Larijani says, 'structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing' with the US | LIVE

Trump says Iran talks underway, military options still on table

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran is currently negotiating with Washington and that any potential military action against Iran would depend on how those talks unfold, according to Fox News journalist Jacqui Heinrich.

In a post on X, Heinrich quoted Trump as saying,

"Look, the plan is that [Iran is] talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens. We have a big fleet heading out there, bigger than we had — and still have, actually — in Venezuela."

Trump also reiterated that the U.S. military has “a large fleet heading” to the Middle East.

Trump agreed that Iran appears willing to negotiate, but it is unclear what the goals are. "Well, that's true, but they are negotiating, so we'll see what happens. You know, the last time they negotiated, we had to take out their nuclear, didn't work, you know. Then we took it out a different way, and we'll see what happens," he said, referring to the U.S. Midnight Hammer operation that targeted several Iranian nuclear sites.

Larigani reports progress in negotiations with the US

"Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing," said Ali Larijani, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

The statements come against the backdrop of heightened tensions, with the U.S. leaving open the possibility of military action against Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran wanted to "make a deal" on the nuclear program, adding that he had given Tehran an ultimatum without giving further details.

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Qatar condemns Israel’s “repeated violations” of the Gaza cease-fire

Qatar condemned Israel’s “repeated violations” of the ceasefire in Gaza following deadly strikes by the Israeli army on the Palestinian territory, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by AFP.

Qatar, a key mediator in the Gaza war, described the strikes as a “dangerous escalation” likely to “undermine regional and international efforts to consolidate the truce.”

Doha, which helped broker the cease-fire agreement alongside Cairo and Washington that took effect on Oct. 10, said the strikes constituted “a direct threat to the ongoing political process” and called on Israel to “fully respect” the terms of the agreement.

Gaza strikes: 32 killed, mostly women and children, according to Civil Defense

Israeli airstrikes killed 32 people today, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense.

“The death toll since dawn has risen to 32, most of them children and women,” the Gaza Civil Defense said in a statement, after previously reporting 28 deaths. Its spokesman, Mahmoud Bassal, said that “apartments, tents, shelters and a police station were targeted.”

Iran: Gas leak believed to be the cause of the explosion in Bandar Abbas

A gas leak caused the explosion that occurred Saturday in a building in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, in the south of the country, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported, citing the local fire chief, according to Reuters.

At least one person was killed and 14 others were injured in the explosion.

Gaza: Egypt calls for the “utmost restraint”

Gaza: Egypt urges “the greatest restraint” on the eve of the planned opening of the Rafah crossing.

South Lebanon: Israeli drone drops two stun bombs on Dhaira

An Israeli drone dropped two stun bombs in the town center of Dhaira (Sour district), near residents who were collecting scrap metal, without causing any injuries, according to our correspondent.

Iran: Israel says it is not involved in the “explosions”

Israel is not involved in the “explosions” in Iran, two Israeli officials said, as quoted by Reuters.

Two deadly explosions occurred in Iran in the afternoon: one of unknown origin in a building in the port city of Bandar Abbas, and another caused by a gas explosion in a residential building in Ahvaz.

Explosion in Bandar Abbas: Preliminary toll rises to one dead and 14 injured

One person was killed and fourteen others were injured in the explosion in Bandar Abbas, Iran, according to a local official cited by news agencies, Reuters reported.

Iran: Four killed in the city of Ahvaz after a gas explosion in a residential building

Four people were killed following a gas explosion in a residential building in Ahvaz, Iran, the state daily Tehran Times reported, citing the city’s fire chief, according to Reuters.

Explosion in Bandar Abbas: Injuries reported by state agency, no deaths announced

Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that several people were injured and transferred to hospital after an explosion destroyed two floors of an eight-story building, along with several vehicles and shops, in the port city of Bandar Abbas, AFP reported. No deaths have been reported so far.

Explosion in Bandar Abbas: Investigation underway, according to Iranian media

An investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the explosion at the port of Bandar Abbas, according to Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director general of crisis management for Hormozgan province, whose capital is Bandar Abbas, as quoted by IRNA.

Images broadcast by the media and shared on social networks show that part of the building’s facade was blown off, AFP reported.

Strike in South Lebanon: The victim’s father and brother were previously killed by Israel

The victim’s brother and father had previously been killed by Israel, according to our correspondent. The brother, Hussein, was killed along with another person during the open war between Hezbollah and Israel in the fall of 2024, while he was attempting to infiltrate Israeli territory. The father, for his part, was killed as residents of southern Lebanon were returning to their villages in late January 2025 after the cease-fire took effect, following an Israeli bombardment.

South Lebanon: One killed in an Israeli drone strike in the Marjayoun district

Photo provided by Muntasser Abdallah.

The impact of the Israeli strike on the roof of a house. Photo provided by our correspondent.

An Israeli drone targeted a man on the outskirts of the town of Rabb al-Thalathine, in the Marjayoun district, killing him instantly, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

The victim of the Israeli drone strike was Ahmad Faqih, who worked in the field of internet subscriptions and satellite dishes. He was on the roof of a house at the time of the strike.

