\n
President Donald Trump halted a planned \u201cmajor attack\u201d on Iran on Tuesday in pursuit of a possible peace deal, but warned the U.S. remains poised to strike if negotiations fail. The standoff continues as Iran holds onto its nuclear weapons aspirations and Washington presses for guarantees that Tehran will not develop a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n
Israel is preparing to take part in a potential U.S. strike on Iran, despite President Donald Trump\u2019s statement on May 18 that he had paused a planned attack, according to reports.<\/p>\n
Citing officials, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported Tuesday that officials also believe Trump\u2019s announcement may have limited his options.<\/p>\n
The officials suggested that unless Tehran presents a significantly improved proposal \u2014 which Israeli leaders consider unlikely \u2014 Trump may decide military action is unavoidable, the report says, according to The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n
Channel 12\u2019s report also suggested recent developments within Israel showed signs of readiness for a possible strike, adding that Israel would likely coordinate closely with the U.S. in any operation.<\/p>\n
The report also notes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a limited security consultation May 18 that lasted nearly five hours.<\/p>\n
At the meeting were the IDF chief of staff, the air force commander, the head of military intelligence, the head of the Operations Directorate and other senior defense officials, with discussions focused on ensuring preparedness for the possibility of military action.<\/p>\n
Further reports by Channel 12 indicate Israel\u2019s military is on its highest level of alert for possible U.S. action against Iran in the coming days, Iran International reported.<\/p>\n
Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper sharply rebuked Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton during a tense House Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday after the Massachusetts Democrat questioned “how many more Americans” would die because of what he called a failed Iran strategy.<\/p>\n
“It doesn’t seem to be going well,” Moulton, D-Mass., said of the Iran war. “And I would like to know how many more Americans we have to ask to die for this mistake.”<\/p>\n
“I think it\u2019s an entirely inappropriate statement from you, sir,” Cooper responded. Moulton shot back: “It\u2019s not a statement, it\u2019s a question.”<\/p>\n
Fourteen U.S. service members have died in combat since the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28.<\/p>\n
Moulton, a Marine Corps Iraq War veteran and frequent critic of the Trump administration\u2019s Iran strategy, pressed Cooper repeatedly on what he described as the widening consequences of the conflict, including instability in the Strait of Hormuz, rising oil prices and reports that Iran had rebuilt parts of its missile infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Cooper pushed back on several of the claims, calling reports that Iran had reconstituted key missile sites “inaccurate” and repeatedly emphasizing that U.S. forces had achieved their assigned military objectives.<\/p>\n
The hearing came just after Trump said he directed the military to pause planned operations against Iran for Tuesday at the request of Gulf allies who wanted negotiations with Tehran to continue.<\/p>\n
\n This is an excerpt from a report by Morgan Phillips.<\/i>\n <\/p>\nUS seizes Iran-linked sanctioned oil tanker in Indian Ocean: report<\/h2>\n
An Iran-linked oil tanker was intercepted by the U.S. overnight May 18 in the Indian Ocean, according to reports.<\/p>\n
Citing three U.S. officials, The Wall Street Journal reported that the tanker, identified as the Skywave, was sanctioned by the U.S. in March over allegations that it was transporting Iranian oil.<\/p>\n
Ship-tracking data also showed the vessel west of Malaysia after it passed through the Strait of Malacca.<\/p>\n
Lloyd\u2019s List Intelligence data indicated the ship was possibly loaded with more than 1 million barrels of crude oil at Iran\u2019s Kharg Island in February.<\/p>\n
According to VesselFinder, Skywave was last reported in Southeast Asia four days ago via AIS data.<\/p>\n
The vessel was traveling at 9.3 knots, is a crude oil tanker built in 2005 and was sailing under the flag of Botswana, VesselFinder noted.<\/p>\n
The U.S.-designated Lebanon-based terrorist movement Hezbollah exploits children from its version of the scout movement to carry out jihadi missions that result in their deaths, according to a recent report on Lebanon\u2019s MTV television network.<\/p>\n
The Lebanese network\u2019s report \u2014 translated by the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) \u2014 comes amid U.S.-brokered peace talks between Israel and Beirut.<\/p>\n
The report claims that Hezbollah gives child fighters heroes\u2019 funerals and publicly glorifies them before their peers in order to encourage other children to follow in their footsteps.<\/p>\n
The MTV report said Hezbollah believes that every drop of bloodshed by child soldiers brings victory closer.<\/p>\n
The U.S.-designated Lebanon-based terrorist movement Hezbollah exploits children from its version of the scout movement to carry out jihadi missions that result in their deaths, according to a recent report on Lebanon\u2019s MTV television network.<\/p>\n
The Lebanese network\u2019s report \u2014 translated by the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) \u2014 comes amid U.S.-brokered peace talks between Israel and Beirut.<\/p>\n
The report claims that Hezbollah gives child fighters heroes\u2019 funerals and publicly glorifies them before their peers in order to encourage other children to follow in their footsteps.<\/p>\n
