Iran-US war latest: Trump claims Iran is ‘virtually decapitated’ as war enters 100th day

Negotiations between the US and Iran over an end to the war on the country have been languishing in a stalemate for weeks as both sides remain intransigent about key issues including nuclear development and the situation in Lebanon.

The US is insistent that Tehran surrender its right to ever develop highly enriched uranium and appears to have been manoeuvring to install a government more sympathetic to Western interests.

Meanwhile, Iran has said that it will never agree to a deal that does not ensure the sovereignty of Lebanon and its borders from Israel – with Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon continuing – and has insisted on its ability to hold on to some nuclear development capabilities.

This has likely not been helped by Iran’s particular “bazaar style” negotiation strategy, which aims to wear down its opponents, writes Maira Butt.

Iran’s national soccer team has arrived in Tijuana ahead of three World Cup matches in the United States, amid tensions that have turned the world’s biggest sporting event into a soft-power contest between the warring countries.

The squad touched down shortly after 5am in the Mexican city, across the border from San Diego, after an overnight flight from Turkey where they have been training for the past three weeks.

As the team’s bus pulled away from Tijuana airport, it paused briefly so members of the federation could wave to about 20 fans holding Iranian flags. A cordon of military and police escorted the team from the airport to the Marriott hotel, which will serve as their base.

Donald Trump has insisted the US conflict in Iran is not an “endless war” as he said not doing a deal would be a “red line” for him.

Speaking to NBC News, he denied promising not to involve the US in more wars during his presidential campaign.

“I didn’t promise anything. I don’t like these endless wars,” he said. “This is not an endless war. We’ve been doing this for three months. Much of it has been under the form – a pretty good form of ceasefire.”

When asked where his “red line” would be, he responded: “My red line would be if I think I wasn’t going to make a deal, or if I wasn’t going to make a deal fast enough”.

The Israeli military has struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, known as Dahiyeh, the first strike on the militant group’s stronghold since ⁠an April 16 ceasefire was brokered.

The ceasefire has not halted the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, with Israel saying it is working to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure on its borders.

Hezbollah has rejected proposals ⁠linking a ceasefire to its disarmament, saying ​Israel ⁠must first halt its attacks and withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon.

In a joint statement with his defence ⁠minister, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike on ​Dahiyeh ⁠was ordered in response to Hezbollah ‌firing toward Israeli territory.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The military said earlier it had intercepted two projectiles that crossed into ‌Israeli territory from Lebanon, after sirens sounded in ‌the areas of Yiftah and Ramot Naftali. Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for the launches.

Donald Trump has said he will not unfreeze Iranian assets or lift ongoing sanctions upfront as part of any peace agreement between Washington and Tehran.

Speaking to NBC News, he said he is also not demanding Lebanon be part of any short-term deal with Iran.

It comes as Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade fire in southern Lebanon.

A draft resolution the United States has prepared ⁠and sent to other countries on the UN nuclear watchdog’s ⁠board ​ahead of ⁠a meeting this week demands ⁠Iran provide “precise information” ​on ⁠its bombed ‌nuclear sites and enriched uranium stocks.

Iran ‌must “provide the (International Atomic ‌Energy) Agency with precise information on nuclear ⁠material accountancy and safeguarded nuclear facilities in Iran” and “grant the Agency all access it requires to ‌verify this ​information” without delay, ‌the text ⁠seen by Reuters ⁠on Sunday said.

Fourteen weeks after President Donald Trump ordered an attack on Iran, the US military is adjusting to an unusual state of conflict that is not full-scale war, but also far from peace.

On ships and bases in the Middle East, US troops — some recovering from injuries — operate amid exchanges of fire with Iran every few days as the Navy blockades Iran’s ports. At home, the Pentagon is scrambling to bolster production of depleted munitions as families of service members cope with the stress of extended deployments. Counterattacks from Iran continue against US allies in the region, such as ⁠Bahrain and Kuwait, which Iran targeted in a ballistic missile attack on Friday.

Trump declared his ceasefire with Iran in April, but the war has settled into a stalemate, with Iran keeping the Strait of Hormuz largely closed to shipping and Trump threatening a return to full-scale bombings of Iran if peace negotiations fail.

The threat requires US troops to maintain an acute state of readiness.

That means everything from stocking bases with missiles and interceptors to scouring intelligence from drones and satellites to update lists of targets inside Iran should large-scale fighting resume.

“To maintain this constant state of ‘Level 10’ alert vigilance, to be ready to go at the drop of a hat, is a very stressful and difficult operational mission,” said one U.S. official, speaking ⁠on condition of anonymity.

Joseph Votel, the former commander of the US military’s Central Command, described the current conflict phase ​as “a very, very ⁠dangerous period for us.” He said keeping troops ready during the ceasefire is no small challenge.

“It puts on a lot of pressure on leaders to make sure that people are still at their edge,” Votel said.

Asked for comment, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the US military stands ready to support deployed troops “in every way imaginable.”

“The Department of War is proud of ⁠our incredible troops. Their courage, readiness, grit, and unmatched professionalism are why they are the greatest fighting force in human history,” Parnell said.

Full oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz are unlikely to resume before the first or second quarter of 2027, even if the current Middle East conflict were to end immediately, the chief of the United Arab Emirates’ state oil firm has warned.

Sultan Al Jaber, the CEO of ADNOC, said it would take “at least four months to get back to 80% of ​pre-conflict ⁠flows” even if the conflict ended tomorrow, while full flows would not return before the first or even second quarter of 2027.

The ‘I Hate Suzie’ star hasn’t been back to her family’s war-torn homeland since her teens – but now she’s starring in a stage adaptation of one of the biggest Iranian films of the 21st century. She tells Ellie Harrison about reconnecting with her heritage, and how after years of tokenistic casting, she nearly gave up acting for good.