Iran's late supreme leader urged end to 'no war, no peace' state with US, Pezeshkian says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that late supreme leader Ali Khamenei had repeatedly stressed in private meetings the need to end the state of “no war, no peace” between Iran and the US.

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly 36 years, was killed in a US-Israeli strike on Feb. 28 at the start of a joint offensive by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran.

Speaking at a ceremony marking National Industry and Mining Day, Pezeshkian praised Khamenei's leadership in shaping Iran's strategic direction, particularly on ending the uncertain situation between conflict and peace, according to the official IRNA news agency.

“The supreme leader emphasised in private meetings the necessity of ending the state of 'no war, no peace,'” Pezeshkian said.

He said Iran entered negotiations “based on the country's honour, wisdom and dignity,” adding that the government's diplomatic efforts were aimed at protecting the nation's interests.

“Our diplomatic institutions will never retreat from the rights of the Iranian people,” Pezeshkian said.

IRGC says it targeted US troop complex in Jordan, claims several soldiers killed

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday its Aerospace Force targeted a complex housing US forces in Jordan’s Al-Rukban area, northeast Jordan, killing several soldiers, IRNA reported.

In a statement, the IRGC said the attack was carried out as part of the 24th wave of Operation Nasr 2.

There was no immediate comment from Jordan or the US on the IRGC’s claims, which could not be independently verified due to the ongoing conflict.

UAE condemns Iran’s ‘hostile attacks’ on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan

The United Arab Emirates said Iranian attacks on its neighbours are a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the brotherly nations and a threat to their security and stability”, according to Al Jazeera.

The Foreign Ministry reiterated the UAE’s “full solidarity” with the three countries and its “support for all measures aimed at safeguarding their security and stability”.

Kuwait says Iran strikes its energy, water infrastrucure

Kuwait said Iran again attacked its power and desalination plants, causing damage to the facilities, according to Al Jazeera.

It was the fourth consecutive ‌day of strikes that caused fires at a number of critical sites, Kuwait’s ministry of ⁠Electricity, Water and ⁠Renewable Energy stated.

Fires ⁠were extinguished, ⁠damage is ⁠being assessed, and repairs are ongoing, ‌the ministry added.

Alarm sirens in Bahrain sound off during new Iranian barrage

Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain on Tuesday as Iranian strikes continued to target several regional countries amid an exchange of attacks with the US.

In a statement, the Bahraini Interior Ministry urged citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe location.

Sirens in Bahrain have sounded four times over the past 24 hours. Iran targeted the Gulf kingdom with some missiles and drones throughout Tuesday.

Bahrain’s military said it intercepted and destroyed a number of incoming projectiles.

Five Iranian drones intercepted by Jordan

Jordan said it neutralised five incoming drones from Iran, the country’s state news agency reported on Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera.

Earlier today, Iran’s IRGC claimed several strikes against US military targets in Jordan, including a missile defence radar system and an F-15 jet.

Iran says attacks on Bahrain targeted US military base

The Iranian army announced that it targeted the US Sheikh Isa military base in Bahrain with drones, the state news agency Fars reported, as per Al Jazeera.

According to the army, the base is one of the key facilities for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and is at the centre of US operations.

It added that offensive operations would continue until “the enemy is deterred from continuing its attacks on the country”.

Vessel struck by unknown projectile off UAE coast, steering gear damaged: UKMTO

A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile Tuesday about 17 nautical miles east of Dibba in the United Arab Emirates, damaging its steering gear, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said.

It said all crew members were safe and that the incident had no environmental impact.

UKMTO said the incident was being investigated by authorities, and advised vessels in the area to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

Strait of Hormuz to remain closed as long as US attacks continue, Iranian media report

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, citing a military source, reports that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as long as aggressive US actions continue.

The source told Fars that Tehran would not grant permission for any vessels to pass through the strategic waterway.

“The Strait of Hormuz is in full control of the Iranian armed forces,” the source was quoted as saying. “Any decision to reopen or continue restrictions on this passageway will be made solely based on security considerations and national interests, and this situation will not change as long as US threats and hostile actions continue.”

IRGC claims strike on Amazon data infrastructure in Bahrain

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday its Aerospace Force targeted central data infrastructure belonging to the US company Amazon in Bahrain with several cruise missiles, semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

In a statement, the IRGC claimed that the targeted Amazon infrastructure in Bahrain was destroyed.

There was no immediate comment from Bahrain, the US or Amazon on the claim, which could not be independently verified.

ASEAN calls for maximum restraint, immediate halt to US-Iran hostilities

The Southeast Asian nations on Tuesday called on the US and Iran to exercise “utmost self-restraint” as the renewed conflict undermines the ongoing efforts of key mediators for a peaceful solution.

“We expressed serious concern over the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East, particularly the renewed hostilities” involving the US and Iran, read a joint communique by top diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

They met for their annual 59th meeting in Manila, capital of the Philippines, the current chair of the 11-member bloc.

“We are deeply concerned that these developments severely undermine the ongoing efforts of key mediators and diminish the prospects for a peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy,” the statement added.

The top ASEAN diplomats “called on all parties concerned to exercise utmost self-restraint and avoid any acts that may further aggravate the situation.”

“We underscored the importance of maintaining regional peace, stability and prosperity, upholding international law, and promoting genuine dialogue and diplomacy in addressing conflicts and tensions, including the need for a complete and immediate cessation of hostilities across all fronts in the Middle East,” they added.