The MTV report said Hezbollah believes that every drop of bloodshed by child soldiers brings victory closer.<\/p>\n
The Lebanon expert said they could be termed “children jihadists” who are preparing to become full Hezbollah fighters.<\/p>\n
\n This is an excerpt from a report by Benjamin Weinthal.<\/i>\n <\/p>\nUS offers $15M reward for tips that could disrupt IRGC terrorist financial networks<\/h2>\n
The U.S. State Department\u2019s Rewards for Justice program on Tuesday said it is offering up to $15 million for information on Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) financial network.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour information could help disrupt this terrorist organization\u2019s financial networks,\u201d the program said in a post shared on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cSend us a tip today,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IRGC uses numerous financial mechanisms to fund its activities, including cryptocurrency accounts, custodians and front companies,\u201d the Rewards for Justice program said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have information on the IRGC\u2019s financial network, send it to us via Signal or our Tor-based tip line,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
Those offering information may be eligible for a reward and potential relocation, the program said.<\/p>\n
Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that President Donald Trump is still pursuing a diplomatic deal with Iran but remains \u201clocked and loaded\u201d to restart the military campaign if nuclear talks collapse.<\/p>\n
“It takes two to tango,” Vance told reporters at the White House daily press briefing Tuesday. “We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n
“So as the president just told me, we’re locked and loaded. We don’t want to go down that pathway. But the president is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to.”<\/p>\n
The administration sees two paths forward, according to Vance: a negotiated agreement that permanently blocks Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, or renewed U.S. military action.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think the Iranians want to make a deal,\u201d Vance said. \u201cThe president of the United States has asked us to negotiate in good faith. And that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Vance warned that diplomacy will not come at the cost of Trump\u2019s core demand that Tehran never obtain a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an option B, and the option B is that we could restart the military campaign to continue to prosecute the case, to continue to try to achieve America\u2019s objectives,\u201d Vance said. \u201cBut that\u2019s not what the president wants. And I don\u2019t think it\u2019s what the Iranians want either.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump remains steadfast in keeping his war plans to himself.<\/p>\n
“They knew I was getting ready to attack,” Trump told reporters at the White House ballroom construction site. “I didn’t tell them. I never tell anybody when.<\/p>\n
“But they knew that we were very close. I would say we were, I was an hour away from making the decision to go today, and we would probably not be talking about a beautiful ballroom today. We’d be talking about that.”<\/p>\n
But Gulf leaders had an inkling, Trump added.<\/p>\n
“So they called up, they had heard I made the decision and said, ‘Sir, could you give us a couple of more days because we think they’re being reasonable?'”<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping personally promised him that Beijing would not send weapons to Iran, as Trump warned Tehran still had some ability to retaliate despite what he described as devastating U.S. strikes on Iran\u2019s military.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Xi has promised me that he\u2019s not sending any weapons to Iran,\u201d Trump told reporters during a White House ballroom construction huddle with reporters.<\/p>\n
“That\u2019s a beautiful promise. I take him at his word. I appreciate it.”<\/p>\n
Trump said he and Xi had \u201can amazing time\u201d during his China visit and suggested Beijing shared U.S. concerns about keeping oil lanes open.<\/p>\n
“We got along very well before this, but President XI and I had a really an amazing time,” Trump added. “I think you’d say the same thing, but he promised that he’s not sending any weapons.<\/p>\n
“And, you know, if you think about it, he gets 40% of his oil\u201d from the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said of Xi. \u201cHe’s not sending oil boats and, you know, tankers in with 20 destroyers alongside of them.<\/p>\n
“He does want it open, like me. I want it open and we’ll get it open.”<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with United Nations Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres on Tuesday about U.S. efforts to confront Iran\u2019s activity in the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said.<\/p>\n
“The Secretary further discussed U.S. efforts to stop the Islamic Republic of Iran\u2019s unlawful mining and tolling of the Strait of Hormuz, including a draft UN Security Council resolution, presented by the United States and Bahrain with the support of other Gulf partners,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote in a readout of the call.<\/p>\n
“The Secretary emphasized the overwhelming support of a broad base of UN members for these efforts.”<\/p>\n
Rubio discussed advancing President Donald Trump\u2019s vision for a \u201cback-to-basics\u201d United Nations that is “leaner and more accountable.”<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump is urging Americans to hang on amid rising gas prices as he tries to complete the mission in the Middle East of ridding Iran of nuclear weapons aspirations.<\/p>\n
