US Iran War Live Updates: House Republicans unveil a $95 billion plan for the Iran war, farm aid and elections

Iran has ruled out the possibility of renewed negotiations with the United States for now, saying its immediate priority is defending the country following recent US strikes. Reaffirming Tehran’s hardline stance, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran would continue to respond “firmly” and would not honour any agreement if Washington failed to uphold its commitments.

Israel and Lebanon moved closer to implementing a US-brokered ceasefire framework on Wednesday after concluding two days of talks in Rome, with Washington saying the sides had agreed on the structure of a pilot security plan that could pave the way for Israeli forces to begin withdrawing from parts of southern Lebanon within days. The negotiations will now enter a technical phase aimed at finalising the arrangement and working towards a broader agreement between the two neighbours.

Britain on Tuesday summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat in London over what the UK government said was ​Iran’s role in directing proxy groups to carry ‌out attacks across Europe in recent months.

Charge d’Affaires Ali Nasimfar was summoned to the foreign ministry over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ​Quds Force allegedly directing a group to carry ​out attacks across Europe between March and May, ⁠the British Foreign Ministry said in a statement on ​Tuesday.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it had killed a Hamas operative whom it accused of taking part in the abduction of three Israeli soldiers during the October 7, 2023, attack.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hussam Sha’afi was killed in an operation carried out a day earlier in the southern Gaza Strip.

The IDF said Sha’afi was an operative with Hamas’s East Khan Younis Battalion and had infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 attack.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Doha on Wednesday to offer condolences following the death of Qatar’s former emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

While the visit is officially focused on paying respects, Araghchi is also expected to hold talks with senior Qatari officials, fuelling speculation that Qatar could explore ways to help defuse the escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Qatar has previously played the role of a mediator between the two countries, although there has been no official confirmation that mediation efforts are on the agenda during this visit.

The US military said on Wednesday that it had redirected two commercial vessels attempting to enter Iranian ports after restarting its naval blockade around 17 hours earlier.

In a post on social media platform X, US Central Command (Centcom) said American forces remain on high alert and are prepared to ensure full enforcement of the blockade.

Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed at least 73,246 people and injured 173,727 others since October 7, 2023, according to medical sources cited by the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Wafa reported that Israeli attacks have continued despite a ceasefire agreed in October 2025. According to the report, at least 1,123 people have been killed and 3,616 wounded since the truce came into effect.

Craig Foreman, a British national imprisoned in Iran on alleged spying charges, has been handed an additional two-year prison sentence for speaking to the media, according to his son, Joe Bennett, Al Jazeera reported.

The new sentence extends Foreman’s total jail term to 12 years.

According to the report, Bennett said the family had received “extremely concerning” reports about the latest development. He claimed Foreman was told he was being taken to meet his lawyer but was instead brought before a judge, who informed him that his sentence had been extended by another two years.

Oil prices extended their gains on Wednesday after the United States announced a fresh wave of strikes targeting Iranian military installations, in a move aimed at weakening Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The latest military action came after Washington reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and carried out overnight strikes. In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that it could shut down “all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies,” raising fresh concerns over global energy supplies.

Brent crude rose 0.2 per cent to $84.91 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 0.3 per cent to $79.60 a barrel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Qatar on Wednesday to offer condolences following the death of the country’s former emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. According to Araghchi’s official Telegram channel and Iranian state media, the visit is aimed at conveying Tehran’s sympathies to the Qatari leadership.

During his stay in Doha, Araghchi is also expected to hold meetings with senior Qatari officials. Sheikh Hamad passed away on Sunday, after which Qatar announced a four-day period of national mourning in his honour.

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed to commercial shipping, according to Iranian state media, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly stopping at least two vessels by firing warning shots over the past 24 hours.

The continued closure comes as fighting between Iran and the United States intensifies and negotiations remain stalled.

The US military said it completed a fresh wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday morning, targeting coastal defence systems and cruise missile infrastructure on Greater Tunb Island.

In a post on social media platform X, US Central Command (Centcom) said the 90-minute operation used precision-guided munitions to hit missile storage and launch sites. It claimed the strikes further degraded Iran’s ability to carry out attacks on commercial shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi on Wednesday strongly condemned what he described as Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, saying the strikes marked a dangerous escalation in regional tensions.

In a statement, Albudaiwi said the attacks, which included strikes on infrastructure and facilities that reportedly injured Kuwaiti military personnel, showed Iran’s determination to drag the region into further instability.

India on Wednesday conveyed its condolences to Qatar following the demise of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir of the State of Qatar.

Secretary (Economic Relations) Sudhakar Dalela visited the Qatari Embassy in New Delhi and signed the condolence book on behalf of the Government and people of India.

Iran on Wednesday warned that it will not allow energy exports from the whole region if the US blockade, imposed on its ports, is not removed.

The US had reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and intensified its airstrike campaign Wednesday in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron on Wednesday urged the country’s next government to rein in rapidly rising defence spending and redirect resources towards education, infrastructure and other sectors that can drive long-term economic growth.

