Iran’s Ghalibaf accuses US of seeking new war as Israel says military 'on highest alert'

Iraq’s Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ali Faleh Al Zaidi, chaired the first meeting of the Ministerial Council for National Security, where officials reviewed the country’s security situation and ongoing investigations into recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office.

The council renewed its condemnation of the attacks and stressed Iraq’s rejection of the use of its territory or airspace to target neighbouring countries.

A special committee was formed to coordinate with authorities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, while Al Zaidi directed security agencies to take all necessary measures against those responsible if Iraqi territory is confirmed to have been used as a launch point.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran’s naval and air capabilities had been effectively wiped out, while suggesting Washington could still launch further action unless Tehran agrees to a deal.

Speaking during a commencement address at the US Coast Guard Academy, Trump said: “Everything’s gone. Their navy’s gone. Their air force is gone. Just about everything.”

“The only question is, do we go and finish it up? Are they going to be signing a document? Let’s see what happens,” he added.

Yields on US Treasury bonds tumbled Wednesday after President Donald Trump said American negotiators were close to a potential peace accord with Iran.

"We're in the final stages of Iran, we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "We'll either have a deal or we're going to do some things that are a little bit nasty. But hopefully that won't happen."

The comments triggered pullback in the yield on the US 30-year Treasury bond, which fell to 5.12 percent after hitting a 19-year peak of 5.18 percent on Tuesday.

Global oil prices fell more than five percent on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said the US is in the "final stages" of negotiations aimed at ending the Middle East war.

Intertional benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, shed 5.2 percent to $105.47 a barrel.

The main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, tumbled 5.0 percent to $98.94 a barrel.

Israel's army chief Lieutenant Colonel Eyal Zamir on Wednesday said the military was at its highest alert level, as Tehran and Washington traded threats of war.

"At this moment, the IDF (military) is on the highest level of alert and prepared for any development," Zamir said at a meeting of all division commanders, according to a statement issued by the military.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards had earlier warned that the war would expand beyond the region if the US and Israel resumed attacks, after President Donald Trump said he would strike again unless Tehran agreed a peace deal.

Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday said the United States was seeking to restart the war and hoping the Islamic republic would surrender.

"The enemy's movements, both overt and clandestine, show that despite economic and political pressure, it has not abandoned its military objectives and is seeking to start a new war," Ghalibaf said in an audio message on his official website.

Ghalibaf's remarks came as Tehran and Washington escalated threats while swapping proposals to end the war, which broke out on February 28. A ceasefire has been in place since April 8.

On Wednesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that the war would expand beyond the region if the US and Israel resume attacks after President Donald Trump said he would strike again unless Tehran agreed a peace deal.

Ghalibaf said the US was still hoping Iran would surrender and respond favourably to Washington's "excessive demands", by maintaining economic pressure and a naval blockade in place since April 13.

Ghalibaf acknowledged the economic pressure on Iranians, while appealing for "national unity".

"Today it is clearer than ever that we are engaged in a war of wills. Whoever wins this war will write Iran's history and determine its future," he said.

UAE’s new West-East oil pipeline designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz is now nearly 50% complete, as the country pushes ahead with plans to strengthen energy export security.

Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said construction of the project was being accelerated towards a planned 2027 completion date.

“Today, it's already almost 50% complete, and we are accelerating its delivery toward 2027,” Al Jaber said during a live-streamed event hosted by the Atlantic Council on Wednesday.

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Saudi FM: Kingdom welcomes US diplomatic push on Hormuz crisis

Saudi Arabia has expressed strong support for US President Donald Trump’s decision to give diplomacy a chance to reach an agreement aimed at ending the war and restoring safe maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-February 28, 2026 levels.

In a post on X, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom also “highly appreciates” ongoing mediation efforts by Pakistan, which are seeking to advance negotiations between the relevant parties.

Riyadh urged Iran to seize the opportunity to avoid further escalation, calling for an urgent response to diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive agreement to ensure long-term regional and global stability.

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that forces were preparing a "forceful response" to potential renewed attacks by the United States and Israel.

"We must strengthen our preparations for an effective and forceful response to any potential attacks," said Ghalibaf in an audio message on his website, adding that "Iran will never give in to intimidation, under any circumstances."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy on Wednesday said they allowed over 25 vessels including oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours.

Iran has largely blocked shipping through the strait, a vital global energy conduit, since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on February 28.

Iran, which has been under a US naval blockade since April 13 despite a ceasefire, has insisted that ships transiting through the waterway must obtain permissions from the Iranian armed forces.

