Iran-US War News Live Updates: Lebanon’s PM slams Israel attacks, says Tehran pursuing ‘scorched earth policy’
A man holds an Iranian flag near an anti-US billboard depicting US President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran. (REUTERS)
Iran-US War News Today Live Updates: As Israeli forces expanded ground operations in Lebanon, the latter’s Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, accused Tehran of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy”. The Israeli forces have killed a paramedic in the south of Lebanon and are pushing towards Nabatieh city. Hezbollah, too, has claimed more attacks in the north of Israel.
Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported that US military warnings to vessels in the Strait of Hormuz were continuing despite President Donald Trump’s claim that the naval blockade affecting shipping in the strategic waterway “will now be lifted”.
As US President Donald Trump weighs approving a deal to extend the fragile ceasefire with Iran, tensions remain high across the region despite ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Five Americans were reportedly injured after debris from an intercepted Iranian missile struck the US Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait, reported Bloomberg. The report said Kuwait intercepted a Fateh-110 missile, but debris destroyed a $30 million Reaper drone and severely damaged another. Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington was prepared to restart attacks on Iran if diplomacy failed.
Pentagon says US ready to resume strikes
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth said the US was “more than capable” of resuming military action if needed, adding that American stockpiles were sufficient to sustain operations globally. He said Trump remained “patient” and was seeking a “great deal” that would ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. On Friday, Trump held a two-hour Situation Room meeting at the White House to review a proposal that would extend the current truce by another 60 days, giving negotiators more time to work toward a permanent agreement.
Iran accuses Trump of ‘betraying diplomacy’
Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused Trump of “betraying diplomacy for the third time” by maintaining a naval blockade on Iran and pushing what Tehran described as excessive demands during negotiations. Key disagreements continue to centre around Iran’s nuclear programme and control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran insists is a sovereign matter. The conflict launched by the US and Israel on February 28 has killed thousands, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and disrupted global energy markets after Iran effectively closed the strategic waterway.
Follow The Indian Express Global Desk live coverage for the latest updates from the Middle East, the diplomatic corridors of Europe, and the evolving legal battles in Washington.