Donald Trump claimed there “would be no Israel without me” during a rambling interview in which he denied being manipulated into starting a war with Iran by the Israeli government.
The US President fessed up to calling Benjamin Netanyahu “unhinged” and “f-ing crazy” during a heated phone call earlier this week, but insisted the two have a “very good relationship” and “work very well together.”
His remarks come after Iran launched missile strikes at Kuwait, striking the country’s international airport and causing at least one casualty. Iranian state media said its missiles had targeted US Camp Arifjan and Ali al-Salem airbase near Kuwait City, with explosions also reported in Bahrain after sirens activated.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio doubled down on claims that the war with Iran is “over” on Wednesday, telling Democrats that America had acheived “victory” over the Islamic Republic.
Rubio, who refused to label the conflict with Iran as a ‘war,’ said it was a ‘fact’ that the military operation in Iran had concluded with the end of Operation Epic Fury.
“If the war is over, then who won?” asked Democratic Rep. Sarah Jacobs.
“We’re no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of Iran to degrade their military, because Epic Fury is over,” Rubio responded.
“As to the question of who won, I can tell you this: We define victory. We define victory as destroying their defense industrial base, significantly reducing the number of missile launchers that they possess, significantly reducing their stockpile of drones, and we achieved all those, in addition to destroying what they had left of an air force and wiping out their entire conventional navy.”
“Those are all gone,” he claimed. “So, I consider that victory, and we did, too. And that was the purpose of Epic Fury.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Responding to reports that Donald Trump called him “f-ing crazy”, “unhinged” and “ungrateful” during a foul-mouthed rant earlier this week – claims that Trump has since confirmed – Netanyahu claimed that while he and Trump have “tactical disagreements” over how to handle the war, they “agree on many things.”
“We sometimes disagree on tactical aspects, but we reach solutions,” the Israeli PM said, before calling Trump the “greatest friend to Israel.”
The two leaders “have common goals,” he added. “We want to achieve them.”
Tom SandersToday16:38 BST
Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that the US-Israeli war in Iran is “not over” and that Tehran has been “weakened” since the start of the conflict.
During an interview with CNBC, the Israeli Prime Minister said that both US and Isaeli forces are ready to deploy if needed in Iran.
“We leave it to Trump to decide whether escalation is necessary and whether opening the Strait of Hormuz is militarily possible,” he added.
Benjamin Netanyahu during an interview with CNBC(Image: CNBC)
Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared two Iranian diplomats “persona non grata” and demanded they leave the country immediately.
The ministry today lodged an offical protest over Iran’s “brutal and relentless aggressions” in Kuwait and other Gulf states, and has given the two diplomats 24 hours to depart.
Tom SandersToday14:51 BST
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has criticised Iran for its “ongoing aggression” against Bahrain and Kuwait, telling the Islamic Republic that its “cowardly attacks on civilian objects” are a “dangerous and unprecedented escalation.”
In a statement released on Wednesday, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said the attacks reflect the “Iranian regime’s insistence on pursuing rejected hostile policies targeting the security, stability and sovereignty of the GCC states.”
Iran’s attacks were “in blatant defiance of international law, the UN Charter and all international norms,” he added, and called for a “firm international stance” to bring a halt to “dangerous Iranian aggressive practices.”
Tom SandersToday14:44 BST
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reiterated that the only safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is the one they have designated, and that any ships that stray from this path will be targeted.
“The management of the Strait of Hormuz is exercised with full authority by the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the IRGC said in a statement.
“All ships, commercial vessels, and tankers are only required to travel through the designated routes and obtain permission from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] Navy. Any violation of these regulations will seriously jeopardise the security of their traffic,” they added.
Tom SandersToday14:38 BST
Kuwait’s military claims to have intercepted 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drones launched into their airspace by Iran since dawn today.
Interceptions were made over “several residential areas”, the ministry wrote on X, and urged civilians not to appraoch any of the affected sites
Tom SandersToday14:35 BST
Donald Trump confirmed he called Benjamin Netenyahu “f***ing crazy” during a heated phone call earlier this week, and denied accusations that he was manipulated into war with Iran by the Israeli Prime Minister.
“He tricked me? I’m the one that started it,” Trump told the New York Post in an interview on Wednesday.
“I don’t want to bore anybody, but I started [the war with Iran] because we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. Now, that pertains to Israel because they probably would have been the first one to get hit,” he added.
“I’ll tell you what, if it wasn’t for me there would be no Israel right now.”
Tom SandersToday10:13 BST
At least one person has been killed as a result of Iran’s drone attack on Kuwait’s International Airport last night, the country’s foreign ministry has revealed.
In a statement released on X, Kuwait’s government expressed “condemnation and denunciation, in the strongest terms, of the brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks using ballistic missiles and drones.”
Iran’s drone and missile strikes “targeting once again civilian and vital facilities, including Kuwait International Airport, resulted in the death of one individual, injuries to others, and damage to vital facilities, including diplomatic missions”.
Kuwait reserves its “full and inherent right” to respond to “sinful and repeated Iranian aggressions,” they added.
