Iran war live: Trump says conflict will be over soon; Gulf attacks continue
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps rejects US claims that its missiles programme has been destroyed, says it is deploying projectiles in greater numbers, and with warheads weighing more than 1 tonne.
US President Donald Trump threatens to hit Iran “twenty times harder” if it stops oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, hours after saying the war could end “very soon”.
Hezbollah claims more attacks on Israeli troops, military sites
The Lebanese armed group says its fighters fired rockets at the Al-Malikiyah site in northern Israel, opposite the Lebanese border town of Aitaroun, in the early hours of the morning.
It also claimed another rocket attack on what it called a “newly established site” in Jabal al-Bat near Aitaroun, as well as on Israeli troops and an artillery emplacement near al-Abbad in southern Lebanon.
The group said its fighters also attacked an Israeli site in Tell el-Hamames, south of the city of Khiam, with a rocket salvo.
‘We have the upper hand,’ top Iranian diplomat says
We have been reporting on comments from Kazem Gharibabadi, the deputy Iranian foreign minister, who said earlier that China, France and Russia have reached out regarding a ceasefire.
We have more from his comments on state television.
“Even if they [US and Israel] request a ceasefire, this has to be put forward when Iran is certain they will not attack again, and they have accepted responsibility for their actions. They cannot just come to us and say ceasefire, and we say OK,” he said.
“We have the upper hand. Their plans have failed, and they haven’t reached their goals. Iran has seriously damaged Israel and the US. Look at the state of global energy and the global economy. We have the upper hand, and we will decide when the war will end,” he added.
No longer room for diplomacy with the US: Iranian official
Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, says there is no longer room for diplomacy with the US and that the Iranian army is ready for a long war.
Asia’s stock markets surge
Stock markets across the Asia Pacific region are rallying as oil prices retreat from yesterday’s highs following Trump’s suggestion that the war could end “very soon“.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was up about 2.5 percent as of 05:00 GMT, after plunging more than 5 percent on Monday.
South Korea’s KOSPI was up nearly 5 percent, following a 6 percent loss during the previous session.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index was up about 1.5 percent, reversing all of the previous day’s losses.
Australia’s ASX 200, which fell 2.9 percent on Monday, was nearly 1 percent higher.
The gains follow a rollercoaster 24 hours for crude oil prices, which soared to nearly $120 a barrel before dropping below $90.
The prospect of a prolonged conflict has spooked energy markets amid the effective halt of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about one-fifth of the global oil supply.
