Middle East crisis live: Trump orders US to ‘shoot and kill’ boats laying mines in Hormuz strait; Israel-Lebanon truce extended | US-Israel war on Iran
important events
Asian stock markets fell and oil prices rose due to the impact of the US-Iran conflict
Oil prices continued their rise on Friday as Asian stocks were mostly lower Negotiations on ending the war against Iran continued to stall.
US futures Wall Street is on the decline after retreating from all-time highs.
of Tokyo Nikkei 225 gained 0.6% due to heavy buying in technology stocks. It reached an intraday record high on Thursday.
of hong kong hang Seng lost 0.8 percent Shanghai Composite The index fell 0.5 percent.
South Korea’s kospi fell 0.4% and in Australia S+P/ASX 200 According to the Associated Press report, it fell by 0.6 percent.
Taiwan’s Taiex It rose 2.5%, with chipmaker TSMC, which forms a key part of the index, gaining more than 4%.
Price of a barrel Brent crude oil Deliveries in June rose 3.1% to $105.07 on Thursday, rising above $107 at one point. The price of the Brent barrel for July delivery, which is the most preferred contract by traders, settled at $99.35 after rising to $101.
Early Friday, Brent crude rose 0.4% to $99.70 per barrel, while U.S. benchmark crude rose 0.6% to $96.62 per barrel.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.
Donald Trump He ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats laying mines. Strait of Hormuz and claimed that US minesweepers were “currently clearing the strait” amid a stalemate on the main waterway.
Trump made the boat announcement in a social media post on Thursday after US special forces boarded a stateless oil tanker in the Indian Ocean. Pentagon The claim that it carries Iranian crude oil has increased tensions with Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz.
The US President also announced that a ceasefire had been declared. Israel And Lebanon will be extended by three weeks.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office along with those attending the meeting, Trump said he hoped the leaders of the two countries would meet during an additional three-week cessation of hostilities.
Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada MoawadTrump, who attended the meeting to request an extension of the ceasefire, thanked him for hosting the talks and said: “I think we can make Lebanon great again with your help and support.”
In other developments:
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Trump says US hit about 75 percent of our targets in Iran and that an agreement had not yet been reached because Iran was “in turmoil.” Trump added to reporters in the Oval Office that he would not use nuclear weapons against Iran while the conflict continues with no clear end in sight.
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Trump also said the United States “has complete control over the Strait of Hormuz.” It casts doubt on Iran’s seizure of two container ships and a US report warning it could take six months to clear the strait of mines.
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Israel’s killing of a Lebanese journalist in an attack was met with international outrage, with the Lebanese prime minister calling the attack a “war crime”. Amal Khalil, 43, was killed in what colleagues described as a sustained attack by Israeli forces; As rescuers tried to pull him from the rubble of a building, he was targeted and prevented from providing life-saving aid.
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Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said that there are no “hards” or “moderates” in Iran. In response to Trump’s claim that there is internal division in Iran’s leadership. Separately, Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Iranian state institutions “continue to act with unity, purpose and discipline.”
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Italian sports officials say Italy is not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming World Cup This follows a suggestion from a Trump administration official. Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said “this is not a good idea”, while finance minister Giancarlo Giorgetti called the proposal “shameful”. The US said it had no objection to Iranian players participating in the Cup, but they would not be allowed to bring with them people with ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
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Pope Leo XIV Urged US and Iran to return to talks to end war and condemned the death penalty, calling for a new “culture of peace” to replace the use of violence.
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It remains unclear whether the USA and Iran will hold a new round of negotiations in Pakistan amid efforts by mediators there to reach a peace agreement.
