The United States is pressing Iran to publicly declare that the Strait of Hormuz is open to international shipping and that vessels transiting the strategic waterway will no longer be targeted, senior US officials said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials said Washington views such a commitment as a key step toward reducing tensions after renewed military exchanges earlier this week threatened a fragile ceasefire between the two countries.

According to the officials, the latest strikes were triggered by what they described as a rogue faction of Iranian hard-liners seeking to undermine the ceasefire and derail ongoing negotiations with the United States.

They said internal power struggles in Tehran have complicated diplomatic efforts, making it increasingly difficult to secure and sustain any agreement, according to AP.

The officials also said Iran’s internal political landscape has become increasingly unstable following the deaths of senior leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during US and Israeli strikes at the outset of the war.

Washington is specifically seeking a public assurance from Tehran that the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes, will remain open and safe for commercial navigation.

The officials said Iranian representatives privately indicated to their US counterparts that recent attacks on commercial vessels were a mistake and expressed a desire to continue negotiations despite the incident.

However, Trump responded to the attacks with a stronger military response, making clear that the United States would hold Iran accountable regardless of whether the strikes were carried out by rogue elements or under official orders, the officials added.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said Tehran has no trust in the United States and will engage in negotiations with Washington only while maintaining full military preparedness.

Speaking during a meeting with Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly Chairman Ahmad Muzani in Mashhad on Friday, Ghalibaf said Iran’s experience had reinforced its distrust of the US despite recent diplomatic contacts.

“We are distrustful of the Americans,” Ghalibaf said, recalling indirect Iran-US talks held in Switzerland last month with mediation by Pakistan and Qatar.

He added that he had conveyed Iran’s lack of confidence to the US vice president during the negotiations.

“In my view, only those who are prepared for war can negotiate with the United States,” he said.

Ghalibaf, who is leading Iran’s negotiations with Washington, said the Islamic Republic had never sought conflict but would never surrender under pressure.

“Iran has never pursued war, but it has a duty to resist oppression. The Iranian nation will never submit to it,” he said.

Referring to the 40-day conflict that erupted on February 28, the Iranian parliament speaker claimed that the United States, Israel and NATO had expected to force Iran into submission but failed to achieve their objectives.

“The world witnessed that they were defeated in achieving their goals against Iran,” he said, adding that military resistance and sustained political, economic and media pressure had ultimately compelled Washington to seek a ceasefire.

Ghalibaf said Iran had maintained its military readiness despite the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that ended the fighting.

“We have never stopped preparing to defend our nation. If the Americans violate the understanding at any moment, we are fully prepared for an all-out defence,” he said, vowing that Iran would continue to defend its interests.

While stressing that ending war remained a priority, he said any lasting resolution would not come through Iran’s surrender.

He also urged Muslim countries to unite against the United States and Israel, saying Iran’s experience demonstrated that such resistance could succeed.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by telephone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and expressed concern over recent regional tensions, urging restraint and the immediate restoration of peace and stability, according to a statement.

PM called for “restraint and forbearance” and urged all sides to refrain from actions that could undermine progress made toward peace in recent months.

He said a memorandum of understanding provided a lasting foundation for promoting mutual understanding, respect and shared prosperity in the region and beyond, adding that Pakistan would continue to provide all possible cooperation to help restore and maintain regional peace and stability.

President Pezeshkian thanked Pakistan’s leadership for attending the funeral prayers and burial of the late Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the statement said.

The Iranian president reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to regional peace and expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s support and what he described as its constructive role in that regard.

The two leaders agreed to remain in contact and continue close consultations on issues of mutual interest, including regional peace and stability.

They also reviewed progress on decisions reached during Pezeshkian’s visit to Islamabad last month, the statement said.

US President ​Donald Trump ‌on Friday said ​the ​US had agreed ⁠to talks ​with Iran after Tehran asked to ​continue ​negotiations, but he ‌added ⁠that the ceasefire between ​the ​two ⁠nations was “over.”

“The Islamic ​Republic of Iran has asked us ⁠to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do ​so, but the United States has stated ​to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump wrote in a ​post on Truth Social.

The US and Iran ​traded strikes this week, with the Iranian armed forces ‌launching attacks on US military infrastructure in Gulf states on Thursday following US strikes on Iran’s southern coastal and eastern provinces.

The ​two nations ​reached an ⁠interim deal last month to end a four-month conflict ​that has throttled worldwide energy supplies.

Trump’s ​inability ⁠to end the war has frustrated the president, whose Republican Party faces midterm elections ⁠later ​this year amid high ​gas prices and voter discontent.

A Qatari delegation visited Iran on Friday in ​what is believed to be ‌an effort by Doha to consolidate its role as a ​mediator after a recent ​escalation in hostilities in the ⁠Gulf, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim ​news agency reported.

Tasnim said the ​visit followed what it described as Qatari accusations against Iran over ​an alleged incident in ​the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent US ‌attacks on Iranian military and civilian targets.

A source with knowledge of the situation told ​Reuters on ​Friday that Qatari negotiators were meeting Iranian officials in ​an effort to de-escalate ​tensions ⁠and create conditions for broader negotiations, adding that the ⁠talks ​were being conducted ​in coordination with the United States.

