AJ
US/Israel/Iran recap for June 4 includes comments from President Trump, an interview with Iranian FM Araghchi, news from the Strait, words from officials, and other news that affects the Middle East.
President Trump’s comments on Iran:
⚡️ During a question and answer session, President Trump alleged that former Presidents Biden and Obama had inspired Iran to have a nuclear weapon, while now claiming that he doesn’t want to meet with the Ayatollah, but if Trump did meet with him, it would be an honour and the president would be respectful.
🔹 When a reporter said that Operation Epic Fury had killed Mojtaba Khamenei’s father, wife, and child, Trump said: “I am not his favourite person, but he is probably a professional, he has a very good reputation in some circles actually,” adding: “Some people say bad, but a lot of people say bad about me – it’s totally false, of course.”
🔹 Trump said his administration had explored the possibility of sending US forces into Iran to secure the country’s uranium stockpiles, but had decided against it due to the significant risks and the potential for American casualties, likening the scenario to the failed hostage rescue mission under President Jimmy Carter, citing concerns about a similar outcome.
🔹 “We could get it right now, I don’t think they could stop us if we wanted, but there’s no reason to, because it’s entombed,” Trump said, adding: “We also have cameras on it through Space Force – every inch of that land has cameras on it – so if anybody even got near it, we would know what we had to do.”
Iranian FM Araghchi’s Interview:
⚡️ Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was interviewed in relation to the current situation in the Middle East, first noting that Iran had warned previous countries about the use of their bases and territory by the US for attacks against Iran, adding that the Iranian response was directed at US bases and soil in other countries, not the regional countries themselves, and in this regard, had continued to communicate with the Saudi Foreign Minister.
🔹 Araghchi said Iran and Saudi Arabia are seriously committed to maintaining their relations in an appropriate and worthy manner and ensuring stability between the two countries: “There is a mutual understanding with the Saudi Foreign Minister that Iran and Saudi Arabia must have serious, frank, and constructive dialogues,” he said, adding: “We will definitely continue our talks and negotiations with our friends in Saudi Arabia.”
🔹 The FM said standing up for 40 days against the world’s greatest overt power equipped with nuclear weapons is no joke, and the world has now realised the true power of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic of Iran as a whole.
🔹 Araghchi said the main reason for the problem in Iran’s relationship with the UAE could be the presence of Israel, noting that during the war there was evidence the US and Israel had used skies and land of the UAE to attack Iran, as well as documents and evidence showing the UAE sometimes participated in military operations against Iran, adding that the UAE government established relations with Israel and there are very close political, commercial, and economic ties between them.
🔹 “If the US bases were not present in our neighbouring countries, they would not be exposed to any attacks,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran told regional countries that the American bases in their countries would be part of the aggression against Iran and meant Iran would be forced to attack the bases, ‘but perhaps they did not take the matter seriously, maybe they thought we could not respond.’
🔹 The FM said that Iran and Oman would regulate the management of the Strait of Hormuz based on international law, stating that views and ideas would be exchanged about the management of the Strait with the Persian Gulf countries, but it would ultimately come down to a decision made between Iran and Oman.
🔹 Araghchi said as the two coastal countries of the Strait of Hormuz, Oman and Iran had the natural right to consult with each other over the administration of the Strait and managing the traffic, as well as to make joint decisions, adding that this is currently happening, in accordance with international law, and would be regulated by the administration under the principles of international law.
🔹 The details of how the project will be completed are currently under review between Iran and Oman, as well as consultations with other countries in the Persian Gulf region: “We and our friends in Oman emphasize that we will consult with other countries around this Strait, meaning those in the region for whom the Strait is important, to think together about the administration, but ultimately that decision will be made between Iran and Oman, and our decision is to ensure safe passage for all ships and that this is done completely safely without problems,” Araghchi said.
🔹 Iran’s connection with the leader of the revolution is established and continuous, and his guidance reaches Iranians at the appropriate time and is followed precisely, Araghchi said, adding that the leader of the revolution had full control over affairs, and due to security considerations, intelligence agencies do not recommend his public presence.
