US-Iran war LIVE: US says carrying out 'self-defense strikes' at Iran; blasts in Tehran, Fars, Bandar Abbas

US Iran war LIVE: A commercial vessel, Settebello, was attacked off the coast of Oman on Wednesday. The ship had 24 Indian crew onboard, out of whom 21 have been rescued and three remain missing, a statement by the ministry of external affairs said.

US Iran war LIVE: The ministry of external affairs on Wednesday condemned the attack on a commercial vessel off the coast of Oman earlier today. The vessel had 24 Indian crew members onboard.

“Our Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing Search and Rescue operation,” the MEA said in a statement.

US Iran war LIVE: Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry on Wednesday issued a statement condemning Iranian strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

“The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation and denunciation in the strongest terms of the blatant Iranian attacks and flagrant violations of the sovereignty of the brotherly Kingdom of Bahrain, the brotherly State of Kuwait, and the gdom of Jordan, and considers them a threat to the security and territorial integrity of these brotherly countries and their airspace,” the statement by the Saudi foreign ministry said.

US Iran war LIVE: The United States, Britain and other European allies and nations condemned the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps-Intelligence Organization, Quds Force, and Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

They accused Iran of “lethal plotting”and other actions in Europe, North America and Australia, a joint statement said on Wednesday, Reuters news agency reported.

US Iran war LIVE: A tanker carrying two million barrels of crude oil is heading towards Europe, in the first such shipment since March, ata from the maritime tracking firm Kpler showed Wednesday, AFP reported.

The tanker, Advantage Victory, left Gulf at the end of May. The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel passed through the Strait of Hormuz on May 27 without indicating its destination. It revealed its destination on Monday, with its AIS signal indicating “NL RTM”, the code for Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

US Iran war LIVE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday responded to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks calling Israel’s actions “mischievous” and warning against “adventures” in the Mediterranean.

“Erdogan, who perpetrates genocide against the Kurds, supports the terrorist organization Hamas, oppresses his own people, and imprisons political rivals, is the last one who can preach morals to the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a post on X.

He further said that Israel would “continue to act forcefully against Iran and its proxies that threaten the Middle East and the entire world.”

US Iran war LIVE: Israeli strikes on south Lebanon on Wednesday killed at least 12 people, a source told AFP. This comes after an Israeli strike hit Sidon in the centre of south Lebanon.

US Iran war LIVE: British maritime security group Ambrey said Wednesday that the fire in a tanker near Oman coast is reportedly owing to a US strike. A fire in a tanker 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s port of Sohar has killed one, with two crew members missing.

“Ambrey assesses that this was likely the result of US operations to blockade Iranian ports,” Reuters news agency reported citing the group. “In the past, crews have been warned to gather on the bow of a vessel before an attack on the stern,” it said.

A second maritime security source also said the vessel was likely to have been hit by a US missile, according to Reuters. The vessel hit was the Settebello, according to British maritime risk management group Vanguard, which said the Omani Navy responded to the ship’s distress call. The tanker was partially laden and last located off Oman’s coast on June 1, according to the MarineTraffic ship-tracking platform. Its India-based operator, listed in databases, could not be reached for comment.

US Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump is considering ordering fresh strikes on Iran’s power plants and bridges, owing to the delay in reaching an agreement, Fox News reported on Wednesday citing a phone interview.

US Iran war LIVE: Negotiators from Qatar, which is mediating between the US and Iran, travelled to Tehran on Wednesday morning, an official with knowledge of the situation told Reuters news agency.

The Qatari negotiators travelled to Tehran after consultations with the US to finalise and agreement between both sides, according to Reuters.

US Iran war LIVE: A strike hit the centre of Sidon in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, AFP reported.

US Iran war LIVE: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Tehran and Washingtonneed to move beyond “this state of neither war nor peace,” according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.

“If we want to move beyond this state of neither war nor peace, what should we do? If we do not engage in dialogue, then what is the alternative?” Pezeshkian asked.

“It was on that basis that the Leader permitted the talks to continue, and in the final stages his instruction was: ‘Go and resolve the issue,’” the Iran President added.

US Iran war LIVE: In agreement with the government of Lebanon, the UN human rights office will send a team of investigators to the country next week.

The team will collect evidence of potential violations of the international law by all parties during the war since March, Reuters news agency reported.

US Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned that Iran would have to “pay the price”, saying they took “too long to negotiate a deal.”

“They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” Trump said in a post on X. He further added that the Iranian military was a “complete and total mess.”

“Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore – They have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action,” Trump said.

US Iran war LIVE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Syria had “reached a point” where they were also a threat to Turkey, Reuters news agency reported.

US Iran war LIVE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday alleged that Israel was leading “mischievous initiatives” in the Meditteranean as well, adding that nobody “should chase adventures there.”

Erdogan warned that if the rights of Turks and Turkish Cypriots were violated in the eastern Mediterranean, the response would be “strong” and “clear”, Reuters news agency reported.

US Iran war LIVE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday slammed Israeli “aggression”, saying it poses a “threat” to the whole world, Reuters news agency reported.

Erdogan said this “must be stopped.”

US Iran war LIVE: Israeli forces seized a municipal councillor and a worker in Kfarshuba, southern Lebanon on Wednesday, state media reported, according to AFP.

“An Israeli patrol took away Kfarshuba municipal council member Mohammad Hassan al-Hajj and worker Ahmad Salah Diab, taking them to an unknown location,” Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said.

US Iran war LIVE: One person lost their life and two crew members were missing after a fire erupted in a tanker off Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said.

The fire started in the engine room of the vessel when it was 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Sohar, Reuters news agency reported citing UKMTO. However, the UKMTO did not provide further details or elaborate on the cause of the fire.

US Iran war LIVE: Iran’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said the diplomacy with United States had been “damaged” by strikes, AFP reported.

This came after the US launched strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz which President Donald Trump said were in retaliation to the shooting down of a US Apache helicopter.

US Iran war LIVE: Afte reports of blasts near the island, Iranian provincial governor said no explosions took place in Qeshm, Reuters news agency reported citing the state media.

This comes after Mehr news agency reported explosions near the Qeshm island, saying the cause was not immediately clear.

Trita Parsi, cofounder of the Quincy Institute think tank in the US, says Iranian officials are trying to make it clear there will be a response to any attack on their country, regardless of the “size or scope”.

“Whether they are seeking to escalate the situation or de-escalate remains to be seen,” Parsi told Al Jazeera.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, asked about talks with the US, told SSN that Tehran needs to reassess following overnight clashes with Washington.

Russia on Wednesday urged “restraint” in the Iran war after Washington and Tehran traded new strikes in the worst escalation since their April 8 ceasefire.

“We are extremely concerned about the new round of US-Iranian armed confrontation, which began with the unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. We call on both sides to exercise restraint and to immediately cease military attacks,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

The Israeli army has issued another attack threat against Lebanon’s Ghassaniyeh and Houmine al-Faouqa areas, ordering residents to flee their homes immediately.

The forced displacement order comes despite a ceasefire on April 17.