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Trump says Iran must abandon nuclear ambitions as gas prices surge in US

Trump says Iran must abandon nuclear ambitions as gas prices surge in US
By Lyndal Rowlands, Edna Mohamed, Fiona Kelliher, Stephen Quillen and Elis Gjevori
Published On 30 Apr 2026

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30 Apr 2026 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Our coverage continues

This live page is closing, but our 24-hour coverage of the conflict continues.

Join us for all the latest developments, analyses and reactions here.

A classroom at a school left in ruins days after it was hit by an Israeli air strike in the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, on Thursday [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]
30 Apr 2026 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

  • Trump said the US “might need” to restart its war with Iran while claiming Tehran wants “to make a deal badly”.
  • Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said the “intolerable” US naval blockade of Iran’s ports is “an extension of military operations”.
  • Israeli forces killed at least 32 people in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese National News Agency reported.
  • Hezbollah said its fighters launched several attacks on Israeli forces inside Lebanon.
  • Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla off Greece and the detention of 175 activists onboard has been widely condemned as “kidnapping” and an act of “piracy” in international waters.
  • FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Iran will participate in this year’s World Cup.
30 Apr 2026 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)

US to loan companies up to 92.5 million more barrels of oil from strategic reserve

The US Department of Energy has said that it is making 92.5 million more barrels of crude oil available for oil companies to borrow from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

The department said in a statement today that companies could bid for the oil, which would come from the Bayou Choctaw, Bryan Mound, Big Hill and West Hackberry reserve sites.

The US had already offered 126 million barrels of crude in three batches, but oil companies only borrowed less than 80 million of those barrels, or about 63 percent of what was offered, according to Reuters.

The SPR, held in caverns at the four sites along the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, currently holds nearly 398 million barrels, which is roughly what the world uses in four days.

The crude will be delivered to companies from June through August, and they will be required to return it on different deadlines, ranging from early next year to mid-2029.

30 Apr 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

NYC mayor condemns Israeli seizure of Gaza-bound aid flotilla

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has posted on social media to condemn the Israeli interception of the Gaza-bound aid flotilla near Crete.

“Last night, Israeli forces intercepted and boarded a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for Gaza in international waters off the coast of Greece,” he wrote on X.

Mamdani noted that the operation resulted in “unlawfully detaining more than 175 people, including several New Yorkers”.

He added that his team “has been in direct contact with State and Federal partners” as they work to confirm the “whereabouts and conditions of these New Yorkers”.

Mamdani further characterised the incident as a “brazen violation of international law”, concluding his statement by asserting that “those detained must be released”.

30 Apr 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Two killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli air strike

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that an Israeli air strike on the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon has killed two people.

They report that the strike also wounded 10 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

30 Apr 2026 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

Trump maintains ‘open-ended’ ceasefire as military options remain on the table

By Mike Hanna

Reporting from Wahington, DC, United States

There isn’t [any indication from the US administration that military action may resume], although it is a constant background to what has been happening.

President Trump has said repeatedly that the ceasefire is open-ended, that he will decide whether it will continue.

There’s no doubt that there have been various scenarios laid out for him by his military advisers and by his intelligence advisers as to what to do.

Should the ceasefire no longer be extended, obviously, that would involve some form of armed action, some form of intensified economic action.

There’s absolutely no doubt that President Trump has got all sorts of scenarios that have been laid out in front of him, but very clearly as well, it’s going to be him and him alone who will choose what to do next.

30 Apr 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Despite standoff, Trump remains confident blockade will force Iran to negotiate

By Mike Hanna

Reporting from Wahington, DC, United States

President Donald Trump has been saying that Iran is dying to make a deal for a long period of time, and he’s also been saying that they have been destroyed for a long period of time. But he insists that he can continue to wait as long as he needs to, or as long as he decides to.

Trump remains absolutely convinced that the economic blockade of Iran, to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, along with economic sanctions against individuals and entities in Iran, will ramp up the economic pressure.

He believes that will force Iran to eventually come to the negotiating table to discuss matters on the terms of the president of the United States, despite all the evidence to the contrary – that Iran appears to be holding out.

This is what President Trump still firmly believes, or at least, publicly states.

30 Apr 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

US Congress extends provision that allows warrantless surveillance of foreign targets

The US Congress has approved a short extension to allow US intelligence agencies to collect information from foreign targets without a warrant, after a three-year extension failed to gather enough votes to pass.

President Donald Trump and intelligence officials have for weeks urged Congress to renew a key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that allows agencies like the CIA, National Security Agency and FBI to conduct warrantless surveillance.

The temporary patch, which received wide support in the Senate and House, extends the programme through June 12.

It was approved hours before another temporary extension expired, and now goes to Trump for final approval.

“I don’t like kicking the can down the road. Not my jam. But that’s where we are,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

US Senate Majority Leader John Thune walks to the Senate chamber on Thursday at the US Capitol in Washington, DC [Graeme Sloan/Getty Images via AFP]
30 Apr 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Hegseth tells Senate that ceasefire means deadline for congressional approval of war on hold

By Patty Culhane

Reporting from Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

Congress in the 1970s passed a law that said if the president launches military conflicts, he has to give a report to Congress within a couple of days, and after that, he has 60 days [before Congress has to officially declare war].

As the 60 days are up, he could ask for an extension for 30 days in order to remove the troops.

So Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth was asked about that, because there is some confusion here on Capitol Hill whether that 60 days is today or tomorrow.

But Hegseth said that it doesn’t matter, because there’s a ceasefire and the administration’s view is that the clock stops.

