Iran Refutes Talks With ‘Untrustworthy’ US, Can 'Continue the War': Senior Adviser to Khamenei

Revolutionary Guards Claim ‘Complete Control’ of Strait of Hormuz

Iranian Military Reports Firing Over 40 Missiles at US, Israeli Targets

TEHRAN: Iran has no intention of negotiating with the United States and can continue the Middle East war for as long as needed, Mohammad Mokhber, a senior aide to the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.

Mohammad Mokhber told state TV that Iran had "no trust in the Americans, and we have no basis for any negotiations with them", adding that: "We can continue the war as long as we want."

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani, who was also an adviser to the country's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a post on X on Monday that Tehran will not negotiate with the US, in response to a report that Iran is trying to revive negotiations with Washington.

The Israeli military said its air force shot down an Iranian fighter jet over Tehran on Wednesday, the fifth day of the Middle East war sparked by joint US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.

"The Israeli Air Force... completed an additional wave of strikes targeting the Iranian terror regime's command centres throughout Tehran," including internal security and paramilitary Basij sites, a military statement said.

The Revolutionary Guards said Iranian forces had "complete control" of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for world oil and gas supplies, and any vessels seeking to pass risked damage from missiles or stray drones.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the crucial Gulf shipping route.

The Guards said they had also launched more than 40 missiles at US and Israeli targets in a new wave of strikes.

Israel launched fresh strikes on Iran and Lebanon, where state media reported a residential building was hit on Wednesday, as Iran's Guards said they had sealed off one of the world's most vital shipping routes for energy.

Governments scrambled to evacuate citizens stranded in the Middle East, where Iran expanded a retaliatory missile and drone barrage on the fifth day of a war that sent stocks sinking.

Early Wednesday, the Israeli military called on residents to leave 16 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, in an "urgent warning" before using force against Hezbollah militants.

Lebanese state media said Israeli attacks on a building killed four in Baalbek in Lebanon's east, far from the border, as well as a Beirut hotel in an area so far spared the violence.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 52 people in Lebanon, according to the government, while the United Nations said that more than 30,000 people were displaced.

The US and Israeli attacks have killed 787 people in Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.

Iran vowed to inflict a heavy price in retaliation. Drones struck adjacent to the US consulate in Dubai, starting a fire but inflicting no casualties, and against the US military base at Al-Udeid in Qatar.

The attacks came a day after strikes on the US embassies in Riyadh and Kuwait City and on a US air base in Bahrain.

"We are saying to the enemy that if it decides to hit our main centres, we will hit all economic centres in the region," Islamic Revolutionary Guard General Ebrahim Jabbari said.

According to Iranian media, US and Israeli strikes targeted a building on Tuesday in the holy city of Qom belonging to the committee that is to elect a new supreme leader.

The United States ordered non-emergency personnel to leave embassies in much of the region. According to media reports, the Iranian drone in Riyadh hit the CIA station.

The United States encouraged all Americans to leave the region if they could find commercial flights, even though air travel had been severely disrupted. The State Department said that some 9,000 Americans have found a way home.