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⚡️ The Middle East recap for June 10 included a second night of exchanges between the USA and Iran, with the USA telling Israel to stay out the conflict to avoid a wider regional operation; the news from the Strait of Hormuz, including attacked vessels and new closures in place, along with all other new from the region throughout the day.
Negotiation News:
⚡️ Attacks by the USA on Iran in the early hours of Wednesday June 10 should not affect negotiations, CNN reported, while President Trump also stated in a press conference that after the US attacks had ended, there should be no further need for attacks, adding that it still wasn’t a ‘ceasefire violation.’
🔹 Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB confirmed that a Qatari delegation travelled to Tehran on Wednesday morning to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, including the latest diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war with the US.
🔹 US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said that President Trump is patient and a dealmaker who wants peace, but at the same time knows Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and that is the starting point – the ultimate red line.
🔹 Whitaker said that unlike other Presidents, Trump knew when to enforce the red lines he’s drawn, warning that if Iran wasn’t willing to make a deal in a ‘prudent amount of time,’ then Trump’s going to use all the incredible armed forces in the military that the United States has, in order to get to a situation where Iran is forced to make a deal.
🔹 An upcoming interview (Sunday) with Vice President JD Vance saw him saying that the US are in a position to get a deal that is good for the United States economically that really does deal with the nuclear problem in the long term: “To where my kids can say when they’re adults, Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he said, adding that is the goal of the policy, and he believed that ‘we’re very close to achieving a deal.’
🔹 Iranian and US officials held separate talks with Qatari mediators in Doha over a two day period, Axios reported, noting that Qatar sought to organise direct trilateral negotiations to resolve the remaining differences, but stated that Iranian officials refused to participate, while the NYT reported that chances had ‘grown dimmer.’
Hormuz News:
⚡️ UKTMO reported an incident 88 nautical miles southwest of Balhaf, Yemen, where a cargo vessel was approached by a small craft carrying six armed individuals, noting that an exchange of fire reportedly occurred between the craft and a security team on board, after which the small craft turned away.
🔹 US Central Command released a video and published a statement saying that at 11:14pm (EST) on June 9, US forces had disabled the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to violate the US Naval blockade, stating it was the second tanker in consecutive days that had to be disabled, adding that a US aircraft ‘fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with Directions from American forces.”
🔹 CENTCOM added that forces have disabled eight non-compliant vessels and redirected 134 commercial ships that complied, while allowing 42 supporting humanitarian aid to pass safely, since the blockade began on April 13.
🔹 Two crew members were missing and one injured after a US missile struck the Palau-flagged oil tanker Marivex off the coast of Iran on Monday, according to Reuters, who clarified there tanker carried a crew of 28, including 24 Indian sailors, adding that Indian authorities were working to determined whether the missing crew members were Indian nationals.
🔹 UKTMO reported the incident was reported 20 nautical miles northeast of Sohar, Oman, where a tanker experienced an engine room fire and the vessel reportedly had one casualty, with two crew members missing, but appeared to show it occurred on Wednesday morning instead of Monday.
🔹 A further incident was reported on Thursday morning, with a suspicious activity notice following reports of a vessel on fire 21 nautical miles off the coast of Sohar, Oman, claiming that local authorities are reporting damage to the engine room, but no injuries have so far been reported, and no environmental impact has been recorded, however vessels have been advised to ‘transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKTMO.’
🔹 The Indian Embassy in Oman published a statement to X stating they had learned of an incident reported off ‘Shinas port’ of Oman earlier on Thursday, adding that they were closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the local authorities for further details.
🔹 Due to the closures and low traffic volumes from the Strait of Hormuz, oil tanker traffic through Egypt’s Suez Canal increased sharply in April, Bloomberg reported, stating that a total of 529 oil tankers transited the canal during the month, which marked a 28% increase on the previous year, while overall traffic rose by 14% year-on-year to 1,182 ships, contributing to the canal’s highest revenue levels since early 2024.
🔹 President Trump revealed in a press conference the US had been shipping millions of barrels through the Strait of Hormuz in the dark and by night, with transponders turned off, while the US military was supporting the vessels and performing ‘love taps’ with Iran: “We took 22 ships out the other night,” he said, and claimed Iran knew nothing about it.
