Trump says 1,000 missiles 'locked and loaded' if Iran targets US president

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf issued a fresh warning to the United States on Sunday, declaring that “reality is knocking.”

In a post on X, Qalibaf referenced the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, saying it gives Tehran the right to “make arrangements” in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The era of one-sided deals is OVER,” Qalibaf wrote. “We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”

The remarks came after U.S. forces completed a third round of strikes Saturday in response to Tehran's latest attack on a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain announced it would delay opening Sunday following reports of missile attacks in the region.

In a statement, the embassy said it would open at 10 a.m. local time.

The announcement came after Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates all reported responding to missile attacks early Sunday.

The embassy advised U.S. citizens to seek shelter if they hear warning sirens and to monitor its website for security updates.

It also urged Americans to avoid demonstrations, large gatherings and areas with a heavy police presence.

Kuwait said early Sunday that it was responding to missile attacks.

The country's military said in a statement that its air defense systems were intercepting hostile missiles and urged residents across the country to seek shelter.

Earlier Sunday, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also reported responding to missile attacks.

Qatar announced early Sunday that it was responding to a missile attack.

The country's Ministry of Defense said its armed forces were intercepting missiles targeting Qatar.

The alert came after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain both said they were responding to Iranian attacks.

Hours earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces launched a new round of strikes against Iran after accusing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of attacking a commercial container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The United Arab Emirates' Defense Ministry said Sunday that its air defense systems were responding to what it described as a missile and drone attack launched by Iran.

Separately, Bahrain's Interior Ministry issued an alert urging residents to seek shelter.

The developments came hours after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces launched a new round of strikes against Iran after accusing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of attacking a commercial container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO ) issued an alert Saturday after receiving reports that a container ship sustained damage and caught fire during an incident about 9 nautical miles east of Oman.

According to the UKMTO, military authorities reported the vessel suffered damage to its stern, sparking a fire onboard.

The agency said in an update that the vessel's security officer reported that the crew had abandoned the vessel and were currently in a lifeboat.

Authorities are investigating the incident, the agency said.

UKMTO did not identify the vessel or say what caused the damage, but advised ships transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.

The warning comes as tensions remain high in and around the Strait of Hormuz following a series of attacks on commercial shipping and U.S. military strikes targeting Iran in recent days.

Earlier Saturday, U.S. Central Command said American forces launched a third round of strikes against Iran after accusing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of attacking a commercial container ship in the strategic waterway.

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker on Saturday said it was "not appropriate" for a senior official in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani 's administration to plan a meeting with Iran's ambassador to the United Nations.

The State Department intervened before the meeting took place, and it was ultimately canceled, Fox News Digital previously reported.

“It's so not appropriate,” Whitaker said during an interview with Fox News host Lara Trump.

“Mayors of New York City and their staff should not be conducting the foreign policy of the United States,” he continued. “That's President Trump's job, that's Marco Rubio's job. It's our job as diplomats to conduct foreign policy and to make sure the American people speak with one voice through their elected leader in the federal government.”

Whitaker said he was glad the State Department stepped in to prevent the meeting.

He also addressed reports that Iran was considering a new plot to assassinate President Donald Trump.

“What he's doing in Iran and the broader Middle East is fundamentally changing things for the better, diminishing proxy groups that Iran has control of,” Whitaker said. “And obviously, he has impacted in a significant way the Iranian regime.”

Whitaker added that “obviously we need to make sure that we protect President Trump because he is needed at this moment in time in American history.”

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Saturday that "Iran made a poor choice" after U.S. Central Command announced a third round of strikes against Iranian targets following what the military described as an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay," Hegseth wrote on X while reposting CENTCOM's announcement of the operation.

Earlier Saturday, CENTCOM said U.S. forces launched the strikes after accusing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of attacking the Cyprus-flagged M/V GFS Galaxy, leaving one civilian crew member missing and the vessel unable to continue its voyage because of an onboard fire and significant engine room damage.

The military said the operation was ordered by President Donald Trump and was intended to further degrade Iran's ability to target civilian mariners and commercial shipping transiting the strategic waterway.

The latest strikes come as tensions continue to escalate around the Strait of Hormuz following renewed attacks on commercial vessels and ongoing disputes between Washington and Tehran over freedom of navigation through the critical shipping lane.

U.S. Central Command on Saturday shared new images showing a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets during a patrol over the Middle East, underscoring the American military's continued presence in the region.

The aerial refueling mission comes as the United States maintains a heightened military posture following renewed fighting with Iran earlier this week and amid uncertainty over Tehran's next move.

