Day 63: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

This live blog follows updates for Day 63 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 62, go here.

• US maintains a naval blockade on Iran, escalating regional tensions
• Israel intercepts a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, detaining over 175 people
• Iran condemns US actions, calling the blockade an extension of military operations
• Oil prices surge globally as the Strait of Hormuz faces major disruptions
• Diplomatic efforts stall while leaders exchange warnings and assert conflicting positions

Trump tells US Congress hostilities in Iran 'have terminated'

Published: May 1, 2026 | 23:35 GMT | by AFP

President Donald Trump told top US lawmakers on Friday that hostilities in Iran had ended.

"There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated," he wrote in letters to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate president pro tempore Chuck Grassley.

US to withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany

Published: May 1, 2026 | 21:25 GMT | by AFP

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany within the next year, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The announcement came after President Donald Trump threatened earlier this week to remove troops from NATO ally Germany amid a row with its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, over the US-Israeli war against Iran.

"We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

Iran ‘not coming through with the kind of deal’ US wants: Trump

Published: May 1, 2026 | 21:25 GMT | by Web Desk

US President Donald Trump on Saturday insisted that a deal with Iran is going to be done “properly”.

“They’re not coming through with the kind of deal that we have to have, and we’re going to get this thing done properly,” Trump says addressing a rally in Florida.

“We’re not going to leave early and have this kind of problem arise in three more years,” Trump added.

Lebanon says six killed in Israeli strikes on southern town

Published: May 1, 2026 | 19:34 GMT | by AFP

Lebanon's health ministry said six people including a woman and a child were killed Friday in Israeli strikes on a southern town where Israel's army had issued an evacuation order despite a ceasefire.

The ministry statement said eight other people including a woman and a child were wounded in the two strikes on Habboush, where an AFP photographer saw clouds of smoke rising after the raids.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported unspecified casualties in Habboush after Israeli warplanes "launched a series of heavy strikes... less than an hour after warning" residents to evacuate.

Trump says 'great respect for Pakistan', not satisfied with Iran's proposals

Published: May 1, 2026 | 16:45 GMT | by Web Desk

US President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on Friday that he has ‘great respect for Pakistan’ when asked about the latest developments in negotiations with Iran through Islamabad.

"We have great respect for Pakistan, Islamabad and tremendous respect for the prime minister and the field marshal,” he further stated that negotiations are still taking place, but via telephone.

"Iran wants to make a deal, but I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump added.

Israeli military destroys monastery, nuns’ school in south Lebanon

Published: May 1, 2026 | 14:55 GMT | by Web Desk

Israel demolished a monastery and a nuns’ school in the border village of Yaroun after blowing up homes, shops, roads and various landmarks in the town, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Middle East war's impact on shipping hitting refugee aid: UNCHR

Published: May 1, 2026 | 13:34 GMT | by AFP

The UN refugee agency on Friday said the Middle East war had sent its freight rates soaring, hitting the delivery of aid to refugees in the wider region and Africa.

Every extra dollar spent on fuel and higher war-risk shipping insurance premiums is a dollar less that can be spent in the field, UNHCR added.

"The Middle East crisis has generated far-reaching ripple effects well beyond the region, with growing consequences for global humanitarian supply chains and the delivery of aid," spokeswoman Carlotta Wolf told a press conference in Geneva.

India raises cooking gas, jet fuel prices

Published: May 1, 2026 | 12:44 GMT | by AFP

India raised on Friday the prices of commercial liquified petroleum gas and jet fuel for international airlines, according to a state-run energy firm, as supply pressures from the Iran war mount.

The South Asian nation is heavily dependent on imported energy, including for roughly 60 percent of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the fuel used for cooking by a vast section of its population, the largest in the world.

"Prices of bulk and commercial LPG cylinders have been revised," the state-run Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), the country's leading energy marketing company, said.

IOCL's price chart shows an increase of 993 rupees ($10.50) in the price of a 19-kilogramme LPG cylinder meant for commercial use.

Iran judiciary chief says Tehran open to US talks but against policy 'imposition'

Published: May 1, 2026 | 11:22 GMT | by AFP

Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei on Friday said Tehran remained open to talks with the United States but would not accept what he called policy "imposition" under threats.

"The Islamic Republic has never shied away from negotiations... but we certainly do not accept imposition," Ejei said in a video carried by the judiciary's Mizan Online website.

"We do not welcome war in any way; we do not want war, we do not want its continuation," he said.

He also insisted that Iran was "absolutely not willing to abandon our principles and values in the face of this malicious enemy in order to avoid war or prevent its continuation."

Iran FM says 'the Pentagon is lying'

Published: May 1, 2026 | 10:00 GMT | by Web Desk

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Pentagon is misleading the public over the cost of US involvement, claiming the financial impact has reached $100 billion.

"Indirect costs for US taxpayers are FAR higher," Araghchi said in a post on X. "Monthly bill for each American household is $500 and rising fast."

Iran rejects US self-defence claim, calls war an 'act of aggression'

Published: May 1, 2026 | 8:17 GMT | by Web Desk

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, in a post on X, rejected claims that recent military action against Iran could be justified as self-defence.