The call for calm comes amid ongoing exchange of fire between the US and Iran despite a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding they signed in June to end their war and reach a lasting peace agreement.

Pakistan and Qatar have played the main mediators, urging the warring sides to halt strikes and return to the pre-July 9 status.

New UK government faces US pressure over access to strategic military bases

The US will expect the new UK government to allow it to use its strategic military bases while it continues its war on Iran, according to a British newspaper, as per Al Jazeera.

Trump is “pressing the new prime minister to maintain access to RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia”, The Telegraph reported.

Shortly after Andy Burnham took over as UK prime minister on Monday, the US president held a call with him.

The previous UK government under Keir Starmer did not allow the US to use the British Diego Garcia base on Chagos Island to launch its B2 bombers initially, but later adjusted its stance, allowing the US to use it for defensive operations, including attacks on “degrading Iran’s military capability”.

Yemen defence minister says army ‘ready to fight to end the Houthi coup’

Yemeni Defence Minister Taher al-Uqaili said on Tuesday that the army of the internationally recognised Yemeni government was ready “to wage the war for freedom”.

In a statement published on the defence ministry’s website, Uqaili stressed the armed forces’ readiness at “the highest level of combat and morale to end the Houthi coup, which has caused so much suffering to our people, and to wage the war for freedom”.

The minister appealed to Yemenis living in Houthi-controlled areas to “protect their children and not throw them into a losing war waged by mercenaries of the Iranian regime”.

Clashes between government forces and Houthis have resumed in some areas of the country.

Houthis announce Saudi naval blockade, threatening new front in US-Iran war

Yemen's Houthis said on Monday they ​would impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front against the United States in its war against Iran and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.

The ‌escalation comes after the Pentagon on Monday identified two US soldiers who were killed when Iran attacked an American base in Jordan on Friday, while they also said they had found unidentified remains that could be those of a third soldier reported as missing in action. Separately, a fourth service member was killed in northern Iraq during the "controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone."

After the Houthis announced their blockade, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said in a statement that it would respond to ​them with force, and also that it began implementing protection measures for its ships moving through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key export route for Saudi oil after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Read: US informs Israel of plans to intensify attacks on Iran

The Houthis made their announcement despite ​signs that Tehran and Washington want to resume diplomacy to halt a worsening cycle of attacks that has all but wrecked a fragile interim agreement signed last month. Iran's Foreign Ministry ⁠said mediators had presented "proposals" to Tehran, signalling that diplomatic contacts remain active, but gave no details.

Oil prices rose briefly after the Houthi statement but later fell back as traders held out hope of a diplomatic breakthrough. The insurance cost of shipping goods through the ​Red Sea rose on the increased risks for merchant shipping.

Iran had been pressing the Houthis to close the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea if the US continued to attack Iranian power infrastructure.

A full closure of the strait would reduce global oil supply ​by 7% as it would leave most of Saudi oil exports unable to leave the region. The disruption would add to the huge cut to oil flows from the war in the Gulf, which has already reduced shipments by 10% of global supply.

In their statement, the Houthis' armed forces said they were declaring "a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye', effective immediately" in response to what they called "an unjust and oppressive siege" imposed on Yemen by the Saudis.

Diplomatic push to restore ceasefire

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that Tehran ​had received a proposal from mediators for a 10-day ceasefire in efforts to salvage the interim deal, intended to pave the way to a lasting agreement to end the war that began on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Neither the ministry ​nor the official who spoke to Reuters gave any details on the putative ceasefire discussions.

Two Pakistani government sources said separately that Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni had asked Pakistan to resume its mediation role in the conflict. He later arrived in Islamabad for further talks.

The diplomatic push ‌followed another night ⁠of US strikes on Iranian cities and attacks by Iran's Revolutionary Guards on US military assets across the region. US Central Command said Monday afternoon US time that it had begun another round of strikes on Iran.

President Donald Trump, under mounting political pressure at home over rising gasoline prices since the war began and Iran effectively closed the vital Strait of Hormuz, defended the latest strikes on Iran as honouring the deaths of American service members killed in recent Iranian attacks.

Read more: Two US service members killed, one missing after Iranian strikes in Jordan

"Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.

The war has killed ​thousands of civilians, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, part of which ​has been occupied by Israeli forces following attacks on ⁠Israel by Hezbollah fighters who said they were acting in solidarity with Tehran.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is due to meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday to present a plan on how to disarm Hezbollah and secure an Israeli withdrawal.

Israel also still has forces in Gaza following two years of war ignited by the Palestinian militant group Hamas' attack on southern Israeli communities ​on October 7, 2023. Hamas said on Monday it had named top negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya as its overall leader, a move that an analyst said could signal a tougher stance by ​the group towards calls for it ⁠to disarm.

Iran says tankers exploded

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two oil tankers had exploded after attempting to transit the strait via an "unsafe" route. On Sunday, the IRGC had said two ships were involved in an "accident" in the same area. It was unclear whether the two incidents were related.

The IRGC statement gave no details about the vessels or any casualties.

Separately, a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile off Oman's coast, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said.

In Iran, ⁠explosions were reported ​in Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini. One person was killed and several wounded southwest of Tabriz, according to state news agency ​IRNA.

The IRGC said it targeted US aircraft at Jordan's Aqaba airport with ballistic missiles, as well as military assets at Kuwait's Al-Adiri camp and Ali Al Salem Air Base, and positions in Syria.

Sirens sounded in Bahrain throughout Monday. Kuwait's army said early Tuesday that air defences were again intercepting Iranian drones.