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Iran's top negotiator says US aiming to force Tehran's 'surrender'
Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that Washington was seeking Tehran’s surrender through various means, including a naval blockade.
“The enemy, in its new design, is seeking, through a naval blockade, economic pressure and media manipulation, to destroy the country’s cohesion in order to force us to surrender,” Ghalibaf said in a voice message published on his official Telegram channel.
The influential speaker of the Iranian parliament did not elaborate on the prospects for a peace plan with the United States, as Tehran continues to review elements of a US proposal.
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Closing summary
We’re wrapping up this live coverage now but a full report is here, and below is a recap of the day’s major developments. Thanks for joining us.
Donald Trump said a deal with Iran to end the war was “very possible” after “very good talks” over the past 24 hours. While again claiming Iran “badly” wants to make a deal, the US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday: “We’ll see whether or not they are agreeing. And if they don’t agree, they’ll end up agreeing shortly thereafter. That’s the way it is.” Trump later told a tele-rally that he expected the war would “be over quickly”.
Iran said on Wednesday it was reviewing a US peace proposal that sources told Reuters would formally end the war while leaving unresolved the key US demands that Iran suspend its nuclear program and reopen the strait of Hormuz.
Israel’s military attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in weeks amid the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF was targeting the unnamed commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force.
A source close to Hezbollah said a senior Radwan commander was killed in the Israeli attacks and named him as “Malek Ballout, the operations commander in the Radwan force”, Agence France-Presse reported.
US Central Command said US forces in the Gulf of Oman “enforced blockade measures by disabling an Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker” that was attempting to sail towards an Iranian port. Centcom said repeated warnings were given to the vessel and the crew failed to comply, so US forces shot at and disabled the vessel from a navy jet.
Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plan to help ships through the strait of Hormuz came after key Gulf ally Saudi Arabia suspended the US military’s ability to use its airspace and a base to carry out the operation, NBC News quoted two US officials as saying. They said Trump’s announcement of “Project Freedom” via social media on Sunday surprised Gulf allies and angered the Saudi leadership, the report said.
French president Emmanuel Macron called for “all parties to lift the blockades” to allow for the resumption of traffic in the Hormuz strait, after a meeting with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian.
Pope Leo surprised 13 priests from southern Lebanon by joining a video call from Rome on Wednesday, telling them they were in his prayers and that he hoped peace would soon prevail along the border.
Trump says Iran war will be over 'quickly'
Donald Trump has told a rally that he expects the war in Iran will be over quickly.
“When you look at the kind of things that are happening, we are doing that for one very important reason: we cannot allow them to have a nuclear weapon,” the US president told a tele-rally for a Republican governor candidate on Wednesday night, quoted by Reuters.
So I think most people understand that. They understand that what we are doing is right, and it’ll be over quickly.
Pope Leo surprised 13 priests from southern Lebanon by joining a video call from Rome on Wednesday, telling them they were in his prayers and that he hoped peace would soon prevail along the tense border.
The Lebanese Catholic and Maronite priests were asked to attend an online morning meeting with the Vatican’s ambassador to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia. Once online, Borgia told them Leo XIV was also present and would like to speak with them.
The 13 priests from southern villages and towns near the border with Israel were pleasantly surprised, the Associated Press reports.
The pontiff “gave us peace and his blessings”, said Father Najib al-Amil, the parish priest of Rmeish, who attended the online meeting.
His words were reassuring, particularly as we live in constant worry over here.”
The Israeli military says it has intercepted a suspicious aerial target launched towards Israel from Lebanon after warning sirens sounded in northern Israel overnight.
It said on Telegram that the sirens sounded in Manara, Margaliot and Kiryat Shmona.
Missiles and rocket alerts were activated due to concerns of falling debris from the interceptor.”
It came after Israel launched its first attacks on Beirut in nearly a month on Wednesday, saying it was targeting a commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan force.
Trump reversal on Hormuz strait plan came after Saudi backlash – report
Donald Trump’s abrupt U-turn on his plan to help ships through the strait of Hormuz came after a key Gulf ally suspended the US military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation, NBC News is quoting two US officials as saying.
They said Trump’s announcement of “Project Freedom” via social media on Sunday surprised Gulf allies and angered the leadership of Saudi Arabia, the report said. In response the kingdom informed the US it would not allow the US military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan airbase south-east of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort, the officials said.
The NBC report continued:
A call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue, the two US officials said, forcing the president to pause Project Freedom in order to restore US military access to the critical airspace.
Other close Gulf allies were also caught off guard; the president spoke with leaders in Qatar after the effort had already begun.”
NBC quoted a White House official as saying in a statement when asked about some Gulf state leaders being caught off guard by Trump’s announcement of the Hormuz operation: “Regional allies were notified in advance.”
Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strikes – report
A source close to Hezbollah is saying a senior commander of the group’s elite Radwan force was killed in Israel’s attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, Agence France-Presse is reporting.
The source told the news agency on condition of anonymity that “Malek Ballout, the operations commander in the Radwan force”, was killed in Wednesday’s strikes – the first on the area in weeks amid a ceasefire.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said his military targeted “the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force”.
Lebanon’s state-run News Agency had reported that “Israeli warplanes launched an attack, targeting Ghobeiri” in the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
A building was seen covered in rubble after the strike as people left the area with their belongings.
A Lebanese security source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the strike hit an apartment in which Radwan leaders were holding a meeting.