Tom SandersToday10:01 BST
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has claimed last night’s attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait are the direct result of the US and Israel’s multiple violations of the ceasefire agreement brokered on April 8, and that America must “bear responsibility” for the attacks.
In a statement, the Islamic Republic accused the Israeli regime of “flagrantly violating the ceasefire by infringing upon Lebanon’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of several thousand Lebanese citizens, the displacement of two million people, and the destruction of the country’s infrastructure and residential homes.
“A violation of the ceasefire on any front constitutes a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts,” they added.
The United States, meanwhile, is accused of “repeatedly committed blatant violations of the agreement, including its continued attacks against Iranian commercial shipping.”
“It is self-evident that the Islamic Republic of Iran will, with full determination and by utilizing all available capacities, defend its interests wherever it deems necessary, based on its inherent right of self-defense under international law,” the statement read.
Tom SandersToday09:50 BST
An Iranian missile struck Kuwait’s international airport on Wednesday morning, causing multiple injuries and forcing authorities to divert flights to avoid further casualties, state media reports.
Kuwait Defence Ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi said commerical flights had been suspended after “a number of hostile drones” targeted the airport’s passenger building, severely damaging the building and injuring “a number of individuals.”
The international airport only reopened on Monday after closing in February due to tensions caused by the Iran war. The airport will now remain closed until further notice, the country’s media reoprted.
Tom SandersToday09:37 BST
Bahrain’s air defence systems intercepted three Iranian missiles and “a number of” drone on Wednesday night, the country’s military announced this morning.
The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force accused Iran of continuing a “systemic hostile approach” by launching attacks at civilian targets last night, which it called a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.” The statement also said that Bahraini forced responded to the attack with high efficiency, citing advanced combat readiness and defensive preperations.
Tom SandersToday06:49 BST
The US Central Command said on social media that US forces attacked and disabled an oil tanker that was trying to sail toward an Iranian port on Tuesday, firing a missile into the ship’s engine room.
Tannur AndersToday03:49 BST
Crude oil prices rose more than 1 percent in early on Wednesday as the US carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island and Iranian missiles and drones were launched towards Kuwait and Bahrain, according to reports from Al Jazeera.
Tannur AndersToday02:16 BST
The US Central Command issued a statement on the Iranian attacks:
U.S. forces successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East, June 2. Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces. Moments earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces shot down three one-way attack drones launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters. American forces also conducted self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island. No U.S. personnel were harmed. CENTCOM forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire.
Tannur AndersToday00:37 BST
Kuwait has come under intense missile attack from Iran as the Middle East edges ever closer to full-scale conflict.
The Kuwaiti military wrote in a post on X early on Wednesday, May 3: “Kuwaiti air defenses are currently repelling missile and drone attacks.”
“The General Staff of the Army notes that if explosion sounds are heard, they are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks.”
“Everyone is asked to comply with the security and safety instructions issued by the relevant authorities.”
Iranian state media has reported that the missiles are targeting US Camp Arifjan and Ali al-Salem airbase near Kuwait City.
Read the full story here.
Tannur Anders2nd Jun22:44 BST
The US military has stopped a seventh ship trying to run its blockade of Iranian ports on Tuesday, said US Central Command.
The Botswana-flagged merchant vessel M/T Lexie was stopped by a US aircraft firing a Hellfire missile into its engine room after the crew ignored repeated warnings over 24 hours.
The halting of the Lexie comes just days after US forces halted another merchant vessel, the Lian Star, using a similar approach.
This latest halt brings the total of commercial ships disabled by US forces to six because one stopped vessel was ultimately allowed to continue on its way. Another 122 ships have been redirected, the military said.
Tim Hanlon2nd Jun22:03 BST
Marco Rubio says Iran has Chinese military equipment from their previous ties, but the US has seen no indication that anything provided has “changed the dynamic in the battlefield.”
The remarks came several weeks after the State Department sanctioned three China-based entities for providing satellite imagery that enabled Iran’s military strikes against US forces in the Middle East.
The Trump administration alleged one company collected satellite imagery of US and allied military facilities to aid Iran. Another company provided satellite imagery to Iran during the military operation and the third published open-source images detailing US military activity.
Tim Hanlon2nd Jun21:20 BST
Marco Rubio said that the US has a plan for Gaza, Israel seizing 70% of Gaza was not part of it.
The Secretary of State was testifying for the second time today before lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
He was pressed on where the US stands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of seizing 70% of Gaza to defeat the Hamas militant group.
Rubio said Netanyahu’s statement was not part of President Trump’s 20-point plan to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The plan would end Hamas’ rule and rebuild the territory.
“We have a plan — it doesn’t call for that,” Rubio said. “And at the end of the day, we understand that what we want, and I think what the Israelis would ultimately want, is a Gaza that is governed by a non-Hamas entity.”
Tim Hanlon2nd Jun21:10 BST
Trump denies that Iran has cut off communication with mediators, calling Iranian reports of a cessation in talks “false and erroneous.”