🔹 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concerns over the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the restrictions imposed on navigation, rights, and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz and its surroundings is causing hardship and disruption worldwide, adding that the disruptions have increased energy prices, disrupted supply chains, while also raising inflation and debt.
American News:
⚡️ President Trump held a Situation Room meeting earlier on Wednesday to discuss potential new strikes on Iran, according to Axios, who claimed that one option being considered was a large-scale but limited-duration military operation to increase pressure on Tehran, adding that the meeting was attended by Vance, Rubio, Ratcliffe, Caine, Witkoff, other senior officials, and Secretary of War Hegseth joined from CENTCOM headquarters in Florida.
🔹 Inflation rose to 4.2% in May, reaching the highest level in three years, with soaring energy prices linked to the war driving much of the increase, reported CNN in a live update, while Fox News Business said that food prices increased and the energy index jumped again last month, and a lot could be tied to fertilizer issues coming out of the Middle East.
🔹 President Trump said he loved the latest inflation figures, because they will go down as soon as the war is over, due to the US removing millions of barrels of oil from the Strait of Hormuz already, adding that when the war is over, inflation is going to come down like a rock.
🔹 Trump claimed: “We’re taking out millions, which I’m just announcing for the first time, but we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil, every night, we took out oil, but now I’m going to tell you because Iran just figured it out, so now that they figured it out, I can tell you,” he said, adding it was hard for him: “I wanted to say it so badly, but I didn’t want to ruin it.”
🔹 “Millions of barrels of oil have come out,” Trump said, adding that was why oil was at $85-90 a barrel instead of $250: “But we have the greatest military in the world,” he added.
Iranian News:
⚡️ The IAEA Board of Governors approved a US-backed resolution calling for Iran to clarify the status of its remaining enriched uranium stockpiles and permit inspections to verify them, which passed with a vote of 21-3, as Russia, China, and Nigeria opposed it, and Iran’s permanent mission to the UN in Vienna called the resolution ‘political’ and ‘devoid of professionalism, Reuters reported.
🔹 Iran, China, and Russia, issued a joint statement condemning a US-drafted resolution against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors, calling it political, unconstructive and a threat to the fragile situation, opposing any attempt to mislead member states about the status of Iran’s nuclear program.
🔹 According to Iran’s UN mission, the IAEA cannot be trusted when it is instrumentalised by warmongers and unable to express concern over unlawful armed attacks on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities: “Iran will protect its inalienable rights including in response to this flawed resolution,” the Mission said.
🔹 Siri’s water was restored within 12 hours of the US attack that resulted in the damage of two water tanks, reported the CEO of the Hormozgan Water and Waste Management Company, noting that two tanks in Kohestak city and Bomani district of Sirik county were damaged, but said expert teams, operational forces, machinery drivers and support staff started the replacement operations of the facilities and the establishment of a new water transmission line using the necessary fittings, pipes, and machinery, Tasnim News reported.
Lebanese News:
⚡️ Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese people, saying: “We in Israel seek peace with Lebanon, and the People of Israel support peace with Lebanon – peace with Lebanon is feasible.”
🔹 Herzog said his dream was to take a car and drive to Beirut, saying it was feasible, but for that to happen, the government, leadership, and the people of Lebanon needed to stand up against Iran and Hezbollah, making it clear they wanted peace, not terror.
🔹 “It was Hezbollah who violated the Security Council resolution of 2006… who violated the Ceasefire Agreement of 2024,” he said, stating Israelis and Israel cannot accept any attacks crossing the borders and had the right to defend themselves, adding that as long as there was no clear arrangement that protects the nations, it would be impossible to move forward, so it was in Lebanon’s hands and they must fight for it.
🔹 Several cars caught fire in Saida, Lebanon, as a result of a blast wave from a drone that detonated on a nearby generator, with initial reports that two people died in the attack, while other attacked areas included four strikes on the town of Sahmar in western Bekaa, on the city of Tyre and Nabatieh, despite warnings from Iran, and also flew surveillance drones over Beirut during the day.
🔹 The IDF published videos allegedly showing destruction of Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure belonging to a group in Tyre and other areas of south Lebanon, while the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that at least 13 people had been killed on Wednesday.
