Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday disputed a report from Reuters that Beijing is preparing to help Iran replenish its defenses in the war against the U.S., with a spokesperson claiming that China wants to bring an end to the conflict.
Reuters, citing multiple sources, said Wednesday that Iran is expected in the next few weeks to receive a shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers. The development emerged as the U.S. military has repeatedly been striking and weakening Iranian military infrastructure.
“China has made its position clear on relevant issues on multiple occasions. The report is not true and has no factual ground at all. China always works for peace and the end of the conflict,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Thursday.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the reports that China is sending 400 rocket launchers to Iran via Pakistan would be "surprising," adding that President Xi Jinping had assured him Beijing would not become involved. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked about the reports by Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich.
“I mean, things like that happen, but that would be surprising,” he replied.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this post.
The U.S. Navy is poised to overhaul its torpedo inventory under the newly-approved congressional budget as the military shifts toward a "two-war" strategy.
Lawmakers made it clear that the U.S. needs to build quantities of undersea weapons sufficient to maintain two major regional conflicts simultaneously, according to Naval News.
Manufacturers are now focused on building up supplies of the U.S. MK-48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) heavyweight torpedoes and MK-54 lightweight torpedoes to meet the minimum base requirements set by the new budget.
The Navy has not clarified the exact number of undersea weapons that would entail, but it is based on internal estimates about potential conflicts with a near-peer forces.
The Navy is also required to build up a plan to massively increase torpedo production should it become necessary during war or peacetime.
The overhaul comes as the U.S. military is already scrambling to refill stockpiles of missiles and other weapons depleted in the war against Iran.
The Senate killed a Democrat-backed Iran War Powers resolution on a procedural vote Thursday by a vote of 49-50.
This was the 13th time the Senate's voted on a War Powers resolution aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to step back from the conflict.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was absent, while Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voted no with Republicans on Thursday.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky voted yes with Democrats.
Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this post.
{{#rendered}}Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense announced Thursday that 14 countries have reaffirmed their support for the creation of a “multinational defense maritime coalition” aimed at protecting against threats in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
It identified the countries as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia. The coalition would protect shipping from Houthi attacks, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Defense said it hosted a meeting Thursday with representatives from 43 nations, “reflecting growing international interest in reinforcing maritime defense cooperation.”
“Participants discussed the increasing threats targeting maritime security -- including attacks on commercial vessels, energy tankers, and maritime infrastructure -- and the risks they pose to the safety of maritime navigation and the stability of global supply chains. They emphasized the importance of enhancing multilateral defense cooperation to confront these threats, deter them, and preserve the security of international sea lanes,” it said.
“Furthermore, participants reviewed the draft charter of the multinational defense maritime coalition, its reference documents, organizational structure, command and control arrangements, operational mechanisms, and future action steps. This ensures a robust institutional framework that enhances maritime defense cooperation among participating nations and addresses joint maritime threats in (Bab-el-Mandeb, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden),” the ministry added.
“During the meeting, foundational arrangements for the multinational defense maritime coalition project were discussed, foremost of which is that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be the founding nation and leader of the coalition, hosting its headquarters -- reflecting international trust in the Kingdom's leadership role in enhancing collective maritime security,” it also said.
The United States resumed airstrikes inside Iran Wednesday night in retaliation for Tehran’s attempted surprise ballistic-missile attack on American forces, as an Iran expert warned that the regime has become increasingly willing to test Washington despite its weakened military capabilities.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the surprise nature of Iran’s attack reflected a significant shift in Tehran’s strategy.
"What makes this attack different is that it’s basically a surprise attack," Taleblu told Fox News Digital. "This is the Islamic Republic matching its deeds with its words," he said. "That means a more risk-tolerant, more confident, perhaps less capable, but more dangerous Iran in the Middle East."
U.S. Central Command said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran at U.S. forces in the region at approximately 5:45 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday. All were intercepted, and no casualties or damage were immediately reported.
Trump later vowed a forceful response, telling Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst that the United States would be "hitting them hard" and that Iran was "going to get a beating." "We're going to beat the f---ing s--- out of them," Trump said.
A Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday that the country is doing its “utmost” to bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table under the memorandum of understanding reached last month, a report said.
“Negotiations between parties are ongoing, particularly on [the] Strait of Hormuz and to de-escalate,” spokesman Tahir Andrabi was quoted by the AFP as telling reporters in Islamabad, Pakistan.
“We are doing our utmost to bring all parties back to the Islamabad MOU,” he reportedly added.
Pakistan served as a mediator in talks between the U.S. and Iran aimed at ending the war.
“Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED,” the country’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said in June, before military action resumed between the two countries in recent weeks. “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."
{{#rendered}}Qatar on Thursday slammed the Iranian regime for fresh attacks on Jordan and Kuwait, calling them “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries, and a blatant breach of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of good neighborliness.”