🔹 During the interview, Araghchi was reportedly asked whether Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had been advised to move to a highly secure location, to which Araghchi said Khamenei had refused to do so, noting Khamenei said: “I will not go to a shelter or to a secure location unless every member of the Iranian people also have access to a safe place and to shelters.”
🔹 Khamenei said: “Since that possibility is not available to everyone at this time, I too will remain above ground alongside the people,” adding: “Whatever happens to my people will happen to me as well.”
🔹 Araghchi said that despite the large-scale deployment of US military units and the heavy wartime atmosphere in early February, the spirit of the martyred leader Ali Khamenei prevented him from going to a shelter as well, in spite of all dangers, wishing to remain in his office.
🔹 “Contrary to the enemy’s calculations, which anticipated collapse, the state’s institutions acted quickly, and the appointment of a new leader was carried out rapidly, bringing reassurance and confidence to the country,” Araghchi said.
News from Hormuz:
⚡️ IRGC reported that the Navy of the Iranian Army has punished those who disturbed the order and security of the Strait of Hormuz, stating the fast attack boats of the 27th Rajab of the IRGC Navy have multiplied the power of supervision and control of the country’s armed forces in the waterway, providing key surveillance and monitoring, IRIB News reported.
⚡️ Reuters reviewed a document that revealed the EU’s diplomatic arm proposed assigning the bloc’s Aspides Naval Mission ‘the primary role’ in mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz ‘when conditions allow,’ as part of Europe’s contribution to a French- and British-led initiative.
⚡️ Bloomberg reported the UK and France have finalised plans to lead a coalition of 15 countries who have committed military personnel and assets in a multinational mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz, to be deployed within days of an agreement to reopen the waterway and navigation rights, noting that Britain’s Royal Navy has sent the RFA Lyme Bay, loaded with autonomous mine-hunting systems, towards the strait.
⚡️ US Central Command announced that as of June 4, the US Naval forces had redirected 127 Iranian commercial vessels, disabled six for non-compliance, and allowed 36 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass.
⚡️ Reuters reported an explosion had occurred at Al Fahal port in Oman early on Friday morning, noting the loading of crude oil at the port had been halted following the explosion which was likely caused by a drone attack, adding that the explosion occurred between docks number 1 and 2.
Negotiation News:
⚡️ Iran’s IRGC said that its acceptance of a regional ceasefire was conditional on a ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon, stressing that the Israeli army must immediately stop its attacks on the people of Lebanon.
🔹 The IRGC said Israel must also ‘swiftly withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory behind the internationally recognised borders, and recognise Lebanon’s territorial integrity, warning that there will be no stability in the region without the withdrawal of the Israelis from occupied Lebanese areas.
🔹 According to the statement, the Lebanese people would not allow Israel to obtain through a US-backed agreement what if tailed to achieve through the war, saying: “The people of Lebanon will not allow the usurping regime to obtain through an imposed agreement what it failed to obtain on the battlefield with the support of the child-killing US regime.
⚡️ Iran’s Deputy Legal Advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi told Mehr News that Iran is insisting on 50% of their blocked assets being made available to Iran simultaneously with the signing of the agreement.
🔹 Gharibabadi said: “We consider a text finalised and complete only when our considerations and interests are fully taken into account, and one of these considerations is the permanent ending on of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
⚡️ Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow had close relations with Iran and were capable of playing a role in resolving the crisis, stating the Ukrainian crisis was a local issue, but the situation in Iran had global dimensions.
🔹 Putin said Russia remained ready to remove enriched uranium from Iran, stating the enriched uranium from Iran can be used in Iran’s future peaceful nuclear energy programs, adding that the people of Iran have proven their interests must be considered in resolving the Middle East conflict.
What the media said:
⚡️ Tasnim News reported that ‘the enemy’s’ false flag about an alleged drone strike indicated the psychological operation, according to an informed sauce, who said the launch of IRGF drones towards American targets in Kuwait took place at midnight, but the strike also took place at midnight, while the time of the CCTV video allegedly showing the drone crashing into Kuwait’s Terminal 1 was in the daytime, adding that with a distance of 40km to Kuwait Airport from the launch site, even with the possibility of a strike error or electronic interference, the fact it was an Iranian drone is inconceivable.