Trump’s Comments On Iran:
⚡️ President Trump was speaking at the Oval Office desk to reporters on Wednesday, warning: “We are going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard,” noting the bombing would resume in the evening, because they shot down ‘our helicopter.’
🔹 Trump said at first Iran claimed not to have shot down the helicopter, but then admitted it, which was sort of easy ‘because we have the bomb – we actually have the bomb – we got very lucky that bomb didn’t explode,’ as he explained the drone being inside the helicopter: “That bomb was lodged inside, it didn’t explode, it was on fire but it didn’t explode.”
🔹 Speaking of the attack, Trump said: “We hit them hard yesterday and we’re going to hit them hard again today, adding: “We were really close to a deal but they keep tapping us along – they keep playing us for suckers,” but refused to say whether or not power plants and bridges would be struck soon.
🔹 Trump said that Pakistan was still working as a mediator with Iran to try and get a deal, and Iran should sign the deal, ‘because it’s a very good deal.’
🔹 Repeating the same rhetoric as the past 130 days, (and an echo of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), Trump said that Iran simply cannot have a nuclear weapon, adding that Iran had agreed to that: “All they have to do is start signing the paper – it’s fully negotiated,” he said.
🔹 Trump continued: “They’re tapping and tapping, and I say, ‘Alright, let’s give them a couple more days,’ – they’re tapping because it’s a meaningful paper.’
🔹 Following the presser, President Trump took to his favourite social network to say that Iran’s army ‘was’ defeated and their economy ‘is lost,’ and admitted to carrying out a secret mission intended to help oil tankers and other commercial ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
🔹 Trump claimed to have moved more than 100 million barrels to the free market, and more than 200 ships have allegedly passed ‘safely’ through the Strait, adding it was a tremendous success due to the fact the ‘US controls the Strait of Hormuz – not Iran.’
🔹 Despite the claims, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told a congressional hearing on Wednesday that he was not aware the US had ‘taken millions of barrels of oil’ out of Iran as President Trump had told reporters and posted on Truth Social.
Iranian Response to Comments:
⚡️ President Masoud Pezeshkian published a statement to X that said the critical infrastructures are the lifeblood of the people: “Threats to target them – from transportation networks to the electricity and water industries – are not a show of strength but a sign of desperation in the face of the nation,” he said, adding: “Iran, relying on the knowledge and capabilities of its specialists, national unity, and solidarity, will stand firm against any pressure or threat.
🔹 Hanzala hacker group advised US Marines to contact their families and say goodbye: “The missiles are ready to be launched and Hanzala is waiting for a foolish move from you,” they warned, adding: “The strike in the coming hours will be bitter.”
Response to US Attacks The Previous Night:
⚡️ Wall Street Journal published a report claiming the US helicopter that crashed after being struck by an Iranian drone on Tuesday was defending ships against Iranian drones and missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, but the pilots escaped the burning aircraft by ejecting the main canopy and climbing out moments before the helicopter sank.
🔹 Iran’s public broadcasting service IRIB published a simple X post just asking two questions, with the first asking why there was an American military helicopter flying over Iranian airspace, and what would happen if an Iranian helicopter flew over San Francisco Bay.
🔹 Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had a lot to say in Florida, but first in Guantanamo Bay, after training with US troops and showing off on video, said: “Right now, there are defensive strikes to ensure we protect our people – again, Iran would be unwise to challenge us any further.”
🔹 Hegseth said: “President Trump is seeking a deal, but not just a deal, a great deal on behalf of the American People so that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”
🔹 Asked by a reporter how the targeting of bridges and energy infrastructure in Iran was not considered a war crime, Hegseth it back at the reporter saying: “Exactly the kind of question I expect from the media; questioning the motives of those on our side,” totally avoiding to answer what motives justified the attack.
🔹 The Iranian Foreign Minister published a statement condemning the US military’s ‘aggression’ as a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and said Iran exercised its inherent right to self-defence by striking US bases and assets in the region that served as the launchpad for attacks, and Tehran warned Gulf states against allowing US or Israeli forces to use their territory for aggression, possibly after being able to note US activity in Iraq, UAE and Saudi Arabia during the attacks.
