Qatar warns Iran not to use Strait of Hormuz as weapon to 'pressure or to blackmail' Gulf countries
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Tuesday that Iran should "not use" the Strait of Hormuz as "a weapon to pressure or to blackmail the Gulf countries."
He made the remark while speaking alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, adding that the standoff in the key waterway is having economic impacts on countries in the region, according to Gulf News.
The comment comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Qatar’s prime minister on Saturday.
The State Department said the two “discussed U.S. support for Qatar’s defense, and the importance of continued close coordination to deter threats and promote stability and security across the Middle East.”
Hegseth says US military is fighting to ensure Iran 'never has a nuclear weapon'
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Tuesday that "We fight to win in every scenario, to include ensuring Iran never has a nuclear weapon."
Hegseth made the remark during a hearing about the Trump administrations fiscal year 2027 budget request for the Department of War.
"The $1.5 trillion FY 27 budget put forward by the president will build upon the historic $1 trillion FY 26 top line and will continue to reverse four years of underinvestment and mismanagement of the Biden administration," Hegseth said on Capitol Hill.
"The $1.5 trillion budget will ensure that the United States continues to maintain the most capable military in the most complex of environments," he added.
Iran war price tag nearing $29B, Pentagon comptroller tells Congress
Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst told House lawmakers on Tuesday that the U.S. war against Iran is now estimated to have cost around $29 billion dollars.
"The joint staff team of the comptroller team are constantly looking at that estimate. And so now we think it's closer to 29," Hurst said, noting an increase from an estimate of $25 billion he disclosed in late April.
"That's because of updated repair and replacement of equipment costs and also just general operational costs keep people in theater," Hurst added.
Israel sent UAE Iron Dome batteries and personnel, Huckabee says
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that Israel has sent Iron Dome batteries and personnel to the United Arab Emirates.
The missile defense system was sent to the UAE to help it defend against Iranian attacks, a source told Reuters.
“Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them. How come? Because there's an extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel based on the Abraham Accords,” Huckabee said Tuesday while speaking at Tel Aviv University.
“I'm very optimistic that we're going to see other nations join the Abraham Accords. It may not look like it right now because of the atmosphere that we've just gone through. But one of the things that I hope has resulted is that Gulf states have now understood that they're going have to make a choice. Is it more likely that they will be attacked by Iran or by Israel?” Huckabee also said.
“And I think they can look around and say, you know, Israel helped us. Iran attacked us. What's the lesson here? The lesson is that Israel is not your natural enemy. Israel is not out to destroy you. Israel is not trying to take over your land. It's not sending missiles into your civilian territories. Who's doing that? Iran is. Pick a side. Which side are you going to pick?” he continued.
“The U.S. And Israel represents one side. The Iranians and their radical Shia fanaticism represents another side. Which side do you want to be on?” Huckabee said.
65 ships redirected, 4 disabled during Iranian port blockade, CENTCOM says
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that 65 commercial ships have been redirected and four have been disabled so far during the military blockade of Iranian ports.
“USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) continues operations in the Arabian Sea, including enforcement of the U.S. blockade against Iran,” CENTCOM wrote on X alongside a photo of the aircraft carrier.
The U.S. military blockade went into effect on April 13.
CENTCOM announced Friday that a U.S. fighter jet disabled the vessels M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda as they were trying to violate the blockade.
Kuwait says IRGC 'infiltrators' tried to attack island with China-backed port project, 4 arrested
Kuwait announced Tuesday it arrested four "infiltrators" who allegedly confessed to belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and attempting to enter Bubiyan Island by sea to carry out "hostile acts," according to government statements.
Kuwait's ministries of defense and foreign affairs said the group clashed with Kuwaiti Armed Forces on May 1, wounding two of the "infiltrators" and one Kuwaiti service member.
During an interrogation, the group allegedly confessed to belonging to the IRGC and "confessed to being tasked with infiltrating Bubiyan Island aboard a fishing boat that had been specially chartered to carry out hostile acts against Kuwait," the defense ministry said, according to a translation.
The foreign affairs ministry "emphasizes the State of Kuwait's demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately and unconditionally cease its unlawful hostile acts that threaten the security and stability of the region and undermine regional and international efforts aimed at de-escalation," according to its statement.
It added that Kuwait "reserves its full and inherent right to self-defense in accordance with Article (51) of the United Nations Charter, and to take such measures as it deems appropriate to defend its sovereignty and protect its people and residents on its territories, in accordance with international law."
Bubiyan Island hosts Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is being built as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative, according to The Associated Press.
Tuesday's allegation brought by Kuwait comes as President Donald Trump is expected to visit Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
Trump to confront Xi at high-stakes summit over China backing for Iran, Russia
The Trump administration is ramping pressure on China over what U.S. officials describe as Beijing’s economic and material support for Iran and Russia ahead of President Donald Trump’s upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A senior administration official told reporters Sunday that Trump already has spoken "multiple times" with Xi about "the revenue that China provides to both those regimes and therefore as well as dual use goods, components and parts, not to mention the potential of weapons exports."
"I expect that conversation to continue," the official said during a White House preview call ahead of Trump’s trip to Beijing.
The comments underscore how deeply Iran and Russia have become intertwined with the broader U.S.–China relationship, with the administration increasingly framing Beijing not only as an economic competitor but also as a critical enabler of adversarial regimes.
"You've seen some actions, meaning sanctions coming out from the U.S. side just in the last few days that I'm sure will be part of that conversation," the official added.
China ordered firms in early May to ignore U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian oil, a direct test of the U.S. crackdown.
A new directive, issued through China’s Commerce Ministry Sunday, invokes a 2021 "blocking statute" that prohibits firms from complying with foreign sanctions deemed illegitimate. The order applies to several Chinese refiners accused by the U.S. of purchasing Iranian crude, including major independent processors known as "teapot" refineries.
Trump eyes renewed military action as Iran negotiations break down: report
President Donald Trump is increasingly leaning toward resuming military operations against Iran following what he described as disappointing negotiations, according to Iran International, citing reports from Israel’s Channel 12.
“Trump is going to hit them a bit,” one administration official reportedly said.
“We wanted an agreement, but now everyone understands where this is heading," another senior official added.
The warning comes just hours after Trump rejected Tehran’s peace proposal, calling the offer “unacceptable” and “a piece of garbage,” while calling the fragile ongoing ceasefire “unbelievably weak.”
The potential move to renew military action comes after Trump was briefed at the White House on military options by U.S. Central Command, according to The Times of Israel.
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