Israel is prepared to resume military operations against Iran if necessary and would do so “with even greater force,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday, as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran fuelled concerns of a wider conflict.

“The army is ready and on alert for a resumption of fighting, in order to regain air superiority and strike again… in Iran, to eliminate threats, including a third time if necessary,” Katz said at a military ceremony.

“If we have to go back, we will go back, with even greater force,” he added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the same ceremony that Iran had been weakened by Israel’s two previous military campaigns against it, but said the conflict was not yet over.

“The Iranian axis is weaker than ever before, while Israel is stronger than ever before,” Netanyahu said.

“We proved that the long arm of the Israeli Air Force can reach anywhere, from Yemen to Iran. Yet we must also acknowledge that the campaign is not over.”

Katz’s remarks came after new fighting broke out between the United States and Iran, raising fears of a return to full-scale war following an April ceasefire and a June US-Iran agreement to end hostilities.

The war began on Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran that killed the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader and other senior officials.

It marked Israel’s second campaign against Iran, following a 12-day war in June 2025.

Iranian armed forces launched attacks on US military infrastructure in Gulf ​states on Thursday following US strikes on Iran’s southern coastal and eastern provinces, putting further strain on a three-week-old ceasefire agreement.

The attacks came on the day that Iran buried its slain ‌Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a shrine in Mashhad, the culmination of a week of mass funeral processions and rallies. Khamenei was killed in a US airstrike on the first day of the war on February 28.

Khamenei’s body was carried by truck slowly through crammed streets towards the Shrine of Imam Reza. Black-clad mourners waved Iranian flags, photographs of the late leader and red placards with revolutionary slogans.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said the US attacks and intervention in redirecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz ​were disrupting the waterway’s gradual reopening.

The Guards said the number of vessels transiting the strait under Iranian supervision had recovered to about 50% of pre-war levels over the past two weeks, adding that ​permission was being granted only to ships using routes designated by Tehran.

Any further US intervention will draw a “crushing response”, the Guards said.

The US military said on Wednesday ⁠that its latest strikes were aimed at keeping teh strait open after it said Iranian forces had struck three tankers in the area. The assault came hours after US President Donald Trump said he believed the interim ​ceasefire with Iran to be “over”.

While Iran has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks, analysts say Tehran uses such actions to gain leverage in negotiations.

Oil prices, which had spiked amid concerns over the impact of the renewed attacks ​on shipping and global supplies, fell back on Thursday as investors weighed whether the flare-up was tactical and temporary or might augur a complete collapse in the ceasefire.

Iranian officials said the US attacks had killed 14 people and injured 78 across five provinces on July 8 and 9, state media reported. The Fars news agency said one US strike had hit a rail bridge used for trade with Russia and China.

Several explosions were heard on Thursday morning in Iran’s Bushehr province and in Bandar Abbas, ​a port city on Iran’s south coast, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

Bushehr is home to a Russian-built nuclear power plant, and a local official later told state media that a US projectile had hit the ​perimeter area of the facility. The perimeter had already been hit several times before an April 8 ceasefire.

Targeting US bases in the Gulf States and Jordan

Iran’s army said in a statement released by state media that it had launched attacks on US Patriot systems ⁠in Kuwait, an early-warning site in Qatar and a US Army fuel depot in Bahrain.

Kuwait said its armed forces had engaged with a cruise missile, three ballistic missiles and 10 drones in its airspace, and that one person had been injured from falling shrapnel.

Sirens also sounded in Jordan after missiles launched from Iran were detected, the state news agency reported. Eight were intercepted, with no injuries or damage reported.

The Revolutionary Guards later said Iran had fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Azraq military base, which is used by US forces, and also a US military control centre in the Middle East, without elaborating.

Qatar, which hosts the largest US base in the region and ​has often mediated between Washington and its adversaries ​, including Tehran, condemned attacks on commercial shipping but also ⁠called for a return to diplomacy.

The foreign ministers of Turkiye and Oman also stressed the need to avoid further military escalation in separate calls with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

In a call with the army chief of Pakistan, which has also mediated in the conflict, Araghchi condemned what he called US “warmongering policies”.

The Strait of ​Hormuz handled about a fifth of global oil supplies before the war. Tehran has since largely taken control of the strait, allowing it to force a ​stalemate in its confrontation with ⁠the world’s most powerful military.

“The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats,” Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote on X.

Trump does not expect a return to full-fledged war

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday its forces had struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets, including air defence systems, coastal surveillance assets, and missile and drone storage sites.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get ⁠much worse!” ​Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

However, the US leader, who was attending a NATO summit in Turkiye, also said he did ​not think the latest military strikes would escalate into a full-fledged conflict with Iran.

“Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly … and will only make it safer, including for oil,” he told reporters in Ankara.

Asked before the NATO summit on Wednesday whether the memorandum ​of understanding with Iran was over, Trump said: “It’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them.“The Revolutionary Guards later said Iran had fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Azraq military base, which is used by US forces, and also a US military control centre in the Middle East, without elaborating.

Qatar, which hosts the largest US base in the region and ​has often mediated between Washington and its adversaries ​, including Tehran, condemned attacks on commercial shipping but also ⁠called for a return to diplomacy.

