Conflict and War

Iran has declared the Straits of Hormuz closed,and fired at a Cypriot-flagged tanker trying to cross. This triggered a US attack on Iran. In response Iran fired missiles and drones at US targets across the Gulf. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it closed the waterway until further notice and warned of a severe response to US "aggression", according to state media. Within hours of the US strikes, the IRGC said they had hit a US base in Jordan, while the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain were all responding to missiles and drones from Iran. It comes after incidents earlier this week in which three commercial tankers were attacked, prompting an exchange of strikes with the US. US Central Command (Centcom) said it launched a third round of strikes this week after the IRGC "blatantly attacked" a Cyprus-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Centcom said the MV GFS Galaxy was "unable to continue its journey" as a result of significant damage to the engine room. One civilian crew member was missing, it said. It said US strikes hit 140 Iranian military targets, including missile and drone sites, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations. The UK's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had been informed by military authorities that the crew of the vessel were forced to abandon ship and were in a lifeboat.

US president Donald Trump has said that the ceasefire with Iran is "over". But the two sides are still expected to meet on Saturday (11 July) in Oman. According to reports Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and two people who have been heavily involved in Middle East talks - special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner -  will be in Saturday's negotiations. The US wants Iran to publicly state that the Strait of Hormuz is open and to pledge to stop firing on commercial ships as part of negotiations due to be held in Oman on Saturday. US media cited unnamed officials as saying Tehran had privately acknowledged to President Donald Trump's advisers that the shooting at ships was a mistake, though the Iranians reportedly pinned the blame on a rogue internal group. Trump has said both sides have agreed to continue talks despite this week's fighting over the Strait of Hormuz, which the White House saw as a violation of the ceasefire. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his country had "kept its word" on the ceasefire, saying on X the US had violated the deal. In June the US and Iran signed a ceasefire agreement where Iran would, in part, give safe passage to commercial ships. Tehran said that an "errant" sect of hardliners was trying to undermine negotiations by firing on the commercial ships, senior US officials told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. One official told the TV network: "They [the Iranians] came back to the table and said, 'We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let's keep talking.'" In a briefing for reporters on Friday, the US officials said a message to Tehran's leadership had been conveyed through regional mediators demanding Iran release a statement declaring the strait open and that it will stop shooting at commercial ships, according to multiple media reports. "They're either going to give us that statement or we're not having a good outcome for them," said one official, quoted by Reuters news agency. Meanwhile, a delegation from Qatar travelled to Iran on Friday for talks aimed at defusing tensions and easing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social earlier on Friday: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.' "We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!"