Iran on 'full readiness' to protect uranium at nuclear sites as Trump slams Tehran's new proposal

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth criticized Sen. Mark Kelly's comments Sunday that the state of the U.S. munitions stockpile during the war with Iran was "shocking," and that it could take years to replenish.

“Captain” Mark Kelly strikes again,” Hegseth said in a post shared on X.

“Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a CLASSIFIED Pentagon briefing he received,” he said.

“Did he violate his oath…again? @DeptofWar legal counsel will review,” Hegseth added.

Kelly had spoken on "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan Sunday.

"I think it's fair to say it's shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines, because this president got our country into this without a strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline," Kelly said.

“Because of that, we've expended a lot of munitions, and that means the American people are less safe."

"Whether it's a conflict in the Western Pacific with China or somewhere else in the world, the munitions are depleted," he said.

Oil prices jumped more than $3 a barrel after the United States and Iran failed to agree on a peace proposal Sunday and as restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz continued to keep energy supplies tight.

Brent crude futures rose $3.21, or 3.17%, to $104.50 a barrel by 2203 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $3.06, or 3.21%, to $98.48 a barrel, Reuters reported.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright also said on Sunday that he could not predict the trajectory of gasoline or oil prices, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Markets had reacted to the stalled negotiations with traders pricing in tighter supply amid escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, according to reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that toppling Iran’s regime is possible — though not guaranteed — and could reshape the Middle East.

“If this regime is indeed weakened or possibly toppled, I think it’s the end of Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes.”

“It’s the end of Hamas, probably the end of the Houthis, because the whole scaffolding of the terrorist proxy network that Iran built collapses.”

Turning to the likelihood of regime collapse, Netanyahu cautioned that the outcome remains uncertain.

“I think you can’t predict when that will happen. Is it possible? Yes. Is it guaranteed? No,” he said.

The prime minister also said he would be surprised by how many Arab states are interested in strengthening ties with Israel since the outbreak of the war.

“I now see the possibility of the expansion and deepening of the agreements we do have into alliances with Arab states of the kind that we never even dreamed of,” he added

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the war is ongoing pointing to Iran’s nuclear material and infrastructure as the central unresolved threat in an interview on CBS “60 Minutes.”

“Because there's still nuclear material, enriched uranium that has to be taken out of Iran, there is still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled,” he said.

“There are still proxies that Iran supports. There are ballistic missiles that they still want to produce.”

Netanyahu also said the U.S. and Israel have “degraded a lot of it, but all of that is still there, and there's work to be done.”

When asked how Iran’s enriched uranium could be removed from the country, the Israeli leader said President Donald Trump told him, “I want to go in there.”

“I think it can be done physically. That's not the problem,” he said.

“If you have an agreement, and you go in and you take it out, why not? That's the best way," he said. 

Marines continued to train amid the ongoing U.S. naval blocade enforcement operation against Iran, Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday.

“U.S. Marines rappel from an MH-60S Sea Hawk while training on the flight deck of USS Tripoli (LHA 7), May 8,” the command said in a post shared on X.

“This training ensures Marines remain ready, should they be called to board non-compliant ships during the U.S. blockade against Iran,” CENTCOM said.

Iran’s state broadcaster and other state media said Sunday that Tehran accepting the new proposal from Washington would amount to surrender, according to reports.

Reuters reported that Press TV indicated Tehran had rejected the new U.S. plan, arguing that accepting it would signal submission to President Donald Trump’s “excessive demands.”

The outlet also cited the Tasnim News Agency, which reported that a source said that if Trump was not satisfied with Iran’s response, “that is naturally better.”

The comments came after Trump described Iran’s response to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal as “totally unacceptable.” The president did not provide further details on the matter.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday it was time for Washington to pivot on Iran, as President Donald Trump appeared to reject its new proposal delivered via Pakistani mediators.

“I appreciate President Trump’s earnest efforts to seek a diplomatic solution to change the behavior of the Iranian terrorist regime” Graham said in a post shared on X.

“However, between their constant attacks on international shipping, the persistent attacks on our Middle Eastern allies and now a totally unacceptable response to America’s diplomatic proposal, it is in my view, time to consider changing course,” he said

Graham added that Project Freedom Plus “sounds pretty good right about now.”

Iran submitted a multipage response Sunday to the latest U.S. proposal to end the war, outlining its demands but leaving gaps between the two sides, according to reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran’s response, delivered through Pakistani mediators, left unresolved Washington’s demand for advance commitments on the future of Tehran’s nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The outlet cited sources saying the proposal noted nuclear issues would be negotiated over the next 30 days.

