “dialogue does not mean surrender” and that Tehran entered talks “with dignity, authority, and the preservation of the nation’s rights.”
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China won’t supply arms to Iran, says Trump: US President Donald Trump said the United States may need to strike Iran again and claimed Tehran is “begging” to make a deal, reported Reuters. He added that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would not send military equipment to Iran. “That’s a beautiful promise. I take him at his word. I appreciated it,” he told reporters at the White House, reported Al Jazeera.
Explosions in Iran’s Qeshm Island: Explosions have been reported on Qeshm Island, reported Reuters citing Iran’s Mehr News Agency. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency said the explosions were caused by the neutralisation of unexploded munitions, citing an official, as reported by Reuters.
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Key developments:
- US President Donald Trump said Washington may need to strike Iran again and claimed Tehran is “begging” for a deal.
- Some Gulf states were unaware of planned US strike on Iran, says report,
- Trump said Xi had assured him during recent talks that Beijing would not provide weapons or military equipment to Iran.
- US President also said Iran still retains a limited ability to retaliate against the US, while peaking at the White House, and US could still launch an attack within “two or three days” or early next week if an agreement is not reached.
- G7 finance ministers call for reopening Strait of Hormuz in a joint statement.
- Qatar FM spokesman says diplomacy between US and Iran needs more time to succeed. He also said Pakistan had shown seriousness in the mediation efforts.
- Explosions heard on Iran’s Qeshm Island due to neutralisation of unexploded munitions, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency citing an official.
- Qatar says only two LNG tankers crossed Strait of Hormuz, but this doen’t mean a ‘return’ to normal shipping operations.
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