Live: Amid continued strikes, Trump says US held talks with Iran on Tuesday

US President Donald Trump has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin withdrawing Israeli forces from Syria and further reduce their presence in Lebanon during a phone conversation on Thursday, according to US and Israeli officials.

The request comes as Netanyahu faces mounting political pressure ahead of a crucial election in just three months, with the outcome widely seen as pivotal to both his political future and personal legal challenges.

Despite Trump’s appeal, officials believe Netanyahu is unlikely to authorise any major withdrawal from Israeli-held areas in southern Syria or agree to additional troop redeployments in Lebanon beyond those already announced.

Israel maintains that its military presence in both countries is essential to prevent cross-border attacks similar to the October 7 Hamas assault.

Several senior members of Netanyahu’s government have argued for retaining long-term control over the occupied areas, while some have also advocated establishing Jewish settlements in the territories.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Iraq to move against Iran-backed militias during talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the Pentagon, outlining Washington’s expectations for closer bilateral cooperation.

In a post on X after the meeting, Hegseth said Iraq must “assert its sovereignty” by disarming Iran-aligned armed groups, which the US blames for repeated attacks on American forces amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.

The United States has imposed fresh sanctions targeting cryptocurrency wallets allegedly linked to Iran’s central bank, freezing more than $130 million in assets, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced.

In a post on X, Bessent said the measures target multiple digital wallets connected to the Central Bank of Iran as part of Washington’s efforts to disrupt Tehran’s financial networks.

He said the US remained committed to dismantling what it described as Iran’s illicit financial operations, including the use of digital assets to evade sanctions.

Bessent added that Washington would continue to track and block financial channels it says are used by the Iranian government to generate and move illicit revenue.

The United States will withdraw its remaining troops from Iraq by the end of September, bringing to a close a military presence that began with the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Speaking alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Washington, President Donald Trump said the US no longer believed a military deployment in Iraq was necessary. “We don’t think we need the military there any more,” Trump said, while highlighting expanding economic ties and the growing role of American energy companies in Iraq.

Al-Zaidi, speaking through an interpreter, confirmed that US troops would leave Iraq by September 30, adding that while American forces would depart, US businesses would continue operating in the country.

The Pentagon said the withdrawal reaffirms a 2024 agreement reached with Baghdad to conclude the US-led mission against the Islamic State (ISIS). Around 2,500 American troops were stationed in Iraq when the agreement was signed.

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump of pulling the United States deeper into the conflict with Iran without congressional authorisation or a clear strategy.

In a post on X, Schumer said Trump was leading the country into war “with no authorisation, no plan, and no exit strategy,” adding that Democrats would not support the administration’s approach.

He also criticised Trump for expecting Congress to carry on “as if business is usual” despite what he described as an “illegal war,” accusing the president of abandoning a ceasefire agreement and further escalating the conflict.

Schumer warned that the widening hostilities were putting American service members at risk while driving up the cost of essentials such as groceries and fuel.

The United States has significantly expanded its naval presence around the Strait of Hormuz, with US Central Command (CENTCOM) saying that 21 American naval vessels are now operating in the region.

The warships are expected to enforce Washington’s renewed blockade by intercepting or turning back vessels linked to Iran that attempt to transit through the Iranian-controlled route.

At the same time, the US has pledged to protect commercial ships using the Omani shipping lane across the Strait of Hormuz, creating a more complex operational challenge than previous naval blockades.

The dual mission requires the US Navy to split its resources between escorting and safeguarding vessels travelling through the US-backed corridor while simultaneously enforcing the blockade against ships using the Iranian-approved route.

Iran has accused the United States of acting as the aggressor in the ongoing conflict, with its UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani sending a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres alleging that Washington has repeatedly violated its commitments.

According to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iravani wrote that the US had “consistently refused to implement its commitments” under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and had “actively and purposefully undermined” its implementation almost immediately after it was signed.

In the letter, Iravani asserted that “America is an aggressor, not a victim,” rejecting any portrayal of the US as the injured party in the escalating confrontation.

Kuwait’s Army said its air defence systems are currently confronting what it described as Iranian “hostile” drone attacks.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said warning sirens have been sounded across the country.

Jordanian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC, to discuss regional developments and efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries.

The talks focused on enhancing the Jordan-US partnership and finding ways to de-escalate tensions in the region. The meeting came as Iran’s army claimed it had launched drone attacks targeting US facilities at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq.

The UK Foreign Office has summoned Iranian Charge d’Affaires Ali Nasimfar over what it described as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force’s role in directing in directing the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR) to carry out a series of attacks across Europe between March and May.

In a statement, the Foreign Office accused Iran of intensifying hostile activities that threaten the safety and security of the UK and its allies. It said the move forms part of broader efforts by the British government to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its alleged actions.

A bottled water production facility in Iran’s western Ilam province was hit by three projectiles, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Dehloran Governor Morad Yeganeh said the strike damaged equipment at the factory near a village in the Musian district. No casualties were reported. The official did not identify who was responsible for the attack.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians across the region, saying Iranian forces attacked seven commercial vessels over the past week.

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the incidents left nearly a dozen civilian crew members killed, missing or wounded. He also alleged that Iran launched dozens of missiles and drones toward neighbouring Gulf countries.

Cooper said US forces were “holding Iran accountable” for actions that continue to put civilian lives and regional security at risk.

Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that “American enemy projectiles” struck the city of Dehloran in Ilam Province near the Iraqi border.

The agency said there was no immediate information on casualties or the extent of any damage.

US President Donald Trump said American representatives held talks with Iran on Tuesday.

Trump made the remarks during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report program.

A fire that broke out at a site targeted in an Iranian attack has been brought under control, Kuwait’s Fire Force said, according to state news agency KUNA.

Six firefighting teams, supported by the Kuwaiti Army and National Guard, were deployed to contain the blaze. Authorities said no injuries were reported, and the damage was limited to material losses.

US President Donald Trump said military strikes against Iran will continue until he decides they have achieved their objective, signaling a further escalation in Washington’s campaign against Tehran.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said, “Strikes on Iran will continue until I say enough,” adding that the US would “save the energy targets for last.”

“We will knock out all their power plants,” Trump said. “We will knock out all their bridges until they get to the negotiating table.”

Sounds heard in Bandar Abbas, nearby coastal areas and islands in the Gulf were linked to ongoing clashes in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Hormozgan Governorate, as cited by Iranian media.

Authorities said the noises were associated with confrontations in and around the strategic waterway.

Sounds of explosions were heard in the maritime areas of eastern Hormozgan province and Sirik in southern Iran, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.

The report said the blasts appeared to be linked to an exchange of fire and clashes in the waters of the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian Army said it targeted US positions at Jordan’s Azraq Air Base with drones, according to Iranian media reports.

Iranian military officials also said drone operations against US bases across the region would continue until what they described as a “final victory.”