Tim Kaine, the senator asking Hegseth, was taken aback. Kaine said I don’t believe that’s at all what the statute says.

This is a growing concern for the Trump administration. They’ve already taken several votes here, in the Senate and in the House.

These votes have failed so far, but the numbers have been getting narrower, and a lot of Republicans behind the scenes have been saying that 60 days is really going to be an important day for them.

So if the administration is simply going to ignore that, it could force a vote.

30 Apr 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Hezbollah hits Israeli troops with wave of attacks in southern Lebanon

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah says its fighters launched several attacks on Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory on Thursday.

According to a statement, the targets included:

  • Two Merkava tanks in the city of Bint Jbeil with two explosive drones.
  • A self-propelled 155mm howitzer south of the town of Yarin with an attack drone.
  • Israeli Hermes 450 drone shot down over Nabatieh via surface-to-air missile.
  • Two Merkava tanks in the town of al-Qantara with two attack drones.
  • A gathering of Israeli soldiers at the newly established Blat site in southern Lebanon with a squadron of attack drones.
  • A gathering of Israeli soldiers in the town of Shamaa in southern Lebanon with explosive drones.
  • A military Humvee in the town of Biyyada with an attack drone.
  • A gathering of Israeli enemy vehicles and soldiers in the town of Meiss al-Jabal with attack drones.
  • A gathering of Israeli soldiers in the town of Taybeh with attack drones.
  • Another gathering of Israeli troops in the town of al-Qantara with drones.
30 Apr 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)
Analysis

Iran is accustomed to ‘harsher’ sanctions

Ali Alizadeh, a political analyst and the host of Jedaal TV, says that Tehran was prepared for the blockade after years of severe sanctions.

“You have to remember we are talking about Iran, a country which has had the harshest sanctions in the history of human beings, since 2010,” Alizadeh told Al Jazeera.

“So the country, its economy, its industries and its society are used to much harsher situations.”

For example, Alizadeh says, in 2017, when the Trump administration imposed its campaign of “maximum pressure”, Iran was only selling “less than two or 300,000 barrels a day”.

He said that the difference now is that oil prices are high and that “Iranians have prepared themselves for this situation by sending tens of millions of barrels on different tankers and vessels on the sea waiting to be sold”.

“Also, Iran has a big domestic market,” he added.

30 Apr 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

Israeli air strike kills woman in southern Lebanon

The National News Agency (NNA) reports that an Israeli air strike targeting the town of Harouf in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon has killed a woman.

The strike also left three people wounded, including a child.

According to the NNA, the total death toll across Lebanon from Israeli attacks today has reached 32.

30 Apr 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

US presses for direct talks between Israel’s Netanyahu and Lebanon’s Aoun

The US Embassy in Beirut has released a statement calling for “direct engagement” between Lebanon and Israel, including a meeting between their respective leaders facilitated by Trump.

Such a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the US Embassy said, “would give Lebanon the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory – guaranteed by the United States”.

“The United States is ready to stand with Lebanon as it seizes this opportunity with confidence and wisdom. The time for hesitation is over,” US Embassy added.

Reuters news agency had previously reported, citing several Lebanese officials, that Aoun had ruled out speaking with Netanyahu in the near future.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has also said the country will not sign any agreement with Israel that does not include Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

30 Apr 2026 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

WATCH: Funeral for Lebanese Civil Defence medics killed in Israeli ‘double-tap’ strike

30 Apr 2026 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

UAE urges citizens to leave Iran, Lebanon and Iraq

The United Arab Emirates has banned its citizens from travelling to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq.

The announcement, which came from the country’s Foreign Ministry today, urged Emiratis who live or are currently visiting those countries to leave immediately and return home, citing regional developments.

30 Apr 2026 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)
Developing

Two Israeli soldiers wounded in south Lebanon drone blast

Two Israeli military personnel have been wounded after an explosive drone detonated in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli army in a report carried by Haaretz.

The military said an officer and a non-commissioned officer sustained moderate injuries in the blast. Both were evacuated to the hospital for treatment.

30 Apr 2026 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

If you’re just joining us

Let’s bring you up to speed:

  • Israel continued a series of deadly attacks in southern Lebanon, further damaging a fragile ceasefire. In total, Israeli attacks there today have killed at least 28 people, according to reports from Lebanon’s National News Agency.
  • Israeli commander Rafi Milo said Israeli forces have pushed 10km (6.2 miles) deep into southern Lebanon and “do not intend to pull back”.
  • Trump said the US “might need” to restart war with Iran, even while claiming Iran’s leaders “want to make a deal badly”.
  • Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US’s naval blockade on Iranian ports amounts to “an extension of military operations” and is “intolerable”.
  • Media rights group RSF condemned Israel for “kidnapping” three journalists, including two with Al Jazeera, who were covering a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israel.
30 Apr 2026 - 20:29
 (20:29 GMT)
Houthi

Iran’s air defence activity related to engaging ‘small aircraft, drones’: Tasnim

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency has reported that the air defence activity heard in Tehran is linked to efforts to counter “small aircraft and reconnaissance drones.”

It reports the air defence sounds are still being heard in some parts of the capital, including in western, central and southeastern areas.

30 Apr 2026 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

WATCH: Trump slams Germany’s Merz again as rift over war on Iran widens

30 Apr 2026 - 20:08
 (20:08 GMT)
Houthi

Air defence sounds heard in parts of Tehran: Iranian media

Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency has reported the sound of air defences in some parts of Tehran, without elaborating.

We’ll bring you more information on this as we have it.