US-Iran war live updates: Trump calls on countries to send warships to reopen Hormuz; UN chief urges Israel and Hezbollah to stop fighting

In response to Trump’s calls for countries to send warships to help protect the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Defence Ministry said on Saturday: “We are currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.”

It did not provide details.

AP

An Iranian state media news agency has urged people in and around three civilian ports in the United Arab Emirates to immediately evacuate, saying the facilities “may be targeted in the coming hours”.

Mizan, Iran’s official judiciary news agency, claimed without evidence that US forces are located in the civilian ports of Jebel Ali, Khalifa and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates — making the ports “legitimate targets” for Iranian attacks.

Earlier on Saturday, a drone interception sparked a fire near Fujairah’s port, but there were no casualties, according to the Fujairah media office. The UAE reported that it intercepted nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones on Saturday.

During the war, Gulf Arab states have faced seemingly unending and occasionally fatal Iranian drone and missile attacks targeting oil fields, cities and critical infrastructure.

Jebel Ali Port in Dubai is the busiest in the Middle East.

AP with Josefine Ganko

US President Donald Trump stepped up calls to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz, saying warships will “hopefully” be sent to the area near Iran’s coast to help commercial vessels sail through safely.

The president was spending Saturday morning at his golf club in Florida when he posted the comments to Truth Social. The posts came hours after he ordered a strike on military sites on Kharg Island, from which Iran exports almost all its oil, upping the ante in a Middle East war that’s raged for more than two weeks and shows little sign of easing.

“Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” he wrote in his latest post.

He did not provide a timeline and gave little detail beyond saying he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK would also send warships.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres says there is no military solution to the Israel-Hezbollah war and called for diplomacy and full implementation of UN resolutions.

During a visit to Beirut on Saturday, he urged the international community to step up efforts to end the conflict.

Guterres’ call for the fighting to stop comes as the death toll in Lebanon continues to mount. The Lebanese Health Ministry says 826 people have been killed and at least 2009 people have also been wounded since the latest round of fighting began on March 2.

The ministry said the dead include 106 children and 65 women.

Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold direct talks in the coming days, their first since the start of the Iran war that has deepened the conflict, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Saturday, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.

AP

Good morning and welcome to today’s live blog, as we continue our rolling coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.

Here’s what you might have missed overnight.

• US President Donald Trump stepped up calls to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz, saying warships will “hopefully” be sent by allies to the area near Iran’s coast to help commercial vessels sail through safely.
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres says there is no military solution to the Israel-Hezbollah war and called for a stop to fighting and a return to diplomacy and full implementation of UN resolutions.
• An Iranian state media news agency has urged people in and around three civilian ports in the United Arab Emirates to immediately evacuate, saying the facilities “may be targeted in the coming hours”.
• Earlier, the US military bombed Iran’s Kharg Island, home to the terminal handling 90 per cent of the country’s oil exports. President Donald Trump said the US had “obliterated” every military target on the island.
• Shortly before he announced the bombing of Kharg Island, US President Donald Trump told reporters the war would last for “as long as it’s necessary”.
• Iraqi officials say a helipad at the US embassy in Iraq’s capital of Baghdad was hit by a missile. Footage shows smoke rising from the embassy.