Iran war live: Trump says US naval blockade of Hormuz removed after talks

By Usaid Siddiqui, Nils Adler and Abby Rogers

• President Donald Trump says there will be no further US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, insists Iran has agreed to allow nuclear inspections despite statements from Iranian officials that it ⁠has not done so.

• Israeli troops open fire in the Lebanese town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa – killing two people and wounding others – in what Hezbollah called a “blatant” truce violation against civilians.

• Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says an agreement has been reached with the United States to release $12bn in frozen Iranian funds.

• Trump says Tehran agreed to allow international nuclear inspections and any released Iranian assets will be solely used to buy US agricultural products.

91 Updates

• 8m ago

   (15:00 GMT)

  Pakistan has played a very important role in talks

  By Kamal Hyder

  Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

  Pakistan has support not just from friendly countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkiye and Egypt, but also from China.

  Trump and Vance have been praising Pakistan’s role in the mediation. The Iranian confidence in Pakistan as an intermediary puts Pakistan in a very important position.

  But there are obviously difficulties, because Islamabad had hosted talks that, of course, despite the fact that they were near an agreement, did not happen.

  However, Pakistan decided to continue its tireless efforts. The army chief then went to Tehran again, and Pakistan exchanged notes, acting as an interlocutor and taking notes from Tehran to Washington and from Washington to Tehran, in order to break the impasse.

  
  

• 23m ago

   (14:45 GMT)

  Stalemate over Iran frozen assets a major sticking point

  By Mike Hanna

  Reporting from Washington, DC

  The issue of frozen assets was addressed in the MoU, but the exact definition was meant to be clarified in subsequent negotiations.

  In the talks so far, there are two versions on the table. The US says it will release $12bn of those assets, on the condition that the money is used to purchase US goods. Iran rejects this, insisting it will decide how those frozen assets are to be used.

  Iran is expecting to receive around $24bn in frozen assets. Its understanding of the MoU – the framework for these ongoing negotiations – was that $12bn would be released upon the signing of that document. However, this has not happened.

  You now have [US Vice President JD] Vance saying there are conditions attached and that the funds must be used to buy American goods. This is a view shared by Trump. So this is an issue that has to be resolved, because it is a major sticking point in these negotiations.

  
  

• 33m ago

   (14:35 GMT)

  Death toll rises from Israeli attacks on Lebanon

  The Lebanese Health Ministry says the number of people killed during Israel’s months-long invasion has risen to 4,192.

  The figure jumped after the ministry added 17 new deaths over the past 24 hours. At least 12,171 Lebanese have also been wounded since Israel’s war restarted on March 2.

  At least two people were killed today after Israeli forces opened fire on what Hezbollah said was a road clearance team in southern Lebanon. Israel’s military called the victims “terrorists”.

• 
  

  38m ago

   (14:30 GMT)

  Iran president meets Pakistani army chief Asim Munir

  By Abid Hussain

  Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who arrived in Islamabad earlier in the afternoon, met Pakistani Army Chief and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir.

  The visit – his first foreign trip since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 – comes a day after Pakistan and Qatar announced that the opening round of US-Iran talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland, had yielded a 60-day roadmap towards a final agreement.

  During his meeting with Munir, Pezeshkian praised Pakistan’s role in promoting dialogue and de-escalation, acknowledging Islamabad’s efforts to encourage a peaceful resolution “at a time of heightened geopolitical challenges,” according to a statement from the military’s media wing, ISPR.

  Subsequently, Pezeshkian received a guard of honour at the prime minister’s house. He is now scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

  
  

• 48m ago

   (14:20 GMT)

  Lebanon’s president demands end of ‘Israeli occupation’ in the south

  We have been reporting on the fifth round of direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington, DC.

  In relation to the talks, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun says, “The developments of the past few days have proven the correctness of our choice to go to negotiation, for it is the only path relied upon at the level of the entire world to achieve national goals and restore all rights.”