U.S. officials have said American forces remain on alert despite no additional U.S. strikes overnight, with aircraft and naval assets continuing operations across the region.

The Pentagon has kept significant military forces in the Middle East, including two U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike groups, as the Trump administration balances military readiness with ongoing diplomatic efforts involving Iran.

The update comes as U.S. officials assess Iran's response following two nights of American strikes while maintaining a robust military presence across the region to deter further escalation.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), an advocacy organization chaired by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, argued Saturday that Tehran has violated multiple provisions of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Trump administration last month, citing recent military attacks, threats against the United States and ongoing disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.

In an analysis released Saturday, UANI Director of Outreach and Human Rights Research Alan Goldsmith said Iran had breached commitments related to the use of force, negotiations toward a final agreement, freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and cooperation on nuclear issues.

Goldsmith pointed to Iran's recent missile and drone attacks on U.S. military sites in the Gulf, as well as repeated threats by senior Iranian officials to avenge the deaths of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other military leaders, as evidence Tehran has failed to uphold provisions calling for an end to military operations and threats of force.

Goldsmith also argued Iran has violated its commitments on commercial shipping by attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz while insisting ships use an Iran-approved transit route, a key issue that remains at the center of ongoing diplomatic discussions between Washington and Tehran.

The Trump administration has resumed military strikes against Iran after renewed fighting this week, while President Donald Trump has said he believes the memorandum is effectively "over" even as diplomatic contacts continue through regional mediators

U.S. officials are waiting to see how Iran responds following two nights of American airstrikes, with U.S. forces remaining in the region despite no additional strikes overnight, Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson reported Saturday.

Tomlinson reported that U.S. forces were prepared to carry out a third consecutive night of strikes before officials paused to assess Tehran's next move. The U.S. Navy continues to maintain two aircraft carrier strike groups in the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for more than 200 days without a port call.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it thwarted an alleged Hezbollah plot in southern Lebanon after troops spotted militants moving anti-tank missiles and drones into a building inside the buffer zone.

The IDF said it tracked the alleged Hezbollah operatives until they entered the structure before carrying out an airstrike. According to the Israeli military, secondary explosions after the strike indicated weapons had been stored inside the building.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon until the threat posed by Hezbollah is eliminated, despite ongoing U.S.-backed efforts to implement a phased Israeli withdrawal from parts of the border region.

Iran and Oman discussed possible mechanisms for securing commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, but significant disagreements over how the strategic waterway should be managed remain unresolved.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi in Muscat after Iran targeted commercial vessels in the strait earlier this week, prompting U.S. military strikes and President Donald Trump to declare the existing memorandum of understanding effectively dead.

According to a readout from Iran's Foreign Ministry, the two sides discussed "appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz" in accordance with Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

The United States and Iran, however, continue to disagree over how that provision should be interpreted. Tehran maintains commercial vessels should transit along a route near the Iranian coastline, while the U.S. has backed a separate shipping corridor closer to Oman's coast.

The two sides also remain divided over Iran's claim that it can begin charging transit fees after the agreement's initial 60-day period expires, a position the Trump administration has rejected as diplomatic efforts to restore stability in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes continue.

Retired Navy Capt. Brent Sadler said Saturday that Iran's ruling regime is increasingly focused on maintaining its grip on power at home, arguing its greatest threat comes from its own people rather than the United States.

"Their primary concern is being able to stay in power and stay alive. Their threat is their own people," Sadler said on FOX News Live. He pointed to widespread anti-government protests and the regime's crackdown on demonstrators as signs Tehran remains under significant internal pressure.

Sadler said the Iranian regime's public threats and rhetoric are aimed in part at projecting strength domestically as it seeks to preserve control following recent military setbacks.

He also argued Syria's new government could play an important role in preventing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from reestablishing its foothold in Lebanon, calling the current moment "an interesting historic moment" for the U.S., Israel and Lebanon to weaken Hezbollah.

Sadler's comments came as the Trump administration continues pressing Iran over attacks in the Strait of Hormuz while also pursuing diplomatic talks through Omani mediators.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., claims to have been detained by Israeli settlers armed with U.S.-made firearms while visiting the West Bank .

Khanna and his team were surrounded by a group of West Bank settlers near the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta on Wednesday, his office told The New York Times. The settlers were armed with American-made M4 machine guns, Khanna's office said.

When soldiers from the Israeli Defense Forces arrived, Khanna claimed they sided with the settlers. The situation only defused after Israeli police officers arrived and dispersed the settlers and their vehicles blocking the U.S. congressional group's path, according to the Democrat's office.

