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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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Iran-Linked Plot Targeted Ivanka Trump, Officials Say
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Federal authorities on Friday accused an Iraqi national with alleged ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of plotting to assassinate Ivanka Trump in retaliation for the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
The suspect, 32-year-old Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, was arrested in Turkey earlier this month before being extradited to the United States, according to the Times of Israel. Authorities alleged he coordinated or supported multiple attacks linked to Iran-backed militant networks in Europe and North America.
Several reports said the alleged plot centered on revenge for Soleimani’s killing. Investigators reportedly found online threats, maps, and what sources described as a blueprint of Ivanka Trump’s Florida residence. The Justice Department had not publicly released detailed charging documents describing a finalized assassination attempt against her, and officials had not said the suspect reached the operational stage of carrying out an attack in the United States.
The allegations fit a broader pattern of threats against Trump administration figures since Soleimani’s death. Federal officials have repeatedly warned since 2020 that Iranian-linked operatives and proxy groups continued to seek retaliation against President Donald Trump, former senior military officials, and others associated with the strike.
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U.S. strikes Iran targets as Doha talks continue
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U.S. forces struck targets in southern Iran on Tuesday, including boats that were attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what the U.S. military said were defensive actions.
The strikes came as Iran’s top negotiator and foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar’s prime minister on a possible deal with the United States to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said. Washington and Tehran had earlier downplayed hopes for a near-term breakthrough.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in New Delhi that the United States would give diplomacy every chance before considering whether to deal with Iran in “another way.” He said there was a “pretty solid thing on the table” involving reopening the Strait of Hormuz and entering a “very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter.”
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that talks were going “nicely,” but warned of new attacks if they failed. It “will only be a Great Deal for all, or no Deal at all,” he wrote.
Hours later, U.S. Central Command said it had carried out strikes “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” “U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” spokesperson Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said.
Iranian news agencies reported that Iran had downed a “hostile” stealth drone with a new air defense system, without saying where the drone came from.
Diplomatic talks in Doha centered on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran’s central bank governor also attended talks on the possible release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a final deal. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said nuclear issues would be negotiated only after a framework accord was agreed.
Trump has said his main aim in the war is to prevent Iran from using its highly enriched uranium to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran has repeatedly denied that it plans to do so.
Baghaei said any deal under discussion contained no specific details on management of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually flows. He said Iran would not charge ships tolls to pass, but would charge for services such as navigation and environmental protection under a protocol to be agreed with Oman.
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U.S., Iran near deal as negotiations continue
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The United States was close to reaching a deal with Iran that could end the war, regional officials told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The officials said the agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and require Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. They said details and timelines would be worked out later.
Iran has not publicly committed to surrendering its uranium, a key demand of President Donald Trump.
During a visit to India, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “significant profress, although not final progress, has been made” in the negotiations, and said the world did not need to fear Iran having a nuclear weapon.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told state TV that Iran was ready “to assure the world that we are not after a nuclear weapon.”
At the same time, Iran’s embassy in India said on social media that Tehran has an “inalienable” right to nuclear technology.
Iran has repeatedly said its nuclear program is peaceful while enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.
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Iran says U.S. deal not imminent despite progress
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Iran said Monday it had reached understandings with Washington on many issues in talks on a deal to end the war, but said an agreement was not close.
“It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly news briefing. “But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent — no one can make such a claim,” he said, accusing Washington of shifting its positions.
An official said Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi were in Doha for talks with Qatar’s prime minister on a possible U.S.-Iran deal. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium were among the main issues under discussion.
President Donald Trump also said he had asked the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords as part of U.S. efforts to reach a deal with Iran. He said those countries would be honored to have Iran as part of the agreements to normalize relations with Israel.
Baqaei also said Iran was collecting fees for “navigational services” for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and not imposing tolls. He said the fees covered navigation and environmental protection measures in the strait, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman.
Separately, Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said injuries suffered by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in the Feb. 28 U.S.-Israeli strikes were only “superficial.” Kermanpour told ILNA news agency that Mojtaba suffered injuries to the face, head, and legs that caused “neither amputation nor any particular medical problem.”
Mojtaba, 56, has not appeared publicly since he was named supreme leader on March 8, after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in the Feb. 28 strikes. In March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Mojtaba was “believed to be alive, wounded and disfigured.”
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Gas prices top $4 in all 50 states before holiday
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Gasoline prices in all 50 states, including along the Gulf Coast and in the Permian Basin region, were above $4 a gallon as drivers prepared for Memorial Day weekend.
The national average reached $4.56 a gallon on Thursday, up 43% from a year earlier and 13% from a month earlier, according to AAA.
California, which relies heavily on fuel imports and has high taxes and fees, topped $6 a gallon. Other Western states remained well above the national average, while Gulf Coast states also moved above $4.
Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma are typically among the last states to see sharp price increases because they sit at the center of the U.S. refining and oil production system.
Comments from President Trump that the U.S. and Iran were in the “final stages” of reaching a deal pushed oil prices lower on Wednesday, their sharpest one-day decline in more than a month. Prices rose back above $100 a barrel on Thursday.
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Iran reviews U.S. proposal, Trump warns on talks
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Iran was reviewing the latest U.S. proposal for a possible deal to end the nearly three-month war, according to Iranian state-linked media, as President Trump said he was willing to wait “a couple of days” for Tehran’s response.
“We have received the views of the American side and are currently reviewing them,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Thursday, according to Nour News, which is close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Iranian news outlets said Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, was expected in Tehran on Thursday as part of Islamabad’s efforts to mediate indirect U.S.-Iran talks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he hoped the visit would advance diplomacy.