Iran also proposed diluting part of its highly enriched uranium stockpile and transferring the remainder to a third country, the Wall Street Journal said.

According to Reuters, Iran’s new proposal also stressed the need to end the war on all fronts.

Citing the Tasnim News Agency and a source, the outlet said Iran’s proposal also included a request for guarantees against any renewed attacks.

Iran’s proposed text also underlines the necessity of ending the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports “following the signing of an initial understanding,” the outlet reported.

Iran’s proposed text for negotiations with the U.S. underlines the necessity of lifting U.S. sanctions.

Iran’s proposal also called for rescinding the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions related to Iranian oil sales during a 30-day period, the outlet said.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister warned Sunday against efforts by the United Kingdom and France to deploy naval assets to the Strait of Hormuz, vowing an "immediate response" to any Western intervention in the waterway.

"The presence of French and British vessels, or those of any other country, for any possible cooperation with illegal U.S. actions in the Strait of Hormuz that violate international law will be met with a decisive and immediate response from the armed forces," Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X.

Gharibabadi also said the deployment of "extra-regional destroyers" under the guise of protecting shipping is merely a "pretext" for escalating the ongoing crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to de-escalate the tension Sunday.

"That has never been an option for France," Macron told reporters during a visit to Kenya. He noted that France instead had proposed an international mission co-led by the U.K. to ensure the resumption of traffic "in coordination with Iran, as soon as conditions permit."

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group transited the Suez Canal toward the Red Sea on May 6 to remain "at the ready."

The U.K. Ministry of Defence also confirmed it was sending HMS Dragon to the Middle East and said the vessel is being "pre-positioned" to support an international coalition’s effort to secure the strait when conditions allow.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that any talks do not mean Iran will surrender, appearing to reference negotiations that were underway with the United States.

“We will never bow our heads before the enemy, and if talk of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or retreat,” Pezeshkian said in a post shared on X.

“Rather, the goal is to uphold the rights of the Iranian nation and to defend national interests with resolute strength,” he said.

His remarks came as Tehran sent a response to the latest U.S. peace proposal to mediators in Pakistan, Iranian state media reported.

Israeli Defense Forces say they carried out more than 20 strikes on alleged Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday.

"Throughout the day, the IDF struck in several areas in southern Lebanon, more than 20 terror infrastructure, including weapon storage facilities, headquarters, and military used structures from which Hezbollah terrorists operated," the IDF said in a statement.

The Israeli Air Force also intercepted "a number" of rockets fired from Lebanon, the IDF said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump for executing the war in Iran on Sunday, but said the job isn't finished.

Netanyahu made the statement in an interveiw with CBS News, telling "60 Minutes" that Iran's enriched uranium must be removed.

“I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over,” Netanyahu said of the war so far.

Michael Eisenberg, a top advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says Israel and the newly-created Board of Peace will "take action" against Hamas if it does not comply with the peace terms it agreed to.

Eisenberg made the comments during an interview with Fox News' Trey Yingst on Sunday. He said Hamas is currently out of compliance with a wider peace agreement and is refusing to give up its weapons to "demilitarize" Gaza.

"I think all the options are on the table since Hamas is noncompliant with the 20-point plan, and they haven't delivered their weapons like they were supposed to. And so we'll have to wait and see. But like I said, this is incredibly well thought out. Give President Trump a tremendous amount of credit and his team of people credit. They've literally thought through every stage of this from beginning to end," Eisenberg said.

"And by the way, and as President Trump said, there's an easy way and a hard way. Everyone prefers the easy way, which is Hamas. With the help of the mediators delivers the weapons, but if they don't, there's a hard way too.," he added.

U.S. Central Command says U.S. forces have redirected at least 61 commercial vessels as part of the ongoing blockade on Iranian ports as of Sunday.

"USS John Finn (DDG 113) sails behind USS Milius (DDG 69), USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE-7), and USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Arabian Sea," CENTCOM wrote.

"Over 20 U.S. warships are enforcing the blockade against Iran. CENTCOM forces have redirected 61 commercial vessels and disabled 4 to ensure compliance," it added.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz urged the U.N. security council to adopt a resolution condemning Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

Waltz made the comments during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, saying the world cannot tolerate Iran's belligerence.

"This is what we're pushing here at the United Nations, we cannot and the world should not tolerate an Iranian regime that is trying to choke off the entire world's economy, hold everyone hostage because of a dispute over its nuclear program," Waltz said.