"If they will do this to an American congressman, imagine what is happening to Palestinian families who are just trying to live," Rep Khanna told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"I am grateful to David Brownstein of the American embassy for helping rescue us. I expect Israel will prosecute the violent settlers and IDF soldiers who detained American citizens," Rep. Khanna said. 

The Times first reported details of the alleged incident on Saturday.

Reached by Fox News Digital, a representative for Khanna's team said she could confirm the details reported by the Times. Khanna also spoke to Reuters about what allegedly transpired.

"I'm certainly probably the first American politician who's been detained by the IDF and Israeli settlers," Khanna said in a Reuters video.

"We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed," Khanna said. "And these hoodlums come in with machine guns, an M4, an American-made machine gun, and they detain us. They block off the road, and then they call the IDF and the IDF is on their side, not on the side of the Americans."

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Robert McGreevy.

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday released video it said shows alleged Hezbollah operatives transferring anti-tank missiles into a building inside the security zone in southern Lebanon before an Israeli airstrike targeted the site.

According to the IDF, the alleged Hezbollah members first moved anti-tank missiles from a vehicle into the structure before additional weapons were brought inside. The Israeli military said it then carried out an airstrike to "remove the threat."

The IDF said secondary explosions were visible after the strike, which it said confirmed weapons were stored inside the building.

Israel earlier announced it had targeted alleged Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon as U.S.-backed diplomatic efforts continue over a phased Israeli withdrawal from parts of the border region.

The video was released as U.S. officials work with Israel and Lebanon to implement a framework agreement that calls for a phased Israeli withdrawal from designated "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon while the Lebanese army assumes responsibility for security in those areas.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Saturday there is little evidence Iran has moderated its behavior, pointing to threats against President Donald Trump after images emerged of mourners carrying "Kill Trump" flags during funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Speaking on Fox News, Huckabee said Iran's rhetoric has remained consistent for decades despite reports of renewed diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran.

"I think it's important for Americans to understand that what the Iranians are saying and doing is nothing that they haven't been doing for 47 years," Huckabee said. "This is a long standing Death to America chant that they've had. They really haven't changed."

Huckabee also referenced public reports that Israeli intelligence alerted U.S. officials to an alleged Iranian plot targeting Trump, though he said he could only comment on information already in the public domain.

His remarks came as reports suggested Iranian officials had privately told the Trump administration that recent attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz were carried out by rogue hardliners rather than Tehran's leadership. Huckabee said he hopes there are moderates within the Iranian government but added, "we don't see any what I would call significant evidence that there is a real peaceful part of the Iranian regime."

Diplomatic talks between Lebanon and Israel are expected to move forward in Rome next week after a Lebanese official told AFP that Beirut plans to take part, despite previously conditioning its participation on further Israeli withdrawals from southern Lebanon.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly, said only that "Lebanon will participate."

The development follows a visit by a U.S. military delegation to Beirut on Saturday, where officials met with the Lebanese military to discuss implementing a U.S.-brokered framework agreement intended to reduce tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.

The agreement calls for a phased Israeli withdrawal from designated "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army assuming responsibility for security in those areas. Israel has said it will only complete the withdrawal once it determines Hezbollah forces have been eliminated from the zones.

The Rome meeting is expected to continue discussions over implementing the agreement as diplomatic efforts unfold alongside continued Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces launched an airstrike in southern Lebanon on Saturday, saying they targeted alleged Hezbollah operatives moving anti-tank missiles and other weapons into a building, as U.S. officials met with Lebanese leaders over a proposed Israeli withdrawal from parts of the border region.

The Israel Defense Forces said it first observed several alleged Hezbollah members transferring anti-tank missiles from a vehicle before additional operatives allegedly brought more weapons into the same building. The military said it then carried out an airstrike on the site but did not provide a casualty count.

The strike came as a U.S. military delegation met with Lebanese military officials in Beirut to discuss implementation of a U.S.-brokered framework agreement that would begin an Israeli withdrawal from designated "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon.

Under the agreement reached in late June, the Lebanese army would assume responsibility for security in those areas after Israeli forces withdraw. Israel has said it will only complete the pullback once it determines Hezbollah forces have been eliminated from the zones.

The continued Israeli military operation highlights the fragile security situation along the Lebanon-Israel border, even as U.S.-backed negotiations seek to advance the withdrawal agreement and reduce tensions in the region.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi revealed details from his Saturday meeting with Omani foreign affairs minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in a social media post.

