Trump vows massive strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain as US-Iran war widens across region despite mediation push  

• US president says Tehran wants talks but Washington has ‘no interest’ until negotiations become meaningful

• Iran, US exchange fresh strikes as Hormuz blockade, Houthi threats and Gulf attacks deepen regional crisis

• IRGC claims attacks on US military targets in Jordan and Bahrain; Gulf states condemn Iranian strikes

• ASEAN urges immediate halt to hostilities as Pakistan-Qatar mediation efforts continue amid escalating conflict

 WASHINGTON/TEHRAN: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened a massive new strike on Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified underground site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme near the damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, as the US-Iran conflict expanded across the Middle East with fresh military exchanges, renewed threats to vital shipping routes, growing regional involvement and intensified international calls for an immediate return to diplomacy despite ongoing mediation efforts by Pakistan and Qatar.

Trump said the United States would hit the Pickaxe Mountain area "very heavily, pretty soon." The site, linked to Iran's nuclear programme, hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes.

The US president had threatened to attack the facility last week, saying Washington was "going to take out Pickaxe Mountain." He also claimed on Tuesday that Tehran wanted to "desperately meet."

"Until they're ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest," Trump said.

US ready to respond if Houthis impose blockade, says Trump

Trump was also asked about threats by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement to impose a naval blockade in the Red Sea.

"If the group follows through on its threats of a naval blockade, we'll just have to take care of business," he said during Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's visit to the White House.

The US president pledged support for Lebanon, saying the country had been "very badly treated."

"We're going to have it properly treated, and treated with respect that it deserves," Trump said. "There's a Hezbollah problem, but we've done some things that I think the world will take notice."

The Lebanese leader thanked Trump for what he described as the "historic achievement" in signing a Lebanon-Israel framework.

"I've been looking forward to this visit for a long time," Aoun said, adding that "it's about time for Lebanon and the whole region to be stable and secure."

Trump also said he would speak to Hezbollah if Aoun requested it.

"I would speak to Hezbollah. I speak to everybody. I'll speak to people that a lot of people think I shouldn't be speaking to, and things work out," he said.

In June, Trump said he communicated with Hezbollah through intermediaries and secured a pledge that it would not attack Israel.

Before then, no US president had publicly acknowledged speaking with Hezbollah, directly or indirectly. The group is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States.

Saudi crude tankers turn back as Houthis open new front

Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude oil to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday after threats from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, as the widening Middle East conflict disrupted shipping through one of the world's most critical maritime corridors.

The diversions came after overnight US strikes on targets in southern and western Iran, Iranian attacks on US-linked sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and an attack on at least one tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the latest escalation that has all but derailed the interim peace deal signed last month.

The two tankers, carrying Saudi crude destined for China and India, made U-turns and headed back toward the Suez Canal, according to LSEG shipping data. Sources, however, said Saudi Arabia's Red Sea export terminal at Yanbu continued to operate normally.

Oil prices rose around two per cent following the latest attacks, although indications that Tehran and Washington remain interested in resuming diplomacy helped limit further gains.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had struck Iranian military command centres, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defence systems in its latest round of attacks.

Explosions were reported around the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, while media reports said Konarak, Chabahar, Khorramabad and a civilian site outside Abdanan also came under attack. Later, Iran's IRNA news agency quoted an official in Khorramabad as saying no enemy strike had occurred there.

An Iranian health ministry official said recent US strikes had killed 50 civilians and wounded 500 others.

Pezeshkian recalls Khamenei's call to end 'no war, no peace'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had repeatedly emphasised the need to end the prolonged state of "no war, no peace" between Iran and the United States.

Khamenei, who led Iran for nearly 36 years, was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28 at the start of the joint offensive against Tehran.

Speaking at a National Industry and Mining Day ceremony, Pezeshkian praised Khamenei's strategic vision, saying the late leader had repeatedly stressed in private meetings the importance of ending the prolonged uncertainty.

"The supreme leader emphasised in private meetings the necessity of ending the state of 'no war, no peace,'" Pezeshkian said.

He said Iran entered negotiations "based on the country's honour, wisdom and dignity," adding that diplomatic efforts remained focused on safeguarding national interests.

"Our diplomatic institutions will never retreat from the rights of the Iranian people," he said.

IRGC claims strike on US forces in Jordan

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Tuesday that its Aerospace Force had targeted a complex housing US forces in Jordan's Al-Rukban area as part of the 24th wave of Operation Nasr 2, alleging that several American soldiers were killed.

The claim, carried by IRNA, could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate response from either Jordan or the United States.

Gulf states react to Iranian attacks

The United Arab Emirates condemned Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, describing them as "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the brotherly nations and a threat to their security and stability."

The UAE Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its "full solidarity" with the three countries and its support for measures aimed at safeguarding their security.

Kuwait said Iran had struck power generation and water desalination facilities for the fourth consecutive day, causing fires and damage at several critical installations.

The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said the fires had been extinguished, while damage assessments and repair work were underway.

Bahrain, Jordan intercept Iranian projectiles

Air raid sirens sounded repeatedly across Bahrain on Tuesday as Iranian missiles and drones targeted the Gulf kingdom.

The Bahraini Interior Ministry urged residents to remain calm and seek shelter, while the country's military said it intercepted and destroyed several incoming projectiles.

Jordan also announced that it had intercepted five Iranian drones after earlier IRGC claims that it had struck US military targets in the country, including a missile defence radar and an F-15 fighter jet.

Separately, Iran's army said it had targeted the US Sheikh Isa military base in Bahrain, describing it as a key operational hub for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

The military said offensive operations would continue until "the enemy is deterred from continuing its attacks on the country."

Vessel hit off UAE coast

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre reported that a commercial vessel was struck by an unknown projectile around 17 nautical miles east of Dibba in the United Arab Emirates, damaging its steering gear.

