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Pentagon seeking $80 billion for Iran war, other costs
A Pentagon official said in April that the Iran war had cost about $25 billion, but the full cost of the war has remained unclear.
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The U.S. Department of Defense needed $80 billion to cover costs from the Iran war, as well as other expenses unrelated to the conflict, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg told lawmakers in phone calls this week, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
A broader U.S. supplemental funding request could be sent to lawmakers in the coming days, the newspaper said. It would include money for the Pentagon and for non-defense priorities, including farm and disaster relief.
The conflict began on Feb. 28, and an initial $200 billion request for additional funding faced opposition from lawmakers.
White House budget director Russell Vought told an April hearing of the House Budget Committee that he had no estimate for the cost of the war, while defending a request for a $1.5 trillion annual military budget.
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Israel strikes southern Lebanon, Vance delays Switzerland trip
The fighting came a day after the United States and Iran signed an agreement to end the Middle East war on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
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Israel’s military said Friday that its forces struck targets across southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting, raising pressure on a new U.S.-Iran agreement that calls for an immediate halt to military operations “on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
Talks planned for Friday in Switzerland between the United States and Iran were postponed as mediators worked to calm the fighting, regional officials said. Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled to attend.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Israel’s military said the strikes were ongoing. Israel also said four soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, and that five others were wounded in an explosive drone attack.
The Israeli military said it also struck targets in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley on Friday. Lebanese media said the village of Douris was hit.
Israel and Hezbollah are not parties to the U.S.-Iran agreement. Iran has said Israel must withdraw from the area of southern Lebanon it occupies, but the interim deal does not explicitly require that. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli forces would remain in a “security zone” in southern Lebanon as long as “Israel’s security needs require it.”
President Donald Trump criticized Netanyahu’s recent moves before the agreement was signed, saying: “Without me, there would be no Israel because no other president was willing to do what I did — I have had a great relationship with Bibi. Now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee defended Israel on Friday in a post on X, writing: “Israel strikes when struck … Ceasefire happens when Hezbollah stops shooting & killing.”
Two regional officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door diplomacy, said mediators were focused on Lebanon. One said Iran withdrew from the Switzerland meeting over the fighting and Netanyahu’s comments, which Iran viewed as violating the interim deal.
The agreement reopened the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and returned Washington and Tehran to talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first public reaction, said direct negotiations would not mean “accepting the enemy’s opinion.”
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Vance defends Iran deal amid GOP, Israeli criticism
Vance also warned Israeli critics to be cautious in attacking Trump, saying, “Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time.”
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Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the United States was not giving Iran money under President Donald Trump’s interim peace deal, and that any economic benefits depended on Iran fully complying with the agreement.
“The United States isn’t giving up a cent of money to Iran,” Vance said at a White House news conference.
His comments came as the White House faced criticism from some Republicans and Israeli officials over a 14-point memorandum of understanding that included sanctions relief, access to frozen funds, and a proposed $300 billion reconstruction plan.
Vance said, “The only way the Iranians get any of these resources … is if they comply fully” with the deal. He also said Iran was already selling oil despite U.S. sanctions, which he described as ineffective by the time of the agreement, and argued that easing sanctions could give the U.S. more insight into Iran’s financial activity.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, also described the deal as conditional. In a statement Thursday, he said he approved the memorandum after receiving assurances that Iran’s rights and the “resistance front” would be protected, and after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accepted responsibility for safeguarding Iran’s interests.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that “we encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold.” He added that markets were responding positively and said, “We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.”
Vance said Iran’s “nuclear program has been completely destroyed” and described the agreement as the next stage of Trump’s pressure campaign. The deal, signed by Trump and Pezeshkian, paused military operations and reopened the Strait of Hormuz for at least 60 days to allow negotiations on a final agreement. Vance said that period began Thursday and could be extended.
Lawmakers in both parties criticized the agreement. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., called it “one of the worst follies” of Trump’s term. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said, “History demonstrates that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is an exceptionally bad idea.” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said the memorandum could undercut recent U.S. military gains.
Vance said members of Congress received, or would soon receive, a copy of the signed document, and that the administration planned a formal briefing “very soon.” He also said the administration believed it could temporarily lift some sanctions without congressional approval.
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Hormuz traffic resumes, Lebanon strikes cloud accord
Brent crude fell another 2% to below $78 a barrel, its lowest since Feb. 28.