The pair, according to Araghchi, discussed the countries' bilateral relations, particularly relating to the Strait of Hormuz, which is straddled by both nations.

"Araghchi and Albusaidi also exchanged views on appropriate mechanisms for the safe transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding," a message posted to Araghchi's Telegram channel read.

Oman's representative stressed the importance of diplomacy, the post also revealed.

"The Foreign Minister of Oman, emphasizing his country's principled stance on utilizing diplomacy to prevent the escalation of tensions in the region, expressed hope that with the full implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States, we will witness an improvement in the security situation in the region," the post read.

A U.S. military delegation met with the Lebanese military in Beirut to discuss an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) drawback from southern Lebanon, the AFP reported Saturday, citing a Lebanese military official.

"The American military delegation arrived and began meetings with the Lebanese army command to discuss the mechanisms for implementing the first pilot zone from which the Israelis will withdraw, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy,” the official told the AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This is the main objective the American military delegation is bringing to Lebanon… it is the translation and implementation of the framework agreement," the official added.

Israel agreed in June to a U.S.-negotiated plan to begin a drawdown in Lebanon after launching a military campaign to combat the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.

Global oil demand in 2026 is set to decrease for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, due largely to impacts from the Iran war, but U.S. demand continues to increase, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report published Friday.

While global production fell by an average of one million barrels per day (mb/d), U.S. consumers actually gobbled up more oil, increasing usage in the second quarter of 2026, according to the report.

Despite gas prices surging 50% since May, U.S. consumers bucked global trends to keep buying.

“Even though it’s a really political price that people pay a lot of attention to, if you are in the higher quintiles of income in the U.S., you might grumble about it, but you’re not really driving less just because of that increase in prices,” Daniel Sternoff, senior fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, told the Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this post.

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to avenge the death of his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a Saturday morning barrage of posts on X.

"We pledge to avenge your pure blood and the blood of all the martyrs of these two [recent] wars by taking revenge against the criminal, disgraceful murderers. This vengeance is what our nation is demanding, and this must definitely be done," Khamenei wrote.

The 86-year-old Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28 in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes that struck his compound in Tehran.

"The criminal, disgraceful murderers of the martyred Leader, whose names are fully documented from the highest to the lowest ranks, will carry their dream of a peaceful death in bed to the grave," the new supreme leader added in his social media screed.

Iran held official funeral services for Ali Khameni over the past week, with state media reporting that more than 40 million people attended some portion of the week-long ceremonies.

Mojtaba Khamenei thanked the funeral goers in his Saturday morning post thread.

"I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible, enemy-shattering, and historic turnout of tens of millions of people across Iran and Iraq," he wrote.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Aragachi arrived in the Omani capital of Muscat on Saturday for high-level talks with Omani mediators over the Strait of Hormuz.

Aragachi's dispatch comes days after the U.S. unleashed a barrage of missile strikes in Iran in retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian officials told the U.S. in private that the attacks were a mistake and blamed them on hardliners in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), CBS News reported, citing U.S. officials.

The U.S., however, is pushing Iranian officials to make their apology public, giving them a Saturday deadline to do so, according to an Axios report.

America is also sending a high-level negotiation team to meet with Omani mediators on Saturday. Vice President JD Vance , Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are among those from the U.S. side expected to be there.

Iran's state-operated media outlet Mehr reported explosions east of Tehran on Saturday, citing ordinance disposal.

"Mohammad Qomi, the governor of Pakdasht County, said the blast heard in eastern Tehran on Saturday morning resulted from a planned operation to destroy old ammunition and was not related to any accident or security threat," the outlet wrote.

Qomi, according to Mehr, assured the Iranian public that the explosions were pre-planned and were no reason for concern.

The reports followed a series of U.S. strikes across Iran on Wednesday and Thursday morning in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump on Friday warned Iran that the United States would "decimate and destroy" the country if Tehran carried out an assassination attempt against him.

"1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president said he had already directed the U.S. military to be prepared to retaliate if Iran carried out an assassination attempt against him.

This is an excerpt from a story by Michael Sinkewicz.

The Trump administration has given Iran until Saturday to publicly commit to ending attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz or face unspecified consequences, according to an Axios report citing three U.S. officials.

Axios reported the administration wants Tehran to publicly acknowledge the strategic waterway is open, commit to stopping attacks on commercial vessels and recognize that all shipping lanes through the strait will remain open without tolls.

According to Axios, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet Saturday with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi in Muscat as regional mediators work to ease tensions and revive nuclear talks.

One U.S. official told Axios that if Iran does not make a public commitment, “it is not gonna be a great day for them.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.