“I appreciate everybody putting up with it for a little while,” Trump told reporters at the White House ballroom construction site Tuesday. “It won’t be much longer.”<\/p>\n
Trump pointed to the rising stock market in showing how the money experts are expecting peace with Iran.<\/p>\n
“We just hit a new high in the stock market \u2013 everything’s going good,” Trump said. “I’m sorry, but we have to go down and take a little journey down to we have to do something with Iran. We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.”<\/p>\n
The price of gas “is peanuts” compared to the threat of a nuclear Iran, but noted he is a deflationary, energy-conscious president.<\/p>\n
“You know, I had gasoline down to $1.85 in Iowa,” Trump said. “I was in Iowa, and the stations had it at $1.85. But I was down to, in many cases, less than $2 a barrel, a gallon. And then I said to myself, this is great.”<\/p>\n
The Treasury Department on Tuesday announced sanctions on more than 50 companies, individuals and vessels tied to Iran\u2019s sanctions-evasion networks, targeting what officials described as a shadow banking and shipping system that helps generate revenue for Tehran.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran\u2019s shadow banking system facilitates the illicit transfer of funding for terrorist purposes,\u201d Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. \u201cAs Treasury systematically dismantles Tehran\u2019s shadow banking system and shadow fleet under Economic Fury, financial institutions must be alert to how the regime manipulates the international financial system to wreak havoc.\u201d<\/p>\n
The action, taken by Treasury\u2019s Office of Foreign Assets Control under its \u201cEconomic Fury\u201d campaign, designates a prominent Iranian foreign currency exchange house and associated front companies accused of overseeing hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions for sanctioned Iranian banks.<\/p>\n
Treasury said Iranian exchange houses collectively facilitate billions of dollars in foreign currency transactions each year, helping the regime and its armed forces evade sanctions, access the international financial system and move funds from oil and petrochemical sales.<\/p>\n
OFAC also blocked 19 vessels allegedly involved in Iranian petroleum and petrochemical shipments to foreign customers, which Treasury said have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.<\/p>\n
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered a forceful message Tuesday: cutting off terrorist financing must remain central to U.S. national security strategy.<\/p>\n
“If we are serious about ‘no money for terror,’ then there must also be ‘no room for excuses,'” Bessent said in his opening statement at the No Money for Terror conference in Paris, France.<\/p>\n
Bessent framed sanctions not as “acts of aggression,” but as President Donald Trump’s \u201cinstruments of peace\u201d designed to change behavior, disrupt illicit networks, and prevent terror groups from accessing the money that sustains them.<\/p>\n
“The United States is hardly alone in facing the scourge of terrorism, especially from Iran,” Bessent said. “Yet, too often, we seem to be alone in our resolve to thwart it.<\/p>\n
“As President Trump brings renewed vigor and focus to this fight, crushing the threat of terrorism compels all of you to step up and join us in rooting out the financing that sustains it \u2014 from shell companies that are embedded within Europe, to shadow banking networks that lurk across the Middle East, and drug cartels across the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n
“For at their core, sanctions are not acts of aggression, they are instruments of peace. Their purpose is not to condemn nations or people to indefinite isolation, but to create the conditions that can hasten a change in behavior.”<\/p>\n
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., says House Armed Services Committee members cannot be trusted with classified information.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are several members of this committee that have proven to not be capable of maintaining classified material and secrets that safeguard our nation,\u201d Van Orden said during Tuesday’s committee hearing. \u201cAnd we are not capable of doing our constitutionally mandated congressional oversight if we cannot be exposed to classified information.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unauthorized disclosures of classified information should be investigate by the Justice Department, he says, warning that leaks could endanger U.S. troops during the Iran war.<\/p>\n
Van Orden said Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash., recently sent committee members a memo about \u201canother unauthorized disclosure of classified material\u201d by a member of the panel.<\/p>\n
He said the leaks explain why he was not offended that only the Gang of Eight was briefed on Operation Midnight Hammer.<\/p>\n
Van Orden said the committee should not stop at sending warning memos and called for criminal accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that the Department of Justice should be actively investigating members of this committee for the criminal unauthorized disclosure of classified material,\u201d he said. \u201cIf anybody were to be killed because somebody is trying to run for a higher office, they should be held accountable. It\u2019s reprehensible.\u201d<\/p>\n
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper declined to say whether Iran\u2019s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amounts to an act of war, telling lawmakers the military is operating under an \u201cinternational armed conflict\u201d framework.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I defer to the department as well as the White House and any characterization of how we execute business,\u201d Cooper told the House Armed Services Committee during a Tuesday hearing. \u201cFrom a combatant command standpoint, from my perspective, we execute the orders as given. And today, the legal umbrella that we\u2019re operating under is international armed conflict.”<\/p>\n
