Iran-US war latest: Trump says conflict ‘hopefully’ nearing end and claims to be in direct talks with Tehran

A UN fact-finding mission to Iran says it has reasonable grounds to believe US forces carried out two strikes in February that amounted to war crimes.

One of the strikes targeted a primary school in Minab, where more than 150 people were reportedly killed, including about 120 children, and another hit a sports centre in Lamerd that killed or injured 22 civilians.

“The US directed the strikes at the building of the school while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object and acting recklessly as regards the possibility that this would happen,” the mission.

The report, which also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests, will be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva .

Meanwhile, Donald Trump told reporters that the US is “hopefully toward the end” of its war with Iran , adding that he has spoken with Tehran “directly”.He also repeated his claim that Tehran was seeking a deal, despite Iranian officials declaring only hours earlier that peace talks will not resume until all of their conditions are met.

The US state department says it has approved the sale of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II fighter ⁠jets to Saudi Arabia, as the kingdom is drawn deeper into war in the Middle East.

A sale would mark a significant policy shift from the US, potentially altering the balance of military power in the Middle East and testing Washington's definition of maintaining its ally Israel's "qualitative military edge."

Saudi Arabia made a direct appeal for the jets in early 2025 to US president Donald Trump and ⁠has long been interested in Lockheed Martin's fighter.

The estimated $24.3bn sale, ​which ⁠still needs congressional approval, would include 48 of the military aircraft and 49 Pratt & Whitney engines along with communications equipment, spare parts and other support items, the state department said.

Washington weighs weapons sales to ⁠the Middle East in a way that ensures Israel gets more ​advanced US ⁠weapons than regional Arab states.

The Saudi embassy ‌in Washington welcomed the proposed sale, describing it as a further step in defence cooperation between the two countries.

"The proposed F-35 sale reflects the strength and enduring nature of the Saudi-US strategic partnership and the continued advancement of ‌our defence cooperation," the embassy said on X.

South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun said on Thursday that no decision had been made on any military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz.

Cho was speaking to reporters before departing for Washington, where he is due to hold talks with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.