🔹 Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the campaign against Iran is far from over and the IDF were ready to strike Iran ‘with Great force’, saying the Middle East is changing their eyes, with forces operating deep inside Lebanon against Hezbollah, which, Katz claimed, acted on behalf of the ‘Iranian regime.’
🔹 “We continue to strike Hezbollah terrorists everywhere for the security of the northern communities and the state of Israel, and categorically reject Iran’s threats and its attempts to link the arena,” Katz continued, warning that if Iran attacks Israel, it would suffer ‘a severe blow,’ as what happened a few days ago, adding: “The IDF is ready to strike Iran with great force.”
🔹 Yemen’s Foreign Minister based in Sana’a, warned against the continuation of US aggression against Iran and its consequences, which are considered a threat to international security and regional peace.
Promising A Strike:
⚡️ Not only had President Trump promised strikes on Truth Social following the attacks on the morning of June 10, Secretary of War Hegseth also told troops at Guantanamo Bay that the US were going to strike hard on the night of June 11, and hoped Iran made a good decision, because ‘we will hit them hard on our terms.’
🔹 “Again, they can’t do that to us meaningfully the way that we can do to them, but we’re also clearly signalling to them: you have a choice in the way you respond, and you have a choice with negotiations,” stating the strikes will be clear and strong, or even stronger if they happen tomorrow night, adding that throughout, Iran has the opportunity to make a deal: “That’s the point.”
🔹 Hegseth also confirmed that Project Freedom never stopped: “The idea of running ships through the Strait of Homuz never stopped; it just went underground,” he said, adding: “We have been protecting commercial ships going through the Strait of Hormuz.”
US Keep Their Promise:
⚡️ President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth both confirmed that attacks were going to happen again overnight, and they didn’t fail to disappoint, with several targets in Iran struck in at least three waves of US attacks, the first coming at 5:15pm EST, and the second was a later ‘defensive strike’ as the US continued to covertly move vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz.
🔹 Deliberate actions of the US led to the IRGC closing the Strait of Hormuz to all traffic, firing upon two commercial vessels that were attempting to pass through the Strait without Iranian permission, while also allegedly targeting two US warships, however, there’s no footage of this targeting, no damage reports from any vessel the US hasn’t struck (another 2 in 24 hours), and denial from Central Command makes it difficult to determine the actual truth.
🔹 The US Embassy in Baghdad reiterated a previous warning to American citizens, urging them to stay on high alert due to regional tensions and possible sudden flight disruptions, which happened later when Kuwait closed airspace across the country around 6am on Thursday as a precaution due to drones, and the US Embassy in Jordan soon followed suit.
🔹 Heavy US aerial tanker activity had been spotted by trackers including Warfront Witness, claiming they had deployed from Tel Aviv and were airborne over the gulf, at approximately 4:35pm EST, suggesting the refuelling of fighter jets preparing for an attack around 45 minutes before the order was given to launch.
🔹 Explosions and air defence activity was reported in various districts across the south coast, including Kish Island, as well as the South Pars facilities, however the governors of Assaluyeh and Kangan in South Pars denied any attacks of the explosions reported in IRIB, IRNA, Tasnim, Mehr and other sources, along with the Deputy Governor of Bushehr Ehsan Jahaniyan.
🔹 Mehr news investigative reporters later discovered that the alerts for Asaluyeh were due to a cruise missile detected heading in the direction of the town, but it was intercepted by Iran’s ‘integrated air defence network.’
🔹 Following reports of several more explosions in the coastal areas, Mehr issued a report from the IRGC navy claiming they were shocked the US forces were in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the US had so far attacked seven coastal points, as the US attempted to cover further vessels leaving the Strait while targeting the radar systems, air defence systems, drones, missile, and/or land-to-sea missile sites.
🔹 IRGC’s admission of the US targeting 7 coastal areas coincides with at least three explosions being heard around Siri, explosions around Qeshm, as well as explosions against Bandar Abbas, according to reports from IRIB news, TabzLive, Fars News, and Tasnim News.
🔹 Defence forces of the IRGC fired a SAM at a US F-16 fighter jet on Thursday morning after it violated Persian Gulf airspace, the IRGC said, claiming the launch prompted the jet to make a hasty retreat.