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About 12.5 million barrels of crude passed through the Strait of Hormuz overnight, Vice President JD Vance said Thursday, hours after President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran aimed at ending a war that had disrupted energy supplies.
The memorandum of understanding, also signed Wednesday by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, took effect two days earlier than expected. It called for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of a U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports.
Shippers said traffic through the strait could take time to return to prewar levels because safe access still needed to be confirmed and mines cleared.
The agreement explicitly called for a “permanent termination” of the war in Lebanon and for Lebanon’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty” to be ensured. But Israel, which invaded Lebanon in March and has said it was targeting Hezbollah fighters in the south, was not part of the talks.
Trump had recently criticized Israel’s operations in Lebanon. Still, Israel said it did not intend to withdraw and on Thursday released a new map showing an expanded area in southern Lebanon occupied by its troops as a buffer zone.
Vance said one goal of the deal was to allow Lebanese authorities to police the south. “What we want to see is the Lebanese government, the elected representatives of the people of Lebanon, who are able to police southern Lebanon, so that Hezbollah has not taken over the country, the Israelis are not threatened, and then consequently the Israelis are not attacking southern Lebanon or Beirut either,” he said.
Two Israeli officials, including one close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Reuters Israel was negotiating with Washington to keep troops in Lebanon. One described the talks as “stubborn” and said the outcome would depend on whether Trump chose to press Israel.
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Trump, Pezeshkian sign interim U.S.-Iran accord
Tehran agreed to dilute its enriched uranium in exchange for economic relief.
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President Donald Trump and Iran’s president signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday aimed at ending the Middle East war, according to U.S. and Iranian officials.
A U.S. official told Agence France-Presse that Trump signed the document during a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles after a Group of Seven summit. “Just signed it,” Trump told reporters.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, quoted by the state news agency IRNA, said the document “was finalized with the signatures of the presidents.”
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Thursday on X that the memorandum “shall enter into force with immediate effect and as a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade.” He said Pakistan, with Qatari support, would host a ceremony in Switzerland on Friday to “commemorate this landmark event and commence with the technical level talks.”
Baqaei said, “Now it is time to test the implementation of the agreement.”
The deal says Washington would immediately waive oil sanctions on Iran and, once a final agreement is reached on Iran’s nuclear program, facilitate the release of a $300 billion reconstruction fund backed by regional countries.
The agreement was presented as an effort to end fighting that began Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran, prompting Iranian missile and drone attacks across the region and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Trump Iran deal tests ties with Netanyahu on Lebanon
Reports indicated Netanyahu was seeking a meeting with Trump after international meetings in Switzerland this week.
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A U.S.-Iran agreement expected to be formalized in Switzerland on Friday highlighted differences between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Iran’s nuclear program and Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
Trump was expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with Iran that administration officials described as a framework for possible new direct talks on Iran’s nuclear program and other disputes.
Speaking Tuesday, Trump said the agreement would block Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, that’s what it says,” Trump said. “It won’t have one to buy, to develop. They will not have a nuclear weapon.”
Many details had not been made public, including possible limits on uranium enrichment, inspection mechanisms, and whether sanctions relief could follow.
Netanyahu expressed doubt about the agreement.
“With or without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons, not today and not tomorrow,” Netanyahu said Monday. “As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel, it will not happen.”
The disagreement also extended to Lebanon, where Israel continued operations against Hezbollah. On Tuesday, Trump said the campaign had gone on too long and was complicating efforts to stabilize the region.
“Israel is fighting Hezbollah for too long and too many people are being killed,” Trump said. “And you don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody.”
Trump also singled out Netanyahu.
“I’ve had a great relationship with Bibi, but now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” Trump said.
The dispute grew after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly said any Israeli troops remaining in southern Lebanon, or future Israeli strikes there, would violate the agreement.
Israeli officials rejected that interpretation and said operations would continue. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Monday that “Trump’s agreement does not bind us.”
Retired Israeli Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi defended Israel’s position, saying Hezbollah still threatened communities near the border.
“We are not going to let Hezbollah endanger our towns, endanger our soldiers,” Avivi said. “We are a sovereign country. We have a right to defend ourselves.”
Still, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Leiter played down suggestions of a broader split.
“We began this process together and we’ll end it together,” Leiter said.
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Draft U.S., Iran memorandum outlines 60-day talks
Pending a final deal, Iran would maintain the status quo on its nuclear program, and the U.S. would not impose new sanctions or strengthen its forces in the region.
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The U.S. and Iran were expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on June 19 in Switzerland that would begin 60 days of negotiations on ending their war and setting new limits on Iran’s nuclear program.
