President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed reports that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth could be replaced, calling the claims "false and completely unfounded" in a Truth Social post.
Trump's statement comes after reports questioned Hegseth's future at the Pentagon amid scrutiny over the administration's handling of military operations.
"I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing," Trump wrote. "Everything has been extraordinary."
Trump pointed to the administration's military operations in Venezuela and Iran as evidence of Hegseth's leadership, saying Iran had been "decimated for the purpose of NOT ALLOWING IT TO EVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON."
He also credited Hegseth with ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at the Pentagon and increasing military recruitment to what Trump described as historic levels.
Trump accused The Washington Post of publishing a false report despite being told it was "completely FALSE," adding that he believed the newspaper's reporting was "treasonous."
U.S. Central Command said Thursday that U.S. Marine Corps aviation assets and personnel embarked aboard the USS Boxer are continuing to support enforcement of the U.S. blockade against Iran as the Trump administration maintains military pressure during negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said that as of Aug. 6, U.S. forces had redirected 49 commercial vessels, disabled two vessels and boarded two others while carrying out blockade operations.
The military did not identify the vessels involved or provide additional details about where the interdictions occurred or whether any were linked directly to Iran.
The update comes as U.S. and Iranian officials have signaled that negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz are nearing a potential agreement. Despite the ongoing diplomatic efforts, the U.S. military has continued enforcing the blockade while warning that pressure on Tehran will remain in place until a deal is reached.
The USS Boxer, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, has been operating as part of the U.S. naval presence supporting CENTCOM's mission in the region.
President Donald Trump declared Thursday that the U.S. has a "massive" munitions stockpile and "treasonous" leakers are "being hunted down" after reports emerged claiming the U.S. Army has burned through nearly all of its stockpiles of two of its primary long-range precision weapons.
The Army has used "virtually all" of its inventories of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) during the five-month conflict with Iran, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with internal U.S. military data.
"The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history," Trump wrote on Truth Social early Thursday.
"The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!" the president added.
Trump’s message was reposted on X by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
If accurate, the Reuters report underscores a long-standing Pentagon concern: America's most sophisticated precision weapons can be expended in months but often take years to replace.
Officials fear the drawdown could complicate the military's ability to respond to future crises involving adversaries such as China and Russia, according to the report.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Greg Norman.
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Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy says President Donald Trump is eager to get the Iran conflict behind him and move onto other priorities.
Doocy made the statement while speaking on the "Ingraham Angle" on Thursday.
President Donald Trump has become the most targeted U.S. leader on record among both sitting and former presidents, facing threat-related incidents roughly every two to three months in recent years.
Trump has survived three major assassination attempts and nearly a dozen other threat-related incidents over the past two years alone. Overall, he has faced nearly 20 known threats since first taking office in 2017.
By comparison, every other U.S. president targeted in an assassination attempt faced just one, except President Gerald R. Ford, who survived two. Those presidents include Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Four of those presidents — Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy — were killed.
Seven known threat-related incidents occurred during Trump's first presidency, while four occurred during his 2024 campaign, including two assassination attempts. His second presidency has already seen eight additional incidents, including a third assassination attempt and reports of plots by Iran.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Bonny Chu.
A Republican Jewish organization praised Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., for his "guts" after talk show host Jon Stewart clashed with Fetterman over his "red line" support for Israel. The senator called out the Democratic Party's increasing hostility toward the Jewish state.
"So, you could agree with them 90%, but Israel is the red line?" Stewart asked Fetterman on "The Weekly Show" podcast.
"Absolutely, I can’t ever turn my back to Israel after where it’s at." Fetterman answered.
The Republican Jewish Coalition commented to Fox News Digital: "Here’s some free advice, for a Democratic Party that has totally lost its mind and is hemorrhaging Jewish support: don’t be a clown like Jon Stewart, have some guts like John Fetterman."
Fetterman asked Stewart to give him some examples, to which Stewart listed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as Democratic figures who have criticized Israel. Fetterman clarified that he meant politicians who are members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) should run as their own party rather than "colonizing" the Democratic Party.
Stewart dismissed this argument, comparing DSA members to Republican members of the House Freedom Caucus.
"And I’m assuming there’s probably things in the Democratic platform that you might disagree with, but you don’t disavow the entire thing. You’re literally saying, ‘We can all have discussions, except when it comes to Israel,’ which is not America. It seems like a weird line to draw," Stewart said.
"Well, I don’t think that’s weird. I think what history demonstrates is that when people or governments turn their back to the Jewish community, things end really badly," Fetterman fired back.
"The Jewish community and Israel are not the same thing, brother man. That is not the same thing," Stewart said.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Lindsay Kornick.