At least 11 other people were killed in strikes across the south and east, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
The day so far
Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that a deal with Iran to end the war was “very possible” following “very good talks” over the past 24 hours. Repeating his usual lines about how “badly” Iran “wants to make a deal” and how the US has “won” the war, the US president added: “We’ll see whether or not they are agreeing. And if they don’t agree, they’ll end up agreeing shortly thereafter. That’s the way it is.”
Israel’s military carried out strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in weeks since the Israel-Lebanon truce went into force on 17 April. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF was targeting the unnamed commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out extensive air and artillery attacks and raids in southern Lebanon, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah targets. Israel has killed dozens of people in these attacks and continues to force residents across the area to leave their homes and villages. Hezbollah says it has continued to strike back in retaliation for these “violations” of the truce. Lebanon’s health ministry puts the total number of people killed since 2 March, when Israel launched its unprecedented offensive, at more than 2,700 people and over 8,300 wounded.
US Central Command said US forces in the Gulf of Oman “enforced blockade measures by disabling an Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker” that was attempting to sail towards an Iranian port. Centcom said repeated warnings were given to the vessel and the crew failed to comply, so US forces shot at and disabled the vessel from a navy jet.
French president Emmanuel Macron called for “all parties to lift the blockades” to allow for the resumption of traffic in the strait of Hormuz, following a meeting with Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian. “All parties must lift the blockade of the strait, without delay and without conditions. We must durably return to the regime of full freedom of navigation that prevailed before the conflict,” Macron said in a post on X. “The return of calm in the strait will help advance negotiations on the nuclear issue, the ballistic issue, and the regional situation.”
'All parties must lift the blockades,' says Macron
Emmanuel Macron earlier called for “all parties to lift the blockades” to allow for the resumption of traffic in the strait of Hormuz, following a meeting with Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday.
“All parties must lift the blockade of the strait, without delay and without conditions. We must durably return to the regime of full freedom of navigation that prevailed before the conflict,” the French president said in a post on X.
He also condemned “the unjustified strikes against Emirati civilian infrastructure and several ships”. Iran has denied recent attacks on the United Arab Emirates, despite the UAE’s defence ministry reporting several waves of missile and drone interceptions, as well as a strike on the Fujairah oil industrial zone, in recent days.
Citing the multinational mission proposed by France and the UK seeking to secure shipping in the critical waterway, Macron went on: “Recent events clearly demonstrate the usefulness that such a mission would have. I have invited the Iranian president to seize this opportunity, and I intend to discuss this matter with President [Donald] Trump.”
“The return of calm in the strait will help advance negotiations on the nuclear issue, the ballistic issue, and the regional situation,” he added.
First responders gather at the site of Israeli airstrikes in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday.
'If they don't agree, they'll end up agreeing': Trump says deal with Iran 'very possible'
Earlier, Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that a deal with Iran to end the war was “very possible” following “very good talks” over the past 24 hours.
Repeating his usual lines about how “badly” Iran “wants to make a deal” and how the US has “won” the war after decimating Tehran’s military capabilities, Trump added:
We’ll see whether or not they are agreeing. And if they don’t agree, they’ll end up agreeing shortly thereafter. That’s the way it is.
Trump repeated his claim that Iran has agreed to never have a nuclear weapon “among other things”, a claim that has not been confirmed by Tehran.
He also told reporters that there is “never” a deadline for a negotiated agreement.
The US president was later asked a question on getting enriched uranium from Iran as he left an event in the East Room of the White House.
“We’re going to get it,” Trump told the reporter.
Asked how the United States would do this, Trump repeated: “We’re going to get it.”
Niamh Rowe
Since users of the leading prediction market Polymarket have been able to wager on the outcomes of war, fears have been raised that those betting on bombs falling from the sky may be privy to non-public information about military strikes. There has been much reported about suspicions of insider trading on war, but who exactly is believed to be placing these bets has remained unclear.
In February, Israeli authorities charged two suspects with committing security offences, bribery and obstruction of justice, alleging they used classified information to bet on the timing of military operations on Polymarket.
The claims in the indictment follow reporting in the Guardian in January, which revealed a cluster of jointly funded Polymarket accounts wagering on strikes involving Iran and Israel between June 2025 and January 2026, generating profits of about $156,000, according to publicly available blockchain data.
Since then, there have been growing reports of possible insider trading on prediction markets – where traders can bet using crypto wallets, particularly around the Iran war, with suspicious accounts racking up millions of dollars in profits.
Now, after local journalists successfully appealed to narrow a gag order, Tel Aviv court documents allege more about the people who prosecutors say have profited by betting on lethal military strikes and how they received their information.
The United Arab Emirates said its ties and its international and defense partnerships were a “purely sovereign matter,” rejecting an earlier statement by Iran saying that Abu Dhabi’s cooperation with the US threatened Iran’s security and national interests.
The UAE’s foreign ministry said the Gulf country reserves its full sovereign, legal, diplomatic and military rights to address any “threat, allegation or hostile act”.
The dispute between the two countries come after the UAE reported being attacked in the past days by Iran after four weeks of relative calm since the ceasefire was announced by the US.
Tehran denied carrying out operations against the UAE in recent days, however it warned of a “crushing response” if any action was launched from the UAE against Iran.
A CMA CGM container ship was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, injuring crew members and damaging the vessel, while another vessel run by the French group exited the Gulf.
The San Antonio was hit on Tuesday, with injured seafarers evacuated for medical treatment, CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping line, said.
Another CMA CGM ship, the Saigon, was sailing along the coast of Oman south of the country’s capital Muscat, after tracking as being inside the Gulf up to Tuesday, vessel data showed.
The company confirmed the vessel had exited the Gulf, Reuters reports.
