Iran War Live Updates: Netanyahu Says He Will Meet With Trump, as U.S.-Iran Strikes Continue
News of the meeting, the leaders’ first in five months, came after U.S. forces conducted the 13th consecutive night of attacks on Iran. Iran launched drone strikes at U.S. targets in the Gulf.
The United States and Iran continued to trade attacks across the Middle East as the office of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced on Friday that he would meet with President Trump in Washington next Tuesday.
The announcement of the meeting comes at a crucial moment. Tehran was said to have rejected a cease-fire proposal, raising questions about whether Mr. Trump would further escalate the conflict. The leaders’ meeting would be their first since February, when Mr. Netanyahu made the case for a joint offensive against Iran that began weeks later and has now ground on for nearly five months. Mr. Netanyahu’s office said he also planned to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Israel.
Overnight, American forces targeted Iranian military assets and facilities for the 13th consecutive day, including drone storage sites, to reduce the threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said. The attacks began at 2:15 a.m. local time and ended just over two hours later, according to the command, which oversees operations in the Middle East.
The Iranian military said it had launched drone attacks against U.S. military targets at bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps issued a warning for residents of countries that host American forces to keep at least 500 meters from any building suspected of housing U.S. personnel.
The resurgence in fighting has sent the price of oil above $100 for the first time since May. A threat by the Iranian-allied Houthi militants in Yemen to expand the fight to the Red Sea and target Saudi ships has injected further uncertainty into global energy markets.
The Houthis claimed on Wednesday to have struck two Saudi tankers, the first attacks since the group announced a blockade of Saudi ships this week. The Saudi authorities confirmed a strike on one tanker. This has stoked fears that, like the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea shipping route might also be blocked.
Mr. Trump said in a social media post on Thursday that from now on, he would make Iran pay for any damage to ships and cargo in the Strait of Hormuz using Iranian funds under U.S. control.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, later said — without mentioning Mr. Trump — that such a move would set an “incendiary precedent.”