Iran-US war latest: Trump says no Strait of Hormuz tolls or deal is off – UK Times

An Israeli military official said ⁠on Thursday ​a ⁠soldier was ⁠killed ​in southern ⁠Lebanon ‌after a vehicle had overturned.The official described the incident as an accident.

Earlier, the military said a soldier ‌had died ​during “operational ‌activity”.

Five more South Korea-operated vessels exited the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul’s Oceans Ministry said on Thursday. One of the ⁠ships is ​bound ⁠for South Korea, the ⁠ministry said.

The ministry ​did ⁠not name ‌the vessels, citing requests from shippers and ‌crew members.

A total ‌of 13 South Korean ships remain ⁠in the strait, with 87 crew members on board, according to the ministry. South Korea is ‌in talks with ​relevant countries ‌to assist ⁠the remaining ships to ⁠safely exit the ‌area, ​it said.

Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte sought to calm tensions with president Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, using a mix of flattery and gentle pushback to argue that instances of allies’ reluctance to support the US war with Iran were limited to “isolated cases”.

The Nato chief is visiting Washington to try to ease strains over the Iran war and US threats to draw down troops in Europe ahead of a pivotal Nato leaders’ summit in July in Ankara.

Trump, a longtime Nato critic who has called the alliance a “paper tiger,” has been angered by allies refusal to support the US in the Middle East conflict or help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after a US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February disrupted the major oil shipping route.

During the Oval Office meeting, Rutte used cardboard charts to show how much Nato countries have stepped up their defence spending since Trump first came into office in 2017.

He also said thousands of US planes had taken off from bases in Europe during the war, pointing to that cooperation as a sign of the allies support. Italy pushed back on Rutte’s remarks, saying Rome had authorised only technical and logistical flights.

“I know there have been isolated cases about which you are really disappointed, but generally speaking your European allies have been there,” Rutte said.

Trump appeared unconvinced, at ​times interrupting Rutte ⁠to disagree with him, though he praised his leadership.

“You really have done a good job, and I think if anybody else were in that position, we wouldn’t even be meeting today, to be honest with you, because we were let down,” Trump said.

Since Trump’s return to office last year, one of Rutte’s primary roles has been managing the president’s hostility ‌toward the alliance and preventing tense moments, including Trump’s push to acquire Greenland, from spiralling into ‌lasting crises.

US president Donald Trump met with munitions makers at the White House on Wednesday as his administration pushed to expand weapons production after military operations in Iran and other conflicts drew down US stockpiles.

The United States has supplied large quantities of weapons to allies while also using munitions ⁠in its own military operations, raising concerns about inventories of key air-defence and precision-guided weapons, and increasing pressure on contractors to boost output.

Two people briefed on the meeting said it ran longer than expected because everyone was given time to speak. The sources said deputy defence secretary Steve Feinberg at times pushed back on industry claims about production progress, citing delays on key programs. One ⁠source said the initial message to executives was “you’re not ​doing ⁠enough”.

By the end, the tone had shifted toward cooperation, with officials saying the goal was to “get on a war footing” and work together to speed up production.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for details on the meeting and the topics discussed. The meeting marks ​the second ⁠White House gathering with chief executives of major ‌defence firms focused on ramping up weapons production.

A March meeting included the CEOs and other officials from BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX Corp, Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace and L3Harris Technologies, along with defence secretary Pete Hegseth.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps on Thursday said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is only possible through routes designated by Iran, and that a new route announced without coordination with Iran is unacceptable and a safety risk.

IRGC said it will take action against vessels that ‌fail ​to comply with ‌the ⁠requirements.

Lebanon and Israel discussed a US-backed proposal for Israeli forces to pull out of some of the territory it invaded in the war and hand it to Lebanese army control. During the discussion in Washington, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not pull troops out of the region.

Israel has been battling Hezbollah in Lebanon since the militant group attacked Israel on 2 March in support of Iran, and Tehran has made a cessation of hostilities there a central tenet of its demands in any peace deal with the US.

An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed at least two people on Wednesday, Lebanese sources told Reuters, while Israel said it struck two armed Hezbollah fighters. It was not immediately clear if the incidents were the same.

The proposed peace deal between US and Iran has been met with scepticism in the Middle East, where many states came under attack from Iran during the war and view the accord as too generous to Tehran, including a $300bn fund and the waiver of some sanctions.

Washington’s Gulf allies fear the reconstruction fund could help Iran to rebuild its military.

The accord also does not address Tehran’s ballistic missile capacity. The deal requires Iran to allow shipping to flow freely through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, and Tehran has suggested it might impose tolls after that point. Iran could propose environmental, navigation and security fees in upcoming talks with Gulf states, according ‌to a diplomat briefed on the talks.

Washington and its Gulf allies oppose such fees.”We’re not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies, our longstanding allies in the region,” US secretary of state Marco Rubio said in Kuwait City, where the US embassy resumed operations after a months-long stoppage due to the war.

The initial accord between the US and Iran has lifted Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, allowing traffic to flow again through a waterway that previously handled a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Benchmark oil prices fell on Wednesday to their lowest level since before the war started as supply concerns eased further. But conflicting accounts have emerged over elements of the deal, which has prompted criticism of Trump at home and in the Middle East.

Financial incentives for Iran, inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, control of the strait and Israel’s parallel war in Lebanon have all been disputed, highlighting the fragility of the accord.

The deal sets up 60 days of talks to tackle thornier details, including Iran’s nuclear program.