The foreign ministers of Turkiye and Oman also stressed the need to avoid further military escalation in separate calls with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

In a call with the army chief of Pakistan, which has also mediated in the conflict, Araghchi condemned what he called US “warmongering policies”.

The Strait of ​Hormuz handled about a fifth of global oil supplies before the war. Tehran has since largely taken control of the strait, allowing it to force a ​stalemate in its confrontation with ⁠the world’s most powerful military.

“The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats,” Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote on X.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said US attacks on Iran were disrupting the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any further US intervention would draw a “crushing response.”

The US has said its latest attacks on Iran were in retaliation for Tuesday’s assault by Iran on three cargo ships transiting the strait.

The Guards said transit capacity under Iran’s supervision had recovered to about 50% of pre-war levels over the past two weeks.

It said transit capacity was only being expanded for vessels granted permits to use routes designated by Iran.

Estimates from analysts showed daily traffic in the past two weeks had risen to its highest levels since the war’s outbreak, averaging 40 ships transiting the strait, still well below the pre-conflict average of 125 to 140 daily sailings.

Oil tanker traffic was near a standstill on Thursday, however, as the latest attacks escalated shipping risks, according to data and sources.

Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a near standstill on Thursday, according to data and sources, as ​shipping risks escalated after the US renewed airstrikes on Iran, triggering retaliation by Tehran in the Gulf.

Just two ‌tankers had so far sailed through the strait in the early hours of Thursday. They included the crude supertanker Berg 1, which had loaded at Iran’s Kharg Island and is subject to US sanctions, according to analysis from Kpler.

The Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker Well Sail also transited the strait, Kpler analysis showed. ​Its previous loading destination was near Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, according to LSEG ship tracking data.

Shipping industry sources ​said vessels were increasingly switching off their public AIS tracking transponders, making it harder to see all ⁠of the ships crossing.

“Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped, which tells you more about risk perception right ​now than any statement from Washington or Tehran,” Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, wrote in a report.

Latest flare-up leaves US-Iran truce teetering

Iranian armed forces launched attacks on US military infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf states on Thursday in response to US strikes on Iran’s southern coastal and eastern provinces, putting further strain on a three-week-old truce.

The latest flare-up in the four-month conflict began earlier this week with attacks on three tankers in ​the strait that the US blamed on Tehran.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Thursday that US attacks on Iran and intervention in redirecting ​shipping were disrupting the strait’s gradual reopening, warning that any further US intervention would draw a “crushing response”.

The Strait of Hormuz handled about a fifth of ‌global oil ⁠supplies before the war erupted on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes against Iran.

Daily traffic in the past two weeks had risen to its highest levels since the war’s outbreak, averaging 40 ships transiting the strait, which was still far off the pre-conflict average of 125 to 140 daily sailings.

LNG tanker attack exposes risk to high-value vessels

Some war underwriters have advised shipping companies to pause voyages through the strait ​, while others are reviewing their ​policy terms after the renewed ⁠vessel attacks, insurance industry sources told Reuters.

“The Hormuz reopening story looks more fragile after the latest escalation,” ship broker Clarksons said in a report.

One of the three vessels hit this week, the Marshall Islands-flagged Qatari LNG tanker AL Rekayyat, remains stranded and awaiting salvage operations off Oman after a projectile strike late on Tuesday sparked a fire in its engine room.

Despite earlier fears of an explosion, industry sources said that the risk was low for now and its cargo of liquefied natural gas appeared secure.

The ship registry of the Marshall Islands, one of the world’s top flag states, told Reuters there were no ⁠reported injuries ​or environmental impacts as a result of the incident involving the Al Rekayyat.

“As ​recent incidents have shown, the (marine war) market is now facing the prospect of potentially severe losses involving vessels of substantial value,” said one marine war underwriter, who asked ​not to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation.

US President Donald Trump’s struggle to extricate himself from the unpopular Iran war has hit a new roadblock with the latest exchange of attacks between the two sides, leaving ​him with few good options and a faltering ceasefire.

Trump declared that an interim agreement to end the conflict was “over” and ordered fresh strikes on Wednesday after Iran targeted US military ‌sites in Bahrain and Kuwait following the US bombing of Iranian targets in response to attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

More than three weeks after the signing of a “memorandum of understanding” to begin a truce between the US and Iran, the flare-up has highlighted the difficulties Trump faces in forging a comprehensive peace deal and a face-saving exit from the war.

His choices are limited and mostly bad, analysts say.

Any heavy escalation beyond tit-for-tat strikes could risk a return to full-fledged war, even though Trump ​insisted on Wednesday that the latest events would end “very quickly” as global oil prices spiked around 7%.

However, backing down in the face of Iranian defiance could add to Tehran’s sense that it can ​assert leverage over the world’s most important oil-shipping channel, anytime it sees fit.

Trump may be hoping he can bomb Iran back to the negotiating table for talks ⁠about the fate of its nuclear programme, which he set as his main war objective, but most experts see little sign that Tehran will make the kind of deep concessions he is seeking.

“Trump has put himself ​in a box,” said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for Democratic and Republican administrations.

