Iran attacks Gulf countries following fresh US strikes – Middle East crisis live

Lindsey Graham, key Trump ally, has died after sudden illness, his office says

David Smith

Lindsey Graham, a longtime US senator and key ally of Donald Trump, has died from a sudden illness, his office said in the early hours of Sunday. He had just turned ۷۱.

Graham’s abrupt death will send shockwaves through Washington and the Republican party. He had served in the Senate since ۲۰۰۳, representing South Carolina, and was running for re-election in November.

Graham, a retired air force reserve colonel who specialised as a military lawyer, was known as a hawk who supported the Iraq war and had long urged military action in Iran.

He opposed the nuclear agreement negotiated by President Barack Obama and has been one of Trump’s most outspoken defenders in the current conflict.

Several leaders in Israel expressed condolences. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, posted on X: “Today, Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. Senator Lindsey Graham stood with Israel not because it was easy, but because he believed it was right. His unwavering support, courage, and moral clarity earned him the admiration of millions of Israelis.”

India’s foreign ministry has condemned an attack on the commercial vessel – GFS Galaxy – off the coast of Oman earlier today.

It said ۱۰ of the ۱۱ Indian nationals on board have been rescued, while one remains missing.

India’s embassy in Oman is closely ​monitoring the situation, and coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ⁠ongoing search and rescue operation, the ​ministry ​said.

The statement added:

The continuing incidents of attacks on commercial shipping in the region are deeply worrisome. We reiterate our call for immediate de-escalation of tensions, and the conclusion of ongoing negotiations for a diplomatic solution so that peace and stability can return to the region.

The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region, in keeping with international law, must be restored at the earliest.

Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, has said that Iran has taken control of the strait of Hormuz with “power”.

In a brief post on X, he wrote:

We have taken control of the strait of Hormuz with power, and we will preserve it with power as well.

The latest exchange of strikes came hours after regional diplomats finished talks aimed at resolving the impasse over the strait of Hormuz, which Iran has sought to assert its sovereignty over and sees as its main point of leverage in negotiations with Washington.

During Saturday’s talks, Oman proposed a plan to fully reopen both shipping lanes through the strait, according to US outlet Axios, citing a diplomat briefed on the negotiations.

The report said that under the proposal the southern route through Omani waters would reopen without the need for prior approval, reverting back to the position in place before the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February.

The Iranian delegation, however, was unable to gain approval for the plan in Oman and took it back to Tehran for internal deliberations, the diplomat told Axios.

The US is demanding that Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait – and that all lanes will be open with no tolls through the waterway.

Iran launched missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours this morning in retaliation to a number of US strikes and announced the closure of the strategic strait of Hormuz until further notice.

Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the UAE all reportedly came under attack, in the latest escalation that undermines the US-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.

The US said it had struck Iran early on Sunday after the country’s ⁠Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired on a Cyprus-registered container ship they claimed was sailing an “unauthorised route” through the strait of Hormuz.

According to state media, the IRGC then said they had hit a second vessel, accusing it of “violating regulations”.

“A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and ⁠brought to a halt,” the navy of the IRGC said.

A short time later, US Central Command said its forces had carried out a round of strikes against Iran, attacking at least ۱۴۰ targets.

“The United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” the military said.

The targets included missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition depots, communication networks and surveillance locations, it added.

The IRGC said that in response to American attacks it closed the strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies usually flow, until further notice as it warned of a severe response to US “aggression”.