Under the draft, Iran, the U.S., and their allies in the war would declare an immediate and permanent end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and commit not to take hostile action or threaten or use force against each other. Both sides would also agree to respect each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and internal affairs.
The draft set a 60-day period for negotiating a final agreement, with the option to extend by mutual consent. It said the final agreement would be approved through a binding United Nations Security Council resolution.
The U.S. would lift its naval blockade immediately and restore shipping traffic to full prewar capacity within 30 days. Iran would take steps to resume merchant shipping between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman within 30 days, subject to removal of technical obstacles and mine clearance by Iran. The U.S. also would withdraw its forces from surrounding areas within 30 days after a final agreement.
The draft said the U.S., with regional partners, would create a plan for Iran’s economic rehabilitation and development with at least $300 billion in financing. It also said the U.S. would end sanctions on a timetable to be set in the final agreement, including U.N. Security Council measures, International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors measures, and U.S. primary and secondary sanctions.
Iran reiterated in the draft that it would never produce nuclear weapons. The two sides said the fate of enriched material and other nuclear-related issues, including Iran’s nuclear needs, would be addressed in a final agreement.
The draft also said the U.S. Treasury Department would issue waivers for exports of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products, related services, and banking, insurance, and transportation. It said frozen or restricted Iranian funds would be released and made fully available as negotiations progressed, and that an implementation mechanism would be created to oversee compliance with a final agreement.
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U.S., Iran reach deal, signing planned Friday
Israel said it was not party to the planned U.S.-Iran deal.
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The United States and Iran reached an agreement to end their war and planned an official signing ceremony for Friday in Switzerland, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on social media early Monday.
Shortly after Sharif’s announcement, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete.”
The terms were not immediately known. Sharif said the pact called for “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
Multiple sources told reporters the draft deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, and extend a ceasefire, while leaving Iran’s nuclear program to be addressed during a 60-day period of additional talks. The United States would also reportedly release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons. Iran also allegedly agreed to maintain the nuclear status quo, including no uranium enrichment or expansion of nuclear facilities, until a final deal is reached.
Trump said on Sunday that the strait would be open “toll free” and that the U.S. naval blockade would end. “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” he wrote.
The agreement was reached despite an Israeli strike on Lebanon on Sunday that drew criticism from Iran and Trump.
Earlier Sunday, Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Israel’s latest attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which Israel said targeted Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, showed the United States lacks “the will and ability to fulfill your commitments,” in a post on X.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it held the United States responsible for the attack. Iran warned of a “strong response,” and its top joint military command said the “finger (is) on the trigger” ready to fire at the “enemy’s heart.”
Trump wrote on Sunday: “This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”
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Moulton criticizes reported U.S.-Iran deal terms
“It’s basically a surrender document from Donald Trump to the supreme leader of Iran.”
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Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., criticized the reported terms of a U.S.-Iran agreement after President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran planned to sign a peace framework Sunday.
“This is a terrible deal,” Moulton told MS NOW on Saturday. “It’s basically a surrender document from Donald Trump to the supreme leader of Iran.”
Moulton, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, pointed to the war’s cost.
“I mean, $100 billion of taxpayer money already put into this war, 14 Americans dead, and we get a deal that just reopens the strait that was already open before he started the war? How is that a win?” he said.
A senior U.S. official said Friday that the deal included provisions to prohibit Iran’s nuclear building capabilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route.
Trump said Saturday that a peace framework would be signed Sunday and that the strait would reopen “immediately” afterward. Pakistan, which has mediated the talks, said the agreement would be signed electronically, followed by technical-level talks next week to work toward a peace deal.
“This is just lose, lose, lose across the board for Trump and the United States of America,” Moulton said after Trump’s announcement.
He added, “And yet, I will still say that stopping this war and getting out of it is the best that we can do at this point. And so that’s why we are still hoping for a deal, even though we have to admit it’s a losing deal for America.”
Moulton also said Trump had previewed imminent agreements with Iran “countless times.”
“It really sounds like Donald Trump wants a deal,” he said. “It sounds like the Iranians are pretty content dragging out negotiations because guess what? They have a stranglehold on the world economy by closing the strait.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei gave a different timeline. Baghaei told Iran’s Tasnim News Agency on Saturday that a signing of the framework deal would “not be tomorrow.”
“The possibility that it will happen in the coming days is not ruled out,” Baghaei said. “However, due to the other party’s instability, we must be cautious about any statements regarding this process.”
