US, Israel-Iran War Live Updates: Iran Rejects US Ceasefire Offer, Issues New Counterproposal

Eight people were injured in an Israeli strike on the Arab Salim area in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon, according to the country’s Public Health Ministry emergency operations centre, as reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). The attack adds to growing cross‑border tensions as hostilities continue to escalate in the region.

Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli military said one of its soldiers was seriously injured after a mortar round was fired at Israeli forces operating in Lebanon. The soldier has been transported to a hospital for medical treatment, the army stated.

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defence announced that its air‑defence systems were once again engaging incoming missiles and drones launched from Iran. In a brief statement posted on X, the ministry said that the loud sounds heard in parts of the country were the result of interception operations carried out by UAE defence forces.

This update came just four hours after a similar announcement, indicating a continued pattern of attempted attacks and active defensive responses by the Emirati military.

Taiwan has become the target of a surge in misleading online claims suggesting the island is on the verge of exhausting its natural gas supplies due to disruptions linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict. Officials warn that such disinformation could trigger unnecessary public anxiety and erode trust in the government.

False posts circulating widely on Chinese‑language social media assert that Taiwan has only 11 days of liquefied natural gas (LNG) remaining and could soon face power outages, citing supposed Iranian restrictions on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. AFP fact‑checkers identified roughly two dozen Douyin accounts from mainland China repeating the same scripted narrative, with some users criticizing Taiwan’s shutdown of a nuclear reactor last year or portraying Beijing’s “peaceful reunification” offer as a solution to energy security.

Taiwanese authorities have dismissed the claims, stressing that the island has adequate LNG reserves to cover energy needs through March and April.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has said that Cairo is prepared to host discussions aimed at easing tensions between the United States and Iran.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, he expressed Egypt’s support for President Donald Trump’s efforts to initiate negotiations and voiced hope that the two countries would eventually engage in direct talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran is quietly engaging in negotiations despite publicly rejecting any talks. Speaking at a dinner with Republican lawmakers, Trump argued that Iranian officials were unwilling to acknowledge their participation because they fear repercussions from within their own ranks.

According to Trump, Tehran “badly” wants an agreement but is hesitant to say so publicly out of concern that Iranian negotiators could face internal threats. He also suggested that they might be worried about possible U.S. retaliation.

His remarks came shortly after Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly asserted that Iran has “no intention” of entering negotiations.

The White House insisted that peace talks with Iran are ongoing, even as Tehran publicly rejected US overtures and issued fresh conditions of its own to end the conflict that’s wreaked havoc across the Middle East and global markets.

President Donald Trump insisted Iran was desperate to make a deal to end the nearly month-long hostilities. “They want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it,” Trump told congressional Republicans Wednesday night in Washington.

Asian equities showed little clear direction on Thursday as investors remained cautious amid rapidly evolving developments in the Middle East. The uncertainty followed Iran’s statement that it was considering a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at halting the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region.

Market performance across Asia reflected the unease: Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.6%, whereas South Korea’s benchmark index slipped 1.2%. MSCI’s broad gauge of Asia‑Pacific shares excluding Japan dipped 0.23%, positioning it for an 8.7% monthly decline—its steepest drop since October 2022.

Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar remained strong near recent peaks and looked set to post a 2% monthly gain, reinforcing its role as investors’ preferred haven asset during geopolitical uncertainty.

Israel’s military announced on Thursday that it had carried out extensive strikes across several locations inside Iran, including the central city of Isfahan.

According to a short statement from the Israel Defense Forces, the operation involved a broad series of attacks aimed at what it described as key infrastructure linked to Iran’s security establishment, noting that the mission had been completed across multiple sites throughout the country.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault as his personal envoy to lead the UN’s "efforts on the conflict and its consequences”. He said Arnault will be doing on the ground what he has been trying to do from New York – supporting all efforts for mediation and peace.

Arnault will be in contact with all the parties and will be looking at the war’s impact on civilians in the region and beyond, Guterres said, including the economic turmoil, especially in less developed countries.

The US Central Command said the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is continuing "flight operations against military targets in Iran while sailing in regional waters". The statement comes after the Iranian military said it had fired cruise missiles at the aircraft carrier, forcing it to reposition itself in regional waters.

The Iranian military published a statement listing its operations on the 27th day of the ongoing war. It said it carried out attacks on satellite stations in Israel as well as Middle Eastern bases hosting US troops, including the Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan, Sheikh Isa Base in Bahrain, and the Ali Al Salem and Arifjan bases in Kuwait. It claimed its missiles struck more than 70 locations in Israel, including the cities of Haifa and Dimona, and said it hit a US F-18 aircraft in the skies over Chabahar.

Source: Media Reports