“Whether through military or diplomatic means, he doesn’t look likely to gain much from Iran.”

The White House did not immediately respond ​to a request for comment.

Trump under pressure

Trump’s pursuit of an exit plan has come as he faces pressure to permanently end a war that has killed thousands, inflicted economic pain at home and driven down his approval ratings just months ahead of November’s US midterm elections.

A June 23 Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Trump’s approval rating falling to 34%, returning to the lowest level of his second term and dimming his Republican Party’s chances of retaining control of Congress.

The latest attacks, which overshadowed a NATO summit that ​Trump attended this week in Turkey, dented hopes of turning the memorandum signed on June 17 into a final peace deal to end the war, which began with US-Israeli air strikes on February 28.

Most analysts are sceptical ​the two sides can craft a comprehensive settlement within the 60-day negotiating window laid out in the document.

It kicked the hardest issues down the road to on-again-off-again discussions that have made little if any progress, and the next round ‌of talks remains ⁠uncertain.

Iran, which has suffered heavy damage to its economy and military capabilities, also faces mounting pressure after Washington revoked a waiver allowing Tehran to sell oil internationally, undoing one of its biggest gains under the interim agreement.

Even so, its rulers appear willing to withstand further blows, and some analysts suggested this week’s strikes by both sides may have been aimed at staking out positions for future negotiations.

Jonathan Panikoff, a former deputy US national intelligence officer for the Middle East, said this pattern was likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

“The situation is not going to revert to full-scale war,” said Panikoff, now at the Atlantic Council think-tank in Washington.

“But the default ​setting is now managed instability — recurring violence with no ​permanent off-ramp.”

Trump, who campaigned for a second term ⁠on promises to avoid foreign interventions and focus on Americans’ economic concerns, has framed the interim agreement as a resounding US victory — even as Iran has made similar claims.

Still, most analysts agree that Trump, who once demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender,“ has been stymied on many of his often-shifting goals for the war.

Strait of Hormuz

At the root ​of the latest outbreak of hostilities are differing interpretations of what the preliminary deal means for control of the strait, where Iran showed its ability during ​the war to choke off ⁠one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments.

Iran sees itself having a future role in managing the waterway, possibly even charging fees or tolls, while Trump and US Gulf allies insist on a return to free and safe passage.

“The Iranians have judged that Trump doesn’t want to get sucked into an open-ended war, and the Gulf is desperate for normalcy,” said Jon Alterman of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.

“Their bet is that Trump will fight ⁠for a few ​days (and) the Gulf Arab states will push for him to stop.”

The looming US midterms, and concerns that high gasoline prices driven ​by the war could turn voters against his Republican Party, are also widely seen as a pressure point for Trump.

“Haunted by former US President Hoover’s failed economic stewardship, Trump knows he needs to focus on the economy,” said Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East expert at Johns ​Hopkins University, referring to Trump’s assertion that by continuing the war he would risk becoming like the president who governed at the start of the Great Depression.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has condemned US President Donald Trump’s remarks about the Iranian people, saying Tehran would respond to hostility through action rather than inflammatory rhetoric.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Araghchi said insulting the Iranian nation would not undermine its dignity or resolve.

“Addressing the civilised and courageous nation of Iran with derogatory language does not diminish its greatness,” he wrote.

“Iranians are known for their civility, culture and strong moral values. We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action — fearlessly and with great valour.”

His comments came after Trump, speaking on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara, described Iranians as “scum” and “sick people” and declared the interim ceasefire agreement with Tehran to be effectively over.

Separately, Iran’s chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Washington of violating the ceasefire agreement, citing the latest US strikes, renewed oil sanctions, alleged interference in Iran’s management of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

“The era of bullying and extortion is over. We don’t fold,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday it had launched missile and drone attacks on four US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, describing the operation as the first phase of its response to Washington’s latest strikes on Iranian territory.

In a statement, the IRGC’s Aerospace Force said it targeted Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, as well as Naval Support Activity Bahrain in Juffair and Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

The announcement came hours after the United States carried out fresh strikes on several locations in southern Iran, which Tehran said hit civilian infrastructure, killed one person and damaged a bridge in the northern province of Golestan.

The IRGC warned that any further US military action would trigger broader retaliation against American bases across the region.

“The US military should know that if it repeats its acts of aggression, Iran’s responses will expand to include other American military installations,” the statement said.

The force also claimed the latest US strikes were a rushed response to large funeral processions held in Iraq for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying the gatherings had alarmed Washington.

According to the IRGC, the United States was attempting to divert international attention from the funeral processions, but argued that its military actions would instead strengthen opposition to US policies in the region.

The US military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of ‌Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.

The latest round of attacks, which the US said was carried out in response to Tuesday’s assault on three cargo ships transiting the strait, came hours after President Donald Trump said he believed an interim ceasefire with Iran to be “over.”

“US Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM, the US military’s Middle East ​command, wrote on X.

“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”

The US strikes rattled several cities along Iran’s southern coast ​and left some areas without power.

Iran responded with a second day of attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, both home to US military bases.

Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said it ⁠was intercepting missiles and drones, while Qatar briefly issued an “elevated security threat” alert before later giving the all-clear.

