- Crude drops, Europe stocks rise -

Oil prices tumbled and European stocks rose after US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran could end within weeks.

International benchmark Brent North Sea crude fell five percent to $98.77 a barrel, and the main US oil contract WTI dropped around four percent to $97.28 a barrel.

The Frankfurt and Paris stock markets jumped more than two percent at the open, while London's FTSE 100 index gained 1.7 percent.

- Iran denies US negotiations -

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there were no negotiations with the United States and that Tehran had not responded to a reported 15-point proposal from Washington to end the war.

"There are no grounds for negotiations," Araghchi said in an interview with Al Jazeera and dubbed into Arabic from Persian, adding however that some messages had been exchanged directly with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

- Houthis claim Israel attack -

Yemen's Houthis claimed a missile attack targeting Israel that they said was launched jointly with their backer Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah group -- the third such attack by the Houthis since they entered the Middle East war.

Earlier, Israeli's army said its air defences responded to a missile launched from Yemen, with no reports of casualties or damage.

- 14 Israelis wounded -

Israel's emergency medical service said 14 people, including an 11-year-old girl, were wounded by a missile attack in central Israel that the military blamed on Iran.

Missile alerts sounded across central and northern Israel after the military issued warnings for incoming fire.

- Bangladeshi killed in UAE -

A Bangladeshi national was killed by falling shrapnel after a drone interception in the United Arab Emirates, the official WAM news agency said.

In a post on X, WAM added that the incident happened in Fujairah, which is close to the Strait of Hormuz, under effective blockade by Iran.

- Israel strikes Tehran -

The Israeli military said it carried out strikes Wednesday on Tehran, where Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported blasts in several areas.

IRIB said Tehran was under attack on Wednesday, reporting that explosions were heard in areas of the capital's north, east and centre.

- Attacks on the Gulf -

Kuwait's civil aviation authority said that the Gulf state's international airport had come under an Iranian drone attack that led to "a large fire" at a fuel depot.

Bahrain's interior ministry said a fire broke out at a business facility "as a result of the Iranian aggression", while Saudi Arabia said it shot down several drones.

A tanker was also hit in the waters off Qatar, a British maritime security agency said.

- Journalist kidnapped -

An American journalist was kidnapped Tuesday in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the United States said.

The State Department said it had warned the journalist -- identified as Shelly Kittleson, a freelancer, by media advocacy groups -- of security risks and was working to ensure the American's release "as soon as possible".

- Trump to address Americans -

US President Donald Trump will give an address to the nation on Wednesday night "to provide an important update on Iran", the White House said.

The announcement comes as the commander-in-chief said US forces would end operations in Iran "very soon", and fuel prices would "come tumbling down" at the end of the war.

- Asian markets climb -

Asian stocks rallied after Trump suggested that the war may end soon.

Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped four percent while benchmarks in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul all rose.

- Deadly strikes hit Beirut -

Three explosions rocked Beirut's southern suburbs, AFP journalists reported, as a series of Israeli strikes in the south of the Lebanese capital and a nearby area killed seven people and wounded dozens, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

The Israeli army said it struck a "senior Hezbollah commander" and another "senior" member of the Iran-backed group in Beirut.

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