“‘Self-defense’ against what? Was there any ‘armed attack’ by Iran to justify ‘self defense’? Definitely not,” he said, adding that the action “was absolutely NOT ‘self-defense’ — it was an act of AGGRESSION against the nation of Iran.”

US's Hormuz coalition 'not in competition' with France, UK-led bid: French FM

Published: May 1, 2026 | 07:20 GMT | by AFP

France's top diplomat on Friday said a new US-led coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would complement and not compete with a similar mission spearheaded by France and Britain.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking in Abu Dhabi following a regional tour, said he briefed Gulf allies on the UK-France initiative which was now at an "advanced" stage.

The US mission is "not of the same nature as the one we established... it comes as a sort of complement", Barrot said in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, following visits to Saudi Arabia and Oman.

"It is not in competition with the initiative we have launched and on which we are focused," he added.

Lebanon PM: We will reclaim every inch of our occupied land 

Published: May 1, 2026 | 06:50 GMT | by Web Desk

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in a post on X marking Labour Day, paid tribute to workers facing mounting economic hardship, saying many continue to work "despite the anxiety and distress" under unprecedented conditions.

“We will continue the hard work to improve your living conditions… complete the path of reform, and revive the economy in a way that creates new job opportunities, restores stability, and sets the country on the path to genuine recovery,” he said.

US military leaders brief President Trump on potential new Iran plans

Published: May 1, 2026 | 06:30 GMT | by Web Desk

Al Jazeera, citing Axios, reported that two senior US officials held a high-level military briefing Thursday evening with President Donald Trump.

The report said US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine outlined a range of options for potential courses of action against Iran during the 45-minute session.

Citing sources, Al Jazeera said the proposed strategies centered around possible strike scenarios as the administration considers its next steps in the conflict.

Trump says Iran 'dying to make a deal'

Published: May 1, 2026 | 02:30 GMT | by Web Desk

US President Donald Trump has said that Iran was dying to make a deal, terming the conflict between the two countries as a “military operation” 

“I don't call it a war,” Trump said. 

“Iran is dying to make a deal. I can only tell you that,” he said, adding that the terms were that “they cannot be nuclear.” 

US military says navy ships are being replenished in Middle East

Published: May 1, 2026 | 02:15GMT | by Web Desk

The US military’s regional command responsible for the Iran war has said that US Navy ships are restocking with “fuel, food, munitions, and essential supplies,” Al Jazeera reported.

Central Command (CENTCOM) shared photographs on social media said to show supplies being loaded onto the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D Black, which is said to be supporting the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the region.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth this week told the US Senate that the Iran war has so far cost the US military some $25bn. However, some estimates put the cost far higher.

Mahmoud Khalil calls out ongoing threats against him

Published: May 1, 2026 | 02:30GMT | by Web Desk

Months after his release from US immigration detention over his involvement in peaceful campus protests against the Gaza genocide, Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil has said he is still facing threats, Al Jazeera reported. 

In a post on X, Khalil responded to New York City councilwoman Vickie Paladino, a Republican, saying that he should be loaded into a military plane, handed a parachute and pushed “out the back over Syria”.

“A New York City councilwoman is publicly fantasizing about killing me, and somehow I’m the threat,” Khalil said.

Iranian embassy rejects being linked to ‘violent activities, incidents’ in the UK

Published: May 1, 2026 | 01:45GMT | by Web Desk

Iran’s embassy in London has issued a statement castigating “the fabricated negative media environment” in the United Kingdom and rejected allegations linking Iran to violent incidents in the UK, Al Jazeera reported. 

“Such baseless accusations against [the] Islamic Republic of Iran, lack credible evidence and appear to serve narrow political agendas and to mislead public opinion and distract from the real root causes of terrorism and violent extremism,” the embassy said in a lengthy post on X.

Noting that Iran has been a “primary victim of terrorism for decades” amid the killing of large numbers of “innocent civilians, high-ranking officials and scientists”, the embassy said that Tehran “remains at the forefront of the global struggle against terrorism and violent extremism”.

“The Embassy also notes that, in previous official communications and discussions, it had raised concerns with relevant authorities about certain suspicious activities and the potential exploitation of ‘false flag’ operations on UK soil,” it added.

US urges meeting of Israel, Lebanon leaders 

Published: April 30, 2026 | 20:26GMT | by AFP

The US embassy in Lebanon called for a meeting between Lebanese and Israeli leaders as the health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country's south killed at least 15 people despite an ongoing ceasefire.

"Lebanon stands at a crossroads. Its people have a historic opportunity to reclaim their country and shape their future as a truly sovereign, independent nation," the embassy said, adding that "the time for hesitation is over".

Trump has said he hopes to host Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "over the next couple of weeks" as the two countries prepare for direct negotiations.

Oil at four-year high 

Published: April 30, 2026 | 23:22GMT | by AFP

Oil prices soared to four-year highs, with the US crude benchmark Brent for June delivery spiking more than seven percent to $126.41, while West Texas Intermediate was up 3.4 percent to $110.31, before later paring gains.

UN says Hormuz 'strangling' economy 

Published: April 30, 2026 | 22:31GMT | by AFP

UN chief Antonio Guterres sounded the alarm over the worsening global economic impacts of the Strait of Hormuz remaining effectively closed due to the Iran war.

The closure of the vital waterway is "strangling the global economy," the secretary-general warned in remarks to the media.