{{#rendered}}Reports of Iranians stealing bread, cheese, meat and other basic groceries are fueling concerns that the country’s worsening economic crisis is pushing households toward a breaking point.
An investigation published Wednesday by the Iranian newspaper Jahan-e Sanat described supermarket workers encountering customers who allegedly concealed inexpensive food items or ate packaged products inside stores without paying. The accounts are anecdotal and do not establish the national prevalence of food theft, but analysts say they reflect the mounting pressure created by inflation, currency depreciation and collapsing purchasing power.
"These are anecdotal, but they align with hard data," Miad Maleki, an associate fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.
"Iran is already inside the tipping zone," Maleki said. "But a genuine ‘tipping point’ wouldn’t be a single dramatic event. It would look like what’s already unfolding in slow motion: currency collapse, World War II-level food inflation and now theft of staples, reaching a threshold where basic caloric/nutritional access breaks down for a large share of the population, not just the poorest."
The reports surfaced as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged that the country was facing "difficulties and problems," while insisting during a televised address Wednesday that Iran remained powerful and respected.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Efrat Lachter.
President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran took place on multiple days this week, going on to predict that oil prices will plummet if the Strait of Hormuz fully reopens.
Trump made the statement in an interview with Fox News as both the U.S. and Iran fight for an advantage in negotiations.
The Trump administration is rejecting concerns that the war with Iran has left the U.S. low on some of its most advanced long-range missiles, after a report found the Army burned through "virtually all" of its stocks of two of its primary long-range precision weapons.
The Army has used "virtually all" of its inventories of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) during the five-month conflict with Iran, Reuters, citing people familiar with internal U.S. military data, reported Tuesday. Officials fear the drawdown could complicate the military's ability to respond to future crises involving adversaries such as China and Russia, according to the report.
The White House disputed any suggestion the U.S. military lacks the weapons needed to carry out its missions.
"We have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need, despite the fact that an unprecedented amount was given away by Crooked Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to Ukraine and Europe at no cost, in one of many of their extremely dumb moves," President Donald Trump said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
"Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels. And as we build up, we will start issuing more to our allies in Europe and elsewhere."
If accurate, the report underscores a longstanding Pentagon concern: America's most sophisticated precision weapons can be expended in months but often take years to replace.
Reuters also reported that the conflict significantly reduced inventories of Patriot and THAAD missile interceptors, along with Tomahawk cruise missiles, though the Pentagon has maintained the U.S. military retains the capabilities needed to carry out operations worldwide.
Exact U.S. weapons stockpile figures remain classified for national security reasons.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Morgan Phillips.
{{#rendered}}Vice President JD Vance discussed the U.S.-Iran negotiations and national security in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on "The Ingraham Angle."
Vance said talks with the Iranians remains extremely challenging, with a "two steps forward, one step back" style of progress.
Israeli Defense Forces say they struck multiple Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon on Thursday in response to an explosion that killed two IDF soldiers this week.
"In response to the incident yesterday, during which Major Harel Birenstock and Sergeant Major Tamir Vaknin fell, and four IDF soldiers were severely injured in an explosion in the area of Majdal Zoun, the IDF struck over the past 24 hours Hezbollah terror infrastructure in several areas across southern Lebanon," the IDF said in a statement.
"Among the targets struck were weapon storage facilities, a command center, and additional terror infrastructure," the statement continued.
"IDF soldiers remain deployed in the Security Zone in southern Lebanon in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove threats to Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers," the IDF added.
Fox News contributor Mike Pompeo reacted to President Donald Trump signaling that a potential U.S.-Iran deal is near on Thursday, cautioning that the regime in Tehran has a terrible record of following agreements.
Pompeo also discussed Vice President JD Vance's comments on oil prices and negotiations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
{{#rendered}}Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane questioned whether Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia can be trusted to help shape negotiations with Iran, accusing the regional partners of steering President Donald Trump away from military pressure while leaving the United States and Israel to bear the risks of confronting Tehran.
Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst and former Army vice chief of staff, said during a Monday appearance on Fox News’ "America’s Newsroom" that Pakistan and Qatar were "compromised" as mediators because, in his view, they favor Iran over the United States.
"It is well known in the Middle East region, by our intelligence services, by all the players, that the Pakistanis and the Qataris are compromised because they favor Iran at the expense of the United States," Keane said. "This is historical. This is not new."
Keane’s criticism contrasts with Trump’s public praise for Islamabad.
Trump said April 26 during a phone interview with Fox News that he had "great respect for Pakistan" because its officials had "been terrific" and "really tried" to advance negotiations with Iran. He added that Pakistan would remain involved in the process.
While speaking to reporters after the G7 summit in France on June 18, Trump also credited Pakistan and Qatar with helping advance the negotiations that produced the U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Efrat Lachter.
