Iran war live: World awaits Trump decision on ceasefire deal to open Hormuz

Trump has not yet approved the deal and Iran has yet to comment on news of the proposed deal.

The agreement would extend the truce for a further 60 days and allow traffic to flow through the Strait of Hormuz while negotiators tackle issues such as Iran's nuclear program, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has condemned the Trump administration's recent threats against Oman.

It came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned the US would "aggressively" impose sanctions on the country if it were to help Iran establish a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz.

Baghaei called the threats as "an attempt to blackmail an independent state that is a member of the United Nations and another sign of the moral bankruptcy of the US system of governance and politics".

He said threatening sanctions was an "illegal act" and the "international community should respond responsibly to this approach, preventing the increasing normalisation of violations of international legal norms".

Iranian air defences have reportedly intercepted and destroyed a "hostile aircraft" in the Bushehr province, a major coastal area directly along the Persian Gulf, according to Iranian media.

"The incident that occurred tonight was related to the destruction of a hostile aircraft," the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the governor of Jam County, Masoud Tangestani, as saying. "The city is now in a normal situation."

According to state broadcaster IRIB, the interception took place between around 11pm and 12am local time.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke to reporters during a press briefing at the White House earlier today.

He did not directly answer a question about the status of negotiations between the US and Iran, but said the two countries "have been going back and forth".

Referring to Trump, Bessent said: "He's not going to take a bad deal."

Donald Trump has expressed his appreciated for Qatar's role in supporting Pakistani mediation efforts between the US and Iran.

The president spoke with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani over the phone today, the Qatari leader’s office said.

Sheikh Tamim stressed the importance of pushing for diplomatic solutions in hopes of preventing further tensions.

Trump responded by "praising Qatari efforts to bridge differences and promote de-escalation in the region", the statement said.

US sources have reportedly confirmed that US and Iranian negotiators have agreed on a framework for a 60-day ceasefire extension deal, but it still needs President Donald Trump's approval.

American media outlet Axios says the agreement would see the Strait of Hormuz reopen with Iran clearing all mines in the waterway within 30 days. It reports Iran would pledge not to build a nuclear weapon and the US will discuss sanctions relief as well as the unfreezing of Iranian assets.

The US military on Thursday slammed Iran for violating a fragile ceasefire after Kuwait reported coming under attack in the latest flare-up that threatened ongoing negotiations to end the war.

US Central Command said that Kuwait had intercepted missiles launched by Iran late Wednesday night, calling the Iranian attack on one of America's top allies in the Persian Gulf an "egregious ceasefire violation."

Kuwait had earlier announced an attack on its territory, and Iran said had retaliated after strikes earlier in the week by firing on a US base in an Gulf state it did not name.

The Iranian government has demanded the full release of around $300 billion in frozen overseas assests as a precursor to any peace deal with the US and Israel.

"We are seeking the release of all Iranian assets blocked by the United States, and this is the legal right of the Iranian nation," said Ali Baqeri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, on Thursday.

A deal to end the war with Iran has “got to be perfect”, Donald Trump has said, arguing he did not go through the three month-long conflict to “get a crummy agreement”.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, the US president claimed Tehran was “negotiating on fumes” and wanted to reach a settlement, but pointed out issues remained as he again raised the threat of renewed attacks to “finish the job”.

He also warned Oman would have to “behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up”, following reports the Gulf state had been in talks with Iran over setting up a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz.

The president made his comments after earlier mixing up Venezuela with Iran as he referred to the Middle East conflict.

Iran's armed forces targeted a US airbase after an American attack near Bandar ⁠Abbas ⁠airport, the Tasnim news agency reported. The IRGC also warned of a "more decisive" response. "The enemy knows that aggression will not go unanswered," it said.

It comes after the US said it had launched "self-defence strikes" targeting boats that were allegedly laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Several news outlets have reported that the US shot down four Iranian attack drones around the Strait of Hormuz.

Citing unnamed US officials, it has been reported that the US also hit a ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The Strait of Hormuz covered by international law that guarantees foreign vessels the right to pass through.

Reuters news agency has reported that the US has carried out fresh strikes on an Iranian military site, citing an unnamed US official.

The site reportedly posed a threat to US forces and commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Fars news agency reported three explosions heard east of of Bandar Abbas at around 1.30 am local time.

Iran has said Donald Trump's "rhetoric" will not push it back from "red lines" that must not be crossed, including the right to enrich and possess uranium.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee, made the defiant remarks just hours after the US President said the Iranians want to make a peace deal but "haven't gotten there".

In a post on X, Azizi said Iran's red lines include "the right to enrich uranium, possession of enriched uranium, authority over the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of sanctions".

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Iranian authorities have announced that Isfahan International Airport has reopened.

Operations at the airport were disrupted for more than 80 days as a result of the US-Israeli war on Iran, the ISNA news agency reported.

The Israel Defence Forces have ordered people in Lebanon living south of the Zahrani River to evacuate - marking a significant expansion of Israel’s offensive in the country.

This means people in around 14 per cent of Lebanon's territory, spread across roughly 300 towns and villages, have been told to leave their homes, Sky News reports.

Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,269 people in Lebanon since March 2, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said. It added that at least 9,840 others have been injured.

During a cabinet meeting earlier today, Donald Trump reiterated his demand that Iran's Arab neighbours join the Abraham Accords.

The Abraham Accords are a series of US-brokered diplomatic and commercial agreements signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco in 2020 during Trump’s first term.

Trump said it would be "historic" if the countries that have not signed were to join, adding: "They owe that to us." He continued: "I'm not sure we should make the deal, if they don't sign."

He refused to confirm whether the Iran deal would be contingent on other countries joining the Abraham Accords.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to mark Eid al-Adha celebrations.

Sharif said in a post on X that he reiterated "Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the brotherly people of Iran over the tragic loss of precious lives during the current crisis and emphasized that Pakistan will always stand by Iran as a sincere friend and neighbour".

"I expressed hope that the ongoing peace efforts would soon lead to an enduring agreement, paving the way for regional stability, prosperity and cooperation," he said.

Sharif also said Pezeshkian expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s "sincere efforts for peace in the region".

Donald Trump threatened to attack Oman if the Gulf country partners with Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz.

"Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have," Trump said at the cabinet meeting earlier today.

"Nobody’s going to control [the strait]. It’s international waters, and Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine."

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While introducing members of his cabinet during a meeting at the White House, President Donald Trump joked that Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth “loves war.”

"We have great people, and the secretary of war, Pete Hegseth - central casting - he loves war … he’s a good man," Trump said while introducing his cabinet.

As a reminder, the White House earlier said Iranian state media reports of a draft ⁠of an unofficial framework for ‌a memorandum ‌of understanding between ⁠Tehran and the United States was not true and that the ‌cited memorandum ‌is “a ⁠complete fabrication”.

The report said the draft agreement allowed for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened and commercial vessel numbers restored to pre-war levels within a month, and the US military to lift their naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Iran and Oman would handle the management and routes of shipping through the Straight of Hormuz, Iranian state TV said.

Donald Trump has been speaking about rising petrol prices following the blockade of oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The primary urgency is that we can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon," the US president says.

"We have tremendous amounts of energy. We're blessed with something very special. Those prices are going to come down. They're going to come down fast."

Marco Rubio has said the US and Iran have made "some progress" towards a peace deal.

"We'll see over the next few hours and days where the progress could be made," the US secretary of state said, adding that Donald Trump has other options if "the negotiated, diplomatic route" does not work.

"The bottom line is that Iran is never going to have a nuclear weapon," he said during the ongoing cabinet meeting.

Donald Trump has been speaking about the war with Iran during a cabinet meeting at the White House.

The US president reiterated claims about the dire state of Iran’s economy, political leadership and military.

He claimed that Tehran "thought they’d outwait me" in efforts to reach a deal. "They want very much to make a deal," he added.

"So far, they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be. Either that, or we'll have to just finish the job."

White House assistant press secretary Olivia Wales has said talks between Washington and Tehran "are proceeding nicely".

“As President Trump has said, negotiations are proceeding nicely and he has made his red lines clear," Wales told Fox News in an email.

"President Trump will only make a good deal for the American people, which must ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."

Earlier, the White House rejected Iranian state media reports of a draft interim peace deal between Washington and Tehran, calling the purported memorandum of understanding "a complete fabrication".

As we wait for Donald Trump to begin his cabinet meeting at the White House, reports are emerging from Iran.

A fire has broken out in an administrative building at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport this afternoon, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reports.

Shortly afterwards, state media reported that at least one person was killed and two others were injured in an incident at Iran's largest petrochemical complex in the city of Asaluyeh. The nature of the incident is not yet clear.

The US has rejected Iranian state media reports of an interim peace deal draft between Washington and Tehran, calling the purported memorandum of understanding "a complete fabrication".

Iranian state TV claimed that it had obtained a draft of an unofficial framework, which would see the US withdraw its military forces and lift its blockade in exchange for Iran restoring commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month.

The White House Rapid Response team wrote on X: "This report from Iranian controlled media is not true and the MOU they 'released' is a complete fabrication. Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out. FACTS MATTER."

President Donald Trump will meet with his Cabinet on Wednesday after Iran's Mizan news agency reported the framework of a deal is in place.

As he prepares to talk with his top aides, Trump has been projecting confidence that he’s closing in on a deal that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide him a credible argument that Iran’s nuclear capability has been diminished enough to declare victory, winding down a conflict that’s been politically unpopular for Republicans.

Details over a nuclear agreement though remain unclear.

“United States has committed to withdrawing its military forces from Iran’s surrounding environment, whether this includes forces deployed to the region or forces stationed at bases requires negotiation,” said the Mizan news agency.

“If a final agreement is reached within a 60-day period, this agreement will be approved in the form of a binding UN Security Council resolution.”

Iran is understood to be ready to allow commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz but will do nothing until it sees "tangible verification" that the US is following the agreement.

There is an "initial unofficial framework for a memorandum of understanding" with the US, says Iranian state media media.It would mean the US military forces withdraws from Iranian proximity and lifts the naval blockade on its ports.At the same time, Iran would not stop commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.