Qatari mediators return to Tehran as US strike fears grow before midterms Binance loses $6.3bn in record crypto theft, North Korea blamed Tech rout deepens as Amazon and Intel results stoke AI spending fears Limpet mines hit Hormuz tanker as Iran blames ships for using unauthorised routes Ukraine resumes refinery strikes as Russian attacks kill about 20 Hundreds leave Oleshky under truce as Europe fears exclusion from talks Oil and gas stay high as eleven EU states release oil reserves Study links 3,560 Indonesian deaths in September to fire smoke as Singapore widens haze probe Spain blames control-centre errors for Toledo train crash Coalition talks begin in deadlocked Israel as foreign-funding probe widens Saudi Arabia reports Houthi drone near Mecca as Taiz and Aden suffer Protests over prices and youth prospects reach Italy and Germany after French unrest Novaya Gazeta to close after eviction and loss of donations Bank of Japan holds rates but says 2% goal reached, as Fed and ECB signal hikes Tech stocks slide after Blackstone flags junk rating for Anthropic Justice Department widens Alaska and California election probes as Trump restores rallies African health ministers keep borders open as Ebola spreads Drone strikes on displaced-persons camp in Ethiopia's Amhara kill 14 to 16 BP profit jumps as Middle East war lifts refining margins US moves to bar Chinese testing labs and curb telecoms as China denies Nvidia spy report AI demand lifts chip and electronics firms across Asia Israel blows up homes in Hebron as siege forces 5,000 to flee El Salvador sends more than 2,000 troops to Haiti after ambush Nigerian probe finds 33 detainees died in civil-defence custody French economy contracts 0.1% as German growth beats forecasts G20 foreign ministers divided over wars; group photo cancelled Canada and EU launch 'Alliance for the Future' at Montreal summit Kim demands drone expansion as Seoul vows firm response to border breaches Xi urges EU and Germany to stay anchored in partnership as trade curbs loom UN bodies warn of war crimes and ethnic cleansing fears in Gaza despite ceasefire Serbia's Student List pushes to review institutions after election win Senior RSF commander defects as investigation maps wartime rape in Sudan Brčko mourns four EUFOR members killed in Italian helicopter crash China's party plenum ends with purge of 33 and PLA anti-graft expansion Volkswagen pauses electric Golf as Audi profit falls 87% and guidance is cut Mayon volcano erupts in the Philippines, evacuations ordered Machado returns to Venezuela urging 2027 elections as Rodríguez promises a vote without a date China stages military patrols and coastguard drills in disputed South China Sea Flávio Bolsonaro flees to Miami and draws ridicule as Trump reportedly will not back his claim Hong Kong officials apologise over Tai Po fire, survivors say it came too late Russia-Africa summit in Moscow ends as Putin turns to bilateral talks Polish president turns back from Senegal as Constitutional Court chief is suspended Irish government to assess possibility of unity with Northern Ireland Dockworkers strike in ports across 22 countries over arms shipments Qatari mediators return to Tehran as US strike fears grow before midterms Binance loses $6.3bn in record crypto theft, North Korea blamed Tech rout deepens as Amazon and Intel results stoke AI spending fears Limpet mines hit Hormuz tanker as Iran blames ships for using unauthorised routes Ukraine resumes refinery strikes as Russian attacks kill about 20 Hundreds leave Oleshky under truce as Europe fears exclusion from talks Oil and gas stay high as eleven EU states release oil reserves Study links 3,560 Indonesian deaths in September to fire smoke as Singapore widens haze probe Spain blames control-centre errors for Toledo train crash Coalition talks begin in deadlocked Israel as foreign-funding probe widens Saudi Arabia reports Houthi drone near Mecca as Taiz and Aden suffer Protests over prices and youth prospects reach Italy and Germany after French unrest Novaya Gazeta to close after eviction and loss of donations Bank of Japan holds rates but says 2% goal reached, as Fed and ECB signal hikes Tech stocks slide after Blackstone flags junk rating for Anthropic Justice Department widens Alaska and California election probes as Trump restores rallies African health ministers keep borders open as Ebola spreads Drone strikes on displaced-persons camp in Ethiopia's Amhara kill 14 to 16 BP profit jumps as Middle East war lifts refining margins US moves to bar Chinese testing labs and curb telecoms as China denies Nvidia spy report AI demand lifts chip and electronics firms across Asia Israel blows up homes in Hebron as siege forces 5,000 to flee El Salvador sends more than 2,000 troops to Haiti after ambush Nigerian probe finds 33 detainees died in civil-defence custody French economy contracts 0.1% as German growth beats forecasts G20 foreign ministers divided over wars; group photo cancelled Canada and EU launch 'Alliance for the Future' at Montreal summit Kim demands drone expansion as Seoul vows firm response to border breaches Xi urges EU and Germany to stay anchored in partnership as trade curbs loom UN bodies warn of war crimes and ethnic cleansing fears in Gaza despite ceasefire Serbia's Student List pushes to review institutions after election win Senior RSF commander defects as investigation maps wartime rape in Sudan Brčko mourns four EUFOR members killed in Italian helicopter crash China's party plenum ends with purge of 33 and PLA anti-graft expansion Volkswagen pauses electric Golf as Audi profit falls 87% and guidance is cut Mayon volcano erupts in the Philippines, evacuations ordered Machado returns to Venezuela urging 2027 elections as Rodríguez promises a vote without a date China stages military patrols and coastguard drills in disputed South China Sea Flávio Bolsonaro flees to Miami and draws ridicule as Trump reportedly will not back his claim Hong Kong officials apologise over Tai Po fire, survivors say it came too late Russia-Africa summit in Moscow ends as Putin turns to bilateral talks Polish president turns back from Senegal as Constitutional Court chief is suspended Irish government to assess possibility of unity with Northern Ireland Dockworkers strike in ports across 22 countries over arms shipments

Symbolic image: Trump threatens harder strikes as US envoys keep talking to Iran

Symbolic image

Trump threatens harder strikes as US envoys keep talking to Iran

5 sources

Trump said on Friday that his envoys will continue negotiations with Tehran while US strikes go on, and gave no date for ending the war. An Iranian official says Tehran has plans ready for any further American attack.

What happened

Trump named Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as negotiators, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also involved (Politika).
Asked whether a deal was still possible, Trump answered yes, while saying he is losing faith in Iran's authorities (TASS).
Trump said the campaign is in its fifth month and compared critics to those who prolonged Vietnam.
The US and Israel began the war on 28 February; a June memorandum on a ceasefire collapsed when Washington resumed large-scale strikes on 8 July.
Trump said Iran hit US forces in Jordan days earlier, during negotiations.

The view from outside

Russia's TASS relays Wall Street Journal reporting that Trump has ordered a fresh attack lasting several days, possibly starting this weekend, and CBS reporting that Washington and Israel are preparing strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure; neither claim is confirmed by the other sources here. Al Jazeera cites the Iranian agency Tasnim for Tehran's response plan, without detail.

What could happen next

Whether the multi-day campaign described by the Wall Street Journal begins is unconfirmed; no source names targets or a start date.
Trump set no timeframe for ending the war and cast doubt on a new round of talks (Bloomberg).
CNN reported Trump is looking for an exit ramp, which sits against his public threats.
The status of the June memorandum remains unresolved after the 8 July resumption of strikes.

How the camps see it

United States: Trump says Washington wants to win, will keep hitting Iran hard, and that Tehran breaks its word, yet a deal remains possible.
Iran: Tehran state media say the armed forces are on alert with comprehensive plans to answer any strike, and that threats only harden national unity.

Also involved

Israel