"Over the past 24 hours, 26 vessels - including oil tankers, container ships and other commercial vessels - transited the Strait of Hormuz," said the Guards' navy in a post on X.

It added that the ships passed after "coordination and security provided by the IRGC navy".

NATO chief Mark Rutte said Wednesday that the US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Europe would not harm defences, with Washington also expected to cut the forces it puts at the alliance's disposal.

"When it comes to this announcement, the 4,000 to 5,000, it is rotational forces not having an impact on NATO's defence plans," Rutte told journalists.

Washington announced this month it was pulling 5,000 troops out of Germany after a spat between President Donald Trump and Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran.

The abrupt nature of the decision and subsequent confusion over whether the force reduction would end up hitting Germany or Poland has rattled Europe.

Trump has lashed out at Europe over its response to his war with Iran and threatened repeatedly that he could consider quitting NATO.

A South Korean-operated vessel has successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday, marking the first such passage since the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the oil tanker is now continuing its voyage, with around 10 crew members onboard.

The ministry added that it had sought Iran’s cooperation to ensure the vessel’s safe passage through multiple diplomatic channels, while coordinating closely with relevant countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the terrorist drone attack launched from Iraqi territory targeting the peaceful Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, after one of the drones struck an electricity generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter on Sunday.

In a statement, the ministry said the UAE strongly denounced and rejected the criminal terrorist attacks originating from Iraqi territory that targeted vital civilian facilities in GCC countries.

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Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday voted to advance a bill submitted by the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which would dissolve parliament and pave the way for early elections.

In a preliminary reading, 110 out of the parliament's 120 lawmakers voted in favour and 0 against the bill, which will now pass to a committee before three more parliamentary readings.

Pakistan's interior minister headed to Iran on Wednesday for the second time this week amid an impasse between Tehran and Washington over a proposal to end the war, Iranian state media reported.

"Mohsin Naqvi travelled to Tehran to meet officials from the Islamic republic," Iran's official IRNA news agency reported, citing diplomatic sources in Islamabad.

Pakistan has been mediating between Iran and the United States, with Naqvi previously in Tehran on Saturday to "facilitate" the process between Tehran and Washington, according to Iranian media.

The Jordanian military announced it had shot down a drone of unknown origin in its airspace on Wednesday. No casualties were reported.

"This morning, the Jordanian Armed Forces engaged with a drone of unknown origin that entered Jordanian airspace and was brought down in Jerash Governorate, without any injuries," the military said of an area located around 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the capital Amman.

Agency (IAEA), praised the authorities of the UAE for their continued cooperation and the timely and regular sharing of technical information regarding affected nuclear facilities and their respective sites, stressing that immediate engagement with the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre is essential.

Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, warned that the targeting of the peaceful Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant represents a dangerous indication of the scale of the threat facing both regional security and the wider international order.

In a post on X platform, Gargash said the targeting of the Barakah plant by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq highlights the scale of the threats facing the region due to the absence of strong national state institutions and what he described as a clear violation of international law.

Russia and China did not reach an agreement on the new multi-billion dollar "Power of Siberia 2" gas pipeline - pushed by Moscow for years - in talks between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in Beijing, the Kremlin told Russian state media on Wednesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that while the two sides had reached a "basic understanding", including on "the route and how it will be built", there was no "clear timeline" and "there are still some details to be worked out".

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Wednesday that the Middle East war will extend beyond the region if the United States and Israel resume attacks on the Islamic republic.

"If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time spread far beyond the region, and our devastating blows will crush you," the Guards said in a statement on their website Sepah News.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia and China would pursue an "independent and sovereign" foreign policy together as he and President Xi Jinping signed declarations of cooperation in Beijing.

"Most important is that Russia and China are committed to an independent and sovereign foreign policy, are working together in close strategic cooperation and playing an important stabilising role on the global stage," Putin said, Russian media video showed.

The body overseeing the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza will ask the United Nations Security Council to press the Hamas militant group to disarm, according to AP.

The report by the Board of Peace, an international body set up by US President Donald Trump and tasked with overseeing the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, is expected to be discussed by the Security Council on Thursday when it meets on the situation in the Middle East.

“At this stage, the principal obstacle to full implementation (of the ceasefire) remains Hamas’ refusal to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control, and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza,” the report said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said further hostilities in the Middle East is "inadvisable", calling for a "comprehensive" ceasefire, as he spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, state media reported.

"A comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency, resuming hostilities is even more inadvisable and maintaining negotiations is particularly important," Xi told Putin, according to Xinhua news agency.