All crew members were reported safe, and no environmental damage was recorded.

UKMTO said the incident remained under investigation and advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution.

Iran vows to keep Hormuz closed

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, quoting a military source, reported that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed as long as US attacks continued.

"The Strait of Hormuz is in full control of the Iranian armed forces," the source said, adding that any decision to reopen the strategic waterway would depend entirely on Iran's security considerations and national interests.

IRGC claims strike on Amazon infrastructure

The IRGC also claimed that it had targeted and destroyed central data infrastructure belonging to US technology company Amazon in Bahrain using several cruise missiles, according to Tasnim News Agency.

There was no immediate confirmation from Bahrain, the United States or Amazon, and the claim could not be independently verified.

ASEAN urges immediate halt to hostilities

Southeast Asian nations on Tuesday urged the United States and Iran to exercise "utmost self-restraint" and immediately halt hostilities, warning that the renewed conflict was undermining mediation efforts and reducing prospects for a diplomatic settlement.

Meeting during their 59th annual gathering in Manila, foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said they were "deeply concerned" by the rapidly deteriorating situation.

"We expressed serious concern over the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East, particularly the renewed hostilities" involving the United States and Iran, the joint communiqué said.

The ministers called for "a complete and immediate cessation of hostilities across all fronts in the Middle East," stressing the importance of dialogue, diplomacy, international law and regional stability.

The appeal came as fighting continued despite the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed in June to end the war and pave the way for a lasting peace agreement.

Pakistan and Qatar have continued to play the leading mediation role, urging both sides to halt military operations and return to the pre-July 9 status.

New UK government faces US pressure over access to strategic military bases

The US will expect the new UK government to allow it to use its strategic military bases while it continues its war on Iran, according to a British newspaper, as per Al Jazeera.

Trump is “pressing the new prime minister to maintain access to RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia”, The Telegraph reported.

Shortly after Andy Burnham took over as UK prime minister on Monday, the US president held a call with him.

The previous UK government under Keir Starmer did not allow the US to use the British Diego Garcia base on Chagos Island to launch its B2 bombers initially, but later adjusted its stance, allowing the US to use it for defensive operations, including attacks on “degrading Iran’s military capability”.

Yemen defence minister says army ‘ready to fight to end the Houthi coup’

Yemeni Defence Minister Taher al-Uqaili said on Tuesday that the army of the internationally recognised Yemeni government was ready “to wage the war for freedom”.

In a statement published on the defence ministry’s website, Uqaili stressed the armed forces’ readiness at “the highest level of combat and morale to end the Houthi coup, which has caused so much suffering to our people, and to wage the war for freedom”.

The minister appealed to Yemenis living in Houthi-controlled areas to “protect their children and not throw them into a losing war waged by mercenaries of the Iranian regime”.

Clashes between government forces and Houthis have resumed in some areas of the country.

Yemen's Houthis said on Monday they would impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front against the United States in its war against Iran and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.

The escalation comes after the Pentagon on Monday identified two US soldiers who were killed when Iran attacked an American base in Jordan on Friday, while they also said they had found unidentified remains that could be those of a third soldier reported as missing in action. Separately, a fourth service member was killed in northern Iraq during the "controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone."

After the Houthis announced their blockade, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said in a statement that it would respond to them with force, and also that it began implementing protection measures for its ships moving through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key export route for Saudi oil after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis made their announcement despite signs that Tehran and Washington want to resume diplomacy to halt a worsening cycle of attacks that has all but wrecked a fragile interim agreement signed last month. Iran's Foreign Ministry ⁠said mediators had presented "proposals" to Tehran, signalling that diplomatic contacts remain active, but gave no details.

Oil prices rose briefly after the Houthi statement but later fell back as traders held out hope of a diplomatic breakthrough. The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea rose on the increased risks for merchant shipping.

Iran had been pressing the Houthis to close the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea if the US continued to attack Iranian power infrastructure.

A full closure of the strait would reduce global oil supply by 7% as it would leave most of Saudi oil exports unable to leave the region. The disruption would add to the huge cut to oil flows from the war in the Gulf, which has already reduced shipments by 10% of global supply.

In their statement, the Houthis' armed forces said they were declaring "a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye', effective immediately" in response to what they called "an unjust and oppressive siege" imposed on Yemen by the Saudis.

Diplomatic push to restore ceasefire

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that Tehran had received a proposal from mediators for a 10-day ceasefire in efforts to salvage the interim deal, intended to pave the way to a lasting agreement to end the war that began on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Neither the ministry nor the official who spoke to Reuters gave any details on the putative ceasefire discussions.

Two Pakistani government sources said separately that Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni had asked Pakistan to resume its mediation role in the conflict. He later arrived in Islamabad for further talks.

The diplomatic push followed another night ⁠of US strikes on Iranian cities and attacks by Iran's Revolutionary Guards on US military assets across the region. US Central Command said Monday afternoon US time that it had begun another round of strikes on Iran.

President Donald Trump, under mounting political pressure at home over rising gasoline prices since the war began and Iran effectively closed the vital Strait of Hormuz, defended the latest strikes on Iran as honouring the deaths of American service members killed in recent Iranian attacks.

"Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.

The war has killed thousands of civilians, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, part of which has been occupied by Israeli forces following attacks on ⁠Israel by Hezbollah fighters who said they were acting in solidarity with Tehran.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is due to meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday to present a plan on how to disarm Hezbollah and secure an Israeli withdrawal.

Israel also still has forces in Gaza following two years of war ignited by the Palestinian militant group Hamas' attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023. Hamas said on Monday it had named top negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya as its overall leader, a move that an analyst said could signal a tougher stance by the group towards calls for it ⁠to disarm.