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the continuation of these attacks represents a dangerous escalation that would complicate efforts to contain tensions and undermine political and diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving security and stability in the region,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The Ministry stresses the need for an immediate and comprehensive cessation of all military operations and attacks that threaten the security and stability of the region, refraining from any actions that could further expand the cycle of escalation, returning to the path of dialogue and negotiations, and adhering to the understandings reached through diplomatic efforts,” it also said.
Jordan said it intercepted five missiles launched from Iran overnight, while Kuwait’s military said one person was killed Thursday after an Iranian strike hit a building belonging to a Chinese company.
About two-thirds of U.S. adults believe the war with Iran is not worthwhile, according to a new AP-NORC poll.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that 33% of U.S. adults think the war is worth fighting, while 64% do not. It added that 87% of Democrats, 68% of independents and 37% of Republicans aren't in favor of the war.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,165 adults was conducted July 23-27 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
Just 28% of U.S. adults now approve of how Trump is handling Iran, a slight decline from 34% last month, the AP also reported.
The war, which began on Feb. 28, has impacted gas prices.
About 7 in 10 U.S. adults — 72% — say it’s “extremely” or “very” important for the U.S. to prevent domestic oil and gas prices from rising, up slightly from 67% in March, according to the AP.
When Fox News Digital asked the White House for a response to the poll, assistant press secretary Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital that, “What matters most to the American people is having a Commander in Chief who takes bold action to keep them safe, which is exactly what President Trump is doing."
"The President does not make national security decisions based on fluid opinion polls, but on the best interests of the country, and Americans are already safer for the United States’ bold actions to deny the Iranian regime the ability to develop a nuclear weapon," she added.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
U.S. Central Command released new images Thursday showing American sailors monitoring F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jets as they launched from the USS George H.W. Bush while sailing in the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft carrier has operated in support of the U.S. military’s blockade of Iranian ports.
CENTCOM said Wednesday that a restarted blockade has so far resulted in 20 commercial vessels being redirected.
{{#rendered}}Kuwait’s military said one person has been killed after an Iranian attack hit a building belonging to a Chinese company on Thursday.
“The Official Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Major General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, stated that the heinous Iranian aggression targeted a building belonging to one of the Chinese companies in the north of the country, resulting in the death of one worker and causing significant material damage to the building,” Kuwait’s Army said in a statement posted on X.
“The Armed Forces affirm their continued execution of their missions and duties with high efficiency, and the taking of all necessary measures to protect the sovereignty of the homeland, preserve its security and stability, in coordination with the competent authorities, in a manner that preserves the safety of citizens and residents,” the statement added.
Saudi Arabia released a statement Thursday condemning Iran after Jordan said this morning that it intercepted five missiles launched at its territory from the Islamic Republic.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's condemnation in the strongest terms of Iran's continued flagrant aggression against the brotherly Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and reaffirms its solidarity with Jordan and its brotherly people in all measures they take regarding these Iranian attacks, which constitute a violation of international law and the principles of good neighborliness,” read a statement posted by Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry.
“The Kingdom underscores the importance of the immediate cessation of Iran's blatant attacks against Jordan and the countries of the region, and stresses the need to take serious steps to safeguard the security and stability of the region and its peoples,” it added.
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that its troops found “dozens” of weapons belonging to the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in a village along the Israeli-Lebanon border.
The IDF said during operations in the Lebanese village of Majdal Zoun, its forces discovered “Kalashnikov-type weapons, cartridges, bullets, grenades, explosives, charges, anti-tank missiles and mortar bombs" in civilian infrastructure.
“In addition, they destroyed buildings used by Hezbollah,’ the IDF said.
The IDF released photos on X showing the weapons haul.
{{#rendered}}Jordan’s military said Thursday that its air defenses shot down five missiles coming from Iran, according to the Petra News Agency.
There were no human casualties during the overnight attack, a report added.
It unfolded a day after U.S. troops stationed in Jordan were targeted by Iran.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and the headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command in Jordan, the paramilitary force said in a statement carried by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.
President Donald Trump said the American forces in Jordan had just minutes to respond and shoot down the incoming Iranian ballistic missiles.
U.S. Central Command said all Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted.
Earlier this month, three U.S. soldiers were killed in Jordan during an Iranian attack at the same base.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this post.
U.S. Central Command said it carried out a “heavy wave of strikes against Iran” in response to an attempted attack on American troops stationed in the Middle East.
The military action, which was completed at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, came after Iran had launched a surprise missile attack on U.S. forces in Jordan.
“CENTCOM assets struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities,” CENTCOM said. “The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries.”
CENTCOM added that in the July 28 incident, “IRGC forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East,” but that “All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted.”
“More than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently deployed to the Middle East and remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready,” it also said.
Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.
Live Coverage begins here