• Trump tells allies to “fight” for themselves in Truth Social post

  • Pete Hegseth says US troops are moving with “urgency” to win

  • US gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022

  • Trump has reportedly told aides he’s willing to end the war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz

  • US and Iranian officials have issued contradictory statements about negotiations to end the war

  • US and Israel both continued to launch strikes on Iran, while Iran continues to attack US bases in the Gulf

  • Iran also struck a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Persian Gulf

  • In the UK, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will chair a Cobra meeting to discuss the economic impact of the war

  • Netanyahu tells US broadcaster that Iran war is “definitely beyond the halfway point”

  • Authorities said more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel

  • In Lebanon, more than 1,200 have been killed, and more than 1 million displaced. 13 US service members have been killed in the war

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said that US troops are “moving as fast as possible to win”.

Hegseth spoke on Tuesday at a press briefing in the Pentagon about his time spent with US troops in the Middle East over the weekend.

“I witnessed urgency to finish the job, urgency to achieve mission success, not looking at the next rotation, only moving as fast as possible to win,” he said.

Hegseth also commented that this was “the exact opposite of the rotational units year after year in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

His comments come after President Donald Trump told allies to “fight for yourself” as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning, Trump wrote: “All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.

“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”

The US president reportedly told aides he would be willing to end the war even if the Strait, an essential waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes remains largely closed, the Wall Street Journal reported.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to contradict these claims in an interview with Al Jazeera, saying that it will be kept open “one way or another” and that US war objectives could be achieved “in weeks, not months”.

He also insisted that communication between Tehran and Washington is ongoing.

But a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry once again reiterated that no negotiations had taken place, while confirming that intermediaries had delivered a set of proposals to Iran.

It comes as US gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday.

According to the motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02 – over a dollar more than before the war began.

The last time American drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Israel and US launch new wave of strikes on Iran

Israel’s military said on Tuesday it had launched a new wave of strikes on the Iranian capital, Tehran. The IDF says the strikes targeted the “infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime”.

Speaking to US channel Newsmax, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the war is “definitely beyond the halfway point”, later clarifying this was in relation to missions, as opposed to a timescale.

Trump shared a video of a massive explosion without comment on Truth Social. It appears to bea major strike conducted outside of the central Iranian city of Isfahan.

The video appears to show a huge fireball near Mount Soffeh, an area believed to have military positions. Iran has not yet confirmed the attack.

Isfahan is home to one of three uranium enrichment sites bombed by the US in the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June.

A portion of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is believed to be entombed there — something America has suggested it could seize with ground forces.

Strikes continue across the UAE

Iran continued attacks on civilian targets, as an Iranian drone hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters, sparking a blaze that was later put out, the Dubai Media Office said.

A drone interception caused minor damage to six homes in a residential area in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.

The country’s civil defence said that no injuries were reported. Al Kharj is the site of a U.S. airbase where previous strikes killed at least two migrant workers and an American soldier.

Sirens were also heard in Jerusalem and loud explosions were heard not long after Israel’s military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran.

Four people were wounded in Dubai after debris from an interception caused a fire in an abandoned house in Al Badaa, according to the Dubai Media Office.

In Bahrain, authorities said warning sirens were sounded.

The Gulf countries host US forces and bases from which the US has launched strikes on Iran, but have not joined the offensive strikes.

Eyes on Kharg Island as more US assault troops head to region

Trump said on Monday that “great progress is being made” in talks with Iran to end military operations.

But, he warned, if a deal is not reached “shortly” and the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately reopened, the US would broaden its offensive by “completely obliterating” power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island.

The US has sent a contingent of 2,500 marines to the region, with more on their way. Trump also ordered 1,000 paratroopers to the region.

Trump has openly spoken about the possibility of trying to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, and Iran has accused the US of using diplomacy to stall until more troops can be brought in.

The US has already targeted military positions on the island. Iran threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Gulf Arab countries and to mine the Persian Gulf if US troops set foot on its territory.

Peacekeepers killed in Lebanon

The UN Security Council planned to convene an emergency session on Tuesday after officials said three peacekeepers in southern Lebanon had been killed in less than 24 hours.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the region where Israel is battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah did not say who was responsible for the deaths.

Israel said early Tuesday that a further four soldiers had been killed in its offensive in Lebanon. The deaths bring the total number of Israeli troops killed in the war to 10.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military warned the public of an incoming missile barrage from Iran on Tuesday, the day’s first. Sirens sounded in Jerusalem a short while later and loud booms were heard.

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Starmer to chair COBRA meeting on the economic impact of the war

In the UK, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that he will chair an emergency Cobra meeting to look at “making sure that everything that we need to have in place, everything is monitored and audited properly”.

It comes after Sir Keir told business chiefs in Downing Street on Monday that it must be a “joint effort” to tackle the impact of the war, saying the Government “can’t do it on its own”.

Bosses from energy, shipping and banking firms were invited to Number 10 to discuss Iran’s ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted a vital shipping route for the oil and gas industry.

Spot prices of Brent crude, the international standard for oil, hovered around $107 (£81.03) a barrel in early trading, up more than 45% since the war started on February 28.

Search team boards disabled Thai vessel but does not find missing crew

The operator of a Thai cargo ship struck by a projectile near the Strait of Hormuz last month said a search team was able to board the vessel but did not locate its missing three crew members.

Precious Shipping Co., Ltd said in a statement to the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Monday that all accessible areas on the Mayuree Naree ship were searched “under challenging conditions, including the presence of fire damage, residual smoke, and flooding in the engine room.”

It said the families of the three crew members were notified accordingly.

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