US President Donald Trump has said a deal with Tehran to end the Middle East war is still possible, despite fresh strikes on Iran and a renewed blockade of its ports, AFP reports.
“Yeah, I think a deal is possible. Sure, I do,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We had a deal with them two days ago and then they said, ‘Oh we can’t make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.'”
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said strikes began at 8.45pm GMT, marking the third consecutive night of attacks.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said.
In a statement on X, CENTCOM added, “During the five‑hour mission, US forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas.”
Early Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates reported Iran had attacked two ships in the vital waterway, killing one crew member and wounding eight others.
“The Ministry of Defence announces that the national tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters,” the Emirati defence ministry said on X.
The UAE, a key US ally, has previously reported multiple missile and drone strikes from Iran.
The reported tanker attack followed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announcement Monday of new strikes on Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Oman.
Meanwhile, oil prices jumped more than 9 per cent Monday amid fears of renewed conflict in the Gulf.
