LIVE: Saudis push Trump to resume Iran strikes

Mohammed bin Salman and Donald Trump in the White House last November

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is urging Donald Trump to continue the US war with Iran, the New York Times is reporting.

The Saudi leader, known as MBS, has urged Trump to press on with strikes and take advantage of an ‘historic opportunity’ to remake the Middle East, according to the newspaper.

MBS and Trump are said to have shared phone conversations in which the Saudi leader has argued Iran poses a long-term threat to Gulf nations which can only be removed by regime change.

In response to the report Saudi officials dismissed any idea that MBS has pushed to prolong the war.

by Imogen Garfinkel, Senior Foreign News Reporter

Donald Trump has postponed US strikes on Iranian infrastructure for five days, backtracking from earlier threats to ‘hit and obliterate’ the Islamic regime’s power plants if it didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours.

But the US President’s U-turn might be a delaying tactic, granting US marines enough time to arrive in the Gulf and seize Iran’s Kharg Island, the ‘crown jewel’ of the Islamic Republic.

The five-mile-long territory, located 15 miles from the Iranian coast in the Strait of Hormuz, processes more than 90 per cent of Tehran’s crude oil exports and is vital in funding the country’s war effort.

Trump has already dispatched the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to the region, comprised of the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, and two amphibious transport docks, USS San Diego and USS New Orleans, with about 2,200 marines embarked across the fleet.

On top of that, a similar sized fighting force, led by amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, set sail from San Diego last Wednesday, reportedly destined for the Middle East.

Now, senior military officials are weighing up a possible deployment of a combat brigade from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to support military operations in Iran.

A Caribbean-flagged tanker has been turned back from the Strait of Hormuz by Iran’s Navy after failing to secure permission to pass the waterway, Iranian diplomats have said.

Iran’s embassy in Afghaninstan said the ship, whose name is Selen, was rejected from transiting Hormuz ‘due to failure to comply with legal protocols and lack of permission to pass through the Strait.’

According to shipping website Marine Traffic, Selen, which is flagged to the Caribbean island of St Kitts and Nevis has stopped in the Persian Gulf as it journeys to Pakistan.

It comes after the Iranian Navy said only some ships can pass the route which carries a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has declared Iran is keeping an eye on the oil crisis engulfing Western nations amid fears of a full blown energy crisis.

Ghalibaf said Tehran was watching events in the ‘paper oil market’ as prices initially dropped when Donald Trump declaring a five-day pause in attacks after talks with Iran.

Costs edged up again when Iran denied any negotiations had taken place.

In a post written in English on X, Ghalibaf said: ‘We are aware of what is happening in the paper oil market, including the firms hired to influence oil futures.

‘We also see the broader jawboning campaign. But let’s see if they can turn that into “actual fuel” at the pump —or maybe even print gas molecules!’

by Phillip Nieto, US Political Reporter

Donald Trump is considering deploying JD Vance as a top negotiator with Iran as his faltering ceasefire threatens to collapse amid a fresh wave of ballistic missile strikes.

Vance could be called in to close a deal with the Islamic regime, with potential talks being held in Pakistan.

Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would likely lead formal negotiations, but Vance could step in to seal any agreement, a US official told the Wall Street Journal.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has urged Trump to press on with the war, privately describing the conflict as a ‘historic opportunity’ to remake the region and pushing for US troops to seize Iranian energy sites and topple the regime.

Tehran may send Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to any talks, though he and other Iranian officials have signaled deep reluctance to engage, the WSJ reported.

Israeli first responders said three people were injured during Iranian missile fire targeting the south of the country on Tuesday, including an infant.

The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services said medical teams were evacuating to hospital a man of about 40 who was in moderate condition with limb injuries.

It said teams were also evacuating a 26-year-old woman and a roughly two-month-old infant in mild condition.

Israeli police said forces were working to locate interceptor debris in the Negev area.

Over the weekend, the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona were struck by Iranian missiles, wounding dozens of people and severely damaging several buildings.

And in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, another strike caused substantial damage to a building and wounded at least four people, according to MDA.

Saudi Arabia informed an Iranian diplomat and his staff they must leave the country on Saturday after being declared persona non grata.

The Saudi foreign ministry said the expulsions were ordered following continued Iranian attacks on Saudi territory.

Saudi ⁠Arabia has come under attack by hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones since the start of US-Israeli war on Iran, the vast majority of which have been intercepted, authorities said.

The ministry said in a statement that continued Iranian attacks would lead to further escalation and have ‘significant consequences’ for current and future relations.

Saudi Arabia and Iran re-established diplomatic ties in 2023 as part of an effort to calm ⁠tensions ​after years of enmity that saw them back opposing political and military ​factions in the region.

Last Wednesday, Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told how the trust between his country and Iran had ‘completely shattered’ after Tehran launched strikes against the Gulf states in retaliation for the US-Israel war.

Prince Faisal said the Saudis ‘reserved the right’ to take military action in the strongest criticism against Iran to come out of Riyadh.

Speaking to reporters following a meeting of foreign ministers in the capital, Prince Faisal said:

What little trust there was before has completely been shattered. So when this war eventually ends, in order for there to be any rebuilding of trust, it will take a long time. And I have to tell you, if Iran doesn’t stop … immediately, I think there will be almost nothing that can re-establish that trust.”

We’re going to use every lever we have – political, economic, diplomatic and otherwise – to get these attacks to stop.

The kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure, and on the contrary, this pressure will backfire … and certainly, as we have stated quite clearly, we have reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary.

The UAE has confirmed one of its civilian contractors worked for the country’s armed forces has been killed following a missile attack in Bahrain.

The UAE’s ministry of defence said the Moroccan national died during a routine mission in the Gulf station.

In a statement authorities said: ‘The brazen Iranian attack resulted in injuries to five members of the UAE Ministry of Defence.

‘The Ministry of Defence extends its deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of the martyr, praying to Almighty God to envelop him in His vast mercy.

‘The Ministry of Defence also expresses its wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.’

Iran has denied reports it is charging ships up to $2m to pass the Strait of Hormuz which has effectively closed during the US-Israel war.

According to reporting by Bloomberg, Tehran has established an informal toll on the waterway which usually carries around a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.

Some vessels are said to have made the payment though details on how the transactions are made were not made clear as well as the currency involved in payments.

The Iranian embassy in India has now denied the report in a statement on X. ‘In response to certain claims regarding the alleged receipt of a sum of 2 million dollars by the Islamic Republic of Iran from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, it is emphasized that such claims are unfounded,’ the post read.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has declared Islamabad is prepared to host negotiations to stop the US-Israeli war with Iran.

His announcement comes amid mounting speculation it could act as a mediator after officials from Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey passed messages between both sides.

‘Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in (the) region and beyond,’ he wrote on X.

‘Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict.’

India’s Prime Minister has said he had a ‘useful exchange’ of views with Donald Trump as the leaders discussed how the Strait of Hormuz can remain open.

Maritime traffic through the Gulf chokepoint – which normally carries a fifth of the world’s seaborne crude – has come to a virtual standstill since US-Israeli strikes on Iran last month, triggering a regional conflict that has rattled global energy supply chains.

‘Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world,’ Modi said.

US Ambassador Sergio Gor also said on social media that the leaders had discussed the war, ‘including the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open’.

India is the world’s second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is used for cooking and predominantly sourced from the Middle East – and supplies through the Strait of Hormuz have been strangled by the conflict.