  In a statement on X put out by his office, Aoun expressed hope that the latest round of negotiations would be “decisive” in achieving Lebanon’s objectives, including “restoring Lebanon’s full sovereignty over every inch of soil and extending the state’s authority over all our land”.

  “Today we say that we will accept nothing less than the end of the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon and the collapse of foreign mandates together,” said the Lebanese president. “Our only choice is our national sovereignty, and our sole bet is the Lebanese state – which alone, and nothing else – protects everyone, preserves the freedoms and dignities of all.”

  
  

• 58m ago

   (14:10 GMT)

  Pressure on Netanyahu from Trump as well as within Israel

  By Nida Ibrahim

  Reporting from Ramallah, occupied West Bank

  We have heard a lot of statements by Israeli officials in the past 24 hours confirming that the Israeli army has the freedom to operate against threats in southern Lebanon.

  This is something we can understand as some sort of reassurance to the public.

  This is an election year, and every politician is trying to get their point across, of strength, and of defiance, but in reality they know that there has been US pressure on the Israelis not to conduct any offensive attacks against Hezbollah.

  That’s why they’ve been trying to frame the incident in southern Lebanon as something that the Israeli army has had to act upon, because it was a defensive act against the Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

  There’s a lot of pressure on the Netanyahu government, not just from Trump, but also from the Israeli audience.

  They have been seeing that the Israelis have been talking about disarming Hezbollah, about diminishing the attacks that are coming from the group against communities in northern Israel, but they could not fulfil that.

  
  

• 1h ago

   (14:00 GMT)

  ‘Major steps forward’ in US release of Iran’s seized assets

  Muhammad Ali Shabani, a Middle East scholar and editor of the Amwaj.media platform, says the US agreeing to allow Iran to receive oil sales in US dollars is a “huge” win for Tehran.

  “I think there’s definitely scope for optimism, and I would look chiefly in the way this kind of dialogue is being institutionalised. As we’re seeing it unfold, we have multiple working groups, we have experts continuing talks in Switzerland right now, and with reference to the frozen funds, I think they made major steps forward,” Shabani said.

  The “bigger picture” is the United States issuing a waiver to permit the export of Iran’s vast oil and petroleum products, and allowing Tehran to receive money in US dollars for the sales, which was banned previously, he told Al Jazeera.

  “This matters quite a lot … this is huge. This is something that wasn’t even possible during the 2015 Iran nuclear deal … So I think there are a lot of contentions left to resolve, but there’s still a lot of optimism because the steps we’ve seen so far have been quite substantive.”

• 1h ago

   (13:50 GMT)

  Fifth round of US-sponsored Lebanon-Israel talks begin

  The fifth round of talks between Lebanon and Israel has started at the State Department in Washington, DC, our colleagues on the ground are reporting.

  Lebanon’s President Aoun has also said the new round of talks could be decisive.

• 
  

  1h ago

   (13:40 GMT)

  Progress on Hormuz but hundreds of ships still stranded

  By Tohid Asadi

  Reporting from the Strait of Hormuz

  Sanctions have been a key point of concern for the Iranians when it comes to a pathway for diplomacy. We have to keep in mind there’s been years of domestic mismanagement and international sanctions that have badly drained Iran’s economy.

  Having the sanctions removed on Iran is being interpreted as a victory here. Iranians now are saying success has been met in that regard. Sanctions related to the export of oil have been removed. That comes after a waiver announcement by the US office of foreign asset control that’s valid through August 21.

  How released frozen funds will be spent is still a matter of controversy between Tehran and Washington.

  Diplomatically things are getting a little bit better. Today, we’ve got a joint statement by the Omani and Iranian sides saying they are talking about mechanisms to reopen trade through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a positive indication.

  However, it remains to be seen how long it’s going to take for the strait to reopen, and until then, we see hundreds of ships stranded on both sides of Hormuz.