The answer stopped short of calling the blockade itself an act of war, even as U.S. officials have described the Strait of Hormuz as a vital international waterway and warned that Iran cannot be allowed to use it as leverage.<\/p>\n
Cooper\u2019s remarks came during a tense hearing in which lawmakers pressed defense officials on the administration\u2019s Iran strategy, civilian casualty investigations and the status of the Strait. Democrats repeatedly accused the Pentagon of refusing to give direct answers as the conflict enters a more dangerous phase.<\/p>\n
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper pushed back Wednesday after Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., pressed him to acknowledge U.S. responsibility for a strike that Smith said killed more than 150 schoolgirls in Tehran, insisting the investigation remains ongoing and that American forces do not deliberately target civilians.<\/p>\n
Cooper rejected Smith\u2019s claim of bombing civilians, telling the House Armed Services Committee that the U.S. does not intentionally target civilians and that \u201cthe Iranian people\u201d are not the enemy.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongressman, to reiterate, the United States does not deliberately target civilians. Full stop,\u201d Cooper said. “And nor are the Iranian people our enemy. The IRGC is the adversary in this case.”<\/p>\n
Smith cut in, accusing the military of stalling and asking whether Cooper would \u201cacknowledge that that mistake was made and that we were responsible for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cooper responded that the inquiry is still underway and said the case is not straightforward because of the school\u2019s location.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe investigation is ongoing,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cAs soon as it is complete, I\u2019m happy to be \u2014 it\u2019s a complex investigation. The school itself is located on an active IRGC cruise missile base. It\u2019s more complex than the average strike. As soon as we\u2019re complete, I\u2019m fully committed to transparency, given your important oversight role and the other members here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran, like its terrorist proxies in the Middle East, has been accused of using civilians as human shields.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that\u2019s a no, we will not take responsibility for something we very obviously did,\u201d Smith replied.<\/p>\n
The exchange grew sharper when Smith asked Cooper whether it was appropriate for a senior official to use the phrase \u201cno quarter\u201d to describe U.S. operations in Iran.<\/p>\n
Cooper avoided directly endorsing or condemning the phrase, saying military leaders are bound by the law of armed conflict.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s appropriate, as military leaders, we follow the law of armed conflict and our constitutional responsibilities. And that\u2019s what we\u2019ve done,\u201d Cooper said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs no quarter following the law or not?\u201d Smith pressed on.<\/p>\n
Cooper answered, \u201cI would agree that we follow the law, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
A new post citing the Congressional Research Service says the U.S. has lost or sustained damage to 42 aircraft so far in the war with Iran.<\/p>\n
Preston Stewart, a military commentator, posted on the CRS tallies.<\/p>\n
The figures, if confirmed, would point to a significant toll across both manned and unmanned platforms, with drones accounting for the largest share of the listed losses.<\/p>\n
The list comes as President Donald Trump has claimed Iran\u2019s air force and navy are \u201ccompletely gone\u201d and warned that Tehran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n
The Pentagon has not immediately released a full public accounting matching the aircraft-by-aircraft breakdown cited in the post.<\/p>\n
The UAE Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that air defense systems intercepted six hostile drones over the past 48 hours, including drones tied to a May 17 attack on the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant that officials said originated from Iraqi territory.<\/p>\n
The ministry said the drones attempted to target \u201ccivilian and vital areas\u201d in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe air defense forces succeeded in intercepting and neutralizing the hostile targets with the highest levels of readiness and efficiency, without recording any human casualties or impact on the safety of vital facilities,\u201d the ministry wrote in a post on X, according to a translation from Arabic.<\/p>\n
The announcement came as UAE officials said technical tracking from the Barakah incident showed three drones were involved in the earlier attack.<\/p>\n
Two were intercepted, while a third struck an electrical generator outside the plant\u2019s internal perimeter, according to the ministry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the context of completing the investigations related to the brazen attack on the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant on May 17, 2026, the results of technical tracking and monitoring confirmed that the three drones, two of which were successfully engaged, while the third struck an electrical generator outside the internal perimeter of the plant on that date, in addition to the drones intercepted later, were all originating from Iraqi territory,\u201d the ministry wrote.<\/p>\n
