Summary

Live Updates: Iran says it "cannot trust the Americans at all" as Trump says "we control" the Strait of Hormuz What to know about the Iran war today - The U.S., not Iran, is in control of the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said Friday, adding, "We wiped out their armed forces, essentially." - Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that his country "cannot trust the Americans at all" and that Iran is "trying to maintain" the "shaky" ceasefire "to give diplomacy a chance." - Iran's foreign minister claimed victory in the war, saying the country must be "viewed differently – as a power capable of confronting the world's greatest powers." Iran "must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons," says German chancellor Iran "must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons" and must "come to the negotiating table now," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday after a call with President Trump. In a post on X, Merz said he had "a good phone call" with Mr. Trump on his return trip from China. "We agree: Iran must come to the negotiating table now. It must open the Strait of Hormuz," he said. "Tehran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons," Merz added. Foreign minister says Iran welcomes China's help in resolving conflict Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday he was open to any support, including from China, to help resolve conflict in the Middle East. "We appreciate any country who has the ability to help, particularly China," he told reporters in the Indian capital, where he attended a meeting of the BRICS bloc of nations. "We have very good relations with China, we are strategic partners to each other, and we know that (the) Chinese have a good intention, so anything that can be done by them to help diplomacy would be welcomed by the Islamic Republic," he said. Israel's army urges residents of 5 south Lebanon villages to evacuate Israel's military called on residents of five villages in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate on Friday ahead of expected attacks against Hezbollah, despite a truce with Lebanon intended to halt fighting. "In light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Defence Army is compelled to act against it forcefully," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X, listing five villages near the city of Tyre, on the south Lebanon coast. "For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and stay away from the villages and towns by a distance of no less than 1,000 metres," he added. "We control" the Strait of Hormuz, says Trump The U.S. is in control of the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said Friday, adding "We wiped out their armed forces, essentially." Speaking to reporters on Air Force One after his summit with China's President Xi, Mr Trump said "We control the Strait [of Hormuz], and they've done no business… so we have ben doing very well on all fronts. "We don't need favors," he added. "We wiped out their armed forces, essentially." "We may have to do a little cleanup work," he added. "Because we had a little month-long ceasefire, I guess you'd call it, but we have a blockade that's so effective, that's why we did the ceasefire." Mr Trump added that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping "feels strongly" that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, "and he wants them to open up the strait." The President also said he felt OK about a suspension of Iran's nuclear program for 20 years, but only if there is a "real" commitment from Tehran. "We cannot trust the Americans at all," says Iran's foreign minister Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that his country "cannot trust the Americans at all" and that they are "trying to maintain" the "shaky" ceasefire "to give diplomacy a chance." Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi during the ongoing BRICS summit, Araghchi added that the Strait of Hormuz "is open, and all vessels can pass," except those that belong to "countries that are at war with us." "We are now in a ceasefire, although it is very shaky," he said. "But we are trying to maintain it in order to give diplomacy a chance so that a negotiated, diplomatic solution can be found." He described the lack of trust in the U.S. as "the main obstacle to any diplomatic effort." "We cannot trust the Americans at all," he said. "Everything must be precise and clearly defined before any agreement can be concluded." "Every day brings a different message, sometimes even two different messages in a single day, which deepens mistrust." Iranian army chief says they will defend the country "until the last drop of blood" Iranian troops will defend the country "until the last drop of blood," the head of its army has said. In remarks carried by almost all state media, the Iranian army's commander-in-chief Major General Amir Hatami said, "With all our being, until the last drop of blood and God willing until the realization of complete victory," his troops would "continue our sacred mission of defending the territorial integrity" and "independence of the country." "The issue of death has been resolved for our fighters," he added. "We fight for victory, but we also consider martyrdom a great blessing." Iran "was the victor in this war," says foreign minister Abbas Araghchi Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claims "Iran was the victor in this war" and says the country must now be seen as capable of "confronting the world's greatest powers." In a video posted to his Telegram channel Friday, Araghchi told state TV that "all countries now acknowledge that the Islamic Republic of Iran