Iran-US war latest: Tehran threatens to accelerate nuclear weapon programme if Trump launches new strikes
Iran has threatened to start enriching weapons-grade uranium if Donald Trump reopens the conflict, with the ceasefire agreement on “life support” after the US president dismissed the latest proposal to end the war.
Ebrahim Rezaei, Iran’s parliamentary national security and foreign policy commission spokesperson, said on Tuesday that Tehran could enrich uranium up to 90 per cent purity if the country is attacked again.
"One of Iran's options in the event of another attack could be 90 percent enrichment. We will review it in the parliament," Rezaei posted on social media.
Sources told CNN that Trump is considering reopening the conflict with diplomatic efforts to end the war held at an impasse.
The president met with with his national security team at the White House again on Monday to discuss options moving forward as Iran insisted there was no alternative to its latest offer.Comment: A humiliated Trump will be played by China
Donald Trump will arrive in China exasperated that he has achieved none of his war aims in Iran – something President Xi will use to his advantage, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley:
A humiliated Trump will be played by China
Donald Trump will arrive in China exasperated that he has achieved none of his war aims in Iran – something President Xi will use to his advantage, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley
James Reynolds12 May 2026 11:00BRICS foreign ministers to meet this week
India’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that foreign ministers of the 11 BRICS nations - which include Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - will meet in New Delhi on Thursday and Friday.
James Reynolds12 May 2026 10:54US envoy says Israel sent Iron Dome battery, personnel to UAE
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Tuesday that Israel had sent an Iron Dome battery and personnel to operate the air defence system to the United Arab Emirates.
Huckabee was speaking at an event in Tel Aviv.
James Reynolds12 May 2026 10:27Britain and France to host meeting on the Strait of Hormuz
Britain and France are expected to hold a new meeting on reopening the Strait of Hormuz with partners on Tuesday, despite the lull in diplomacy aimed at ending the war.
Coalition partners are expected to outline the military contributions they can make to safeguard the strait once the conflict ends.
John Healey and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin will chair the session together.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the timing of the meeting “doesn’t make sense”, however.
Iran also warned Britain and France against getting involved in policing the strait.
"Any deployment and stationing of destroyers around the Strait of Hormuz, under the pretext of 'protecting shipping', is nothing but an escalation of the crisis,” said Kazem Gharibabadi, the deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, on social media.
James Reynolds12 May 2026 10:15Recap: Trump ‘considering military action’ after calling Tehran’s proposal ‘garbage’
Donald Trump is considering resuming attacks on Iran after negotiations between the countries appear to have hit a deadlock, CNN has reported.
The US president has grown increasingly frustrated with the Iranians during peace talks, sources told the outlet. Earlier in the day, he warned that a US-Iran ceasefire is now “on life support”.
He said that the agreement is now “unbelievably weak”, adding that it’s “the weakest right now after reading a piece of garbage they sent us”.
Trump “didn’t even finish reading” Tehran’s latest proposal, he said. “Am I going to waste my time reading it? I would say it's one of the weakest right now. It's on life support ... I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support.”
Iran hit back earlier after previous comments by Trump, calling their suggestions “totally unacceptable”.
James Reynolds12 May 2026 10:00
James Reynolds12 May 2026 09:26Iran could enrich uranium more if attacked, threatens lawmaker
Iran could enrich uranium up to 90% purity, a level considered weapons-grade, if the country is attacked once more, parliamentary national security and foreign policy commission spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei said on Tuesday.
"One of Iran's options in the event of another attack could be 90 percent enrichment. We will review it in the parliament," Rezaei posted on X.
James Reynolds12 May 2026 09:00Pakistan to increase oil imports from Russia
Pakistan plans to increase oil imports from Russia amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported, citing Pakistan's ambassador to Russia, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi.
James Reynolds12 May 2026 08:45US issues new sanctions over Iran's oil shipments to China
The Trump administration has announced sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran's shipment of oil to China. The ninth company is based in Oman.
The US Treasury move follows sanctions announced on Friday on individuals and companies aiding Iranian purchases of weapons and components used to make drones and ballistic missiles.
It comes days before US president Donald Trump's planned meeting with Xi Jinping, where he is expected to press the Chinese leader to help resolve the standoff with Iran and reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Treasury said the new designations by the Office of Foreign Assets Control were aimed at individuals and entities that helped Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sell and ship its allotment of Iranian oil to China using a series of front companies.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would keep using sanctions to deprive the Iranian government and military of funding for weapons, its nuclear program or support for proxies in the region.
“Treasury will continue to cut the Iranian regime off from the financial networks it uses to carry out terrorist acts and to destabilize the global economy,” Bessent said.
Alex Croft12 May 2026 08:28
Alex Croft12 May 2026 08:12