The US strikes against Iran on Wednesday will be greater in number than the ones carried out on Tuesday, a US official ​told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Control of the strait, through which a ​fifth of global oil supplies passed before the war, has given Tehran immense leverage, effectively allowing it to force a stalemate with the world’s most powerful military.

While Iran has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks, analysts say Tehran uses such actions to gain leverage in negotiations.

“The US has yet to learn that bullying and breaking its commitments no longer come without a cost. Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck back,” Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote on X.

“The Strait of ​Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats.”

The latest exchange of strikes appeared to dim hopes of turning a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 into a permanent deal to end the war, which began with ​US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.

Major Iranian port city hit

Iranian media reported strikes primarily along Iran’s ​southern coast, from the Strait of Hormuz to the ⁠Gulf of Oman.

Among the locations hit were Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s largest port and key navy and Revolutionary Guards facilities on the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Konarak and Chabahar, neighbouring coastal cities near Iran’s border with Pakistan.

Electricity had been restored to most areas of Chabahar after strikes knocked out power for some in the ​city, Mehr news agency reported, citing the local utility.

Media also reported that a maritime traffic control tower in Chabahar was hit.

A firefighter was killed in a ​strike on the airport in the ⁠southeastern city of Iranshahr, state media reported.

In northern Iran, a US attack hit a railway bridge near the town of Aqqala, according to Press TV.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he ​thought Israel would withdraw troops from ‌southern Lebanon because it wanted to take that step, despite comments from Israel’s leader indicating otherwise.

Trump told ​reporters at the NATO Summit ​in Ankara that he had discussed a ⁠withdrawal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ​Netanyahu.

“Yeah, I think they’re going to. I ​think they want to,” Trump said. “So we have a deal with Israel and Lebanon. Yeah, they’ll ​leave. And I think it’s going ​to work out very well.”

Netanyahu visited Lebanese ‌territory ⁠occupied by the Israeli military last week, telling soldiers that Israel would not withdraw from the country’s south as long as Iran-backed ​Hezbollah continued ​to pose ⁠a threat.

The Israeli and Lebanese governments on June 26 ​reached a security agreement mediated ​by ⁠the United States under which Israel will hand over two areas to Lebanon’s army.

US President ‌Donald Trump on Wednesday said he did not think a full-fledged conflict ​with Iran would erupt ​in the wake of military strikes ⁠from both sides.

“I don’t think ​it’s going to start again. I ​think it’s going to go very quickly. They hit a couple of ships, ​and so we hit them ​much harder,” Trump told reporters in Ankara ‌after ⁠a NATO summit.

“Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly … and will only make ​it safer, ​including ⁠for oil,” he said.

The US president also reiterated his previous ​comments that he was ​a ⁠target of Tehran.

“I’m number one on the kill list for Iran,” ⁠he ​said.

Earlier, Trump warned Iran that the United States will likely ​engage in additional strikes on Wednesday night after ‌attacks of previous day.

“I’ll give a little warning: We’re going to hit them hard tonight,” Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in ​Turkiye.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that negotiations on a final agreement with the United States cannot begin as long as Washington continues to issue military threats, citing provisions of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries last month.

In a post on X on Monday, Araghchi referred to Paragraph 13 of the Pakistan-brokered agreement, writing: “Para 13 of the MoU is clear: Negotiations on final deal will not commence if threats continue. Honour your signature.”

The Islamabad MoU, signed electronically by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump on June 18, launched a 60-day diplomatic process involving indirect talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive peace agreement.

Araghchi’s comments came hours after Trump renewed his warning that Washington was prepared to use military force if diplomacy failed, reiterating that Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

“We’re either going to make a deal, or we’re going to finish the job. And it won’t be tough to finish the job. I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.

Earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened that Israel would “thwart” any future Iranian leader seeking to attack the country.

Separately, Araghchi shared photographs on social media showing massive crowds attending the funeral procession of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

At least two commercial ships were struck by missiles fired by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, according to US media reports, in the latest escalation following stalled diplomacy between Washington and Tehran.

Two commercial vessels sustained significant damage, but there were no casualties, Axios reported, citing a US official.

In a separate incident, Britain’s maritime security agency said a tanker caught fire after being struck by an unidentified projectile east of Oman’s Limah early on Tuesday, although it did not identify the vessel or the source of the attack.

The reported attacks came days after indirect talks between the United States and Iran ended without any visible breakthrough despite a 60-day ceasefire that had been intended to provide space for diplomacy following US and Israeli strikes that sparked the latest conflict.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump renewed his warning to Tehran, saying Washington would either reach an agreement with Iran or “finish the job,” while reiterating that military action remained an option.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had warned commercial vessels over maritime radio during the weekend that “our missiles and drones are ready to fire at you,” citing a recording obtained by the newspaper.

One of the vessels reportedly targeted was the Al Rekayyat, a liquefied natural gas tanker owned and managed by Nakilat, also known as Qatar Gas Transport Company, one of the world’s largest LNG shipping operators.

The tanker was reportedly struck on the port side above its engine room while sailing near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman.

An emergency radio transmission cited by the Wall Street Journal said: “Engine room fire and full of smoke. Unable to assess further damage. All crew are safe and mustered on the starboard side.”