"It cannot start just throwing sea mines indiscriminately out into the ocean, attacking shipping. Heck, they've even now started talking about it on Iranian state TV of taking the undersea cables that move financial data, cloud information, and all kinds of important economic information in and out of the gulf, we cannot tolerate a world where two countries have a dispute and one country decides to just take over international waters and hold everyone else hostage and you're seeing the world line up against it. We have over 70 co-sponsors of this latest UN resolution focused on sea mines, the tolling and the other illegal and unacceptable actions by Iran," he added.

Kuwait's army offered new details on a drone attack launched against the country on Sunday.

"The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, stated that the armed forces detected, at dawn today, a number of hostile drones within Kuwaiti airspace, and they were dealt with in accordance with established procedures," the army said in a statement.

"The armed forces affirm their full readiness to maintain the security of the homeland and the safety of citizens and residents," it added.

The incident comes after the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Defense announced that its air defense systems successfully engaged 2 UAV’s launched from Iran on Sunday.

‎Since the onset of the Iranian attacks, UAE air defenses have engaged a total of 551 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles and 2,265 UAVs, the ministry says.

Iran's leadership sent a response to the latest U.S. peace proposal to mediators in Pakistan on Sunday, Iranian state media reported.

The report did not offer details about the contents of the response.

The U.S,-owned “Neha” trade ship was attacked by two Iranian drones in the Persian Gulf on Sunday, the chairman of Safesea Group, SV Anchan, told Fox News Digital.

One drone hit the ship while the other missed. The vessel was empty of cargo at the time of the attack and was anchored near Doha.

The ship had 23 sailors aboard and no injuries were reported.

Fox News' Lauren Simonetti contributed to this report.

Hudson Institute senior fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs joined Fox News for an appearance on "Life, Liberty & Levin" this weekend to discuss the Trump administration's next steps in Iran, controlling the Strait of Hormuz and more.

If negotiations with Iran collapse, the U.S. likely is to move quickly to degrade Tehran’s military capabilities — a campaign analysts say would begin with missile systems, naval assets and command networks before escalating to more controversial targets.

Negotiators are still working toward what officials describe as a preliminary framework agreement — effectively a one-page starting point for broader talks centered on Iran’s nuclear program and potential sanctions relief. But deep mistrust on both sides has left the process fragile, raising the stakes if diplomacy fails. 

"We’re not starting at zero," retired Army Col. Seth Krummrich, a former Joint Staff planner and current Vice President at Global Guardian, told Fox News Digital. "We’re both starting at minus 1,000 because neither side trusts each other at all. This is going to be a pretty hard process going forward." 

That tension was on display Thursday, when a senior U.S. official confirmed American forces struck Iran’s Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas — key locations near the Strait of Hormuz — while insisting the operation did not mark a restart of the war or the end of the ceasefire.

The strike on one of Iran’s oil ports came two days after Iran launched 15 ballistic and cruise missiles at the UAE’s Fujairah Port, drawing anger from Gulf allies. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said earlier this week the attack did not rise to the level of breaking the ceasefire, describing it as a low-level strike.

President Donald Trump repeatedly has warned that if negotiations collapse, the U.S. could resume bombing Iran — even signaling before the recent ceasefire was implemented that Washington could target the country’s energy infrastructure and key economic assets. But any escalation would likely unfold in phases, beginning with efforts to dismantle Iran’s ability to project force across the region before expanding to more controversial targets.

If talks break down, any renewed conflict would likely become a "contest for escalation control," where Iran seeks to impose costs without provoking regime-threatening retaliation while the U.S. works to strip away Tehran’s remaining leverage, according to retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula.

"The capabilities that would come into focus are the ones Iran uses to generate coercive leverage: ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, air defense systems, maritime strike assets, command-and-control networks, IRGC infrastructure, proxy support channels, and nuclear-related facilities," he said, referring to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

"The military objective would be less about punishment and more about denying Iran the tools it uses to escalate," he said. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Morgan Phillips.

The United Arab Emirates says it intercepted two Iranian drones in its airspace on Sunday as hostilities continue to weigh on a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.

The UAE's defense ministry says no injuries were reported in the incident.

It comes the same day a drone strike started a small blaze aboard a commercial ship off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait said it fended off a drone attack.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed a "heavy assault" on U.S. bases across the Middle East if Iran's oil tankers faced attack in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

"Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy assault on one of the American centers in the region and enemy ships," the IRGC said.

The threat comes as the U.S. continues to wait for a response from Iran to a proposed peace deal.

President Donald Trump has suggested that a formal peace agreement could be just a week away.