Live: Middle East crisis escalates as U.S. hits Iran for third consecutive night, Trump open to agreement

Iran's petroleum exports are running without disruption despite Washington's withdrawal last week of a 60-day exemption from U.S. oil sanctions, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad announced via his official Telegram channel. Mr. Paknejad said the Oil Ministry had spent years building systems specifically designed to blunt the impact of American sanctions, and that the scrapping of the waiver would not create any difficulties for Iran's oil trade going forward.

India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned Iranian diplomats, including the Deputy Chief of Mission, after one Indian crew member was killed and eight others — six of them Indian nationals — sustained injuries when Iranian forces struck UAE shipping tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, in waters near Oman.

Iranian rescue teams evacuated 23 foreign sailors after a bulk carrier collided with another ship north of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. The vessel sustained major hull damage and began taking on water, leading the captain to order an emergency abandonment. All crew members were transferred safely ashore to Qeshm Island, Fars added.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it fired ballistic missiles at an American air base situated in Jordan, according to a Fars News report cited by Reuters.

Crude oil prices rose nearly 3% to their highest point in four weeks, as the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and both countries escalated operations around the Strait of Hormuz, fanning anxiety over the stability of global energy flows. Brent crude futures were last up $1.50, or 1.8%, at $84.80 per barrel as of 0330 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude advanced $1.70, or 2.2%, to $79.84 a barrel. Both contracts had earlier risen by more than $2 a barrel before trimming those gains. In the preceding session, Brent had jumped 9.6% — its steepest single-day advance since May 2020. Oil is now trading at its priciest since the two nations inked a memorandum of understanding to end hostilities on June 17.

Iran's IRGC has announced that its forces successfully neutralized several key radar installations in Bahrain. According to the elite force, the targeted systems included the Patriot missile defence radar, the air traffic control radar utilized by the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, and a C-RAM early warning radar unit.

Emergency alert sirens warning of potential missile attacks have been activated once again in Bahrain, marking the second such warning as Tehran responds to the recent wave of American military operations.

The American armed forces confirmed late tonight that they have wrapped up their most recent round of military operations targeting locations within Iran. According to an official statement shared on X by the US Central Command, American assets hit multiple defence and military installations throughout Iran during a five-hour-long operation. The targeted areas included Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas.

Iranian media outlet Nournews reported that fresh waves of American military strikes have targeted several locations in the southern Iranian port region of Bushehr.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran announced that they launched a barrage of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at Bahrain. The action came shortly after the Gulf state instructed its population to seek safety following the sounding of emergency alarms. Iran's state broadcaster, IRIB, reported the military group's statement confirming that the operations successfully struck multiple arms storage facilities, a key satellite communication hub, and living quarters occupied by American military personnel stationed in Bahrain.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is set for a high-profile meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington today, coming at a time when the American government is urging Baghdad to distance itself from Tehran's influence. The diplomatic dialogue is unfolding amid intense military tensions between Washington and Tehran, both of whom maintain strong ties with Iraq. The ongoing hostility between the US and Iran has historically made Iraq a key arena for proxy conflict, forcing consecutive Iraqi leaders to walk a tightrope between the two rival powers. Having landed in Washington yesterday for his maiden foreign visit since taking office, Prime Minister Zaidi is undertaking a week-long official trip where he will sit down with President Trump, American administrative figures, and top executives from various oil firms.

The Iranian state media reported that the Revolutionary Guards have warned that any cooperation with "aggressor enemies" inside the strategic Strait of Hormuz will postpone the restoration of shipping operations through the channel. They also cautioned that such actions would trigger a major energy crisis worldwide.

Media outlets in Iran report that the nation's Revolutionary Guards have targeted and incapacitated two "offending" giant oil tankers as they traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

Sirens warning of potential incoming missiles have been sounded in Bahrain, as Iranian military forces begin retaliating for the latest series of airstrikes conducted by the United States.

Today saw a further escalation in conflict as the United States executed another series of military strikes across Iran. This fresh assault occurred despite US President Donald Trump mentioning that a diplomatic agreement with the Iranian government remains on the table. During a discussion with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt yesterday, President Trump had stated that military actions would be intense over consecutive nights. Following the escalation, international crude oil prices spiked by over 9 per cent due to heightened anxieties surrounding a full-blown regional conflict.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil criticized US President Donald Trump's proposal to levy significant charges on vessels navigating through the Strait of Hormuz, stating that such a move would make the United States act like a "pirate" nation. President Trump had previously committed to re-establishing a naval blockade around Iranian ports situated along the strait. He proposed a 20 per cent tax on all shipments passing through the channel to cover the costs associated with securing and maintaining open access to the shipping route. The blocking of this crucial maritime oil route by Tehran was initiated after joint American and Israeli military strikes in late February, a move which eventually led the US to halt maritime cargo traffic heading to or departing from Iranian harbours.

The United Arab Emirates reported today that Iranian forces launched attacks on two commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the death of one crew member and injuries to eight others. In a statement posted on X, the UAE Ministry of Defence strongly condemned the action, calling it a blatant attack, a serious violation of international law, and a threat to regional peace and stability.

An Indian sailor lost his life and several others sustained injuries when Iranian cruise missiles hit two oil tankers belonging to the United Arab Emirates in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UAE Ministry of Defence. This incident represents a sharp escalation in tensions within the strategic channel. The UAE authorities stated that the targeted tankers, named Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were sailing through Omani territorial waters in the southern corridor of the strait when the attacks occurred. The sailor who died was stationed on the Mombasa. Specifically, the missile strikes on the UAE oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz left one Indian crew member dead and six others wounded.