A senior Iranian official has warned that renewed conflict between Iran and the US is “likely”, amid growing fears a temporary ceasefire could soon collapse.
"Evidence has shown that the United States is not committed to any promises or agreements," Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a senior figure in the Iranian military's central command, told Iran’s Fars news agency.
It comes after US president Donald Trump has declared he is “not satisfied” by the peace deals offered by Iran.
The Iranians are “trying to make a good deal [for them] and we’re not going to let that happen,” he added. “They've got to make a bad deal. Maybe we're better off not making a deal at all”.
Meanwhile, Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius has said it was “foreseeable” that the US would withdraw troops from Europe, as the transatlantic rift over the Iran war deepens.
The US president announced he was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Nato ally Germany following a war of words which erupted when German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and questioned its exit strategy from the war.
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Lebanese army chief and US general meet on Lebanon security
Lebanese armed forces commander general Rudolf Haykal and US general Joseph Clearfield met in Beirut to discuss the security situation in Lebanon and regional developments, the army said on Saturday in a statement.
Clearfield heads a committee monitoring a US-backed ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. The participants at the meeting underlined the importance of the Lebanese army's role and the need to support it during the current phase, the statement said.
China issues injunction to block US sanctions on refiners accused of buying Iranian oil
China has issued an injunction to block US sanctions imposed on five Chinese refiners accused of buying Iranian oil, according to Xinhua, Beijing’s state news agency.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce named the five as Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, and so called 'teapot' refineries Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group, Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group, Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical and Shandong Shengxing Chemical.
In April, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Hengli Petrochemical, accusing it of buying billions of dollars in Iranian oil, in an escalation of Washington's long-running effort to curb Tehran's oil revenue.
The Trump administration last year imposed sanctions on the other four refineries named by the ministry, among others.
The US sanctions violate "international law and the basic norms of international relations," the ministry said, announcing that it had imposed the injunction.
Trump is now dealing with an irate, tough Germany. Here’s why
The US president and the German chancellor have locked horns. Spain has shunned Washington. The Nato alliance is more fragile than it has ever been.
Western powers are determined to see off Russian military “hard” power; they are familiar with “soft power” operations to undermine democracies. But how to deal with the Kremlin’s relationship with Donald Trump is now an emergency.
Working out a response to internal frictions within Nato has become a conundrum, not only for leaders in the alliance but for the military officials who have to figure out how to keep the military machine operational.
A weakened Nato serves only the interests of the enemies and rivals of the West.
Top of the list of beneficiaries is Vladimir Putin, but China will enjoy the latest spats between Trump and Germany’s Friedrich Merz almost as much.
The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Trump is now dealing with an irate, tough Germany. Here’s why
Friedrich Merz calling out Trump’s foreign policy – which has led to an announced withdrawal of US troops – is an effort to get the president to think less about Vladimir Putin and protect America’s allies, explains world affairs editor Sam KileyAlex Croft
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Donald Tusk: 'Nato is disintegrating, we must reverse it'
Poland’s prime minister has said Nato is “disintegrating” in a post on X.
Donald Tusk wrote on social media: “The greatest threat to the transatlantic community are not its external enemies, but the ongoing disintegration of our alliance. We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend.”
UAE says air traffic has returned to normal
The UAE's aviation authority said air traffic in the country has returned to normal, the state news agency reported on Saturday.
It comes after precautionary measures implemented on February 28 at the start of the Iran war were lifted.
The decision followed a comprehensive assessment of operational and security conditions in coordination with relevant entities, the General Civil Aviation Authority added.
Renewed conflict with US 'likely' warns Iranian official
A renewed conflict between Iran and the US is “likely”, a senior Iranian official has warned that
Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a senior figure in the Iranian military's central command, told Iran’s Fars news agency that "a renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely"
"Evidence has shown that the United States is not committed to any promises or agreements,” he added.
It comes amid growing fears the truce could collapse imminently.
Donald Trump has declared he is “not satisfied” by the peace deals offered by Iran.
The Iranians are “trying to make a good deal [for them] and we’re not going to let that happen,” he added.
“They've got to make a bad deal. Maybe we're better off not making a deal at all”.
Nobel Peace Prize winner falls severely ill in Iranian prison
Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was in an unstable condition in an Iranian hospital on Saturday after she was taken there from prison following a catastrophic deterioration of her health, a foundation run by her family said.
The secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awarded Mohammadi the 2023 prize, had expressed concern on Thursday that the condition of the Iranian human rights activist was worsening after she had suffered a heart attack in prison.
Mohammadi, in her 50s, won the prize while in prison for her campaign to advance women's rights and abolish the death penalty in Iran.
The Narges Mohammadi Foundation said in a statement on its website on Friday that she had been "urgently transferred to a hospital in Zanjan today following a catastrophic deterioration of her health, including two episodes of complete loss of consciousness and a severe cardiac crisis”.
This transfer was an "unavoidable necessity after prison doctors determined her condition could not be managed on-site," it said.
In an update on Saturday, the foundation said she remained in an unstable condition receiving oxygen. It called for her to be transferred to a hospital in Tehran for tests and specialised treatment.
Seven killed by Israeli military in Gaza over past 24 hours
In Gaza, where a ceasefire agreed in October was supposed to bring an end to killing, another seven people have been killed by Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours.
Citing medical sources, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that hospitals were reporting another seven people killed.
It brings the total number of people killed since the ceasefire was supposed to come into place to 828.
Where are US troops stationed in Europe?
As we’ve been reporting, the US has announced it will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany following a spat between Donald Trump and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.
US troops are stationed in more than a dozen European countries. Germany, Italy and Britain have the biggest presence of personnel. This list comprises some of the largest contingents.
Germany: The largest US base in Europe is the air base near the German city of Ramstein, where troops have been stationed since 1952. According to DMDC data, as of December 2025, 36,436 active service members were stationed in Germany, divided into five garrisons.
Italy: U.S. military personnel have been stationed in Italy since the end of World War Two and comprise Army, Navy and Air Force divisions. Italy hosted 12,662 active-duty soldiers at the end of 2025 across bases in Vicenza, Aviano, Naples and Sicily.
Britain: The US forces in the United Kingdom comprised 10,156 service members as of December last year, garrisoned in three bases, hosting mainly Air Force personnel.
Spain: The country hosts U.S. Navy and Air Force bases near the Strait of Gibraltar. Around 3,814 personnel were permanently assigned to Spain.
Other countries hosting permanently assigned US troops include Poland (369), Romania (153), and Hungary (77).
