Iran mulling closure of Strait of Hormuz amid continuing conflict
Iran was mulling closing the Strait of Hormuz, a Revolutionary Guard commander told local media in an interview, as fighting continued into the second day of conflict.
Sardar Esmail Kowsari, said that closing the Strait of Hormuz "is under consideration, and Iran will make the best decision with determination."
More than 24 hours after Israel's initial strike on Iranian targets which killed three Iranian military commanders, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued airstrikes on targets in Iran on Saturday.
"The [Israeli Air Force] continues to strike targets to remove threats in Iran," the IDF posted on Telegram on Saturday morning alongside footage of aerial strikes.
The development followed Iran's launch of a wave of retaliatory missile strikes into Israel overnight and into Saturday morning in response to Israel's attacks on its nuclear facilities and missile sites.
Retaliatory strikes by Iran killed three people and injured dozens of others in Israel, while Iran's ambassador to the UN said 78 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Iran.
Read our report of the day's events as they unfolded.
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France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Israel, Iran trade missile fire as Trump warns Tehran to 'evacuate'
Despite growing calls for the longtime foes to end hostilities, neither Israel nor Iran showed any signs of cutting short the missile blitz kicked off Friday, when Israel launched an unprecedented series of aerial raids targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities. After a new wave of Israeli strikes on Iran's capital -- including a dramatic attack on a state TV building -- both countries activated their missile defence systems overnight into Tuesday, with Israel's army briefly urging residents to seek shelter from incoming Iranian missiles. The Chinese embassy in Tel Aviv warned its citizens to leave the country immediately, as the United States said it was deploying "additional capabilities" to the Middle East, according to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz departed Southeast Asia on Monday after cancelling plans to dock in Vietnam, amid reports it was headed to the Middle East to boost the US presence there. But a White House spokesman stressed that US forces in the Middle East remained in a defensive posture, despite the flurry of activity. Trump has repeatedly declined to say if the United States would participate in Israeli military action, although he says it was not involved in the initial strikes. After calling on the two sides to make a deal, the US leader issued an extraordinary warning on his Truth Social platform. "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump wrote without offering further details, before cutting short his attendance at the G7 in Canada to head back to the White House. - 'One after the other' - After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel launched a surprise aerial campaign against Iran last week, with the stated aim of preventing Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons -- an ambition it denies. Iran has launched several waves of missiles in retaliation for Israel's attacks, with Iran's Revolutionary Guards boasting Monday evening that the attacks would continue "without interruption until dawn". The sudden flare-up has sparked fears of a wider conflict, with Trump urging Iran back to the negotiating table after Israel's attacks derailed ongoing nuclear talks. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said a missile strike lightly damaged a building used by the American embassy in Tel Aviv, while the US State Department warned citizens on Monday not to travel to Israel due to security concerns. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel so far and hundreds wounded, according to the prime minister's office. Israel's strikes have killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities. Netanyahu told a press conference Monday evening that Israel was eliminating Iran's security leadership "one after the other". "We are changing the face of the Middle East, and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself," he said. 'Stop' civilian strikes International calls for calm have mounted. At the Group of Seven summit in the Canadian Rockies, leaders including Trump called Monday for "de-escalation" while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself. "We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza", G7 leaders said in a joint statement that also affirmed "Iran can never have a nuclear weapon". China called on Israel and Iran to both "immediately take measures to cool down the tensions" and avoid plunging the region into deeper turmoil. The United States and Iran had engaged in several rounds of indirect talks on Tehran's nuclear programme in recent weeks, but Iran said after the start of Israel's campaign that it would not negotiate while under attack. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that "absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue". "It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy," he wrote on X. A senior US official told AFP Trump had intervened to prevent Israel from carrying out an assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Netanyahu did not rule out the possibility when asked about the reports during an interview with ABC News.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
🔴 Live: Trump urges 'everyone' to evacuate Tehran
Israel and Iran attacked each other for a fifth straight day on Tuesday, and US President Donald Trump urged Iranians to evacuate Tehran, citing what he said was the country's rejection of a deal to curb nuclear weapons development. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments. Yesterday's developments: Israel and Iran on Monday traded strikes for a fourth day. Iranian officials reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, since the start of the conflict, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Israeli strikes damaged Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant. President Donald Trump left the G7 summit early on Monday citing tensions in the Middle East. Trump called for the immediate evacuation of Tehran. Iran's Foreign Minister and chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi said Israel's strikes against his country "deal a blow" to diplomacy. Iran's strikes on Israel are self-defence, Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the UN Nations Security Council on Monday. White House said it is not true that US is attacking Iran.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Oil prices jump after Trump's warning, stocks extend gains
Donald Trump left the G7 summit early, saying he had to deal with the crisis in the Middle East Hopes that the deadly conflict can be contained helped most equities rise, while the US president's earlier claim that the Islamic republic wanted to make a nuclear deal also provided a little optimism. After Friday's surge sparked by Israel's attacks on its regional foe, crude ticked more than one percent lower Monday as traders bet that the battle would not spread throughout the Middle East and key oil sites were mostly left untouched. But prices edged back up after Trump took to social media calling for the evacuation of the Iranian capital, which is home to nearly 10 million people. "Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign," he said, referring to nuclear talks that were taking place. "What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Oil prices spiked around two percent Tuesday before paring some of those gains, but the comments kept investors on edge amid warnings that an escalation of the crisis could send the commodity soaring again. Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left Southeast Asia on Monday after cancelling a Vietnam visit, with the Pentagon announcing it was sending "additional capabilities" to the Middle East. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Israel's campaign was "changing the face of the Middle East". Trump has maintained that Washington has "nothing to do" with its ally's campaign, but Iran's foreign minister said Monday that the US leader could halt the attacks with "one phone call". Traders had been a little more upbeat after the US president -- who is in Canada for the G7 summit -- had said Iran wanted to make a deal, saying "as soon as I leave here, we're going to be doing something". He later left the gathering in the Rockies, telling reporters: "I have to be back as soon as I can. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff." Tehran had signalled a desire to de-escalate and resume nuclear talks with Washington as the United States did not join conflict, according to the Wall Street Journal. Stocks mostly rose in Asian trade, with Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei leading gains, though Shanghai and Hong Kong struggled. "Risk assets are enjoying a positive start to the new week amid signs the Israel-Iran war remains limited to the two countries without signs of a possible escalation into a wider conflict," said Rodrigo Catril at National Australia Bank. "Iran is reportedly seeking de-escalation talks, but Israel is not showing signs of slowing down." The gains followed a positive lead from Wall Street, where traders are keeping tabs on the G7 summit world leaders pushed back against Trump's trade war, arguing it posed a risk to global economic stability. Leaders from Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan, Germany and France called on the president to reverse course on his plans to impose even steeper tariffs on countries across the globe next month. Also in view are central bank decisions this week, with the Bank of Japan due to make its latest decision on interest rates later in the day. Officials are expected to hold interest rates steady but tweak their bond purchase policy. Key figures at around 0230 GMT West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.6 percent at $72.94 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.4 percent at $74.25 per barrel Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.5 percent at 38,501.08 (break) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.1 percent at 24,038.68 Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,385.61 Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1552 from $1.1562 on Monday Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3569 from $1.3579 Dollar/yen: UP at 144.92 yen from 144.79 yen Euro/pound: UP at 85.14 pence from 85.12 pence New York - Dow: UP 0.8 percent at 42,515.09 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 8,875.22 (close) © 2025 AFP
