US-Iran war LIVE updates: US weighs fresh Iran strikes, under ‘Operation Sledgehammer’, as Trump returns from China

US Iran war LIVE: A Suezmax tanker identified as carrying Iraqi crude is approaching India after apparently crossing the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.

The tanker Karolos appeared in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday as it sailed away from the Strait of Hormuz toward India, reporting a draft that indicated it’s fully loaded. The ship was previously seen near Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates a week earlier, heading in the opposite direction.

The tanker is identified by ship-tracking company Kpler as carrying Iraqi crude loaded at Basra on May 10-11. An image from the European Union’s Sentinel 2 satellite shows a ship of the same colouring and dimensions at one of the Basra loading buoys on the morning of May 11. (Bloomberg)

US Iran war LIVE: The USS Gerald R Ford, the United States Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier and the largest warship in the world, docked at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday, completing an 11-month deployment that stands as the longest operational carrier deployment since the Vietnam War. Read full report here

US Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump wrapped up his visit to China on Friday after holding key meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, while his top aides have reportedly prepared plans for fresh military action against Iran, including a new name for the conflict, if the current ceasefire collapses.

Notably, the US had paused ‘Operation Epic Fury’, the name used for its strikes on Iran, last month and instead moved to a port blockade as a pressure move. Tehran responded by saying it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless Washington ended the blockade. Read full report here

US Iran war LIVE: Russia has backed China’s call for a permanent ceasefire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s envoy to international organisations in Vienna, said on X: “Russia fully shares such an approach,” referring to comments by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

Wang said a solution to issues in the Strait of Hormuz “lies in achieving a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire” between Washington and Tehran. He added that President Xi Jinping had told Donald Trump that “force cannot solve problems and dialogue is the only right path”.

US Iran war LIVE: Former US negotiator Alan Eyre said a nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran is unlikely without sustained talks and basic confidence-building steps.

“There’s no secret sauce to negotiating with the Iranians,” he said, adding they “know the portfolio… the history… the details,” and it is “just a question of putting in the time.”

He warned any deal would require “serious and sustained negotiations,” and questioned whether the Trump administration was “willing to roll up its sleeves… and spend the time” needed for a comprehensive agreement.

Eyre stressed, “You don’t need full trust… You only negotiate with your enemies. But there has to be some trust.”

“There is zero trust between the two sides,” he said, adding that only confidence-building measures could create momentum.

US Iran war LIVE: Amid reports of possible strikes on Iran, US president Donald Trump shared a cryptic message on his Truth Social platform.

US Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials have signalled openness to renewed negotiations amid rising tensions in the region, Aljazeera reported.

US Iran war LIVE: US Central Command has said that the US military has “redirected” 78 commercial ships during its continued blockade of Iranian ports.

CENTCOM added that at least four ships were “disabled to ensure compliance.”

US Iran war LIVE: Iranian state television said Saturday that European countries were in talks with Tehran over transit for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Following the passage of ships from East Asian countries, notably China, Japan and Pakistan, we received information today indicating that Europeans have also begun negotiations with the Revolutionary Guards navy” state television reported, without elaborating.

US Iran war LIVE: Pakistan’s interior minister arrived in Tehran on Saturday “to facilitate” the peace talks between Iran and the United States that have stalled despite a fragile ceasefire, Iranian media reported.

His visit to Tehran comes days after that of Pakistan’s influential army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

US Iran war LIVE: The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, dispatched to the Middle East ahead of the outbreak of war with Iran, returned home to the United States on Saturday after a 326-day deployment, the Pentagon said.

The Ford’s deployment saw it take part in US operations in the Caribbean and later the Middle East to participate in combat operations against Iran. (AFP)

US Iran war LIVE: Iran said transit through the critical Strait of Hormuz will flow once the conflict with the US and Israel is over, but the sides are no closer to resolving their differences or finding a path to achieve it.

President Donald Trump returned from a two-day summit with Iran’s close ally, China’s Xi Jinping, where both agreed the strait should be open but made no apparent progress toward that goal.

Iran has shown little interest in loosening its hold on the waterway, insisting it wants to maintain a degree of control even after the end of the war. Iran’s threats on ships in the Persian Gulf have brought exports from the oil-rich region to a near-standstill, sending energy prices soaring and giving Tehran significant leverage in talks with the US.

“Naturally, once the current state of insecurity is resolved, navigation conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was cited as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency.

Iran will implement effective and professional monitoring and control mechanisms in the Strait of Hormuz within the framework of international law, Pezeshkian said without elaborating. He added Iran remains committed to a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. (Bloomberg)

US Iran war LIVE: Head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee Ebrahim Azizi on Saturday said that Iran has prepared a “professional mechanism” to regulate maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz through a designated route, which will be unveiled soon.

In a post on X, Azizi said the proposed mechanism has been developed within the framework of Iran’s national sovereignty and with the aim of ensuring the security of international trade. He further stated that only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would be permitted to benefit from the mechanism. Azizi also said that the proposed route would remain closed to operators associated with the so-called “freedom project” (United States).

“Iran, within the framework of its national sovereignty and the guarantee of international trade security, has prepared a professional mechanism to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz along a designated route, which will be unveiled soon. In this process, only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran will benefit from it. The necessary fees will be collected for the specialized services provided under this mechanism. This route will remain closed to the operators of the so-called ‘freedom project’,” said the ‘X’ post from Azizi. (ANI)

US Iran war LIVE: US president Donald Trump has warned Iran it will have a “very bad time” if a peace deal is not agreed on soon. “They have an interest in reaching an agreement,” Trump told French broadcaster BFMTV in a telephone interview.

US Iran war LIVE: India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Parvathaneni Harish outlined India’s approach towards tackling the ongoing energy and fertiliser crisis amid the conflict in West Asia, stressing the need for a combination of short-term and long-term measures backed by international cooperatioHarish said he participated in the Special Meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC) on safeguarding energy and supply flows. He emphasised that a mix of immediate and structural measures, along with international cooperation, would be essential to effectively respond to the crisis. Harish also reiterated India’s concerns over disruptions to maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Shared India’s approach to the recent energy and fertiliser crisis in light of the West Asia conflict at the Special Meeting of the UNECOSOC on Safeguarding energy and supply flows. A combination of short-term and structural measures alongside international cooperation are essential to respond to the crisis. Reiterated that targeting of commercial shipping, endangering civilian crew and impeding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, are unacceptable. International law in this regard must be fully respected,” Harish wrote on ‘X’ (ANI)

US Iran war LIVE: Iran said transit through the critical Strait of Hormuz will flow once the conflict with the US and Israel is over, but the sides are no closer to resolving their differences or finding a path to achieve it.

“Naturally, once the current state of insecurity is resolved, navigation conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was cited as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency.