US war latest: Tehran vows to tighten grip on Strait of Hormuz as Trump mocks Iranian drone threat

Trump says Washington is waiting for Tehran to respond to a proposal on ending the war

US war latest: Tehran vows to tighten grip on Strait of Hormuz as Trump mocks Iranian drone threat
US war latest: Tehran vows to tighten grip on Strait of Hormuz as Trump mocks Iranian drone threat Photo: The Independent

Trump says Washington is waiting for Tehran to respond to a proposal on ending the war
Iran has threatened to tighten its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and warned that vessels from countries that comply with US sanctions against Tehran will “face difficulties" in crossing the strait.

Iranian lawmakers have ⁠said they are drafting a bill to formalise Iran's management of the ‌Strait of ​Hormuz, ‌with clauses including ⁠forbidding passage ⁠to vessels ‌of "hostile states”.

Earlier, Iran warned it would launch a “heavy assault” on US assets in the Middle East if there are further attacks on ships, while president Donald Trump said he “expects to hear very soon” from the Iranians about a ceasefire agreement.

With negotiations hanging in the balance, the US and Iran continue to engage in hostilities.

Trump on Saturday mocked Iran’s drone threat, comparing them to "butterflies", and posted AI-generated visuals depicting a US warship firing laser beams into the sky, triggering explosions.

The caption read: “Bye Bye, Drones.”
The Iran war has made jet fuel twice as expensive.

Should we be flying with cooking oil instead?

The financial pressure on airlines to move away from oil is growing, as the Iran war pushes jet fuel to its highest price in years.

Experts tell Stuti Mishra there are cleaner alternatives – if the right investment can be found
The Iran war has made jet fuel twice as expensive.

Should we use cooking oil instead?

Trump ends 7-hour hiatus from Truth Social with flurry of posts of AI Iran war pictures and golf tournament on TV
After a roughly seven-hour lull on Truth Social, president Donald Trump resurfaced with a burst of over a dozen posts featuring AI-generated Iran war images and golf tournament snapshots.

Moments later, he followed up with another fabricated visual depicting a US warship firing laser beams into the sky, triggering explosions.

The caption read: “Bye Bye, Drones.”Trump then shifted his focus to criticizing his Democratic predecessors — Joe Biden and Barack Obama — appearing to fault them for not taking military action against Iran.

A split-screen graphic showed a destroyed Iranian naval fleet under the label “Trump,” contrasted with intact vessels under “Obama/Biden,” echoing Trump’s statement last month that U.S.

forces had sunk 159 Iranian ships.

Aramco CEO says world deprived of 1 billion barrels of oil since Iran war began
The world has been deprived of about 1 billion barrels of oil over the past two months and even if energy flows resume it will take time for the system to return to normal, the chief executive of the Saudi oil giant said on Sunday.

"Our objective is simple: keep energy flowing, even ‌when the system ​is ‌under strain," ⁠Amin Nasser ⁠told Reuters.

Saudi Aramco has reported a net profit of 120.13bn riyals ($32.5bn) in the first three months of 2026, a 25.5 per cent increase over the 95.68bn riyals ($25.4bn) recorded last year.

It is one of several oil and gas giants to have reported massive profits since the US-Israeli war on Iran drove up prices.

Israel says weekend attack killed more than 10 Hezbollah members
The Israeli military this morning said it has killed over 10 Hezbollah operatives and struck some 40 sites in Lebanon over the weekend.

It said the airstrikes targeted buildings used by Hezbollah, weapons depots, a rocket launcher, and other infrastructure.

The operatives were struck after being identified near Israeli troops, it claimed
Qatar LNG tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz
A Qatari tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) crossed the Strait of Hormuz this morning, according to shipping data.

The Al Kharaitiyat tanker, which is en route to Pakistan, was approved for passage by Iran to build confidence with Qatar and Pakistan, both mediators in the war.

If completed, it would mark the first transit of a Qatari LNG vessel through the strait since the US and Israel started the war on 28 February.

Iran demands US visa assurances ahead of World Cup
Iran's football federation said on Saturday the country will “definitely” participate in the 2026 Fifa World Cup and insisted that the tournament’s hosts – the United States, Canada and Mexico – consider Tehran's concerns around the team’s travel and how it will be treated.

“All players and technical staff, especially those who served their military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, should be granted visas without problems,” Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran president Mehdi Taj said, according to Iranian media.

The team represents a country in a fragile ceasefire with the United States after the US and Israel sparked a war with attacks on Iran on 28 February, and whose citizens are subject to a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration.

Iran says it will ‘definitely’ take part in World Cup but demands visa assurances
Iran warns countries complying with US sanctions will face Gulf transit difficulties
Vessels from countries that comply with US sanctions against Iran will from now on "undoubtedly face difficulties" crossing the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said.

Iranian lawmakers have ⁠said they are drafting a bill to formalise Iran's management of the ‌Strait of ​Hormuz, ‌with clauses including ⁠forbidding passage ⁠to vessels ‌of "hostile states".

Israel continues to strike Lebanon
Germany revives effort to buy US Tomahawks, FT reports
​Germany is reviving efforts to buy Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing ⁠people with knowledge of Berlin's strategy.

The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is a long-range cruise missile typically launched from sea to attack targets in deep-strike missions.

In February, ‌the Pentagon said ⁠it had signed a seven-year deal with ⁠Raytheon to increase Tomahawk production as its stockpiles have ‌been depleted ​by the war ‌with Iran.

Berlin hopes to persuade the Trump administration to agree to the sale of the Tomahawks together with their Typhon ground launchers,the newspaper said.

Germany's defence minister Boris Pistorius is planning a trip to Washington, the report said, in a bid to revive Berlin's proposal to purchase long-range systems, which was first submitted in July last year.

The US has yet to respond.

The visit, however, hinges upon whether Pistorius can secure a meeting with Pete Hegseth, his US counterpart, unnamed sources told the FT.

UK authorities say cargo ship hit by unknown projectile near Qatar
A bulk carrier reported being struck by an unknown projectile while sailing 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha, Qatar, ?the UK Maritime Trade Operations said on Sunday.

The incident sparked ​a ⁠small fire ‌that was extinguished, with the vessel's ‌master reporting no ‌casualties or environmental impact, UKMTO said.

Authorities ⁠are investigating the source of the projectile, while vessels in the area have been advised ‌to transit ​with caution.

Ships were asked to ⁠report any suspicious ⁠activity to UKMTO.

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