US intercepts Iranian drones fired at Bahrain, Kuwait, retaliates by striking radar sites
U.S. forces downed four Iranian attack drones headed toward the Strait of Hormuz and intercepted six of seven ballistic missiles Iran launched at Kuwait and Bahrain, CENTCOM said, before striking Iranian radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island.
Gen. Jack Keane says US won't throw Iran a lifeline
Retired Gen. Jack Keane outlined the U.S. strategy in ongoing negotiations with Iran, explaining that the U.S. has no plans to offer concessions to the Islamic Republic that would unfreeze assets during a Saturday morning appearance on Fox News' "Saturday In America."
"What we're trying to achieve in the negotiations is pretty simple; We want our maximalist demands that we would achieve if we were using military force. That is what we want from the regime," Keane said.
"We don't intend to throw then a lifeline and unfreeze frozen assets to them and give them billions of dollars so that they can recover, reverse the tenants and implementations of the deal and go back to where they were," he concluded.
Recent stalls in U.S.-Iran negotiations have tempered expectations raised by a May 28 Axios report, which claimed the sides had agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU), pending President Donald Trump's approval.
That MOU reportedly included a provision to issue sanction waivers and allow Iran to sell oil freely, according to Axios. The sanction relief, according to the outlet, would have to be proportional to Iran's willingness to allow commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to resume.
But Iran, according to The Jerusalem Post and other sources, balked at the proposal and demanded immediate release of their frozen assets, an ask the Trump Administration has yet to fulfill.
In fact, the Trump Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a fresh round of sanctions on Iranian liquified natural gas (LNG) networks Friday targeting "Iran’s shadow fleet, shadow banking networks, and access to global trade," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
CENTCOM touts Arabian Sea military drills amid Iran War
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) posted photos of a combat mission onboard the USS Tripoli in the Arabian Sea on Saturday.
The photos showed U.S. sailors and Marines rappelling out of a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter onto the warship amid ongoing tensions in the region.
The USS Tripoli, one of two of the Navy's new America Class amphibious assault ships, arrived to CENTCOM's area of responsibility, which includes the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, in late March.
Qatar condemns repeated Iranian attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain: 'Flagrant breach of international law'
Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in a Saturday statement, calling them "a blatant violation of the sovereignty of both countries and a flagrant violation of international law."
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the need to spare the region the repercussions of these unjustified attacks and to work towards de-escalation in order to restore regional and international security and stability," the statement read.
"The Ministry reiterates the State of Qatar's full solidarity with the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Bahrain and its support for all measures they take to preserve their sovereignty and security," the statement concluded.
Pakistani Interior Minister travels to Iran in attempt to revive U.S. peace talks
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi will travel to Iran on Saturday to offer new proposals in an attempt to revive stalled peace talks between the U.S. and Iran, according to reports from Iranian and Turkish state media.
Naqvi's visit follows a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)’s Interior Ministers' Meeting on Friday, Iranian state media agency Merh reported.
Naqvi will reportedly meet with Iranian leaders to discuss "new proposals" to renew peace talks between the warring nations, Turkish state media Anadolu reported, citing Pakistani sources.
Peace talks have stalled in the wake of conflict between Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Iran specifically citing Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon as a primary barrier to overcome in any ceasefire deal.
Naqvi has been a frequent diplomatic go-between for the U.S. and Iran, working in concert with Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who President Donald Trump has frequently praised as a great leader.
Naqvi has participated in numerous high level meetings with U.S. diplomats, including a recent summit with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur
Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon kill nine, including Lebanese army officers, days after ceasefire
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed nine people, including three members of the Lebanese military, The Associated Press reported, citing the Lebanese army and state media.
The strikes come just days after Israel and Lebanon reached a new ceasefire deal following U.S.-brokered talks. The Lebanese government has accused the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group of dragging the country into another war.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the latest Israeli strike as “a flagrant violation to Lebanese sovereignty and international law," adding that it came in the context of “ongoing escalation that threatens stability and security in the south (of Lebanon), despite the efforts Lebanon is exerting in the Washington negotiations to put an end to the ongoing Israeli attacks without deterrent.”
Lebanon's army said an airstrike on a vehicle on a road linking the city of Nabatiyeh with the town of Marjayoun killed a brigadier general, a captain and another soldier, according to the AP.
Another airstrike on the southern village of Saksakiyah killed six people and wounded four, state-run National News Agency reported.
“The continued, deliberate, and repeated Israeli aggression against Lebanon, its people and its army only strengthens our resolve, faith and determination," the Lebanese army said in its statement.
It said Israel's attacks aim to thwart all efforts “to reach a solution that would restore stability, establish a comprehensive ceasefire and lead to the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories.”
The Israeli military confirmed hitting a vehicle and said the incident is being reviewed. The statement added that the vehicle was “moving suspiciously” toward Israeli soldiers near the village of Kfar Tibnit, after the military received “concrete indications” that Hezbollah would direct fire toward Israeli soldiers from the same area.
The Israeli military said that it operates against Hezbollah and not against the Lebanese army.
On Friday, Aoun and Lebanon's prime minister criticized Iran for opposing the latest ceasefire deal between the Lebanese government and Israel, saying their country should not be used by Tehran as a “bargaining chip” in its talks with Washington.
Israeli forces have advanced farther into Lebanon than at any time since Israel ended its occupation in 2000, with troops controlling roughly one-fifth of the country, according to the AP. The offensive follows Hezbollah attacks launched after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran when Operation Epic Fury began in late February, opening a new front in the regional conflict.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
CENTCOM says US forces shot down 4 Iranian attack drones near Strait of Hormuz: 'Immediate threat'
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday that American forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz, calling them an “immediate threat” to regional maritime traffic.
CENTCOM said U.S. forces later struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island “to defend against further attacks.”
“American forces remain vigilant and postured to respond to unjustified Iranian aggression in self-defense,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted to X.
CENTCOM also said it intercepted six of seven Iranian ballistic missiles, with the seventh failing to reach its target.
Additionally, CENTCOM refuted Iranian reports that Iran damaged the U.S. 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain, calling the claim "false."
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