The ministry said the UAE \u201creserves its full right\u201d to take necessary steps to protect its sovereignty and national security under international law. It added that the armed forces remain fully prepared \u201cto deal with any threats targeting the security of the state and its national capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is imperative, G7 finance ministers said Tuesday, underscoring the economic stakes of disruption in one of the world\u2019s most important energy corridors.<\/p>\n
In a joint statement, the finance chiefs from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States said they remained committed to stable energy markets and urged countries to avoid arbitrary export restrictions.<\/p>\n
Keeping Hormuz open and energy markets stable is a priority not only for the region, but for the broader global economy, the Group of Seven allies stressed as President Donald Trump pushes Iran toward peace and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
G7 ministers said in a joint statement that it was “imperative” to ensure a return to free and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz and ease strains on energy, food and fertilizer supply chains.<\/p>\n
Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned attack against Iran after Tehran sent a peace proposal to Washington, and that there was now a “very good chance” of reaching a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program.<\/p>\n
But other G7 countries have expressed frustration that Washington and Israel launched strikes against Iran without considering the economic impact, and the foreseeable closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for energy markets.<\/p>\n
Officials from three Gulf countries attended Tuesday’s meeting in Paris to discuss the crisis, and Lescure said that the IMF and the World Bank should do more to support the most vulnerable countries from the impact of the conflict, especially on food supplies.<\/p>\n
\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/i>\n <\/p>\nTrump: ‘I’m not going to let the world be blown up on my watch; it’s not going to happen’<\/h2>\n
President Donald Trump remains resolute in his Iran war goal objective being achieved: “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”<\/p>\n
“Whether it’s popular or not popular, I have to do it \u2014 because I’m not going to let the world be blown up on my watch,” Trump told reporters in a media scrum at the site of the White House ballroom construction Tuesday. “It’s not going to happen.”<\/p>\n
Trump bashed Democrat obstruction attempts in trying to stop him.<\/p>\n
“I’m in the middle of a negotiation \u2013 I’m saying you cannot have a nuclear weapon \u2013 and it comes over the wire that the Democrats want to stop Trump from further negotiations,” Trump said. “They want to stop Trump from, if he has to, giving them another slap.<\/p>\n
“They want to have a nuclear weapon to blow up the Middle East and to blow up, frankly, the world. It’s not going to happen.”<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Trump vows to keep his military attack plans close to the vest.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump issued another urgent warning for Iran’s delay tactics Tuesday from the White House ballroom construction site.<\/p>\n
“They’re begging to make a deal,” Trump told reporters during a question-and-answer session.<\/p>\n
“I hope we don’t have to do the one, but we may have to give them another big hit.<\/p>\n
“I’m not sure yet. You’ll know very soon.”<\/p>\n
Trump has paused Tuesday’s plan for a “major attack” on Iran.<\/p>\n
“I was an hour away” from striking Iran on Tuesday, Trump continued.<\/p>\n
“It would have been happening right now.”<\/p>\n
“The ships are all loaded. They’re loaded to the brim, and we’re all set to start.”<\/p>\n
Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told House lawmakers that a U.S.-led maritime blockade of Iran has effectively stopped trade in and out of Iranian ports, saying Tuesday that 88 ships have been turned away as part of a pressure campaign tied to ongoing negotiations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ceasefire continues,\u201d Cooper said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Middle East posture for CENTCOM and AFRICOM. \u201cAnd consistent with the president\u2019s direction, we\u2019ve established a highly effective maritime blockade of Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cooper said the operation has produced \u201czero trade into Iranian ports and zero trade out of Iranian ports,\u201d arguing that the blockade is \u201csqueezing Iran economically and creating powerful leverage for the ongoing negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cooper described the blockade as both an enforcement measure during the ceasefire and a tool designed to increase economic pressure on Tehran.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo date, we\u2019ve turned away 88 ships,\u201d Cooper told the committee.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump is holding the stronger hand in the standoff with Iran, according to retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, arguing the White House has both the military leverage and the time to force Tehran into concessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe president has time on his hands. He controls the narrative. He controls the strike capabilities,\u201d Harward told co-hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino on Fox News’ \u201cAmerica\u2019s Newsroom\u201d on Tuesday morning. \u201cI don\u2019t see it as negotiations. It really is capitulation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harward said Trump has made clear Iran \u201cwill not have a nuclear weapon\u201d or the material needed to build one, while also demanding that Tehran keep the Strait of Hormuz open to free commerce.