Middle East war live: Trump says Iran war will be 'over quickly'
Issued on: 07/05/2026 - 04:37Modified: 07/05/2026 - 06:54
Share By: FRANCE 24 / Louise NORDSTROM
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that he believed the war in Iran would be "over quickly" but threatened to resume his bombardment of the country if negotiations fell apart. Earlier that day the US military said it had shot at an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman as it tried to breach the US blockade of Iranian ports. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.
07/05/2026 - 05:22Iran says it did not strike South Korean ship in Hormuz
Iran denied that its armed forces had been involved in an explosion that struck a South Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz this week.
Tehran "firmly rejects and categorically denies any allegations regarding the involvement of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the incident involving damage to a Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz", its embassy in Seoul said in a statement.
07/05/2026 - 05:11Australia to reserve 20% of gas exports for domestic use
Australia will force major gas exporters to set aside 20 percent of the fuel for domestic use, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said.
"20 percent of Australian gas exports are being reserved for Australian use," he told reporters.
The announcement comes a day after the government said it would establish a national fuel stockpile of one billion litres to shield the nation from an energy crisis.
07/05/2026 - 04:43- Source close to Hezbollah says top commander killed in Israeli strike
- US fires on Iranian oil tanker as Trump pressures Tehran for deal to end war
- Iran says it did not strike South Korean ship in Hormuz
Hopes for reopening the Strait of Hormuz push Asian shares higher, but oil prices hold above $100
Asian shares jumped and the price of crude oil was holding above $100 a barrel as investors bet on hopes the US and Iran will strike a deal allowing tankers to deliver crude from the Persian Gulf again.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index jumped 5.7 percent to 62,899.59, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 1.3 percent to 26,555.16.
07/05/2026 - 04:34US fires on Iranian oil tanker as Trump pressures Tehran for deal to end war
The US military fired on an Iranian oil tanker Wednesday as US President Donald Trump sought to pressure Tehran into reaching a deal to end the war. The Islamic Republic said it was reviewing the latest American proposals.
A fighter jet shot out the rudder of the tanker in the Gulf of Oman as it tried to breach the American blockade of Iran’s ports, US Central Command said in a social media post.
07/05/2026 - 04:30Source close to Hezbollah says top commander killed in Israeli strike
A senior commander from Hezbollah's elite force was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, the first on the area in nearly a month, a source close to the group said. At least 11 other people were killed in strikes across the south and east, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military had targeted "the commander of Hezbollah's Radwan force". The source close to Hezbollah told AFP on condition of anonymity that "Malek Ballout, the operations commander in the Radwan force" was killed.
07/05/2026 - 04:27Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East. Click here to catch up on what happened yesterday.
Yesterday's key developments:
• US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday evening that he is pausing the US effort to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz to finalise an Iran deal, but that the American forces' blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.
• An Israeli strike in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa valley has killed four people, Lebanon's health ministry said, with local media reporting the attack took place before the Israeli army issued a warning to evacuate the area along with 11 other towns.
• China's foreign minister Wang Yi met his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi for talks in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, without giving further details.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
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