• 1h ago

   (13:20 GMT)

  Iran envoy denounces Israel’s deadly shooting in Lebanon

  Asked about the latest incident, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva told reporters any violation of the memorandum of understanding in Lebanon will create challenges for negotiations.

  “Lebanon is an unquestionable part of the agreement, and whatever happens in Lebanon affects the whole process, and it ⁠is the United States which should use all its leverage against Israel to make it to stop attacks against Lebanon,” said Ali Bahreini.

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that troops have “full freedom of action” to thwart any Hezbollah direct or emerging threat against invading soldiers or Israeli citizens in the north.

  He added Israeli forces will remain occupying southern Lebanon for “as long as is necessary”.

  
  

• 2h ago

   (13:10 GMT)

  Iran says card-based banking hit by cyberattack on three lenders

  Iran’s state-owned banking technology provider says attacks disrupted services at Bank Melli, Bank Saderat and Bank Tejarat.

  This had prompted a temporary suspension of all card-related operations at the three banks to prevent further unauthorised access, the company told state TV, with cybersecurity teams working to restore normal operations.

  The company’s public relations head said ATM services, point-of-sale terminals and mobile applications linked to card systems were all affected.

  Major banks, including Melli, Saderat, Tejarat and the Export Development Bank of Iran, have faced disruptions first reported on June 14 after a cyberattack targeting a shared communication infrastructure, Iran’s banking coordination council has said.

  Iranian state media said these took several days to resolve.

  Officials have said the earlier incident, which Iranian media reported took several days to resolve, did not compromise customer data. There has been no official statement on who Iran believes was behind the recent cyberattacks.

  Iranian authorities have previously blamed hostile foreign actors, such as Israel, for similar incidents. Israel has previously not commented on such allegations.

  
  

• 2h ago

   (13:00 GMT)

  Lebanese delegation arrives for talks with Israel in Washington

  The Lebanese delegation has arrived for a new round of US-mediated negotiations with Israel in Washington, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

  Lebanon is represented by Ambassador Nada Mouawad, while the Israeli delegation is headed by Ambassador Yehiel Leiter. US officials are also participating in the talks.

  The discussions mark the fifth round of negotiations between the two sides and come amid a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon.

  The latest talks follow US-Iran negotiations that resulted in a ceasefire agreement on June 19 and the creation of a “Lebanon de-confliction cell” tasked with supporting efforts to maintain the cessation of military operations in Lebanon.

  
  

• 2h ago

   (12:50 GMT)

  If you’re just joining us

  Let’s bring you up to speed with the latest developments:

  • Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and top diplomat Abbas Araghchi have arrived in Pakistan for a state visit after a round of US-Iran talks in Switzerland. Earlier, Pezeshkian had said the talks’ effectiveness depends on the parties’ “full commitment” to “agreed obligations”.

  • US President Donald Trump says the Strait of Hormuz would remain open “with no further naval blockade” and Iran has agreed to the “highest level nuclear inspections”.

  • Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says Tehran has no plans in place for international inspections of its nuclear facilities.

  • Israeli forces have opened fire in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh al-Fawqa, killing two men and injuring another person, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

  • The deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, Mahmoud Qamati, warns that Hezbollah will respond “in kind” to any Israeli ceasefire violation.

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel should free itself of dependency on US arms and develop its own armament system.

  
  

• 2h ago

   (12:40 GMT)

  Hamas urges Palestinians to confront settlement projects in West Bank

  Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi has called on people in the occupied West Bank, particularly in the governorate of Jenin, to confront Israeli projects that threaten to seize large amounts of land and take control of strategic regions.

  “The land confiscations, demolition orders, and construction halts targeting homes, economic facilities, and agricultural projects in the town of Silat ad-Dhahr, south of Jenin, necessitate a serious stand to deter this aggression against the Palestinian presence in the West Bank,” Mardawi said in remarks posted on Hamas’s Telegram channel.

  Mardawi warned that remaining silent about these projects and plans portends a catastrophic situation for residents and farmers.

  He expressed his confidence in the people of the West Bank, who, he said, have long resisted the occupation and defended their land and homes.