South Lebanon: One killed in Israeli drone strike on a car in the Marjayoun district

An Israeli drone targeted a “Rapid”-type vehicle on the outskirts of the town of Rab al-Thalathine, in the Marjayoun district, killing one person, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

⚡ Iran: Explosion in a building at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas; Iranian media deny targeting of a Revolutionary Guard commander

An explosion occurred in a building in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Persian Gulf, according to state media, with the cause of the blast still unknown, AFP reported.

Iranian state television said the explosion took place in an eight-story building, destroying two floors as well as several vehicles and shops located in the Moallem Boulevard area. Rescue and firefighting teams were dispatched to the scene to provide assistance.

An Iranian media outlet cited by Reuters denied reports that a commander of the Revolutionary Guard had been targeted.

Gaza strikes: Today’s death toll rises to 26 in the most intense attacks in several weeks

Israel carried out its most intense airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in several weeks on Saturday, killing 26 people, according to local health authorities cited by Reuters. The attacks targeted a police station run by Hamas, as well as apartments and tents in an area housing displaced Palestinians.

Despite the fragile ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October, Israeli warplanes struck the Sheikh Radwan police station west of Gaza City, killing 10 police officers and detainees, according to rescuers and police. Rescue teams were continuing to search the site for possible additional victims, police said.

Another airstrike hit an apartment in Gaza City, killing three children and two women, according to officials at al-Shifa Hospital cited by Reuters. Seven more people were killed in a strike on a tent camp in Khan Younis, farther south.

An Israeli military source said the strikes were carried out in response to an incident on Friday in which soldiers identified eight armed men emerging from a tunnel in Rafah, a southern Gaza area where Israeli forces are currently deployed under the cease-fire agreement reached in October.

Iran: Armed forces on maximum alert, Tehran warns

Iran’s army chief, Amir Hatami, warned the United States and Israel against any attack, saying Iranian forces were on maximum alert following major U.S. military deployments in the Gulf.

“If the enemy makes a mistake, it will undoubtedly endanger its own security, that of the region and that of the Zionist regime,” Hatami said, according to the official news agency IRNA, as quoted by AFP.

He added that Iran’s armed forces were “on maximum alert,” AFP reported.

Gaza: 11 killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Health Ministry

Israeli airstrikes killed eleven people on Saturday in the Gaza Strip, the Gaza Health Ministry said. The strikes come amid a fragile truce in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the Islamist movement, which accuse each other of violating the cease-fire.

The director general of the Health Ministry, Mounir Albourche, told AFP that 11 people were killed and 20 wounded “as a result of strikes carried out by the occupation (Israel, editor’s note) targeting civilians in a tent and an apartment.” He added that Israel “is continuing its serious violations of the ceasefire agreement in a context of a severe shortage of medical supplies, medicines and medical equipment.”

The wounded were taken to hospitals in Gaza City in the north of the territory and in Khan Younis in the south.

In a separate statement, the Gaza government’s press office said that the strike on a tent sheltering displaced people killed seven members of the same family, including a child and an elderly person.

Officially, Gulf countries are stepping up efforts to push Washington and Tehran to choose the diplomatic path and avoid any regional explosion that could harm their interests, particularly economic ones. Tehran has indeed threatened, in the event of an attack, to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for global transport of oil and liquefied natural gas.

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⚡ Iran: Saudi defense minister says in Washington that Trump “should move to military action” against Tehran, according to Axios

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, a close confidant and brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump “should move to military action” against Tehran or risk seeing the “regime strengthened,” during a private meeting in Washington, according to four sources present, cited by the news site Axios.

According to the sources, the prince said he believed Trump “should move to military action” after threatening to do so for weeks, “while seeking to limit the risks of a regional escalation.”

“At this stage, if that does not happen, it will only strengthen the regime,” KBS reportedly said.

The meeting included about fifteen Middle East experts from think tanks, as well as representatives from five Jewish organizations. Two sources also said they understood that KBS was relaying the message he had already conveyed to the White House.

This marks a major shift, as Saudi Arabia had warned Washington three weeks ago against regional escalation if strikes were carried out against Tehran, prompting the U.S. president to delay any military action.

Iran: Pezeshkian blames the United States, Israel and Europe for having “fueled tensions” during the bloody protests

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Europe had “fueled tensions” during the recent protests that shook the country and had “agitated the people,” according to Reuters.

NGOs speak of potentially tens of thousands of deaths during the protests that spread across the Islamic Republic of Iran at the end of 2025 and took a dramatic turn on January 8 with the internet shutdown and the regime’s bloody repression. The task of counting victims is hindered by communication restrictions, although internet access has been partially restored after three weeks of blackout.

Damage from the Israeli strike in Daoudieh (Saida district) on a building materials shop. Photo provided by our correspondent, Muntasser Abdallah.

South Lebanon: Israeli army throws a stun grenade toward Aita al-Shaab

In the morning, an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade toward Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district), according to our correspondent.

Israeli army blows up two chalets in Khiam during the night

An Israeli army unit infiltrated the western neighborhood of Khiam in the Marjayoun district around 3 a.m., where it blew up two chalets inside a complex, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

These chalets had previously been targeted several times by Israeli drones that dropped stun grenades in their direction.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East. We will be following the evolution of tensions between the United States and Iran, as well as the situation in southern Lebanon and Gaza, which continue to be bombarded by Israel despite cease-fires.