US AND ISRAEL ATTACK IRAN

Iran’s Minister of Education Alireza Kazemi has said that 775 of the 1,300 schools damaged during US-Israeli attacks have now been repaired, Al Jazeera reported, citing a report from IRNA news agency.

About 20 of the schools were destroyed, Kazemi said, with the most damage occurring in the provinces of Tehran, Kermanshah, Isfahan, and Hormozgan.

Repairs to the most damaged schools were expected to be completed by October, he added.

Kazemi also said that despite the attacks, education has continued throughout the war, either in person or remotely, including through the Iranian Television School.

He said that counselling had also been offered, and that schools held commemorations for the 170 people killed in the missile attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, most of them schoolgirls and their teachers.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday threatened to end oil production in the Middle East if the Islamic republic faced attacks launched from its Gulf neighbours' territory.

"The southern neighbours should know that if their geography and facilities are used in the service of the enemies to attack the Iranian nation, they should bid farewell to oil production in the Middle East," the commander of the Guards' aerospace force, Majid Mousavi, was quoted by Fars news agency as saying.

Uncertainty hung over the future of the Iran ceasefire on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said he would extend the truce indefinitely, with no clear sign that Tehran, or Washington’s ally Israel, would agree.

Trump said the move followed a request from Pakistani mediators to allow more time for talks, adding the United States would hold off attacks until Iranian leaders present a unified proposal and discussions are concluded.

The announcement appeared to be a unilateral extension, raising questions over whether it would hold on the ground as both sides weigh their next steps.

Even as he prolonged the ceasefire, Trump said the US Navy would continue its blockade of Iranian maritime trade — a measure Tehran considers an act of war — underlining the fragile and contradictory nature of the truce.

There was no immediate response from senior Iranian officials, but early signals from Tehran suggested scepticism.

Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said Iran had not requested any ceasefire extension and reiterated threats to break the US blockade by force.

US President Donald Trump said Iran does not want the Strait of Hormuz closed despite its public stance, arguing Tehran is seeking to preserve revenue while maintaining a hardline posture.

In a post on X, Trump said Iran was losing around $500 million a day due to the closure and only called for shutting the strategic waterway to “save face”.

“Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 million a day,” he said, adding that the losses stem from what he described as a US blockade. “They only say they want it closed because I have it totally blockaded, so they merely want to ‘save face’.”

Trump also claimed he had been approached days earlier with indications that Iran was willing to reopen the strait immediately. “People approached me four days ago, saying, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately’,” he said.

He warned that reopening the waterway without broader concessions would make any deal with Iran impossible, while also invoking the possibility of further escalation.

“But if we do that, there can never be a deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their country, their leaders included,” he added.

The remarks come amid heightened tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint, as diplomatic efforts continue alongside military pressure.

Military planners from more than 30 countries will hold two-day talks in London from Wednesday to advance a mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and draw up detailed plans, the British government said.

More than a dozen countries said last week they were willing to join an international mission, led by Britain and France, to protect ‌shipping in the Strait of Hormuz when conditions permit.

The commitment came after some 50 countries from Europe, Asia and the Middle East joined a video conference aimed at sending a signal to Washington after US President Donald Trump said he did not need allies' help.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a statement the meeting on Wednesday would build on progress made at last week's talks.

"The task, today and tomorrow, is to translate the diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait and support a lasting ceasefire," said UK defence minister John Healey.

"I am confident that, over the next two days, real progress can be made."

Britain said the talks would advance military plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow, following a sustainable ceasefire. Participants are expected to discuss military capabilities, command and control arrangements, and how forces could deploy to the region.

The United States has signalled a further escalation in economic pressure on Iran, warning that a naval blockade of its ports will continue and could soon choke off key oil flows, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

In a post on X, Bessent said the US Navy would maintain the blockade, adding that Iran’s Kharg Island storage facilities could fill within days, forcing oil wells to shut in and cutting off a major source of revenue.

“As President Donald Trump has made clear, the United States Navy will continue the blockade of Iranian ports,” Bessent said.

“In a matter of days, Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in. Constraining Iran’s maritime trade directly targets the regime’s primary revenue lifelines.”

He said the US Treasury would continue applying what he described as “maximum pressure” through economic measures aimed at weakening Tehran’s financial capacity.

“The US Treasury will continue to apply maximum pressure through Economic Fury to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds,” he said.

Bessent warned that any individuals or vessels involved in facilitating Iranian oil trade or financial flows could face US sanctions. “Any person or vessel facilitating these flows—through covert trade and finance—risks exposure to US sanctions,” he said.

He added that Washington would continue efforts to freeze funds it says were taken by Iran’s leadership. “We continue to freeze the funds stolen by the corrupt leadership on behalf of the people of Iran,” he said.

Iran on Tuesday called on the United Nations to condemn the seizure by the United States of an Iranian cargo ship, characterising the move as an act of piracy and a breach of a ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the US Navy had fired on and then taken control of the Touska cargo ship in the Sea of Oman.

Trump says the Iran-flagged vessel is subject to US sanctions.

"Such conduct bears the hallmarks of piracy in nature and amounts to a dangerous escalation that severely endangers the safety and security of vital shipping lanes," Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran´s Ambassador to the United Nations, said Tuesday in a letter addressed to the Security Council and the Secretary-General.

"Moreover, this unlawful act constitutes a clear and material breach of the ceasefire of 8 April 2026 and qualifies as an act of aggression," under the terms of the UN charter, he added.

Oil prices pared gains on Tuesday after briefly climbing above $100 a barrel following an announcement from US President Donald Trump that he was extending a ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal.

Brent crude futures were volatile, settling up about 3% on Tuesday and then climbing further to rise more than 5% to a session high of $101.15 after reports that US Vice President JD Vance had called off his trip to Islamabad for peace talks with Iran.

Prices later retreated after Trump said the ceasefire would remain in place until Iranian leaders present what he called a unified proposal and talks are concluded, though he said the US naval blockade of Iran would continue.

Earlier, Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend peace talks with the United States, and it had yet to comment on Trump's announcement.

Brent futures LCOc1 were up $4.22, or 4.4%, at $99.67 a barrel in post-settlement trading on Tuesday. US West Texas Intermediate CLc1 crude settled up $2.52, or 2.8%, at $92.13.

The White House has confirmed that US Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Pakistan for peace negotiations has been cancelled, the BBC reports.

Vance had been expected to travel to Islamabad for the second time this month, with arrival on Wednesday, as part of efforts to finalise a deal involving Iranian officials.

An administration official said any further updates on in-person meetings would be announced by the White House, according to CBS, the BBC’s US partner.

The cancellation follows US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he had agreed to a request to extend the US-Iran ceasefire indefinitely.