Iran war live: Revolutionary Guard 'opens fire on US fighter jet and downs drone'

Iran said on Tuesday, May 26 that the US violated the ceasefire by striking targets near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's foreign ministry said the strikes in southern Iran represented a "gross violation" of a tenuous ceasefire in place for nearly seven weeks.

The US said its attacks were defensive, targeting missile sites and boats attempting to lay mines.

Photographs have captured the devastation caused by Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) has reported that Israeli strikes on the country on Tuesday killed 31 people and wounded 40 others:

• Strikes on Burj Shemali killed 14 people were killed, including two children, and wounded 16 others
• A strike on Kawthariyat al-Ruz killed five people and wounded six others, including two children
• Strikes on Habboush killed four people, including two children, while 10 others were wounded
• Six people were killed and six others were wounded, including one child, in Maarakeh
• Two people were killed and two others injured in Selaa

The IRGC has said that 25 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with its navy and with Tehran’s permission, according to a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The vessels included oil tankers, container ships and other commercial vessels, the statement said. "Any aggression will be responded to with crushing blows," it added.

In his latest Truth Social post, Donald Trump has slammed the "Dumacrats and Media" for their coverage of the Iran war.

He claimed that even if Iran were to shout "I surrender, I surrender" and "admit their defeat to the great power and force of the magnificent U.S.A.", The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and other media outlets would "headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America".

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied reports that the US Navy has restarted escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz again.

It stressed that 'Project Freedom' - which the US launched on May 4 - has not resumed.

In Lebanon, at least 3,213 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

A further 9,737 people have been wounded, the ministry said.

Iran's vice president Mohammad Reza Aref says the country has taken the "first step" towards restoring full internet access, ending one of the longest-running national internet shutdowns ever recorded worldwide.

"In line with the government’s promise, the first step towards free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken," Aref said on X.

Iran cut internet access after joint US-Israeli attacks on February 28. Officials suggested the aim was to prevent surveillance, espionage and cyber-attacks.

Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani discussed the US-Iran war in a call with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, according to a statement from Doha.

The officials touched on Pakistan's mediation efforts and how their countries can "support and enhance them", the statement said.

The two countries stressed the need to "address the roots of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, leading to a sustainable agreement that prevents the renewal of escalation," it added.

An Iranian military chief has warned that any further violations of the ceasefire by US-Israeli forces would see the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps respond with even "heavier" and "stronger military force.

“If the region enters another round of war, Iran’s response will extend beyond regional borders and will be much heavier and stronger,” senior military spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi told Iranian state media on Tuesday.

His words come after US forces carried out a series of airstrikes in Southern Iran on Monday evening, despite agreeing to a 40 day ceasefire on April 8.

Donald Trump's former national security advisor says he believes the United States is heading towards a "catastrophic loss" in its war with Iran, and hopes that the ongoing peace talks "fail."

John Bolton, a longtime Iran hawk who pressured Trump to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal during the president's first term, told CNN host Pamela Brown that the current ceasefire was a "mistake" that will give the Islamic Republic time to regroup and rearm.

“Are you feeling optimistic about this memorandum, given that we’ve seen negotiations break down before when it comes to the finer points of Iran’s nuclear program?” Brown asked the former advisor.

“Well, I hope the negotiations break down, because every day that goes by is a gift to Iran,” Bolton responded. “It gives them 24 more hours to recover from the pummeling they took during the six weeks of U.S.-Israeli attack. It gives them time to try and reconstitute their government, which increasingly looks dysfunctional in decision-making capability. And it postpones the day of reckoning.”

Bolton went on to call the negotiations a "mistake," adding “I think we’re on the verge of something that ultimately history will decide was a catastrophic loss for the United States.

“We have done significant damage to the Islamic Republic of Iran. And right now, we’re letting them undo the damage. And that is a real tragedy, not just for us, but for the people in the region, too.”

Iran's negotiating team has demanded the release of $24 billion in frozen assets as a key component of any peace deal with the United States.

The Iranian government, which does not trust the US to honour any potential deal, has said it seeks tangible results as a precursor to further talks, and has intructed Central Banks to release $12bn immediately as a sign of commitment to the deal, with the other half to be unfrozen within 60 days, Al Jazeera reports.

The issue, which would be a major concession from the US, is considered so important by Tehran that their top negotiator, Mohammad Baqr Qalibaf, is believed to have travelled personally to Qatar to oversee the talks.

Around $100 in Iranian assets stored in foreign banks have been frozen since the start of the war, which accounts to roughly a third of the country's GDP. The release of the funds would offer the Islamic Republic a major economic lifeline, and signal a major concession from the US over its initial objective of overthrowing the Iranian regime.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claim to have shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone on Tuesday after it allegedly violated the country's airspace.

Iranian state media reports that the country's air defence systems also targeted both an RQ-4 intelligence drone and a US F-35 fighter jet, forcing them to flee the area.