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India says US hit Oman-bound ship, confirms 3 dead
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India said Thursday that the U.S. Navy struck another vessel with Indian crew members off Oman, while confirming three Indian sailors were killed in a separate U.S. attack a day earlier.
All 20 Indians aboard the Guinea-Bissau-flagged MT Jalveer were safe and were being evacuated, an Indian shipping ministry official said. The crew sent a distress call off Oman’s Shinas port after a fire broke out near the engine room and funnel, according to Vanguard, a British maritime risk management company.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told reporters the Jalveer was attacked by the U.S. Navy. Soon after, U.S. Central Command confirmed it had disabled the tanker overnight in the Gulf of Oman.
“US Central Command (CENTCOM) acted against Guinea-Bissau flagged M/T Jalveer as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman. A US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The incident followed Wednesday’s U.S. strike on the Palau-flagged MT Settebello, also off Oman. Settebello had 24 Indian sailors on board. Three who had been reported missing were confirmed dead Thursday.
“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello,” India’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said in a statement.
“Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” he said.
He said officials had been directed to ensure “immediate repatriation” of rescued crew members and the return of the dead.
According to The Hindu, citing Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, the dead were deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya, and Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh.
The U.S. military had earlier said it struck the Marivex and Settebello, both tankers with Indian crew, for violating the U.S. blockade against Iran. It said Settebello was transporting oil from Iran and Marivex was heading to an Iranian port. On June 8, Omani authorities airlifted 24 Indian sailors off the Marivex after a U.S. attack.
The Indian embassy in Oman said it was aware of Thursday’s incident and was coordinating with local authorities.
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Trump threatens new Iran strikes, seizure of Kharg
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President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” and would seek control of Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure, after two days of U.S.-Iran strikes that threatened ceasefire talks.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT.” He added: “At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets.”
Kharg Island, under strict military control, processes 90% of Iran’s crude exports.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said taking Kharg Island had long been his “preference,” but said he remained opposed to sending U.S. ground troops into Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the latest U.S. strikes made the current pause in fighting “practically meaningless.” Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, called the attacks “a widespread and utter nullification of the ceasefire.”
According to Iranian media, recent U.S. strikes hit Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Sirik, Minab, and Karaj, west of Tehran. Iran, meanwhile, attacked U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Trump also accused Iran of downing a U.S. helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
After the latest U.S. strikes, Iran announced the full closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that any damage Iran “inflicts on our allies in the Gulf will be paid for with funds extracted” from Iran’s frozen assets, estimated at about $100 billion worldwide.
U.S. Central Command said Thursday that it had disabled three oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman during its blockade of Iranian ports. India called on the United States to stop the attacks, saying three Indian crew members were killed in one U.S. strike on a vessel.
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U.S., Iran exchange fire as strikes hit Gulf states
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Hostilities between the United States and Iran escalated Thursday after Iran retaliated for U.S. air and cruise missile strikes, with attacks reported in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The exchange followed a second round of U.S. airstrikes overnight. U.S. President Donald Trump had warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations.
Explosions were heard in Tehran, the port city of Bandar Abbas, and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the U.S. attacks had “effectively rendered the ceasefire … meaningless,” but did not say Iran was abandoning it.
Kuwait said it closed its airspace during the Iranian attacks and diverted flights to other airports. Flights had been circling before the announcement, after Kuwait said its air defenses were firing. Kuwait International Airport had taken a direct Iranian hit in recent days, killing one person and wounding dozens.
Bahrain also sounded missile alert sirens. The island kingdom hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
The renewed fighting came as efforts to negotiate an end to the war appeared stalled. Iran has insisted it would maintain its grip on the Strait of Hormuz. The talks have also faltered amid Israel’s attacks on the Iranian-allied Hezbollah group in Lebanon. On Monday, Iran and Israel targeted each other.
In the first exchange Wednesday, Iran launched missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
Pakistan expressed deep concern Thursday and urged both sides to adhere to a ceasefire understanding. “Pakistan reaffirms its support for the peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.
India said three Indian mariners were killed aboard the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello, which the U.S. military said it targeted for allegedly violating the U.S. blockade on Iran. India’s shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said on X that two bodies had been recovered. U.S. Central Command said it fired into the ship’s engine room to stop it.
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U.S. disables second tanker in Gulf of Oman
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U.S. forces disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, the second such action in two days, according to U.S. Central Command.