was the victor in this war." "Iran was able to prevent its enemies from achieving their objectives and succeeded in imposing its will," he added. "From now on, Iran must be viewed differently," he said, "as a power capable of confronting the world's greatest powers." He also doubled down on his condemnation of the UAE for, he claimed, standing "alongside the United States and Israel during this war" … by providing "airspace, territory, facilities and services to U.S. forces." Araghchi added that Tehran and Abu Dhabi should "see security in regional cooperation, not in dependence on forces from outside the region." Trump says he and China's Xi "feel very similar on Iran" As his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping was wrapping up Friday, President Trump told reporters the two leaders "feel very similar on Iran" and share a desire to bring the Iran war to an end. Mr. Trump noted that both countries want the Strait of Hormuz — a key chokepoint that 20% of the world's oil usually travels through — to be reopened -- and both want to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Mr. Trump told Fox News after he and Xi met Thursday that Xi said he's not going to give any military equipment to Iran, which the U.S. president called a "big statement." It remains to be seen if Xi follows through. Mr. Trump also told Fox News that Xi wants to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the U.S.'s war with Iran began in late February. China is Iran's biggest oil customer. Trump says Xi told him China would not give Iran military equipment: "That's a big statement" In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity Thursday from Beijing, President Trump said that during their summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would not provide military equipment to Iran for its war in the Middle East. Asked by Hannity how big of a discussion the two leaders had regarding China's support for Iran, Mr. Trump responded, "We discussed it. When you say support, they're [China] not fighting a war with us or anything." According to Mr. Trump, Xi told him that he's "not going to give [Iran] military equipment. That's a big statement. He said that today. That's a big statement. He said that strongly." Last month, CBS News reported that U.S. intelligence agencies had detected signs that China was weighing whether to provide the Iranian regime with advanced radar systems. Mr. Trump disclosed that Xi also noted to him how much China depends on the oil and gas it imports from Iran. "But at the same time, he said, you know, they buy a lot of their oil there, they would like to keep doing that," Mr. Trump said. "He'd like to see the Hormuz strait opened," adding that Xi "didn't like the fact that they're [Iran] charging tolls. I don't know if they are or not." According to analysts at maritime intelligence company Lloyd's List, early in the war, Iran had been using Larak Island, which is located a few miles off Iran's coast, as a tolling stop for tankers. Per the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, China purchases about 90% of the oil that Iran exports. And according to analysis from Det Norske Veritas, an independent global assurance and risk management provider, prior to the Iran war, China imported 70% of its oil and gas, the majority of which came through the Persian Gulf. Trump says he's "not going to be much more patient" on an Iran deal President Trump said in an interview with Fox News that he's "not going to be much more patient" on a possible peace deal with Iran. "I'm not going to be much more patient," Mr. Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity Thursday. "They should make a deal." After wrapping up their summit in Beijing, Mr. Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping "would like to see a deal made." "He said, 'If I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.' Anybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some kind of relationship, but he'd like to see the Hormuz Strait open," Mr. Trump told Hannity. CENTCOM chief says Iran's hold on strait has weakened, but threats remain The head of U.S. forces in the Middle East told senators that the bombing campaign against Iran, named Operation Epic Fury, achieved all of its objectives to "significantly degrade" the country's military capabilities, even as Tehran continues to claim control of the Strait of Hormuz. Admiral Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee that U.S. forces have destroyed more than 90% of Iran's inventory of 8,000 naval mines to prevent their deployment in the strait. But he acknowledged Iran still maintains some capabilities to threaten ships. "The Iranian ability to stop commerce has been dramatically degraded through the straits, but their voice is very loud, and those threats are clearly heard by the merchant industry and the insurance industry," Cooper said Thursday. Trump says Xi wants to see Iran deal made, offered to help President Trump said Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping would like to see a deal with Iran made, and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and has offered to help. "President Xi would like to see a deal made," Mr. Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity. "He would like to see a deal made. And he did offer, he said, 'If I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.'" "Look, anybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some kind of relationship with them, but he said, 'I would love to be of help, if I can be of any help whatsoever.' He'd like to see the Hormuz Strait open," Mr. Trump said. "He said, 'If I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help.'"