Trump said Wednesday that “We’re in final stages of Iran” and told reporters his administration would act quickly if talks failed. “If I can save war by waiting a couple of days, if I can save people being killed by waiting a couple of days, I think it’s a great thing to do,” he said.
He added: “If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly,” and said U.S. officials were “pretty impressed” by Iran’s negotiators.
Trump also repeated that Iran “cannot” be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. “They’re not gonna have a nuclear weapon, you know?” he said Thursday.
Separately, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote in Iran Daily that shipping conditions in the Strait of Hormuz had changed because of what he described as repeated U.S. and Israeli aggression. He said Iran’s requirement that ships seek military permission, and in some cases pay a fee, was justified under international law.
Trump said Thursday the United States wanted the strait “open” and “free” and did not want tolls collected. He also said Iran was “not charging tolls right now,” despite Iranian statements that a new Persian Gulf Strait Authority had begun collecting them.
U.S. Central Command said Thursday that U.S. forces had redirected 94 commercial vessels heading into or out of Iranian ports since the blockade began.
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House delays vote on measure to end Iran war
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House Republicans delayed a planned Thursday vote on a war powers resolution that would restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to continue U.S. military operations in Iran.
The vote was the latest effort to limit Trump’s military actions under the War Powers Resolution of 1973. Similar measures have failed before, but Democrats said support had grown.
On Tuesday, the Senate advanced a separate war powers resolution on Iran after four Republicans voted with Democrats and three other GOP senators were absent.
In the House, another war powers resolution tied last week, with three Republicans voting yes. Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat sponsoring Thursday’s resolution, said he expected to have enough votes.
Under a 1973 law, presidents have 60 days to engage in military conflict before Congress must declare war or authorize force.
“We have to follow the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who backed an Iran war powers resolution for the first time last week.
The White House said the War Powers Resolution no longer applied because of a ceasefire with Iran. Trump also said earlier this week he had been an hour away from ordering another strike, but did not after Gulf allies said they were negotiating to end the war.
He later wrote on social media that military leaders should “be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”
The House measure was a concurrent resolution that lawmakers said would take effect without Trump’s signature if both chambers approved it. Trump has also said the 1973 law is unconstitutional.
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Iran reports 26 ships crossed Strait of Hormuz
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy said Wednesday that 26 commercial vessels, including oil tankers and container ships, transited the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours.
In a post on X, the force said the ships passed after “coordination and security provided by the IRGC navy.” Iran has said vessels using the waterway must obtain permission from its armed forces.
Tensions remained high across the region.
The United Arab Emirates urged Iraq to prevent hostile acts from its territory after a drone attack on the Barakah nuclear power plant, according to the UAE Foreign Ministry. The UAE Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the drone that caused a fire at the plant on Sunday had been launched from Iraq.
Jordan’s military said it shot down a drone of unknown origin in its airspace Wednesday, with no casualties reported.
Iranian officials said they preferred diplomacy but were prepared for conflict if hostilities resumed.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also warned against renewed U.S. and Israeli attacks. “If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time spread far beyond the region, and our devastating blows will crush you,” the Guards said in a statement on Sepah News.
French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin said France had “no certainty” that mines had been laid in the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. media reported that at least 10 mines had been identified there. She told France Info radio that demining ships were being sent to the region as part of a potential Franco-British-led mission, and that France had one at its base in Djibouti.
Shipping data showed that two Chinese tankers carrying about 4 million barrels of Iraqi crude exited the strait Wednesday, according to LSEG and Kpler.
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Trump delays Iran strike, cites regional diplomacy
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President Donald Trump said Monday he had postponed a planned U.S. attack on Iran after appeals from Gulf leaders and because “serious negotiations are now taking place.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said leaders including Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman helped change his mind.
“A Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond,” Trump wrote.
He added: “I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, The Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine, and The United States Military, that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow.” He said U.S. forces should remain ready to carry out “a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice” if no acceptable deal is reached.
Trump’s post followed days of sharper rhetoric toward Iran. A day earlier, he wrote that the “clock is ticking” and warned Iranian officials that “there won’t be anything left of them” if they did not agree to a deal.
Pakistan has been acting as a mediator since the U.S. joined Israel in attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, triggering the war.
Trump has said the war was needed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, which Iran has denied seeking. On Monday, he wrote, “This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN.”
Iran has rejected U.S. demands as excessive and called for frozen assets to be released and sanctions lifted. Control of the Strait of Hormuz has remained a major point of dispute, with Iran disrupting trade through the waterway and the U.S. responding with a naval blockade.
Earlier Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote, “Dialogue does not mean surrender.” He added that Iran would not retreat “from the legal rights of the people and the country in any way.”
Analysts said Gulf states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, want to avoid further escalation as they face missile fire tied to the war.
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UAE, Saudi Arabia report drones amid Iran deadlock
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A drone strike caused a fire at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates, Emirati officials said on Sunday, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted three drones as efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran remained stalled.
The drone that penetrated UAE defenses hit an electrical generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said. It said there were no injuries and radiological safety levels were unaffected. The UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation later said the plant remained safe and no radioactive material was released.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said emergency diesel generators were supplying power to Unit 3 and called for “maximum military restraint” near nuclear facilities.
Emirati officials said they were investigating the source of the strike and that the UAE had the right to respond to such “terrorist attacks.” A diplomatic adviser to the UAE president said the strike was a dangerous escalation, whether carried out by “the principal perpetrator” or one of its proxies.
The UAE Defense Ministry said two other drones had been “successfully” dealt with and that they were launched from the “western border.” It gave no further details.
Saudi Arabia said the three drones it intercepted entered from Iraqi airspace and said it would take necessary operational measures against any violation of its sovereignty.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Axios reported that Trump was expected to meet top national security advisers on Tuesday to discuss military options.