Central Command said forces struck the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello at 11:14 p.m. EST as it transited the gulf and attempted to transport oil from Iran.
“A U. S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces,” the command said in a post on X.
Central Command said the Settebello was the eighth commercial vessel disabled since the U.S. began a naval blockade on April 13. It said U.S. forces had redirected 134 ships that complied and allowed 42 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to pass.
The strike came as tensions with Iran escalated. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said Iran would have to “pay the price” after an exchange of fire that began with the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter.
His comments came after Iran said it had launched attacks on U.S. military bases across the Middle East in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian targets.
“The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!” Trump said on Truth Social. “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
For weeks, U.S. officials had said a peace deal was near, but talks had stalled amid intermittent fighting. The war began in late February with U.S. and Israeli strikes that, according to the article, killed several of Iran’s top leaders.
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U.S. strikes Iran after helicopter incident
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U.S. forces launched strikes on Iran at 5 p.m. EST Tuesday after President Donald Trump said Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command.
“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” Central Command said in a statement.
Trump said the two crew members were rescued and were not injured. “There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
Iranian media appeared to acknowledge the incident. The semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that Iran had not claimed responsibility.
Israeli forces carried out strikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday. Tehran had warned that Israeli attacks there would prompt another round of retaliatory strikes.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said foreign forces near Iran were at “constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents or potentially being caught in crossfire.”
“To reduce risk, best solution is for them [foreign forces] to leave,” he said on X.
Minutes before Trump’s comments on the helicopter, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator in peace talks with Washington, wrote on social media: “We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best.”
“You ride the horse you saddled!,” he wrote.
Israel and Iran halted attacks on each other after exchanging fire over the weekend for the first time since April’s truce. Trump had urged both countries to “immediately stop ‘shooting’” while Washington and Tehran pursued talks on ending the regional war.
He said on Truth Social that Israel and Iran were looking to do “an immediate ceasefire” but that peace was “subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.” He later told reporters, “We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal,” adding that it could take “two or three days” and that the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately after.
Central Command said the helicopter crew was rescued at 7:33 p.m. EDT Monday. A spokesperson told the BBC they were recovered by an unmanned surface drone operated by Task Force 59, a Bahrain-based unit launched in 2024, and transferred on the water before being hoisted to a helicopter.
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Trump says Iran deal could come within days
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President Donald Trump said Tuesday morning there was a “good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran in “two or three days,” but he gave no details for his renewed optimism.
“We’re very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal,” Trump said at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after attending the NBA Finals on Monday night.
“If we go and bomb — which we could do very easily if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing — they’ll have nothing left whatsoever. But you won’t have the Strait (of Hormuz) open for months,” Trump said.
“If we do the bombing, you know, a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I don’t,” he said.
Mediators, led mainly by Pakistan, had spent weeks trying to broker an agreement. The U.S. wanted Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to remain in the country after U.S. airstrikes during the 12-day conflict in 2025. Iran had refused and sought sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets before a final agreement, which Trump had rejected.
Fighting between Israel and Iran a day earlier had raised concerns about a broader regional conflict. Iranian state television said Tuesday that at least two members of the army’s air defense force were killed in Israeli strikes Monday, after both sides targeted what they said were petrochemical facilities and Israel also struck Iranian military sites.
Trump had called for an immediate halt to the fighting. Soon after, Iran’s joint military command said it was stopping offensive strikes, while warning that further “aggression and hostile acts” by Israel and its supporters, including in southern Lebanon, would bring “much more severe and crushing measures than before.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that if Iran “makes the mistake and returns to attacking us, we will respond with force.” He also said Israel was continuing operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah.
On Tuesday, Israel’s military warned residents to evacuate parts of Tyre in southern Lebanon, including the Christian quarter.
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Iran pauses strikes as Israel conflict tests truce
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Iran’s military said Monday it had halted strikes against Israel after a day of attacks that raised concerns about the April ceasefire.
The announcement came hours after President Donald Trump said both sides were seeking a ceasefire and that final negotiations were underway.
Iran launched missile attacks Sunday night in response to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Islamist group in Lebanon, which Iran said was covered by the April ceasefire agreement it reached with the United States.
Iran fired several waves of missiles toward Israel, triggering air raid sirens. Israeli officials said the missiles were intercepted. Israel later said it struck military sites in western and central Iran. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen also claimed an attack on Israel and threatened Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea.
