United States

Rubio: Lebanese State Must Be Empowered to Confront Hezbollah

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered sharp remarks from Rome on Friday, accusing Hezbollah of acting as an Iranian proxy and stressing that Washington’s priority is strengthening the Lebanese state rather than engaging with the group.  Rubio said Washington will not negotiate with Hezbollah, describing the group as “an Iranian ...

U.S. Sanctions Iraqi Oil Officials and Iran-Linked Militias in Major Crackdown

The United States Treasury Department announced sweeping new sanctions targeting Iraqi oil officials and Iran-backed militias accused of exploiting Iraq’s oil sector to finance armed groups aligned with Tehran. At the center of the measures is Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Oil. In the press release, the department accuses ...

U.S. Says Warplane Disabled Ship that Tried to Break Iran Port Blockade

A U.S. Navy warplane fired on and disabled the rudder of an oil tanker that tried to break Washington's blockade of Iranian ports, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. It is the second time the U.S. military has fired on a ship it said was attempting to violate the blockade, which has been in place since April 13. U.S. forces warned the ...

Hegseth warns of ‘overwhelming’ response as Hormuz tensions rise despite ceasefire

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday a ceasefire with Iran remains in place despite rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where Washington has deployed forces to protect commercial shipping. Speaking at the Pentagon alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, Hegseth said the United States is “not seeking a wider conflict” in ...

U.S.-Iran Ceasefire on Brink as UAE Reports Attacks

A ceasefire between Iran and the United States was teetering Monday as the two countries traded fire over the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the United Arab Emirates reported attacks for the first time since the truce was declared nearly a month ago. A day after President Donald Trump announced an operation to escort trapped vessels through the ...

Iran Foreign Ministry Says U.S. Must 'Abandon its Excessive Demands'

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that the United States must reduce its demands on the Islamic republic, with negotiations stalled over ending the two-month-long Middle East war. "At this stage, our priority is to end the war," he said in a briefing broadcast by state television. "The other side ...

Israel Expands Air Power with F-35I and F-15IA Deal Following Lessons from Iran Conflict

Israel has approved the acquisition of two additional fighter jet squadrons from the United States. The deal includes a fourth squadron of F-35I stealth fighters and a second squadron of F-15IA strike aircraft, both supplied by U.S. defense manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The announcement, made by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, ...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: “We Are Strangling the Regime”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Sunday that Washington has intensified its crackdown on all entities attempting to financially support Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He stressed that the United States is “strangling the Iranian regime” economically, claiming that Tehran is now struggling to pay its ...

Netanyahu Warns Israel Can Strike Anywhere in Iranian Airspace

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday in a recorded speech that Israel is capable of striking “anywhere in Iranian airspace" in a renewed warning to Tehran as indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States continue through Pakistani mediation. Netanyahu emphasized that Israeli pilots are “ready” to ...

Iran Executes Two Men Convicted of Spying for Israel: Judiciary

Iran hanged two men on Saturday convicted of spying for Israel, the judiciary said, the latest in a string of executions in recent weeks. "Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bekrzadeh were hanged for the crime of intelligence cooperation and espionage in favour of the Zionist regime," the judiciary's Mizan Online website said. It was not ...

Iran Excavates Hidden Arsenal to Restore Strike Capacity: Report

Iran is using the ceasefire with the United States to recover buried weapons and rebuild its capacity to launch attacks, according to an NBC News report citing a U.S. official and two sources familiar with the matter. Sources say the Iranian regime has intensified efforts to excavate missiles and other munitions that were either hidden ...

Iran Activates Air Defenses as Trump Faces Congressional Deadline

Tehran's air defences were activated to counter small aircraft and drones late Thursday, as the White House signalled that it will not be reined in by a congressional deadline on the Iran war. The Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that air defence systems, heard in some parts of the Iranian capital, were activated "to counter small aircraft ...