The MQ-9 Reaper is among the most expensive military drones in operation today, with each one costing around $30-$35 million to produce. Iran is believed to have destroyed around two dozen Reaper drones since the war began, according to a report by Bloomberg, which is belived to have cost the US around $1 billion.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei says Gulf powers will no longer be a shield for United States bases.

Writing on Telegram he wrote that the US will no longer have a safe haven in the region, as Tehran and Washington discuss a framework to end their three-month-old war.

Four dead Iranian soldiers have been identified following US strikes on boats, says news outlet Tabnak, believed to be close to former Revolutionary Guard chief Mohsen Rezaei.

Iranian state television has also reported blasts around Bandar Abbas, a city on the Strait of Hormuz home to a military port and a dual-use airport.

The strikes were the latest attacks to shake the weekslong ceasefire in the war. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded once passed, remains effectively in Iran’s chokehold, disrupting global energy markets.

ANI news agency has reported that Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that he does not believe his country should join the Abraham Accords.

The Abraham Accords are a series of US-brokered agreements to normalise diplomatic, security and economic relations between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries.

Asif is quoted as saying to Samaa TV: "Personally, I don’t think that we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies. We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that a deal with Iran is still being discussed.

"There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we'll see if we can make progress," Rubio told reporters.

"I think it's a lot of talking, back and forth, going on about specific language in the initial document, so it'll take a few days," he said.

"The president’s expressed his desire to make it. He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal."

The US strike targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boat trying to emplace mines, the captain said.

"Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines."

"U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire."

Fox News reported on Monday that US forces ‌conducted "self-defense strikes" in southern ⁠Iran, citing a ‌military ⁠spokesperson.

US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said in a statement:

Multiple explosions have been reported in costal areas near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media reported on Monday, May 25 that explosions ‌were heard east of Iran's Bandar Abbas city.

The cause of the explosions remains unknown.

The strait has been closed since the conflict started almost three months ago. Iran closed the strategic trade route in response to joint US and Israel strikes on several key Iranian sites.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has noted that some some progress has been made in Pakistan-mediated talks with the US on "a large portion of the discussion topics".

This does not mean that "the signing of an agreement is imminent", he adds.

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has joined the country's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati in Doha, Qatar, today.

The trio are reportedly discussing "the most sensitive unresolved issues" with Qatar's prime minister to reach a memorandum of understanding with the US, Al Jazeera reports.

Iran says 32 ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz after "obtaining permission with the coordination and security of the IRGC Navy".

Donald Trump says negotiations with Iran are "proceeding nicely" as he urged Muslim nations to join the Abraham Accords.

The US president said it will only be a great deal for all or, no deal at all - with the latter meaning a return "to the battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before".

Trump added it should be mandatory for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain to sign onto the Abraham Accords, given "all the work done by the US to try and pull this very complex puzzle together".

"It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be," he added.

"I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition."

Iran has reportedly shot down "a hostile drone" over the waters of the Gulf, according to the Fars news agency.

"This operation, which was carried out using a system with hidden capabilities, is a clear and decisive message from Iran," the report said quoting unnamed officials.

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araqchi have arrived in Doha, where they'll be speaking with Qatar's prime minister on a potential US-Iran deal to end the war, an official briefed on the visit said.

The discussions will be focused on the strait of Hormuz and Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the official told Reuters.

Iran's central bank governor is also expected to discuss the potential release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a final agreement, the official added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has privately told his close confidants that Israel has little influence over Donald Trump's decision-making on Iran.

The Israeli PM had reportedly expressed concerns about the memorandum of understanding currently being negotiated towards a peace deal in Iran, reports Reuters.

Two Israeli officials with knowledge of the conversations spoke of Netanyahu's comments on condition of anonymity, the publication said.

He demands to continue operations against perceived threats on all fronts, including Lebanon - a caveat that could derail a deal if Iran insists on a complete halt to stikes in southern Lebanon.

Pakistan's top negotiator, army chief Asim Munir, has travelled to China with the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as efforts continue to conclude a peace deal to end the Iran war.

Speaking to Chinese leaders in Beijing alongside Munir, Sharif said: "The world is passing through a critical moment."

"Things are moving in the right direction. I would like to thank China’s support to promote peace," he added.

Oil prices fell more than 4% to two-week lows on Monday as optimism grew that the United States and Iran were moving closer to a peace deal, even though they remain at odds over key issues such as blockades on the Strait of Hormuz.

Prices touched their lowest since May 7.

On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington and Iran had "largely negotiated" an understanding on a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which carried a fifth of global shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas before the conflict.

However, the two sides remain at odds over several difficult issues, with Trump saying on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any deal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday, as Washington played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war.Rubio told reporters in New Delhi that the U.S. would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before exploring "alternatives", after President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any Iran deal.

There was a "pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the strait, get the strait open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off," Rubio said.

A day earlier, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would "remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed".

"Both sides must take their time and get it right," he added.