The exchange was the most serious test so far of the April ceasefire and came on the 100th day of the war, called Operation Epic Fury. The conflict began in late February with joint U.S., Israeli strikes that killed senior Iranian leaders.
Trump had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran and to allow more time for diplomacy. Israel still carried out strikes on Iranian targets, and Axios reported that the United States had not approved them.
In a telephone interview with the Financial Times, Trump said a diplomatic deal was still being negotiated and that Israel would have no choice but to accept it.
“I call all the shots,” Trump said. “(Netanyahu) doesn’t call the shots.”
Israeli officials reported no casualties from the Iranian attacks. Iranian state media said two missiles struck near a petrochemical plant but caused no casualties.
The exchange between Iran and Israel, along with the Houthi attack, threatened to end months of relative calm. U.S. officials have recently expressed optimism about a broader peace deal with Iran, though intermittent clashes involving Iranian, American, and Israeli forces have slowed talks.
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Israel strikes Beirut suburbs after ceasefire talks
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Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, days after Lebanese and Israeli officials meeting in Washington renewed a ceasefire agreement, and despite a U.S. request not to attack Lebanon’s capital.
No casualties were immediately reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the strikes were retaliation for fire toward northern Israel that it blamed on the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. It said the targets were “command centers” in the densely populated area.
An Israeli strike hit a residential building near a gas station, damaging four of its seven floors. The Lebanese military cordoned off the area after an unexploded munition was found in the rubble. Ambulances were at the scene, though no bodies or wounded people were immediately seen.
Israel had twice struck Beirut’s southern suburbs since an earlier Lebanon-Israel agreement took effect April 17.
Israel said Monday it would strike the southern suburbs after Hezbollah claimed attacks in northern Israel, but urgent talks through Washington halted the operation on the condition that Hezbollah stop targeting Israeli border towns.
In an interview taped Friday and aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” President Donald Trump said, “I’d like to see Lebanon have a better life. I’d like to see a more surgical attack on Hezbollah. I think it should be more surgical.” He added that he was “not demanding” that Lebanon be included in a short-term deal to extend the ceasefire in the Iran war.
More than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war began March 2, according to the report. More than 1 million people have been displaced. The fighting has also killed at least 31 Israeli soldiers and three civilians.
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Israel, Iran trade missile fire; Houthis join
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Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire Monday in their most serious confrontation since an April 8 ceasefire, while Yemen’s Houthi rebels also launched a missile at Israel and threatened Red Sea shipping.
Israeli authorities said Iran fired three waves of missiles at the country. Explosions were heard in central Israel as air defenses intercepted the fire. Israel’s rescue services said there were no known injuries and no reported impacts from the missile launched from Yemen.
The Iranian attack followed Israeli strikes early Monday on central and western Iran. Israel’s military said it targeted truck-mounted surface-to-air missile launchers and later said it struck a petrochemical complex in Mahshahr, in Khuzestan province. Iranian state-linked news agencies Fars and Mehr also reported a strike on a petrochemical factory in the city.
In Iran, air defense systems opened fire around Tehran and in other cities around noon, with some reports of attacks still underway. Iran also closed airspace around its main airport after the strikes.
Iran said its missiles targeted two military bases in Israel. The Revolutionary Guard said the attack was part of Operation Nasr, or “Victory,” and said it followed Israeli strikes on radar sites in three areas of Iran. Loud explosions were also heard over central Israel, and missiles were reported over southern Israel near Dimona and Arad.
President Donald Trump had said before the Israeli strikes that he did not think Israel needed to respond further. In an interview with the Financial Times, he said of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “He won’t have any choice. I call the shots. I call all the shots. He (Netanyahu) doesn’t call the shots.”
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U.S. hits Iranian radar sites after drone launches
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U.S. forces struck Iranian coastal radar and surveillance sites Saturday after shooting down four drones launched by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz, the military said.
U.S. Central Command said on X that it struck surveillance sites at Goruk and Qeshm Island, both on the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted bases in the region with missiles in retaliation for earlier strikes and fired on four tankers attempting to cross the strait without its permission.
Kuwaiti state media reported that air defenses intercepted missile and drone attacks of undisclosed origin. In Bahrain, sirens sounded and residents were urged to seek shelter. Iran said it had hit bases in both countries with ballistic missiles, but the military said six missiles were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its target.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah said Sunday it carried out two attacks on Israeli troops in south Lebanon, including near Beaufort Castle, while Lebanese security services said Israeli airstrikes hit towns across the south. Iran has tied any peace deal with Washington to a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.