Beijing has agreed to work with Washington on reducing levies affecting tens of billions of dollars in goods, a commerce ministry statement said Wednesday, days after US President Donald Trump visited China.

Under the auspices of a newly established trade council, "both sides agreed in principle to discuss a framework arrangement for reciprocal tariff reductions on products of equivalent scale", covering "$30 billion or more on each side", the online statement said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chinese leader Xi Jinping that relations between their two countries have reached an "unprecedentedly high level", as the two leaders met in Beijing on Wednesday.

"Today our relations have reached an unprecedentedly high level, serving as a model of truly comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation," Putin told Xi, video from Russian media showed.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the "unyielding relationship" between China and Russia as he began talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, state media reported.

"We have been able to continuously deepen our political mutual trust and strategic coordination with a resilience that remains unyielding despite trials and tribulations," Xi told Putin, according to Xinhua news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed "strong, positive" momentum in cooperation between Russia and China, as he held talks with counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday.

"Even amid unfavorable external factors, our cooperation and economic cooperation is showing strong, positive momentum," Putin told Xi as the two met in the Great Hall of the People, video from Russian media showed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, video from Russian media showed.

Putin is seeking to underscore their unshakeable alliance, days after US President Donald Trump visited the Chinese capital.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, shaking hands with the Russian leader outside the Great Hall of the People ahead of talks, video by Russian media showed.

Putin and Xi walked down a red carpet rolled out to greet the Russian leader, and stood as a military band played their two national anthems.

Beijing: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday, seeking to underline their unshakeable alliance in the wake of Donald Trump's visit to the Asian superpower economy.

Trump had been received with pomp last week but left without major breakthroughs including on help with reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Putin also arrives in Beijing weakened by years of its war on Ukraine, as sanctions by Western powers put the squeeze on Russian energy revenues.

The US Senate has advanced a measure seeking to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to launch future military action against Iran without congressional approval, passing the procedural vote 50–47.

The UN Security Council members strongly condemned the terrorist attacks that targeted the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, and emphasised the grave risks associated with targeting nuclear facilities.

The UAE also joined the Council members in calling for ensuring full accountability.

JD Vance told reporters he is “not certain” a deal with Iran will materialise, as cited "fractures" within Iran’s leadership, adding that Tehran’s negotiating position remains "unclear" amid mixed signals from different power centres in the country.

Vance, however, said he remains sufficiently optimistic to keep working toward an agreement as diplomatic efforts continue alongside military pressure.

US President Donald Trump stated that he has paused a planned military attack on Iran, saying he would "hold off" for a “limited period of time” to allow for ongoing negotiations — even as he warns a new strike could happen soon if talks fail.

Trump said he was reportedly “an hour away” from ordering a fresh assault before postponing it, and suggested the delay could last “two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week — a limited period of time.” He stressed the pause is temporary because “we can’t let them have a new nuclear weapon.”

The UAE Ministry of Defence announced that over the past 48 hours, UAE air defence systems successfully detected and intercepted six hostile drones that attempted to target civilian and vital areas in the country.

US Central Command said its forces continue 'total enforcement' of the U. blockade targeting Iranian maritime activity, reporting that 89 commercial vessels have now been redirected to ensure compliance.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said the operation aims to stop the flow of commercial traffic into and out of Iranian ports, as part of ongoing enforcement measures in the region.

The command added that vessels are being diverted in coordination with maritime operations designed to restrict sanctioned shipping routes linked to Iran.

Day 81: Iran’s position 'unclear', deal 'uncertain': VP Vance

Day 80: Trump says 'holding off on attack on Iran tomorrow'

Day 79: Trump says 'clock is ticking' for Iran

Day 78: Iran plans new Strait of Hormuz toll system

Day 77: Israel and Lebanon extend ceasefire by 45 days: US

Day 76: World leaders call for security in Strait of Hormuz

Day 75: Trump arrives in Beijing for summit with Xi

Day 74: Iran signals potential 90% Uranium enrichment

Day 73: Trump calls Iranian response 'totally unacceptable'

Day 72: 'As of today, Tehran’s restraint is over': Iran official

Day 71: Iran keeps US waiting on response to peace plan

Day 70: US fires on Iran tankers as talks hang in balance

Day 69: Iran creates agency to control shipping at the Strait of Hormuz

Day 68: Trump threatens 'higher level' bombing of Iran if deal not agreed

Day 67: 'Project Freedom' paused 'for a short period': Trump

Day 66: UAE intercepts 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, 4 drones