Iran threatens ‘long and painful strikes’ on US positions as Trump faces war powers deadline

U.S. Central Command said Friday that "45 commercial vessels have been directed to turn around or return to port to ensure compliance” with an ongoing blockade of Iranian ports. 

“U.S. forces continue to patrol international waters and enforce the ongoing naval blockade against Iran,” CENTCOM added in a post on X. 

It released a video showing helicopters and U.S. Navy assets operating in the region in support of the blockade. 

The U.S. Navy announced a $100 million contract with a California-based AI company whose product can teach drones to hunt for mines.

The agreement with Domino Data Lab, headquartered in San Francisco, comes as the Navy is prioritizing technology to clear underwater mines amid the threat from Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Mine-hunting used to be a job for ships," Thomas Robinson, Domino's chief operating officer, told Reuters in an interview. "It's becoming a job for AI. The Navy is paying for the platform that lets it train, govern, and field that AI at a speed required for contested waters that block global trade and imperil sailors."

The contract is under the U.S. Navy's "Project AMMO" Accelerated Machine Learning for Maritime Operations, a program that will detect underwater mines faster and with more accuracy that does not endanger the lives of U.S. Navy sailors and expensive ships.

Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump said Friday he is “not happy” with the delivery of weapons to Kurdish intermediaries during the massive protests that swept across Iran earlier this year. 

Trump had told Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst in early April that the U.S. sent guns to protesters as the demonstrations were posing a challenge to the Iranian regime. 

"We sent them a lot of guns. We sent them through the Kurds. And I think the Kurds kept them,” Trump added. 

When asked about the matter on Friday, Trump said, “I'm not happy with the delivery of the weapons. I'm not thrilled with it.” 

“But, a small amount of weapons were sent, and we'll see who has them. But I'm not happy with what happened with the Kurds,” he also said. 

Hejar Berenji, a Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan spokesperson, told Yingst in April that, "We did not receive any weapons during the time of the demonstrations in Iran."

President Donald Trump said Friday that when the war with Iran ends, gas and oil prices are going to come “tumbling down.”

“Now, gasoline is high. Other prices are way down, but gasoline is high. But when this is over, you'll have a world without a nuclear weapon with Iran,” Trump continued.

“If you allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, the world would be in great jeopardy. So it's not going to happen. As soon as the war ends, the gasoline prices will come down,” he also said.

"When the war ends, gasoline prices are going to tumble because there is so much right now on the scene, already loaded into tankers, tankers that can't escape" the Strait of Hormuz, Trump added.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he is “not satisfied” following reports that Iran delivered its latest negotiation plan to Pakistan regarding an end to the war with the U.S. 

“So they want to make a deal but I'm not satisfied with it. So we'll see what happens. Iran wants to make a deal because they have no military left, essentially. And they want to make a deal, but I'm not satisfied with it,” Trump said about the proposal. 

When asked about specifics, Trump said Iran is asking for things he can't agree to.

Then when asked if he would send another delegation to Pakistan for U.S.-Iran talks after calling off a trip last week, Trump said, “We have great respect for Pakistan and Islamabad and tremendous respect for the prime minister and the field marshal. And they're working with us. They continue to work with us.” 

“But the trip is a very long one, and we're doing everything in terms of negotiating right now,” the president added, describing phone calls. 

“They've made strides, but I'm not sure if they ever get there. There's tremendous discord. They’re having a tremendous problem getting along with each other in Iran,” Trump also said. “The leadership is very disjointed. It's got two to three groups, maybe four. And it's a very disjointed leadership. And with that being said, they all want to make a deal, but they're all messed up.” 

The U.S. Treasury warned shippers Friday that they could face sanctions if they pay the Iranian regime any tolls to cross the Strait of Hormuz. 

“The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is aware of Iranian threats to shipping and demands for ‘toll’ payments to receive safe passage through the international Strait of Hormuz,” it said in an advisory Friday, adding that “These demands may include several payment options, including fiat currency, digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments, such as nominally charitable donations” made to organizations like the Iranian Red Crescent Society or Iranian embassy accounts. 

“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn U.S. and non-U.S. persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method,” it said. 

“OFAC strongly encourages all maritime service providers to conduct enhanced due diligence on any vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz to ensure that such vessels have not engaged in any sanctionable conduct involving Iran, which could expose the service provider to sanctions risk,” the U.S. Treasury also said. “Service providers should carefully review all available information for red flags, including voyage planning or actual transits through Iranian territorial waters.  Service providers should ask counterparties for details on who they coordinated with to transit the Strait of Hormuz and if any safe passage fees were or will be paid to Iran.”

The AAA national average price for regular gas soared more than nine cents higher in one day, surging from $4.30 as of Thursday to $4.392 as of Friday.

The current figure is a whopping $0.333 higher than the week-ago average price of $4.059, according to AAA. The year-ago average for regular gas was just $3.187.

However, the highest recorded AAA national average regular gas price was $5.016 on June 14, 2022, which was during President Joe Biden's White House tenure.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Friday.

The U.S. conflict with Iran remains unresolved, and the Trump administration has been enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports.

Oil prices are currently elevated. Brent Crude international futures were over $111 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate U.S. futures over $105 per barrel during early trading, Barron's reported on Friday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation order Friday for a village in southern Lebanon after accusing Hezbollah of violating a ceasefire agreement. 

“In light of the terrorist Hezbollah party violating the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is compelled to act against it forcefully and does not intend to harm you,” IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X in a warning to residents of Habbouch. 

“Out of concern for your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the village for a distance of no less than 1,000 meters to open areas,” he added. 

“Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities, and their combat means exposes their life to danger!” Adraee also said.

Iranian state media reported Friday that Tehran has delivered its latest negotiation plan to Pakistan regarding an end to the conflict with the U.S. 

