US-Iran War Live Updates: Trump says he did not offer Tehran sanctions relief

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House. (Photo: AP)

US-Iran War Live News Updates: US President Donald Trump said the US will “win” its war with Iran and that it will end “one way or the other,” even as diplomacy continues through intermediaries. He confirmed that US negotiators spoke with Iranian officials through mediators, days after he rejected Tehran’s latest ceasefire proposal. Iran, for its part, says it has “no plans” to negotiate directly with Washington. Trump confirms indirect contact with Tehran while dismissing its ceasefire offer, and Iran demands US guarantees before any talks.

What Trump said: Trump was defiant, saying the US is “going to win” and predicting the conflict will move “pretty quickly.” He said US officials had met war mediators, while Iranian media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due to meet mediating countries’ representatives in New York. Trump also warned that Iran could use a nuclear weapon against the US if it ever got one, insisting Tehran “will never” be allowed to build a bomb. He said more military strikes before the November midterms are “possible.” Axios, citing a US official, reported that he is willing to offer sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for concrete progress on Iran’s nuclear program.

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Key world updates: 

• Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran’s military has pushed the “enemy” out of waters off southern Iran toward the Arabian Sea and will soon drive it out of there too.
• Five UK nationals were arrested near a British air base used by the US for strikes on Iran, on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences. They were released on bail a day later. Iran rejected speculation of any link.
• Lawmaker Behnam Saeedi said the US must honor its past commitments before talks can happen, citing Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the Islamabad memorandum. An unnamed official denied that Tehran had shown flexibility on its nuclear position.
• Araghchi and Iran’s team were expected to meet Qatari mediators in New York to review the latest proposals and the state of talks with the US.
•  The rial hit a record low, with the dollar above 2.45 million rials on Iran’s open market. Meanwhile, Iraq is struggling to find alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz for oil exports, since routes via Syria, Turkey or Jordan are seen as impractical for now.

Follow the latest world news and major international developments here, including the latest on the US-Iran war and talks over the Strait of Hormuz. This live blog is a rolling curation of the day’s key global stories, with updates added as events unfold and the news agenda changes. The headline, introduction and Top Developments section will be refreshed throughout the day to reflect the stories that matter most at that moment.

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