- War winding down? -

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he was considering "winding down" military operations against Iran and that the Strait of Hormuz would need to be "guarded and policed" by other countries who use the vital waterway.

But he ruled out reaching a ceasefire agreement with Iran.

"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," Trump posted on Truth Social.

- No extra crude -

Iran said it had "no surplus crude oil" to offer to international markets, after the US Treasury chief said Washington might lift sanctions on Iranian oil at sea.

- Britain OKs base use -

Britain has authorised the use of its bases by the United States to strike Iranian sites threatening the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, the government said.

Since the war began on February 28, Britain has allowed the US to use two bases for defensive operations and has deployed air assets to support allies targeted by Tehran's regional retaliatory campaign, prompting criticism from Trump.

- Kharg island warning -

The United States could "take out" Iran's Kharg island whenever it wanted, the White House said after a report that the Trump administration was considering plans to occupy or blockade the oil hub.

- More Marines in Mideast? -

The United States is deploying additional Marines to the Middle East, US media reported, possibly signalling a coming ground operation.

The Wall Street Journal said Washington was deploying 2,200 to 2,500 Marines from two California-based units. CNN meanwhile said thousands of Marines and sailors were expected to deploy to the Middle East.

Both publications cited anonymous US officials.

- Iran says not behind Oman attacks -

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Tehran and allied forces in the region were "in no way" behind attacks on Oman and Turkey during the war, instead blaming "deception by the Zionist enemy", referring to Israel.

- Khamenei: enemy 'defeated' -

Khamenei said the enemies of the Islamic republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

"At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you our compatriots... the enemy has been defeated," said Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war.

- NATO Iraq mission moved -

NATO's mission in Iraq has been fully relocated to Europe, the alliance said, with the last personnel from the non-combat force of several hundred departing the country.

- Tehran blasts -

AFP journalists reported hearing several blasts in Tehran, while in Israel air raid sirens sounded late Friday across Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with Israeli police saying they were investigating blast impact sites around Tel Aviv.

The warnings came hours after a blast blew a crater in a hillside inside Jerusalem's Old City, spraying debris across a road just a few hundred metres from Jerusalem's revered holy sites of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

- Kuwait refinery on fire -

Drone attacks hit Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery, causing several fires but no casualties, state media said, citing the national oil company.

- Hezbollah targets Israeli forces -

Hezbollah said it has targeted Israeli soldiers in six south Lebanon villages as Israeli ground forces attempt to push into southern Lebanon.

The pro-Iran armed group said it targeted a "gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers" in each of the six border villages, and a Merkava tank, as its war with Israel neared the three-week mark.

- Britain warns Iran -

Britain's foreign minister Yvette Cooper warned her Iranian counterpart in a phone call "against targeting UK bases, territory or interests directly", a foreign office statement said.

The statement came after an Iranian foreign ministry statement alleged that its top diplomat Abbas Araghchi told Cooper in the Thursday call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

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