Iran-US war live: Hegseth slams European allies as ‘ungrateful’ and says they should thank Trump for ‘winning’ war – UK Times

We can bring you some more detail on the F-35 fighter jet which was struck by Iranian defences during an attack on Iran.

US Central Command spokesperson Captan Tim Hawkins told CNN the fifth-generation jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced into making an emergency landing.

“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition. This incident is under investigation,” Capt. Hawkins added.

Both the US and Israel are flying F-35 jets – which cost upwards of $100 million (£75 million).

A source told the US outlet that Iranian fire is believed to be behind the damage to the jet.

A US F-35 fighter jet has been forced to make an emergency landing at a Middle East base after being struck over Iran, sources have told CNN.

It is believed to be the first time Iran has struck a US aircraft in the current conflict.

We’re working to bring you more on the incident.

Iran’s latest attacks on Saudi Arabian oil sites in retaliation to Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field raise wider questions over its support from usual allies.

Iranian forces struck a refinery on the Red Sea, a region which is often the target of military activity by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.

Dr Luca Nevola, a senior analyst for Yemen and the Gulf at conflict monitor ACLED, said the Iranian attack raises the question of why the Houthis are not doing this on Tehran’s behalf.

“Before the war began, the Houthis were messaging that they would intervene if the US or Israel attacked Iran, so many expected them to react immediately,” Dr Nevola told The Independent.

“So far, the Houthi leadership has expressed rhetorical solidarity and even said they have their fingers on the trigger, but there has been no practical military commitment.

He added: “Instead, the Houthis are still talking with Saudi Arabia through back-channel communication and negotiating around the UN peace roadmap, and the financial support that the Saudis could provide is a lifeline for a Houthi regime that is cornered economically. When you look at the costs and the benefits of entering this war, the equation is clearly in favor of the costs of the intervention.”

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Thursday during a ⁠hearing in front of the House intelligence committee that the American and ⁠Israeli objectives during ​the ⁠military campaign in Iran are not ⁠the same.

“The objectives that ​have ⁠been laid out ‌by the president are different from the objectives ‌that have been ‌laid out by the Israeli government,” Gabbard said.

“We can see through the operations that the Israeli government has been focused on disabling the Iranian leadership. The president has stated that his objectives are to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles launching capability, their ballistic missile production capability, and their navy,”

Israel’s attack on an Iranian gas field on Wednesday was coordinated with the United States ⁠but will likely not be repeated, three Israeli officials said on Thursday, despite US president Donald Trump saying he knew nothing about it. The attack on Iran’s ⁠South Pars gas field ​drew ⁠an Iranian aerial assault on energy infrastructure in Qatar and across the Middle East, marking the biggest escalation in the nearly three-week US-Israeli war on Iran.

Israel has not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the South Pars attack. On Wednesday night, Trump said in a social media post that Washington “knew nothing about this particular attack” and that Israel would not attack the gas field further unless Iran again attacked Qatar.

The three Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Israel was not surprised by Trump’s comments.

They described the dynamic as similar to one that played out after Israel struck fuel depots in Iran several weeks ago. After those attacks, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that in “that particular case those weren’t our strikes”.

Since the Israeli attack on South Pars, Iranian attacks have caused extensive damage to the world’s largest gas plant in Qatar, targeted a refinery in Saudi Arabia and forced the United Arab Emirates to shut gas facilities.

French president Emmanuel Macron has called for de-escalation in the Middle East, including a moratorium on strikes against civil infrastructure.

“It is time to open a path towards de-escalation in order to restore stability in the Middle East. France calls for the immediate implementation of a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, whether related to water or to energy. Freedom and security of navigation must be restored.

“As the region enters a period of religious celebrations and renewal, tempers must cool and hostilities must cease, in order to give a real chance to the prospect of a negotiated and sustainable solution.”

Sir Keir Starmer has condemned Iranian attacks on vessels and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz in a joint statement with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan.

They said: “We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.

“We express our deep concern about the escalating conflict. We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks, and other attempts to block the strait to commercial shipping, and to comply with UN Security Council resolution 2817.

”The countries said the effects of Iranian actions will be felt in all parts of the world, especially by the most vulnerable people.“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” they said.