News from the USA:
⚡️ President Trump told reporters that the killing of US troops by Iran would be a ‘good reason’ to restart the conflict, and that he would do so ‘very quickly’, saying: “Well – it would be a good reason, I’d be honest with you – yeah, if they kill US troops, I think I would do that very quickly, yeah, that’s a very interesting question.”
⚡️ CNN published exclusive footage which indicated the fire on board the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, had caused significantly more damage than previously disclosed, while the vessel was supporting US military operations against Iran.
🔹 Sailors’ living quarters were destroyed by the blaze, which showed charred bunks, damaged ceilings and extensive fire damage, with one fearing the ship could’ve been lost during the incident.
🔹 The carrier’s fire-suppression system failed to operate, forcing crew members to battle the fire manually with a senior US official adding that the Navy’s initial public statement understated the impact, and the ship was unable to resume flight operations for two days, before later heading to Greece for temporary repairs.
News from Iran:
⚡️ Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei marked Eid al-Ghadir and the anniversary of Khomeini’s passing with a message calling for national unity and vigilance against ‘enemy plots,’ saying the US and Israel had been defeated militarily, but are now focused on undermining the people’s resilience and causing miscalculations among officials using doubt, despair and division, urging officials to avoid any action that breeds public cynicism or frustration, warning that doing so would ‘aid the enemy.’
⚡️ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called member of Hamas’ Security Council Khalil al-Hayya, offering condolences for the death of Khalil al-Hayya’s son and a number of resistance commanders in Gaza, while praising the legendary steadfastness of the Palestinian people and resistance groups against aggressions from Israel.
🔹 Araghchi also provided a report on the latest actions of Iran to stop the current war in the region, emphasising continuation of Iran’s principled policy in supporting the legitimate resistance of the peoples of the region, especially in Palestine and Lebanon, against the occupation and aggression of the Israeli regime.
🔹 Khalil al-Hayya offered condolences for the death of the Supreme Leader back in February, along with a number of commanders and officials of Iran during the recent war, congratulating Iran on the victory in repelling the aggression and ‘thwarting the aggressors,’ while also providing a report on the latest situation in occupied Palestine, especially the Gaza Strip, under the ongoing aggression and the regime’s obstruction in implementing the ceasefire agreement.
🔹 Al-Hayya said the firm stance of the resistance groups and the Palestinian people in continuing steadfastness until the achievement of the national goals of Palestine, especially stopping the aggressions and ending the occupation.
⚡️ Foreign Minister from the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi by telephone to discuss the latest developments in initiatives and diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in the West Asia region, as well as topics related to bilateral relations.
⚡️ Sheikh Naim Qassam, the Hezbollah Secretary General, thanked Iran for its support in reclaiming the land in Lebanon and the rights against the joint aggression of US and Israel, stating that Tehran was working to establish a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon alongside stopping the aggression against itself.
🔹 Qassam said the recent Washington plan is the result of futile and humiliating negotiations aimed at legitimising Lebanon’s surrender to ‘the Greater Israel’ project, and that Israel’s main goal was to disarm the resistance, which would mean the destruction of Lebanon’s power and an existential threat to its people.
🔹 Hezbollah are only committed to a comprehensive ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon, do not accept any division between the south and border regions of Lebanon, and do not grant ‘the enemy’ any ‘freedom of action’ to carry out killings, adding that as long as villages remained insecure and targeted by bombings, the Israeli settlements will also remain insecure, and will witness anger and firmness.
⚡️ Leader of the Houthi Movement (Ansarallah) Abdulmalik Badreddin al-Houthi said on Thursday the main criterion for accepting officials in most Arab and Islamic countries was their acceptance by America, noting President Trump recently opposing Maliki’s Premiership in Iraq, who was then removed from the list of candidates because of the Americans dislike of him, adding that America was trying to bring some powers and currents in the region to a point where they enter a comprehensive war in service of Israel.