Nakilat, QatarEnergy and Qatar’s International Media Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The reported attacks underscore mounting risks to commercial shipping in one of the world’s busiest energy transit routes, amid renewed tensions between Iran and the United States after diplomacy failed to produce a lasting agreement.

President Donald Trump has said the United States would either reach a deal ‌with Iran or “finish the job,” renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance following the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Indirect US-Iran talks ​ended last week without any public sign of headway toward ​a lasting peace, despite a 60-day ceasefire intended to ⁠create space for diplomacy following the US and Israeli strikes that ​triggered the conflict.

“We’re either going to make a deal, or we’re ​going to finish the job. OK. And it won’t be tough to finish the job. I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 ​million people,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.

“We can ​knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply…. ‌They ⁠don’t have any money now. We haven’t given them any money.”

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr called Trump’s threat “delusional.”

“Iranians are unfamiliar with the language of threats. So speak to the ​Iranian people with ​respect, otherwise⁠ we will respond in another language,” Zolqadr said in comments carried by state media.

Trump spoke after Khamenei’s ​weekend funeral, where, rather than looking weakened by the war that ​began ⁠with US and Israeli strikes on February 28, Iranians appeared to be defiant, united and determined to shape what comes next.

The 60-day ceasefire was intended ⁠by ​Washington to revive diplomacy on stopping Iran ​from developing a nuclear arsenal.

President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States would either ​reach a deal with Iran or “finish the ‌job,” renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance following the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Indirect ​US-Iran talks ended last week without any ​public sign of headway toward a lasting peace, ⁠despite a 60-day ceasefire intended to create space ​for diplomacy following the US and Israeli strikes that ​triggered the conflict.

“We’re either going to make a deal, or we’re going to finish the job. OK. And it won’t ​be tough to finish the job. I’d rather ​make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million ‌people,” ⁠Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply…. They don’t have any ​money now. ​We haven’t ⁠given them any money.”

Trump spoke after Khamenei’s weekend funeral, where, rather than looking weakened ​by the war that began with US and ​Israeli strikes on February 28, Iranians appeared to be defiant, united and determined to shape what comes next.

The 60-day ceasefire ⁠was ​intended by Washington to revive diplomacy ​on stopping Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal.

Vast crowds of Iranians loyal to the Islamic Republic massed in Tehran on Saturday to begin almost a week of funeral ceremonies for slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, which authorities want to send a message of defiance to the West after the war with the United States and Israel.

Clad in black and waving blood-red flags seen as a call for vengeance and justice, mourners thronged the Grand Mosalla religious complex in the Iranian capital, AFP correspondents said.

Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989 and pursued a course of confrontation with the West while crushing dissent at home, was killed aged 86 along with several members of his family and top officials in an Israeli strike on the first day of the war on February 28.

There was still no sign of Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been unseen in public since being named. Other top Iranian officials who survived the war welcomed foreign dignitaries who paid their respects at the coffin on Friday before the complex opened to the public.

Sprayed with mists of water to keep cool in temperatures that may nudge 40C in Tehran over the next days, thousands of women and men — strictly segregated by gender — filled the vast complex.

They beat their chests in a sign of grief, overlooked by a giant portrait of the former leader.

The coffins of Khamenei, with his black turban on top, and four other family members were placed at the front on a raised dais, AFP photographs showed.

Chants of “death to America” and “revenge, revenge” echoed at the venue.

“The leader was a father to us all. With his passing, we have all been left orphaned… There was no one like him. He was truly unique and peerless,” said Mohammad Mirsalehi, 38, a cleric.

Hamidreza Shabani, a student, 18, added: “We must rise up and, God willing, avenge the blood of our leader”.

Authorities believe the ceremonies will mobilise more than 10 million people in the capital alone.

But before they began, Tehran was quieter than usual, with many normally busy streets free of the capital’s notorious traffic and some residents telling AFP in Paris that they had decided to leave the city for the duration of the ceremonies.

Marathon funerals

After five weeks of war, the conflict is on hold after a ceasefire and an initial accord with the US. But both the US and Iran have warned they are ready to resume fighting at any time.

The killing of Khamenei after over three-and-a-half decades in power created a new era in the Islamic Republic, shadowed by uncertainty.

His funeral is being viewed outside Iran as a test of support for the government, with authorities already shaken by mass protests in January that rights groups say were put down in a crackdown that left thousands dead.

The funeral ceremonies will see the coffin remain three days in Tehran, before moving on Tuesday to the clerical city of Qom, then on Wednesday to neighbouring Iraq, before burial on Thursday in Khamenei’s northeastern home city of Mashhad.

He will be buried with his infant granddaughter, son-in-law, daughter and Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, who were all killed in the February 28 strikes.

The tiny coffin of his granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpaygani, who, according to state media, was just 14 months old, was prominently displayed.

‘Call for vengeance’

Surviving officials showed their grief and displayed a united front on Friday.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator in peace talks with the US, appeared tearful while Ahmad Vahidi, named chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guards after his predecessor was killed in the strikes, made his first public appearance in that post.

“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” said Ghalibaf, who urged Iranians to turn out en masse.