Fox News' Trey Yingst reported the latest on the Iran conflict from Tel Aviv on Thursday, with President Donald Trump addressing reports that the U.S. is running low on missile stockpiles.
Hudson Institute senior fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs also joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss the latest on the effort to secure a U.S.-Iran deal.
This is an excerpt from an opinion article by Hudson Institute senior fellow Ludovic Hood.
The United States finds itself in a protracted standoff with the Islamic Republic of Iran – which, in many respects, it has been in for decades. The difference this time is the opportunity to do lasting damage to the regime’s pursuit of regional domination and end its 47-year-old assault on core U.S. national interests.
In the past few weeks, President Donald Trump has rightly opted for a policy of exerting economic pain on the regime and its sources of funding. The Treasury Department has unveiled a slew of strident measures to further squeeze Iran’s access to revenues from oil sales.
These measures include sanctions targeting Chinese, Indian and other third-country oil brokers and tanker operators. Treasury has also gone after operators behind Iran’s "shadow fleet" and illicit Iranian financial networks.
America’s economic pressure on the regime is backed up by the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports, involving over 20 warships and hundreds of military aircraft, and costing Iran tens of millions of dollars every day.
Crucially, this "maximum pressure" strategy is underpinned by the use of tactical yet large-scale air strikes and other military measures designed to do additional damage to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other military targets across Iran. Its goal is to keep the regime in Tehran on its back heels while intermediaries (such as the Pakistani and Qatari governments) pursue efforts to reach a deal on a sustainable cessation of hostilities.
This diplomacy is a necessary part of the standoff that has pulled in Iran’s neighbors, many of whom are still reeling from the shock of being attacked by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
However, based on the regime’s defiance and unwillingness to open the Strait of Hormuz in June and July – even after Trump agreed to a ceasefire under a "memorandum of understanding" that was widely considered to be quite advantageous to Iran – it is unlikely that diplomacy will succeed in achieving a lasting end to the conflict.
The IRGC generals now running Iran will almost certainly violate both the terms and the spirit of any agreement or understanding – as Iran did in a variety of ways in the years following the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
{{#rendered}}Iran’s top Revolutionary Guard commander declared Wednesday that Tehran would continue working on nuclear weapons as long as the United States and Israel possess them, intensifying concerns that Iran is using negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz to postpone concessions on its nuclear program.
"As long as the United States and Israel possess nuclear weapons, we will continue working on them for our national security," IRGC commander-in-chief Ahmad Vahidi said, according to a translation of remarks circulating Wednesday. "If they disarm, we will disarm."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by vowing that Israel would continue preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with or without a diplomatic agreement.
"Today, we heard the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Vahidi, explicitly declare Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons — ‘continue,’ as he put it," Netanyahu said at a ceremony marking the reinterment of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of the founder of modern day Zionism, Theodor Herzl.
"Well, as prime minister of Israel, I too am determined to continue — to continue preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons," he said.
Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump as Israel’s greatest friend in the White House and expressed appreciation for the two countries’ joint efforts against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
"Israel’s existence is not subject to negotiation," Netanyahu said. "With an agreement or without an agreement, I am determined — we are all determined — to do whatever is necessary to ensure our security and our future."
The exchange came as nuclear experts urged Trump to keep Iran’s nuclear program at the center of negotiations, warning that Tehran could use the Hormuz crisis to secure sanctions relief and other concessions before addressing its remaining nuclear capabilities.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Efrat Lachter.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday during an event in Las Vegas that Iran sought negotiations after the U.S. prepared what he described as a massive military strike, arguing that sustained military pressure has brought Tehran back to the bargaining table.
Speaking to supporters, Trump said the U.S. was "set for the biggest attack since World War II" before Iranian officials reached out to request talks. "They called me and they said, 'Please don't do it, let's talk,'" Trump said.
Trump said he would prefer a diplomatic resolution over further military action but reiterated that the administration's position has not changed. "I'd rather make a deal because I don't want to kill people," he said. "But Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."
The comments come as the Trump administration continues negotiations with Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said Tuesday that "a lot of progress" had been made and suggested a deal could be reached as soon as Wednesday or Thursday.
The administration has repeatedly said any agreement with Tehran must ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, a position Trump again underscored Wednesday as diplomatic efforts continue.
Fox News' Brittany Miller contributed to this report.
The U.S. and Iran both say they are nearing the end of negotiations on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but both sides have asserted contradictory power over the region.
President Donald Trump's blockade on Iranian ports remains in effect, and its removal may be the key to any deal with Iran. Tehran, however, has asserted that the strait will never again return to its pre-war status, implying that it expects further power over the waterway.
Iran says it is in the "final stages" of negotiating a deal with Oman to reopen the Strait, and the Trump administration has also said a deal is nearing completion.
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