Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei claimed in a Telegram message on Tuesday that the United States will “no longer have a safe haven” in the Middle East.
“What is certain in this regard is that the hands of time will not turn back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for U.S. bases,” he wrote in a 2026 Hajj pilgrimage message.
“The United States not only will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region but day by day, it is growing more distant from its former status,” Khamenei added.
The defiant remarks come as the U.S. and Iran are working towards reaching a deal to end the war.
U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday that the military has now redirected 108 commercial ships during the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports.
The blockade began on April 13 and remains in effect as the U.S. and Iran are trying to reach a diplomatic solution to end the war.
"Our service members are doing extraordinary work," Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement last week. "They have been highly effective by executing the mission with precision and professionalism, allowing zero trade into and out of Iranian ports which has squeezed Iran economically."
CENTCOM also said "More than U.S. 200 aircraft and warships are supporting the mission, including the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group/31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and multiple guided-missile destroyers."
President Donald Trump will convene a rare Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Wednesday as negotiations with Iran enter a critical phase.
All Cabinet members are expected to attend the meeting, first reported by the New York Post and confirmed by Fox News, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
The gathering comes as the administration weighs next steps in high-stakes negotiations aimed at securing a broader agreement with Tehran amid a fraying ceasefire.
Trump in recent days has suggested the sides are nearing a potential breakthrough, while Iranian officials have publicly pushed back on claims that a deal is imminent.
Camp David has historically been reserved for major national security and diplomatic deliberations.
Trump has repeatedly warned that military action remains on the table if talks collapse, even as administration officials continue to publicly express optimism about diplomacy.
{{#rendered}}The internet watchdog Netblocks said Tuesday that a “partial restoration” of internet connectivity in Iran has been observed following nearly 90 days of outages.
“Live metrics show a partial restoration to internet connectivity in Iran on day 88, after 2,093 hours of near-total isolation from international networks, the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history,” Netblocks wrote on X. “It is unclear if the restoration will be sustained.”
Iran was plunged into an internet blackout after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes around Iran on Feb. 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion.
Within hours of the strikes, NetBlocks CEO Alp Toker confirmed connectivity started "flatlining."
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this post.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson called on the U.S. and Iran to “honor the commitments to ceasefire” after U.S. Central Command carried out “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran on Monday.
“We urge relevant parties to honor the commitments to ceasefire, solve disputes in peaceful ways, and continue to work for solutions that accommodate the legitimate concerns of all parties through dialogue and negotiation so as to enable peace to return to the Middle East and Gulf region at an early date,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Tuesday.
“On the Iranian nuclear issue, China always supports a peaceful resolution through dialogue and negotiation. We hope relevant parties will seize the opportunity and find a solution that accommodates the legitimate concerns of all sides through negotiation,” she added.
“China will continue playing a constructive role in the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue to safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and promote peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond,” the spokesperson also said.
Iran’s foreign ministry declared Tuesday that Iran “will leave no act of aggression unanswered” following U.S. strikes on Monday, The Associated Press reported.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, had said.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins added.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday called the strikes a ceasefire violation and warned that Washington would bear responsibility for “all consequences,” the AP added.
It also reported that Iran denounced the strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability."
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}Iranian authorities executed a man on Tuesday after he was convicted of alleged cooperation with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, according to The Times of Israel.
“Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was hanged for the crime of intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime, after the verdict was confirmed by the Supreme Court and through legal procedures,” Iran’s Mizan News Agency said in a report.
The state-run media outlet claimed that Shakarab “sought to recruit individuals and employ them inside the country to carry out anti-security measures in line with the service's goals.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the language of a potential deal with Iran could “take a couple of days” to finalize.
“The president had a very important, I think, historic call just a couple of days ago with a number of leaders from the region. I think there's strong alignment and agreement on what a preliminary draft should look like,” Rubio said.
“Like anything with something like this, it's going to take a couple of days to settle on, even down to the disagreements over a word, a sentence. So we'll have to work through that. If there's going to be a deal, we're going to have to work through that. But this is, you know, it's either going to be a good deal or there isn't going to be one,” he added.
Rubio also said Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be “open, unimpeded, [and] without tolls.”
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that it struck more than 100 targets in Lebanon belonging to the terrorist group Hezbollah.
The IDF said a Hezbollah weapons storage facility was one of several targets struck in the Beqaa Valley during the wave of overnight strikes.
“In southern Lebanon, more than 90 weapons storage facilities, command centers, observation posts, and infrastructure sites used by Hezbollah terrorists to advance attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians were struck,” it added.
The IDF released a video showing some of the strikes in the area of Mashghara, where it said terrorists were eliminated.
Fox News’ Yonat Friling contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump on Monday said negotiations with Iran are “proceeding nicely” and urged multiple Middle Eastern countries to sign onto the Abraham Accords, saying Iran could also eventually join the agreement if a deal is reached with the United States.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said it “should be mandatory” for countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords as part of any broader agreement involving Iran, arguing the pact would bring “Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East.”
"Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that!" Trump wrote in part.
Trump held a conference call at the White House on Saturday with leaders and senior officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to discuss the Iran conflict.
"I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords. Those Countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!)," Trump wrote Monday, referencing the call. "It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be."
"The Abraham Accords have proven to be, for the Countries involved (The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Kazakhstan), a Financial, Economic, and Social BOOM, even during this time of Conflict and War, with the current Members never even suggesting leaving, or taking so much as even a pause," Trump wrote. "The reason for this is that the Abraham Accords have been great for them, and will be even better for everybody, and bring true Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East for the first time in 5,000 years. It will be a Document respected like no other that has ever been signed, anywhere in the World. Its level of Importance and Prestige will be unparalleled!"
Trump continued, "It should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit. If they don’t, they should not be part of this Deal in that it shows bad intention. In speaking to numerous of the Great Leaders mentioned above, they would be honored, as soon as our Document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords. Wow, now that would be something special! This will be the most important Deal that any of these Great, but always in Conflict Countries, will ever sign. Nothing in the past, or in the future, will surpass it."
"Therefore, I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition. The Middle East would be United, Powerful, and Economically Strong, like perhaps no other area, anywhere in the World! By copy of this TRUTH, I am asking my Representatives to begin, and successfully complete, the process of signing these Countries into the already Historic Abraham Accords. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he added.
The U.S. military carried out “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran on Monday, targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins said.
According to a senior U.S. official, two Iranian boats were spotted laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while forces also responded after a missile site had targeted U.S. warplanes.
The U.S. military eliminated both IRGC vessels and also struck the SAM, or surface-to-air missile, site in Bandar Abbas.
“These were defensive strikes,” the official told Fox News. The strikes do not indicate the ceasefire with Iran is over, two additional sources said.
This came after explosions were heard Monday in various regions across the Strait of Hormuz, with one explosion heard in Iran’s Bandar Abbas in the country’s south.
Other explosions were reported close to Sirik and Jask near the strategic waterway. The official confirmed Monday that the U.S. strikes were "over for now."
Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the Iran conflict.
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
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