The coming days will be closely watched for signs of Mojtaba Khamenei, who has communicated only by written statements and is said to have been wounded in the same strikes, though the extent of his injuries was never made clear.

Significant security measures have been imposed, with roads blocked and people forced sometimes to walk several kilometres to attend the largest-scale public event in Iran since the burial of Khamenei’s predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Authorities will also want the event to go smoothly, deeply aware of the risk of crowd crushes that have marred similar events in the past, with TV broadcasting guidelines on how to stay safe.

Representatives from Tehran-backed Hezbollah and Hamas attended the funeral ceremonies of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday and met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, state media reported.

Tehran has for years provided support to Palestinian group Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis — all designated terrorist groups by the United States and other western nations, making itself the target of international sanctions.

The Hezbollah delegation included officials and families of killed and wounded members, the group told Lebanese media. It was headed by senior official and former minister Mohammed Fneish.

Hamas, meanwhile, said in a statement that its delegation was led by the head of its political bureau, Mohammed Darwish and included other bureau members such as Bassem Naim.

In July 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was killed in his accommodation in Tehran by an Israeli operation after he attended the inauguration ceremony for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Most foreign officials and dignitaries paid their respects on Friday to Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989 and was killed aged 86 along with several members of his family and top officials in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, triggering the war in the Middle East.

On Saturday, crowds of people gathered at the Grand Mosalla religious complex in the Iranian capital to bid farewell to the late supreme leader, who had the final say in major state policies during his tenure.

The ceremonies at Tehran Grand Mosalla will continue on Sunday, which was declared a national holiday by the government. The weekend in Iran runs from Thursday to Friday.

The foreign ministry in a statement on Saturday urged the public to attend the ceremonies en masse, to “show the world the greatness of Iran and the glory of national unity and authority.

Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on Saturday as Iran began public farewell ceremonies for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with funeral rites expected to continue for several days in Iran, Iraq and elsewhere before his burial in Mashhad.

Large crowds began entering Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla early Saturday after authorities opened several gates ahead of schedule to accommodate mourners who had gathered around the complex overnight.

State media reported that thousands of people, including women, had arrived from across Iran to pay their respects to Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28.

The official ceremony began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by religious elegies and the playing of Iran’s national anthem.

Mourners carrying Iranian flags and portraits of Khamenei chanted slogans expressing support for the late leader and the Islamic Republic’s leadership.

State television showed large crowds filling the sprawling prayer complex and surrounding streets, with many participants dressed in black mourning attire.

Some mourners carried red flags bearing religious slogans associated with calls for justice and revenge.

Banners bearing verses from the Holy Quran and tributes to Khamenei were displayed throughout the venue, while groups from different Iranian provinces and several foreign countries participated in the ceremony.

Authorities implemented extensive security and logistical arrangements for the event, including cooling systems, emergency medical services and expanded public transport access.

Three Tehran metro stations were temporarily opened to facilitate the movement of mourners.

Iranian officials said the funeral ceremonies were being covered by thousands of domestic and international journalists.

According to the official funeral schedule, public mourning ceremonies will continue in Tehran through Sunday, culminating in funeral prayers before a procession through the capital on Monday.

The funeral rites will then move to Qom city on Tuesday, followed by ceremonies in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday.

Khamenei’s final funeral and burial ceremony is scheduled to take place on Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

On Friday, Iranian officials hosted foreign delegations and dignitaries from across the region and beyond who travelled to Tehran to pay tribute to the late leader.

US President Donald Trump has said that Iran was eager to reach an agreement with Washington, adding that the US had temporarily paused negotiations to allow funeral ceremonies for Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to take place.

Speaking at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota during celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence on Friday, Trump said Tehran was seeking a settlement following recent hostilities between the two countries.

“We knocked the hell out of Iran; they’re dying to settle. They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral because we’re nice,” Trump said, referring to the funeral processions for Khamenei, which officially began in Iran on Friday.

During his address, Trump praised the United States’ military and historical achievements.

“We created the strongest and most powerful military. We won two world wars,” he said, adding that America’s adversaries during the Cold War had been consigned to “the depths of history.”

Trump also referenced recent international conflicts, claiming that the United States had “beat Venezuela in one day” before turning to the situation with Iran.

Marking the country’s semiquincentennial celebrations, Trump described the United States as “the oldest republic on Earth” and “the freest people on Earth,” while praising the country’s constitution and global humanitarian contributions.

“At 250 years, America is the oldest republic on Earth. We are the freest people on Earth. We have the most righteous and enduring constitution on Earth,” he said.

The president also warned of what he described as a growing ideological threat within the United States, accusing progressive political movements of promoting ideas contrary to American values.

“There is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success,” Trump said.

Describing communism as “a mortal threat to American liberty,” Trump called it “the greatest threat to our country,” comparing it to major historical conflicts and attacks.

Turning to domestic politics ahead of November’s midterm elections, Trump urged Republicans to remain united.

“We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms,” he said, adding that eliminating the Senate filibuster and passing what he called the “Save America Act” would ensure Republicans “will not lose an election for 100 years.”

