US-Iran war live updates: Netanyahu hid cancer treatment as war raged, Trump sends US delegation to Pakistan for Iran peace talks
by Tom Housden, Michaela Whitbourn · WAtodayPinned post from 12.09pm
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What you need to know
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Good afternoon and thank you for reading our live coverage of the war in the Middle East.
If you are just joining us, here’s what you need to know:
- US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that the war in Iran would end “very soon”. This week, he had a different message: “Don’t rush me,” he said on Thursday (Washington time). Our North America correspondent, Michael Koziol, says it’s message aimed primarily at Tehran. Read more here.
- US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, will head to Pakistan for talks on Iran this weekend, the White House said.
- However, it appears the two sides will not meet directly. Posting on X, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US”, and Iran’s observations will instead be “conveyed to Pakistan”.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he hid recent treatment for prostate cancer amid fears it would be used to undermine him in Iranian propaganda.
- The Trump administration announced sanctions on Friday on an independent Chinese oil refinery and 19 oil tankers and their owners. It said the targets of the sanctions serve as “critical lifelines for Iran’s oil exports”.
- Aircraft across the globe are coming under strain from volatile fuel prices stemming from the Iran war, The New York Times reports.