Pakistan has served as a key mediator in talks between the Iranian regime and the Trump administration. 

The text of the plan was sent to Pakistan on Thursday night, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency. Further details were not immediately available. 

The report cited Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as saying in a televised interview that ending the war and achieving lasting peace is Tehran’s priority in negotiations with the U.S. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

A U.S. delegation was supposed to visit Islamabad, Pakistan last week for a second round of in-person talks, but that trip ultimately was canceled by President Donald Trump. 

“I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going [to] Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work!” Trump wrote on Truth Social last Saturday. 

“Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership.’ Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” Trump added. 

Fox News’ Thomas Ferraro contributed to this report.

U.S. Central Command released a photo Friday showing a U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter preparing to land onboard the USS Tripoli.

"The Super Stallion is one of the largest and heaviest lift helicopters in the U.S. Marine Corps," CENTCOM said in a statement.

The U.S. military is continuing to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports as of Friday.

CENTCOM said Thursday that so far, 44 commercial vessels have been directed to turn around or return to port during the blockade.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed Thursday that Iran's national team will compete in the 2026 World Cup, with all three of its group-stage matches set to be played on U.S. soil.

The decision all but ensures politics will follow the matches.

Infantino said Thursday at the FIFA World Congress in Vancouver, Canada: "Let me start at the outset confirming, straightaway for those who maybe want to say something else or want to write something else, that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026. And of course Iran will play in the United States of America."

The backdrop is a period of heightened tension between the United States and Iran following a joint U.S.-Israeli operation that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this year.

Despite earlier speculation about potential venue changes, the schedule remains unchanged.

Iran will open its campaign on June 15 against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, followed by a matchup with Belgium on June 21 at the same venue.

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that troops have found more than 7,500 weapons in southern Lebanon during operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group. 

Over the last 24 hours, Israeli forces have dismantled over 40 Hezbollah infrastructure sites, including command centers and military structures, according to the IDF. 

Among the weapons found, troops also discovered more than 200 grenades, 60 explosive belts and 20 anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, the IDF also said. 

The Israel Defense Forces shared a video showing some of the weaponry spread across tables. 

As the Trump administration escalates its campaign against Iran through sanctions, naval pressure and financial enforcement, a central question is emerging: Can unprecedented economic strain truly weaken the regime, or will Iran’s rulers once again absorb the pain, suppress unrest and survive?

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Tuesday post on X that the "Economic Fury" campaign already has disrupted "tens of billions of dollars in revenue" that would otherwise support terrorism, while arguing Iran’s inflation has doubled and its currency has sharply depreciated under the current maximum pressure campaign.

Bessent also warned that Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export terminal, is nearing storage capacity and could soon force production cuts, which he said may cost the regime an additional roughly $170 million per day in lost revenue.

The escalating pressure campaign marks one of the most aggressive U.S. efforts in years to economically isolate Iran. But the central question is whether this strategy can force meaningful concessions from a regime that has historically absorbed economic pain, or whether it risks triggering broader instability — from energy market shocks to regional escalation — before Iran is pushed to a breaking point.

A senior administration official told Fox News Digital that Treasury is aggressively expanding "Economic Fury" beyond traditional sanctions by targeting Iran’s ability to generate, move and repatriate funds across oil, banking, cryptocurrency and covert trade networks.

But Alireza Nader, an Iranian independent analyst based in Washington, is skeptical that economic pressure alone will force a strategic breaking point. 

"It looks like a game of chicken and I think the regime thinks that it can win this game of chicken with President Trump," he told Fox News Digital.

"I don’t see this economic blockade … leading to some sort of breaking point for the regime," Nader added, arguing that Iran’s leadership has repeatedly shown it is willing to let ordinary citizens bear extraordinary suffering to preserve power.

Analysts warn global famine fears are rising as food prices climb and fragile supply chains are strained during the Strait of Hormuz crisis, raising the risk of a prolonged, Suez-scale, eight-year disruption.

As the conflict entered Thursday, the U.S. maintained its naval blockade of traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, while Iran continued to effectively close the Strait.

"Best case, there is an agreement between the U.S. and Iran within the next few weeks, and the Strait reopens," Lars Jensen, CEO and partner at Vespucci Maritime, told Fox News Digital.

"And it has to be a deal where there is trust that Iran is sufficiently satisfied with the deal such that they do not suddenly close the strait again.

"Even in that case, it will still take months for the supply chains to revert back to normality."

President Donald Trump announced April 21 he would delay renewed strikes on Iran until it presents a proposal for long-term peace, effectively extending a 14-day ceasefire indefinitely. 

Trump said Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports has been effective, urging Tehran to "just give up" as tensions escalate over the waterway.

"Worst case, we can look at the eight-year closure of the Suez Canal from 1967 to 1975," Jensen said.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’d “probably” consider pulling U.S. troops out of Italy and Spain.

His remarks came a day after he announced his administration was conducting a review of potentially reducing U.S. troops in Germany.

“Yeah, probably,” Trump said when asked by a reporter about troops in the two countries. “Why shouldn’t I?” he asked.

“Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”

Yesterday's Fox News Digital liveblog has additional coverage of the Iran conflict.

A senior official from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that the U.S. would face “long and painful strikes” on its regional positions if its military launched any new attacks on Iran, a report said. 

"We've seen what happened to your regional bases, we will see the same thing happen to your warships,” Aerospace Force Commander Majid Mousavi added in an Iranian media report, according to Reuters.

A 60-day War Powers Resolution deadline is approaching Friday, requiring President Donald Trump to either seek congressional authorization or end military operations in Iran. 

A senior administration official said Thursday that, for War Powers Resolution purposes, the "hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28 have terminated." 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.