US-Iran War Live Updates: China, Pakistan call for ceasefire, dialogue as US expands airstrike campaign against Iran
Lebanese women pass by houses that were destroyed in Israeli strikes during the war with Hezbollah in Froun village, southern Lebanon. (Photo: AP)
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar Friday called for a ceasefire and the resumption of dialogue between the United States and Iran, news agency Reuters reported quoting the Chinese foreign ministry. The move comes after both ministers met in Shanghai on Thursday amid escalation of tensions between US and Iran. Wang has urged all parties to fulfill their commitments and abide by the ceasefire MoU, the foreign ministry added.
Meanwhile, the US military carried out a sixth consecutive night of air strikes against Iran on Thursday, with Iranian state media reporting explosions across the country’s south, including Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz, and Qeshm Island. Tehran warned that continued American pressure would bring devastating retaliation, even as US and Iranian forces kept trading fire over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Blockade underway: The US struck an empty oil tanker headed for Kharg Island, a critical economic lifeline for Tehran, as part of its renewed naval blockade on Iranian ports. With maritime traffic in the region drying up, oil markets are once again feeling the strain.
Latest developments:
- Sixth night of strikes: US forces launched another wave of air strikes overnight, hitting a bridge near Bandar-e Khamir and roughly ten targets on Qeshm Island, plus sites in Bushehr and Ahvaz.
- Blockade tightens: CENTCOM redirected three commercial vessels, disabled one non-compliant ship, and boarded another in the Gulf of Oman as part of its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
- Casualties in Bandar Abbas: Iranian media reported two dead and eight wounded after strikes hit a bridge and a residential area, and said a nearby cancer hospital had to evacuate over 200 patients.
- Vance blames Israel: Vice President JD Vance accused Israel of funding efforts to derail US-Iran talks, while Iran said the Strait of Hormuz situation would never return to normal.
- No talks in sight: Trump claimed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has lost up to 90% of its weapons capability, and sources say he’s weighing a wider military campaign.
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