US-Iran War LIVE: Will US and Iran make a peace deal? Netanyahu wants to resume strikes, Trump says hold

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Full oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz will not return before the first or second quarter of 2027, even if the Middle East conflict ended now, the head of the United Arab Emirates' state oil firm ADNOC said, as reported by Reuters.

Oil prices jumped and the dollar firmed on Thursday while stocks diverged as hopes of a Middle East peace accord faded on conflicting headlines on the state of talks.

US President Donald Trump has described the latest discussions as being on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed strikes. (AFP)

Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main U.S. demands at peace talks, Reuters reported.

US-Iran War LIVE: US is intensifying efforts to cut off Iran's use of cryptocurrency, with Treasury officials saying Tehran controls roughly $7.7 billion in digital assets and has used Bitcoin and other crypto channels to bypass the traditional banking system. Nearly $500 million in Iran-linked crypto has already been frozen as part of broader enforcement actions, according to Fox Business.

France on Thursday dismissed the idea of NATO playing a role in an international mission to enable freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, its foreign ministry spokesperson said.

US-Iran War LIVE: MQ-9 Reaper conducted more strikes than any other US aircraft during Operation Epic Fury, US Air Force Chief of Staff General Kenneth Wilsbach said, calling it the "most valuable player" of the campaign despite the loss of around 30 drones to Iranian air defences and attacks on regional bases.

"No other platform is even close to the MQ-9" in strike volume, Wilsbach told Air & Space Forces Magazine, noting the drone's capacity for long-endurance missions without risking pilots.

Reapers flew persistent sorties targeting missile launchers, airfields and mobile targets across Iran, while also supporting the US military blockade around the Strait of Hormuz.

US-Iran War LIVE: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is facing growing pressure from hardline factions after publicly backing negotiations with the US and warning that war and sanctions are causing serious economic harm.

Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main U.S. demands at peace talks, Reuters reported.

Full oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz will not return before the first or second quarter of 2027, even if the Middle East conflict ended now, the head of the United Arab Emirates' state oil firm ADNOC said, as reported by Reuters.

US-Iran War LIVE: Iran executed Ramin Zaleh and Karim Maroufpour on Thursday after both were convicted of membership in militant groups and armed action against the state, the judiciary's Mizan News reported. The Supreme Court had upheld both sentences.

US-Iran War LIVE: US is intensifying efforts to cut off Iran's use of cryptocurrency, with Treasury officials saying Tehran controls roughly $7.7 billion in digital assets and has used Bitcoin and other crypto channels to bypass the traditional banking system. Nearly $500 million in Iran-linked crypto has already been frozen as part of broader enforcement actions, according to Fox Business.

Iran on Thursday hanged two men convicted of armed rebellion and membership in "separatist terrorist groups", the latest in a string of executions during the Middle East war, AFP reported.

Iran is pursuing negotiations with the United States "in good faith" even as it continues to view the US with "deep suspicion," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said as reported by Iranian state media Press TV.

US-Iran War LIVE: Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir was expected to travel to Tehran on Thursday, Iran's state media reported.

Pakistan's army chief was due in Iran Thursday, Iranian media reported, with Islamabad mediating as the Islamic republic examines a new US proposal to end the Middle East war, AFP reported.

The reported visit by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan's foreign relations, comes a day after President Donald Trump warned that negotiations to end the war were on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed strikes. (AFP)

US-Iran War LIVE: Iran has restarted drone production during the ceasefire and is rebuilding its military capabilities significantly faster than initially estimated, CNN reported Thursday, citing US intelligence assessments. Some estimates suggest Iran could fully restore its drone attack capability within six months.

"The Iranians have exceeded all timelines the IC had for reconstitution," a US official told CNN.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell pushed back on any suggestion of vulnerability. "America's military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President's choosing," he said, adding that the US military "possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests."

US-Iran War LIVE: Britain's Foreign Office is set to halve its dedicated Iran war response team, Bloomberg reported Thursday, with the cuts being overseen by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. The unit, formed at the outbreak of the conflict and based in a crisis bunker at the Foreign Office's London headquarters, has been central to supporting and evacuating British nationals from the region. The downsizing comes as the UK navigates two major wars simultaneously.

US-Iran War LIVE: Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir was expected to travel to Tehran on Thursday, Iran's state media reported.

US-Iran War LIVE: Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of Iran's hardline Kayhan newspaper, called Thursday for the killing of US President Donald Trump, the removal of US bases from the region, and the seizure of vessels carrying goods to Israel.

"Even after the defeat of the United States and its allies in the war, the strait must remain closed to them until damages are paid by the US and its Western and Arab allies, US bases are removed from the region, and above all, Trump and his criminal gang are killed," he wrote.

Shariatmadari also urged parliament to pass legislation tightening Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz, including levying transit fees on all vessels without exception.