Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has revealed the intense psychological pressure faced by Tehran's diplomatic delegation during peace negotiations with the United States, recalling a direct exchange with US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, where he questioned the envoy about the constant military threats.
Trump also asserted that US forces had struck hundreds of targets across Iran, including facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and air defence systems.
Iran threatened to halt its matches at the World Cup if unauthorised flags are displayed or slogans targeting the national team are chanted at stadiums, Iranian media reported, citing Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, following criticism of the team's presence at the tournament.
Iran has asserted that maritime movement through the Strait of Hormuz will be strictly controlled by Tehran, stating that passage will be allowed only through designated routes and under Iranian approval.
Crude oil prices reached a new record high in futures trade, both domestically and internationally, as escalating military tensions between the US and Iran in West Asia continue to fuel market volatility. Diplomatic efforts concerning the Strait of Hormuz are being closely watched for potential price stabilisation.
One Indian oil tanker successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz, while others turned back after Iran signalled the waterway's closure, amidst rising tensions and disruptions to global energy flows.
Amid ongoing tensions with the US, Iran's IRGC Navy has issued new directives restricting maritime movement through the Strait of Hormuz, allowing only civilian vessels on Iranian-designated routes and barring all military ships.
The IRGC said the strikes were conducted in support of offensives by Hezbollah and residents of southern Lebanon, and described them as the beginning of a series of pre-announced operations against Israel.
Iran will play their final World Cup warm-up behind closed doors in Turkey on Thursday before departing for their tournament base in Mexico on Saturday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday issued a stark warning that American and Israeli universities in West Asia could be treated as 'legitimate targets' in retaliation for alleged United States and Israeli strikes on Iranian academic institutions and cultural infrastructure.
Satellite imagery and expert analysis suggest that a deadly explosion at a school in southern Iran last week was likely caused by a United States airstrike that also targeted a nearby compound linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to media reports.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has been chosen to assume control of the country.
US President Donald Trump and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have announced a landmark peace deal between the US and Iran, which includes the crucial reopening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and the immediate cessation of military operations in Lebanon.
United States President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to Iran, asserting that any attempt to impede the transit of petroleum through the Strait of Hormuz would be met with massive military retaliation.
The United States conducted retaliatory strikes against Iran, targeting over 80 sites, after accusing Tehran of attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran condemned the US decision to revoke a temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales.
Earlier, another state media outlet showed a display of part of the IRGC's drone arsenal inside a large tunnel. Coinciding with the release of these visuals, the IRGC confirmed the launch of the 48th phase of its retaliatory campaign.
The IRGC said five missiles were launched at 'the headquarters of the US Army at the Harir Air Base in Erbil, located in Iraq's Kurdistan Region'.
The IRGC also warned residents to evacuate areas near military bases, security centres and government facilities.
Hours after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the ceasefire deal with Iran was "over", the US President indicated that Washington could launch another round of strikes against the Islamic Republic, following strikes on Tuesday, saying it had already hit Tehran "very hard" and warning of further attacks.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the start of operations to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a claim swiftly denied by Iran, leading to increased tensions in the region amidst stalled negotiations between the two countries.
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been operating in the Arabian Sea since the end of January.
Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Saturday confirmed a drone strike targeting the residence of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok amid escalating tensions in West Asia, triggering a sharp blame game between the United States and Iran.
A United States missile strike has reportedly hit an educational facility in Khomeyn in central Iran, according to a report by Al Jazeera citing Iran's Mehr news agency. The site was identified as the Dr Hafez Khomeyni School.
A sensational New York Times report alleging that Israel's Mossad secretly groomed former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lead a post-Islamic Republic Iran is being scrutinised for its strategic timing amidst Iran's sensitive post-Khamenei transition.
Addressing members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, armed forces, and police, Trump said they must lay down their weapons and accept complete immunity or face 'certain death'.
The United States and Iran, with regional mediators, are reportedly discussing a potential 45-day ceasefire to prevent further escalation of conflict, including strikes on Iranian infrastructure and retaliation against Gulf states' facilities.
Iranian forces fired upon three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, with one possibly headed for Gujarat, raising concerns about maritime security in the strategic waterway.
United States President Donald Trump warned Iran of potential strikes on its infrastructure, including bridges and electric power plants, saying the US military 'hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran'.
A second United States fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet was struck and downed over central Iran by a modern air-defence system of the Islamic Republic's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with officials saying the pilot is unlikely to have ejected, Iranian state media reported on Friday.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday claimed it had destroyed eight US military infrastructures in Kuwait and Bahrain in a joint missile and drone operation, describing the strikes as retaliation for a second wave of US military attacks on Iranian targets.
Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir held talks with Iranian leaders in Tehran to help resolve the conflict between the US and Iran, following a recent ceasefire agreement.
The IRGC had announced earlier that it was carrying out an intense wave of attacks on US and Israeli positons throughout the region since dawn, using missiles as well as drones.
Instead of pride, many Iranian-Americans feel shame about the Iran team's participation in the World Cup and are demanding that FIFA boots the country out of the competition, protesters said in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have conducted a massive military operation targeting more than 200 infrastructure sites within Iran and an additional 140 Hezbollah assets across Lebanon.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed to have targeted and destroyed hangars of F-35 fighter jets and struck 21 American air and naval bases across West Asia and the Gulf region, including the US Army's command and control centre at the Al-Azraq base in Jordan and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
Protests on multiple fronts disrupted the atmosphere outside the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday, as demonstrators raised sharply different concerns over global politics and local issues.
Tensions escalate as Iranian forces attack a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz after Trump announced the ceasefire extension.
FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom will meet Iranian FA officials in Istanbul to offer reassurance over Iran's participation in the World Cup, amidst concerns raised by recent geopolitical tensions and visa issues.
Zolqadr's appointment comes through a presidential decree, endorsed by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
US President Donald Trump has dismissed media reports suggesting that diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled, maintaining that dialogue persists despite intensifying geopolitical friction across the Middle East.
