Iran has warned it would launch a “heavy assault” on US assets in the Middle East if there are further attacks on ships, as President Donald Trump said he “expects to hear very soon” from the Iranians about a ceasefire agreement. Trump says Washington is waiting for Tehran to respond to a proposal on ending the war.
“I’m getting a letter supposedly tonight,” the US president told reporters. “So we’ll see how that goes.” With negotiations hanging in the balance, the US and Iran continue to engage in hostilities.
Meanwhile, the UK is redeploying the HMS Dragon to the Middle East ahead of a possible international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. As part of a proposed UK and French-led defensive mission, the warship will “pre-position” in the region, ready to contribute once hostilities between Iran and US-Israeli forces end.
The US Navy struck two Iranian-flagged oil tankers on Friday accused of breaking the American blockade, after US and Iranian forces exchanged fire overnight on Thursday. Iran has accused the US of violating the ongoing ceasefire, which President Trump insists is still holding.
In a post on X earlier in the day, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of consistently opting for a “reckless military adventure” every time a “diplomatic solution is on the table”.
Iran can withstand Trump’s blockade for months, says US intelligence
Iran is able to withstand the effects of the US blockade for three to four more months and retains significant missile stockpiles, according to US intelligence, casting doubt on Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran needs the war to end imminently. New analysis by the CIA suggests that the Islamic Republic may be more resilient than expected and could withstand the economic pain of the blockade until later this year.
Iranians urged to limit electricity and gas
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Iranians to limit electricity and gas after a US blockade interrupted the flow of shipments to Iran, state media reported. “In the current situation, we must prevent pressure on the country’s energy grid through public participation and consumption management,” Pezeshkian said.
Qatari prime minister meets with Witkoff, Rubio
The Qatari prime minister met with Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday, CBS News reported. A State Department spokesperson later confirmed Rubio's meeting with the prime minister, saying in a statement that they “discussed U.S. support for Qatar's defense, and the importance of continued close coordination to deter threats and promote stability and security across the Middle East.”
Iran threatens to target U.S. sites in Middle East
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards threatened to target U.S. sites in the Middle East if Iran's tankers come under fire, Iranian media reported. “Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centers in the region and enemy ships,” the Guards said.
Trump ends 7-hour hiatus from Truth Social with flurry of posts of AI Iran war pictures and golf tournament on TV
After a roughly seven-hour lull on Truth Social Saturday, President Donald Trump resurfaced with a burst of over a dozen posts featuring AI-generated Iran war images and golf tournament snapshots. His account had been inactive through most of the morning and early afternoon, but at 3:51 p.m., the 79-year-old Republican shared an artificial image showing drones marked with Iranian flags plunging into the sea, describing them as “dropping like butterflies.” Moments later, he followed up with another fabricated visual depicting a U.S. warship firing laser beams into the sky, triggering explosions. The caption read: “Bye Bye, Drones.” Trump then shifted his focus to criticizing his Democratic predecessors — Joe Biden and Barack Obama — appearing to fault them for not taking military action against Iran.
Israel set up a military outpost in the Iraqi desert - report
Israel set up a clandestine military outpost in the Iraqi desert to support its air campaign against Iran and launched airstrikes against Iraqi troops who nearly discovered it, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter including US officials. Israel built the installation, which housed special forces and served as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force, with the knowledge of the US just before the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran, the newspaper said. It also included search-and-rescue teams positioned to assist any downed Israeli pilots, the Journal said.
Three Israeli drone strikes hit vehicles near Beirut, killing four
Three Israeli drone strikes on vehicles just south of Beirut on Saturday killed four people while a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 13, including a man and his 12-year-old daughter, state media and the Health Ministry said. The three drone strikes south of Beirut marked another escalation since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on April 17. Both Israel and Hezbollah have continued their daily attacks despite the truce.
Relative calm on Saturday as Trump waits on Iran
A state of relative calm prevailed around the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, after days of sporadic flare-ups, as the United States waited for Iran's response to its latest proposals to end more than two months of fighting and begin peace talks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington expected a response within hours. But a day later, there was no sign of movement from Tehran on the proposal, which would formally end the war before talks on more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear program. A Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker was sailing toward the strait on Saturday en route to Pakistan, according to LSEG shipping data, in a move sources said was approved by Iran to build confidence with Qatar and with Pakistan, a mediator in the war.
Putin: 'I want Iran conflict to end soon'
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that he hoped that the Iran conflict would end as soon as possible but that if it did not then everyone would lose out.
US imposes sanctions on companies it accuses of aiding Iran's weapons sector
The US Treasury on Friday announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including several in China and Hong Kong, over accusations they aided Iran's efforts to secure weapons and the raw materials needed to build its Shahed drones and ballistic missiles. The Treasury move, first reported by Reuters, comes days before Donald Trump plans to travel to China for a meeting with President Xi Jinping and as efforts to end the war with Iran have stalled. In a statement, the Treasury said it remained ready to take economic action against Iran's military industrial base to prevent Tehran from reconstituting its production capacity.
