Welcome to our live coverage of US politics and the war in Iran.
The US has warned it’s “more than capable” of resuming war with Iran after the White House signalled Donald Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, though Tehran denied there was a final agreement on ending the conflict.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth made the remarks while attending a defense summit in Singapore on Saturday. He also praised nations including South Korea, Japan, Australia and the Philippines for boosting their defence spending, while threatening consequences for nations that “free-ride”.
“Those days are over. Allies who refuse to step up and carry their own weight for our collective defence will face a clear shift in how we do business,” he said.
“Australia is stepping up.”
Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X that American forces “remain present and vigilant across the region” as a peace deal between the US and Iran to end their war remained elusive.
The efforts to reach a deal were thrown into question this week by US strikes on the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, countered by retaliatory Iranian fire.
Iran’s IRNA state news agency said air defenses shot down a drone “belonging to the US-Zionist aggressor enemy” on Saturday, citing a statement from the army.
Nevertheless diplomacy continued, including to stop fighting in Lebanon, which Iran has insisted be included in any end to the war and where Israeli forces advanced further even as military delegations from both nations met at the Pentagon.
Mr Trump said his priorities in any deal include Iran agreeing to never develop nuclear weapons and the re-opening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
Read on for more updates.