He said on Truth Social: “The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today.”
He continued: “Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!’”
Fars and Tasnim, two semiofficial Iranian news agencies, reported earlier Tuesday that Iran had stopped communicating with mediators about extending a ceasefire in the war with the US and Israel.
Trump denies that Iran has called off talks(Image: Samuel Corum – Pool via CNP/Shutterstock)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is offering the United Arab Emirates technical as well as moral support, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday after a visit to the site of a nuclear power plant that came under a drone attack last month.
Grossi said Emirati authorities had reacted very quickly to the attack at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant by shutting down a reactor because of the loss of external power.
He said a number of activities would take place to complete repairs at the plant but provided no further details.
Ethan Blackshaw2nd Jun18:37 BST
A British couple jailed on spying charges in Iran have lost an appeal against their convictions, their family has said.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were handed a 10-year prison sentence in February after being convicted of espionage, which they both deny.
The pair’s family have claimed they were not permitted to attend their appeal hearing.
They were jailed following their arrest in January 2025 while travelling through Iran during an around-the-world trip by motorcycle.
Ms Foreman’s son Joe Bennett said “the dial needs to shift” as he explained that the pair “don’t understand the process”.
Ethan Blackshaw2nd Jun17:58 BST
In a post on Truth Social yesterday Donald Trump claimed to have had a “very good call with Hezbollah”. When questioned about Trump’s conversation with the terrorist group, Marco Rubio explained to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that communications took place via the Lebanese government.
“We received communications via the Lebanese government and the speaker over there, on behalf of Hezbollah, as early as Sunday that they would restrain from attacking Israeli territory if Israel did not carry out new strikes in Beirut,” Rubio said.
“So it came from Hezbollah, but through Lebanese authorities.”
Joe Smith2nd Jun16:53 BST
“We can’t live in a world in which they get to close the straits and tell everybody, ‘pay us a toll’,” Marco Rubio said in defence of the US naval blockade of Iran.
The move came in response to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio said. “They’re firing on commercial ships, and they’ve mined large segments of Hormuz international waters. And so the blockade is only against Iranian ships,” he added.
“The notion is if no ships are going to get out, then Iran’s ships aren’t going to get out either.”
Tehran must reopen the strait as part of any peace deal, he said, adding: “If they refuse to do so, then we have other options available to us.”
Joe Smith2nd Jun16:21 BST
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he thinks Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is alive.
Answering questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said that, despite widespread reports that Khamenei was badly injured in the strikes which killed his father (the previous supreme leader) at the outbreak of the war – Mojtaba was still active.
“I would imagine, given what’s happened to multiple leaders in that system, being very public is probably not something that’s recommended for them internally,” he says.
“But that said, I think there are indications that he is increasingly engaging at some level, although all of his communications have been in writing and through intermediaries.”
(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Rubio has defended US military operations in Iran as he faced questions from lawmakers today, branding the sprawling conflict as “highly successful”.
“Operation Epic Fury – some of you didn’t like it, some of you did – was highly successful in achieving its military objectives, which was dramatically reducing the defence-industrial base of Iran,” he told House and Senate committees today.
“Today, there is no Iranian navy. There is no such thing,” he added. “It lies at the bottom of the ocean.”
Joe Smith2nd Jun15:48 BST
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is sitting before House and Senate committees facing questions about the US-Israel war on Iran from lawmakers for the first time since it began.
Discussing the ongoing attempts to secure peace talks, Rubio said negotiations with Iran may include “aspects of their nuclear programme that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention”.
“That is not a guarantee it will ultimately lead to a deal that’s acceptable,” he added.
Joe Smith2nd Jun15:19 BST
European leaders have spoken out following Israel’s latest strikes in southern Lebanon.
Germany’s chancellor has urged Israel to exercise restraint and said the country viewed the escalating strikes in southern Lebanon with great concern and called on Hezbollah to lay down its arms.
Meanwhile Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement that “strongly condemns the resurgence of violence in southern Lebanon, with the expansion of Israeli military operations and attacks by Hezbollah, and calls on the parties to fully respect the ceasefire of 16 April.”
In a post on X, Israel’s foreign ministry accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire “despite renewed declarations” yesterday.
Hezbollah destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks in the past 24 hours, according to Iran’s state Fars news agency.
Joe Smith2nd Jun14:49 BST
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency has said: “The fourth round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations began a short while ago at the US State Department headquarters in Washington, after the arrival of the participating delegations.”
This is the fourth round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon since the start of the conflict.
Joe Smith2nd Jun13:54 BST
Lebanon’s Health Ministry has updated the number of people wounded in Tyre to 127 – including 39 health workers – following an Israeli air attack near Jabal Amel Hospital yesterday. At least four people were killed in the attack, the government body said.
In an update yesterday the health ministry reported there had been 13,828 casualties since the start of the recent conflict with Israeli forces on March 2, with 3,433 people killed. The ministry said that 17 hospitals had been damaged and three closed with 128 health care workers killed over the period.