Speaking ahead of Israel’s general election scheduled for October 27, Yaron said fiscal policy remains the country’s biggest challenge. He noted that defence spending has risen to around 8 per cent of GDP, roughly double its level before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that triggered the Gaza war

The US military launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran early on Wednesday, targeting military capabilities that Washington says have been used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on social media platform X, US Central Command (Centcom) said the operation began at 6 AM ET and is aimed at further degrading Iran’s ability to threaten maritime traffic in the strategic waterway, which remains a critical route for global oil and gas supplies.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened to halt oil and gas exports from West Asia following the US decision to reimpose a naval blockade on Iranian ports, raising fears of further disruption to global energy supplies.

In a statement, the IRGC said, “The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one.”

The warning comes as Iran and the United States continue exchanging retaliatory strikes and compete for control over the Strait of Hormuz, fuelling concerns that the crisis could escalate into a wider regional conflict.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened to close “all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies”, according to Iranian state media.

It comes after Tehran shut the Strait of Hormuz and the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

In a statement reported by Reuters, the IRGC said, “Regional energy exports are either shared by all, or denied to all.” Analysts say Iran could also seek to disrupt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by using its Houthi allies in Yemen, potentially putting another critical global energy route at risk amid the escalating confrontation with Washington.

At least 13 Palestinians were reported dead in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Wednesday. According to the ministry, 12 bodies were brought to hospitals while another wounded person later succumbed to injuries. Eighteen others were injured in Israeli military attacks during the same period.

The ministry said several victims remain trapped under the rubble and on roads that emergency teams have yet to reach. It added that since the October ceasefire, at least 1,123 Palestinians have been killed and 3,616 others wounded in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip.

Kuwait’s military said on Wednesday that it intercepted attack drones launched by Iran as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalated over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The military accused Iran of carrying out what it described as “nefarious aggression.”

The development came as Gulf states reported fresh aerial attacks amid the intensifying conflict. Iranian state media claimed Tehran had launched separate attacks on US targets in Kuwait and on the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain in retaliation for recent US strikes on Iran.

Bahrain’s military said on Wednesday that it intercepted and destroyed several aerial attacks launched by Iran after warning sirens sounded across the Gulf kingdom in the early hours of the morning.

In a statement, the Bahrain Defence Force accused Iran of continuing a “systematic hostile approach” and alleged that the attacks targeted civilians. The military said its air defences successfully intercepted and neutralised a number of the incoming aerial threats, but did not immediately provide further details on casualties or damage.

Iran on Wednesday executed a man convicted of taking part in the anti-government protests that swept the country in January, with the judiciary saying the sentence was carried out after it was upheld by the Supreme Court.

According to an AFP report, Mohammad Amini Dehaghani was convicted of “moharebeh” (waging war against God) and “corruption on earth”, charges frequently used in cases involving national security and anti-state activities. The judiciary also described him as a “collaborator with the enemy” while announcing the execution.

Seven Iranian military personnel were killed in a US missile strike on a military barracks near the southeastern city of Iranshahr on Wednesday, the Iranian army said. The attack came as fighting between the United States and Iran continued to intensify.

In a statement, the Iranian army said the missile struck a barracks in the country’s far southeast, killing seven service members. It did not immediately provide further details about the victims or the extent of the damage caused by the strike.

An Israeli military court has sentenced a soldier to five years in prison after convicting him of carrying out espionage activities on behalf of Iran during the June 2025 war, Al Jazeera reported.

The conviction followed a joint investigation by the Israeli military police, the national police and the Shin Bet internal security agency. The army said the soldier was found guilty of undertaking espionage tasks for Iran, but did not immediately disclose further details about the nature of the information or activities involved.

India has stepped up measures to protect its citizens working in the maritime sector after a missile attack in the Strait of Hormuz killed an Indian sailor and injured 10 others. Read More

Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon in early March that killed 24 people, including 12 children, should be investigated as possible war crimes, Amnesty International said.

According to the rights group, the three attacks destroyed civilian homes and wiped out entire families. Amnesty said Israel has not provided information on what it was targeting and that it had found no evidence of military objectives at the time of the strikes.

US attacks on Chabahar port damaged the port’s maritime traffic control centre, but cargo operations have continued without disruption, according to authorities. The strike caused structural damage to the facility, though no casualties or equipment damage were reported.

US strikes on the Bambour Garrison in Iranshahr, southeastern Iran, killed seven Iranian soldiers, according to the country’s military, which condemned the attack as “cowardly aggression” and warned that it would retaliate.

“A decisive response will be given to this crime at the appropriate time,” a statement cited by the Tasnim news agency said.

White House adviser Stephen Miller defended President Donald Trump’s approach towards Iran, saying Tehran must give up its nuclear programme and pursue peace while claiming growing divisions inside the country showed the administration’s strategy was succeeding. His remarks came as Trump warned the US could target Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returned to negotiations.