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can take his time, let the blockade and the economic sanctions continue to erode the economy of Iran,\u201d he continued. \u201cAll those things work in his favor, and he can strike whenever he wants to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you talk about resilience, the IRGC, the entity that controls the country, may have resilience, but the Iranian people are suffering miserably.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump is meeting with his National Security Council on Tuesday, but peace or war is in the hands of the leftovers of the IRGC leadership, ultimately, he concluded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, the real center of gravity is the IRGC,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to need a government in Iran that not only hands over the nuclear material, stops threatening the Straits of Hormuz, but quits exporting the Islamic revolution throughout the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday there were no special arrangements in place for the export of energy products, but that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had added complexity to supply chains in the region.<\/p>\n
Oil prices did fall Tuesday, with global benchmark Brent crude dropping 1.5%, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had paused a planned attack on Iran to allow for negotiations to end the war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent extended a sanctions waiver by 30 days to allow “energy-vulnerable” countries to continue purchasing Russian seaborne oil.<\/p>\n
In the U.S., a record 9.9 million barrels were drawn from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve last week, Energy Department data showed, bringing stockpiles down to about 374 million barrels, the lowest point since July 2024.<\/p>\n
U.S. crude inventories are expected to fall about 3.4 million barrels in the week to May 15 in weekly data from the Energy Information Administration due out Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Trump has long promised oil prices will fall quickly once Iran and the U.S. come to peace and the Strait of Hormuz allows blocked tankers to finally move.<\/p>\n
\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/i>\n <\/p>\nExplosions heard on Iran\u2019s Qeshm Island for neutralization of unexploded munition<\/h2>\n
Explosions were heard Tuesday on Iran\u2019s Qeshm Island, according to Iranian state-linked media, prompting initial uncertainty before reports the blasts were tied to the neutralization of unexploded munition.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Mehr news agency first reported that explosions had been heard on the island. A subsequent report by Tasnim, citing an official, said the explosions were caused by the neutralizing of unexploded munition. President Donald Trump remains ready to trigger a restart to military operations.<\/p>\n
Qeshm Island sits in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically sensitive waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Details remained limited, and Iranian officials had not issued a broader public statement on the incident as of the initial reports.<\/p>\n
\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/i>\n <\/p>\n
President Donald Trump said Monday he is delaying a planned military strike on Iran after Gulf allies urged him to give negotiations more time, saying there is a \u201cvery good chance\u201d of reaching a deal to end the war without renewed U.S. attacks.<\/p>\n
“We were getting ready to do a very major attack [Tuesday], and I put it off for a little while \u2014 hopefully maybe forever,” Trump said, “because we’ve had very big discussions with Iran, and we’ll see what they amount to.”<\/p>\n
“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House. \u201cIf we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I\u2019d be very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The announcement marked the latest shift in Trump\u2019s handling of the fragile ceasefire reached in mid-April. For weeks, the president has warned Iran that fighting could resume if it did not accept a deal, while repeatedly setting deadlines and then backing away from them.<\/p>\n
Over the weekend, Trump warned that \u201cthe Clock is Ticking\u201d and said Iran needed to move \u201cFAST, or there won\u2019t be anything left of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump first disclosed the pause in a social media post Monday, saying he had ordered the U.S. military to be ready \u201cto go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment\u2019s notice\u201d if an acceptable deal is not reached.<\/p>\n
He later told reporters that Gulf allies, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, asked him to delay the strike by two to three days because they believe talks with Iran are close to producing an agreement.<\/p>\n
Trump called the delay a \u201cvery positive development,\u201d though he acknowledged past moments when diplomacy appeared close to succeeding before collapsing.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this is a little bit different,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
\n This Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/i>\n <\/p>\n
Live Coverage begins here<\/p>\n
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Trump halts ‘major attack’ on Iran, but ready to strike if Tehran won’t give up nuclear weapon plans President Donald Trump halted a planned \u201cmajor attack\u201d on Iran on Tuesday in pursuit of a possible peace deal, but warned the U.S. remains poised to strike if negotiations fail. The standoff continues as Iran holds onto […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativevoicesonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}