Iran-US war latest: Trump dismisses fears of renewed combat as Qatar cites ‘positive progress’ in deadlocked talks

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, has lodged a formal protest over what Tehran says is Israel’s latest threat to assassinate Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Security Council and the General Assembly, Iravani described remarks by Israeli defence minister Israel Katz as part of a “deliberate and systematic policy of state terrorism” targeting Iran’s political leadership.

The letter also accused Israel of carrying out what it called unlawful acts of aggression against Iran, including the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and other senior political and military officials, alleging the operations were conducted with the “participation, coordination, and support” of the United States.

Iravani criticised the UN Security Council for failing to hold Israel accountable, arguing that its inaction had emboldened Israel and normalised what Tehran described as state terrorism.

“Unfortunately, the failure of the Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities under the UN Charter has reinforced the climate of impunity and has made the Israeli regime more brazen in normalising state terrorism, which sets a very dangerous precedent and poses a serious threat to international peace and security.”

The fighting may have come to a pause, but Americans are still feeling the pain from the Iran war.

The conflict, which paralyzed global oil traffic and sent prices spiking, has cost the typical American household $1,000 each, Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi estimates.

“The true cost is likely higher—meaningfully higher,” he wrote in a recent op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s fair to ask whether it was worth it.”

Qatar has said the latest round of indirect talks between the United States and Iran made “positive progress”, with both sides agreeing to resume negotiations after the funeral ceremonies for Iran’s former Supreme Leader.

It came even as talks ended in a stalemate in Doha without any indication of a breakthrough.

In a post on X, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said Qatari and Pakistani mediators held separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators in Doha on Wednesday.

He said the discussions made “positive progress” on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and built on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit.

Al Ansari added that the parties had agreed to continue negotiations, with the next round to be scheduled “at the earliest possible time” following the funeral processions for Iran’s former Supreme Leader.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi has asserted that the Strait of Hormuz is “under Iran’s command, not Centcom’s”, dismissing any suggestion that US-led military efforts can determine security in the strategically vital waterway.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Gharibabadi said a military meeting in Bahrain could not establish a legal or security framework for the Persian Gulf.

“Hormuz is defined under Iran’s command, not Centcom. A military summit in Bahrain cannot establish legal order and security for the Persian Gulf,” he wrote.

He added that regional security could only be achieved through an end to foreign intervention, the withdrawal of US forces from the region, respect for the sovereignty of regional states, and recognition of what he described as “new geopolitical realities” – “not under the military umbrella of America.”

Iran and the US have wrapped up a fresh round of indirect talks in Qatar without any indication of a breakthrough, with discussions focused on implementing an interim agreement reached two weeks ago rather than tackling the long-running dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

According to sources familiar with the negotiations, delegations spent two days in Doha discussing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the unfreezing of Iranian funds – two key elements of the June memorandum that halted the conflict between the two countries.

Qatar’s foreign ministry said the talks made “positive progress” on issues related to the interim agreement and were “building on the outcomes” of a previous summit in Switzerland. The ministry added that the next round of negotiations will take place after the funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is due to be buried on 9 July.

Speaking in Washington, US president Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone, saying negotiations on possible limits to Iran’s nuclear programme were progressing.

“The denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well,” Trump told reporters. “They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see.”

However, sources familiar with the Doha discussions said the nuclear issue was not raised during the latest round, describing the meetings as technical and focused on implementing previously agreed measures.

US vice president JD Vance acknowledged that nuclear negotiations were yet to begin in earnest.

“Obviously, we’re worried about the nuclear issue, we’re going to start talking about that,” he told reporters.

The talks remained indirect, with American and Iranian negotiators meeting separately with Qatari and Pakistani mediators, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry.

Notably absent were Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, despite earlier White House indications that senior officials would participate. A source familiar with the matter said neither attended the Doha meetings.

Iran’s delegation was led by deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who confirmed the talks had concluded. Neither Tehran nor Washington indicated whether the latest discussions had narrowed the remaining differences between the two sides.

In May, U.S. leaders embarked on frantic charm offensive to smooth things over with their ally Saudi Arabia, as the Gulf nation barred American forces from using its air space for “Project Freedom,” an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Iran cease-fire.

Despite calls from President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Saudis initially didn’t budge, The New York Times reports, though they later reportedly changed course.

As a result, the planned escort operation was soon scrapped.

For more context, here’s our story about the operation.

An explosive-laden drone targeted a camp belonging to an Iranian Kurdish ⁠opposition group ​in ⁠the Koysanjaq ‌district of Iraq, security sources in Iraq said.

The attack in the east of Erbil in ‌Iraq’s Kurdistan ‌region caused a ⁠fire at the camp.

There was no immediate information on casualties or ‌who was responsible ​for ‌the ⁠attack.

It was the deadliest reported strike in the US -Israeli war against Iran, and most of the victims were children. Yet over four months since a US missile struck an Iranian primary school, there is no final accounting of what happened.

The Trump administration has not directly accepted the blame, though the military possessed evidence almost immediately that the site had been struck, a U.S. official with knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously to discuss an ongoing investigation. told The Associated Press.

Drawing from interviews with US officials, human rights workers and Iranians in direct contact with rescuers and families of victims, the AP reconstructed the strike and its aftermath to reveal new details of what happened. Most requested anonymity for fear of retribution against them and their sources.

You can read the full story below:

A foreign container ship has run aground in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday, claiming the vessel failed to follow an approved route.

While identifying it as a foreign container ship, the report provided no further immediate details about the incident.

The Iranian state television report appeared aimed at underlining Tehran’s claims to control over the Strait as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks with mediators in Doha, Qatar.