  
  

• 2h ago

   (12:30 GMT)

  Oman, Iran reaffirm commitment to safe passage through Hormuz

  The two sides are meeting in Muscat to discuss matters relating to the strait in accordance with the provisions set forth in the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

  Both countries reaffirmed their support for the MoU and the importance of “continuing dialogue and coordination in support of its successful implementation”, the Oman News Agency reported.

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• 2h ago

   (12:20 GMT)

  Ben-Gvir says Israel can say no to Trump, should not accept Lebanon ceasefire

  Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says Israel is capable of defying Trump if it needs to as he insists the ceasefire in Lebanon is unacceptable.

  Responding to a question from Israel’s Arutz Sheva media network, Ben-Gvir said Israel could “of course” reject an appeal from the US president.

  On Lebanon, he said there should be “no ceasefire” – “under no circumstances”.

  Ben-Gvir also said the right-wing governing coalition he is a part of could stay in power after Israel’s elections this year, but “we will need to work at it”.

• 3h ago

   (12:10 GMT)

  Arab states uniting against Iran would be a mistake: Russia

  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has made the remarks during a roundtable discussion in Moscow.

  “We believe that it would be a mistake if Arab countries began to unite against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he was quoted as saying by state-owned RIA Novosti news agency. “Thank God we haven’t seen such ideas.”

  Russia and Iran are close allies that cooperate in a wide range of areas from military to economic.

  
  

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• 3h ago

   (12:00 GMT)

  Unclear if deadly Israeli attack will spark new Lebanon exodus

  By Heidi Pett

  Reporting from Tyre, southern Lebanon

  What we know is that Israeli forces opened fire on a number of people on the outskirts of the city of Nabatieh.

  When I was speaking with officials from Hezbollah in recent days and asked about its adherence to the ceasefire, what they said is they would adhere to it if the Israelis did. So the question now is whether we will see a response from Hezbollah, which will touch off another round of hostilities here on the ground

  People here are not particularly optimistic the ceasefire will hold. Two days ago in Nabatieh, the local municipal authorities told people specifically not to return because they weren’t sure it was safe.

  However, the roads across southern Lebanon were busy again this morning. We’ll see whether this latest incident will spark another load of heavy traffic back to Beirut in the north.

• 3h ago

   (11:50 GMT)

  Trump has ‘tremendous leverage’ to tame Israel – but will he?

  Ali Akbar Dareini of the Center for Strategic Studies says the United States has agreed to end the wars in both Iran and Lebanon in line with its memorandum of understanding with Tehran.

  “The US has given the commitment on behalf of itself and Israel to end both wars and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon,” he told Al Jazeera from Tehran.

  However, Israel continues to violate the deal with its ongoing attacks and occupation of Lebanese territory. “Americans have failed to honour their commitments,” Dareini said.

  Netanyahu is “extremely unhappy” with the US-Iran interim agreement, he noted.

  “Trump has tremendous leverage to tame Netanyahu and constrain Israel, and the question now is whether Trump has the political will to constrain Netanyahu or not.”

  According to Dareini, Netanyahu is counting on the idea “he can violate the ceasefire and attack Lebanon, force Iran to retaliate and expect the US to come to its aid to restart the war”.

  
  

• 3h ago

   (11:40 GMT)

  Developing nations face ‘mother of all energy shocks’: UN chief

  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns that the US-Israel war on Iran has triggered a deep crisis for developing nations.

  “Conflict in the Middle East has unleashed the mother of all energy shocks,” Guterres posted. “For many developing countries, this is not just an energy crisis. It’s a debt, food and development shock.”

  The warning comes as Washington and Tehran continue high-stakes negotiations to finalise an agreement to end the war, which the US and Israel launched on February 28 and which has severely impacted global energy supply chains.

  Guterres noted that while any eventual diplomatic settlement would provide “much-needed relief”, the economic consequences are likely to be “long-lasting”.