⚡️ UN atomic monitors have recently been permitted to visit the Bushehr nuclear power plant by Iran, but are stonewalling on verifying the condition and location of its enriched uranium stockpile, according to Bloomberg, stating the material, enough for about a dozen warheads, has not been verified by a year according to the IAEA.
🔹 Monitors have yet to return to damaged sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, while IAEA inspections have fallen by more than half since the 12-day war last year, as IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi appealed for a long-lasting, verifiable diplomatic agreement.
⚡️ As Iranian officials gathered for the funeral of former Supreme Leader Khamenei at the Imam’s shrine ceremony, they were asked a series of questions by an IRIB reporter.
🔹 Mohsen Rezaee said: “It is in America’s interest to pay the rights of the Iranian nation sooner,” while the head of the IRIB, Jabali, said: “The people are the continuers of the path of Imam Khomeini and the martyr Imam Khamenei.”
🔹 Kazem Gharibabadi said with the power Iran has, there is no meaning of the word ‘worry’ in front of the ‘enemy,’ adding that there’d be no agreement until Iran are sure that the understanding resolved all the concerns of the Iranian nation.
🔹 Major General Rezaei said the Strait of Hormuz is open for trade but not for military presence, adding that if the US claims to support trade, it needs to abandon the naval blockade immediately, because dozens of ships pass through the Strait on a daily basis, and added: “If the Zionists had attacked Dahieh, they would have faced a response heavier than the 40-day war.”
🔹 Rezaei also said the Emir of Qatar and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia were adjusting themselves to current realities, but the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait still thought that America’s power remained the same: “They should not think that if they continue this way, we will leave them after the war,” he said, adding: “If the UAE and Kuwait are with the Zionists, they should give Abu Dhabi and Bubiyan to Saudi Arabia and Iraq.”
⚡️ Interior Ministers of Iran and Pakistan met on Thursday to discuss bilateral issues, in which Iran’s Eskander Momeni said: “We must strive to increase the volume of trade between the two countries from three billion dollars to ten billion dollars.”
🔹 Pakistan’s IM Naqvi said he was prepared to follow up on common issues and hopeful about the success of the Iran-US tension reduction talks mediated by Pakistan, while welcoming the developments of relations between the two countries in all aspects, especially economic, and the target of ten billion dollars.
Other News:
⚡️ Lieutenant Colonel Bakhtiyar Mohammed, the Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry said the unification process of the MoU is in its final stages, but two ‘brigade zones’ – units 70 and 80 – were not yet operational, noting the current Memorandum of Understanding with the United States expired in September 2026, and a new agreement was needed to continue cooperation, training and arming.
🔹 “A new memorandum is necessary, whether bilateral or through the federal government,” Bakhtiyar said, stressing that all cooperation must be with the approval of Baghdad, while calling for new agreements with other coalition partners, including the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy.
⚡️ Kata’ib Hezbollah’s security official, Mujahid al-Assaf, warned against falling into US traps designed to sow discord, noting those who handed over weapons were not part of the Islamic Resistance and hadn’t fired on the US for a long time, but the five remaining factions plus Kata’ib Karbala will remain cohesive as long as ‘occupation and infringement’ on Iraqi sovereignty continue.
⚡️ Channel 12 Israel reported that Mossad had transferred weapons and ammunition that had been taken from Hamas and Hezbollah to the Kurds, which was part of the plan to overthrow Iran’s government.
⚡️ Israel secretly deployed military and intelligence personnel to Azerbaijan during the war with Iran, who operated from sites near Iran’s northern border to conduct intelligence gathering, drone operations, and support potential rescue missions, CNN reported.
🔹 According to the report, Israel also maintained covert positions in Iraq, the UAE, and Somaliland during the conflict, extending its operational reach around Iran, but the report added that Azerbaijan have denied its territory was used for operations against third countries.
⚡️ Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Rafael Grossi in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss cooperation between the Kingdom and the agency, with talks focused on collaboration in nuclear non-proliferation as well as nuclear safety and security.