Top Iranian officials on Friday paid their final respects to the country’s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, at the start of a week of funeral ceremonies, with allies and mourners converging on Tehran, where his body is lying in state.

Authorities expect public mourning and grand processions to attract millions before Khamenei’s burial next week, four months after he was killed aged 86 at his compound in the opening US-Israeli salvo of the Middle East war.

AFP images showed mourners carrying his coffin aloft at the vast Grand Mosalla religious complex in the Iranian capital, with the casket draped in the colours of the Islamic republic that he led for more than three decades.

State TV broadcast footage of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian paying his respects at Khamenei’s coffin on Friday afternoon, alongside parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Ahmad Vahidi, head of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the military, also made his first appearance since the start of the war in February.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating between Iran and the US to end the Middle East war, Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev and the foreign minister of Afghanistan’s Taliban government also paid their respects.

Delegations from Hamas and Hezbollah joined the mourning, a day before a public ceremony was set to begin.

Representatives from around 30 countries are expected to attend the funeral, with other allies, including China and Iran’s neighbours in the Caucasus region, saying they would be sending representatives.

The city was preparing to take in huge numbers of visitors for the grand display of patriotism and devotion.

Ezzat Shoai, a 61-year-old teacher, told AFP that her neighbourhood had “prepared our houses to welcome those who come from outside the capital”.

“God willing… we will go together to say goodbye to our dear leader.”

‘Call for vengeance’

Ghalibaf had called on Thursday for “all the Iranian people… to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence”.

“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” Ghalibaf said in a statement.

Security has been on high alert, and portraits and quotes of Khamenei have been draped on the walls of the Grand Mosalla ahead of the funeral ceremonies.

Elsewhere in Tehran, a large park was transformed into a camp, with hundreds of Red Crescent tents set up on the grounds.

Workers could also be seen removing barriers from Azadi Avenue, a major thoroughfare through which the funeral procession will pass on Monday.

Tankers were stationed to spray water on the roads to cool down the participants, and a model boat — a Shia symbol — draped in red flags had been erected.

Khamenei will lie in state for three days, and the bodies of his slain relatives will also be present.

They will include his three-year-old granddaughter, whose coffin was also emblazoned with Iran’s tricolour flag.

‘Really difficult’

Tehran — as well as the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, which will host later stages of the funeral and burial ceremonies — will observe public holidays while the events are underway.

Authorities have ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions will make much of the city centre inaccessible to private vehicles.

The airspace over Tehran will be partially closed from Friday and fully closed on Monday.

Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before his burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, his birthplace.

It remains unknown if Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since becoming supreme leader, will be present at the main ceremony in Tehran.

Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents reported that Tehran was quieter than usual, with many normally busy streets free of Tehran’s notorious traffic.

Some residents who spoke to AFP journalists based in Paris said they were leaving the city.

“The roads leading out of Tehran are packed,” said tech worker Saeid, 29.

“Many Tehran residents have already headed north, and I’m leaving too because staying in the city has become really difficult.”

At the entrance to the vast religious complex where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s body is set to lie in state from Saturday, dozens were hard at work under an intense heatwave to prepare for the slain supreme leader’s grand funeral.

Security was on high alert ahead of the start of the funerary activities for Iran’s ruler of three decades, with dozens of personnel stationed at the main entrance to the Grand Mosalla, methodically stopping each car in the vicinity.

Passengers must present a special permit to enter the premises, which have yet to be opened to the public.

AFP obtained special access on Thursday, as a handful of curious bystanders watched the preparations from just outside the complex.

Within, the walls were draped in massive portraits of the late Khamenei, alongside black flags of mourning and red ones symbolising martyrdom and vengeance.

In one image, Khamenei — then the president — appears alongside young fighters in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

Hossein Moghadassi, one of those who has been working on the site for days, said, “We are planting flowers and watering the shrubs for the farewell ceremony of our martyred guide”.

He was clad in a hat and a scarf to cover his face as temperatures soared, with trucks transporting hundreds of boxes of drinking water in anticipation of the mercury surpassing 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, the first of six days of national mourning.

“People will come from all over Iran. There will be huge crowds,” Moghadassi said.

‘Vengeance’

Authorities expect between 15 and 20 million people to participate in the funeral in Tehran alone.

The gates to the Grand Mosalla are set to open at 6:00 a.m. (0230 GMT) on Saturday.

Within the premises, dozens of ambulances and rescue vehicles have been parked in preparation for the funeral of the supreme leader, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

Black banners bear several of Khamenei’s most famous quotes, while an image of the late leader with a raised fist — a symbol of resistance against the West — was ubiquitous across the site.

Other banners read: “We are mourning, but we remain on our feet.”

The Mosalla’s main building, a mosque, will host the supreme leader’s remains over three days for “pilgrims”, according to the organisers.

On Monday, a procession will travel through the streets of the capital before arriving on Tuesday in the holy city of Qom.

Khamenei will be buried on July 9 in Mashhad in northeastern Iran, another holy city and the late ruler’s birthplace.

Iran’s top negotiator in talks with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Thursday called for a massive turnout as a way to avenge Khamenei’s death.

“I invite all the Iranian people… to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence,” said Ghalibaf, who is also Iran’s parliament speaker.

“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world.”