🔹 Geopolitics Watch noted that ‘so far, the target package is the same as last night,’ following AJ News claim that the US were targeting Iranian infrastructure (missile systems, defence systems and/or radar systems), in line with ‘CENTCOM’s goal to reverse Iranian control over the waterway.’
🔹 Several speedboats were targeted near Larak Island in the early hours of Thursday morning by bursts of fire from the sky to the sea, eyewitnesses told Fars News, who claimed the gunfire likely came from an A-10 aircraft.
🔹 US airstrikes continued, with IRNA reporting explosions at Qeshm Island and Hengam Island; IRIB news reporting an air strike had been carried out on a site in Kargan; and then more strikes recorded at Qeshm according to IRIB, as well as Bandar Abbas, near the airport and airbase, according to IRNA.
🔹 Strikes were also confirmed in Veramin in Tehran Province, further explosions at Bandar Abbas and Sirik Island, as Central Command claimed to have carried out additional strikes on Iran, around 30-45 minutes following Iran’s drone and missile strikes.
🔹 Additional targets included locations in Karaj and Eshtehard, explosions were heard in Bandar Sirik, and Aybek in Qazvin, while several drones were spotted in Nazarabad, as exchanges of fire between the US and Iran continued around the Strait of Hormuz.
🔹 US officials allegedly told Axios that they were expecting a response from Iran, possibly targeting US bases, as a response of what took place on Tuesday night, stating targets were in southern Iran, including air defence systems, radars, as well as drone command and control units.
🔹 Following claims of a projectile striking a military site in Khormoj, Dashti County, the Deputy Governor of Bushehr Jahaniyan again denied the reports, but did confirm that an area in the heights of Dashti county was targeted, adding that due to the difficult terrain, they were unable to immediately investigate the exact location.
🔹 Two residents of Korgan village in Minab county, Hormozgan province, were wounded by shrapnel from projectiles fired during the US attack, which came after the Persian Gulf announced at least 5 projectiles targeting the area at 00:45am local time, confirmed in a live broadcast by IRIB News.
🔹 US Central Command forces said they had completed additional self defence strikes at the Commander in Chief’s direction, launching strikes on Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defence systems across Iran, using precision munitions on Iranian targets that posed a threat to US forces and international commercial ships transiting in the regional waters, conducted in response to Iran’s ‘unwarranted and continued aggression.’
🔹 IRGC inadvertently issued a US target report in a statement, when they claimed to be responding to an attack on some service units and coastal posts of the IRGC, the police command, and the Bandar Abbas airport area.
🔹 Hanzala claimed electronic warfare and jamming units of theirs were actively disrupting ‘enemy systems and signals,’ alleging that a large part of the first and second waves of US attacks were disrupted so far due to the operations of the EW units.
🔹 During the wave of attacks, 49 Tomahawk missiles were used to hit targets inside Iran, some as close as 40 miles from Tehran, President Trump told Fox News, stating US fighter jets were now operating over Iranian skies taking out more radar and air defence systems in the south-west.
🔹 Trump said Iran called him directly and asked the US to stop the bombing: “The bombing will stop shortly,” he told them, and when asked what happened if Iran doesn’t sign the proposed agreement, the president responded: “We’ll bomb the shit out of them tomorrow night.”
🔹 A senior Iranian official told IRIB News that President Trump’s claim of Iranian’s calling to ask for a halt to the strikes was a ‘pure lie,’ stating the false claim was a cover to flee the war with Iran.
🔹 Iran’s IRGC said that two ships attempted to transit the Strait without permission and with transponders switched off, so they were targeted by the IRGC Navy, which led to the exchange of fire with the United States during the first wave.
🔹 “Following repeated violations of the ceasefire conditions by the Americans, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice,” they said, warning no vessel should move from their anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, adding that approaching the Strait would be considered as ‘cooperating with the enemy,’ but US Central Command attempted to deny the statement with a fact check on X.
The Response:
⚡️ Hanzala warned the beginning of a combined, decisive, and devastating response by the joint operations room of Hanzala Cyber Command and the IRGC would be recorded in a few minutes.
🔹 Soon after, Iran launched waves of missiles and drones towards Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, attempting to target US bases in the region responsible for committing the attacks, first noting that an attack was carried out with drones targeting the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and said that communication antennas and Patriot radar facilities were among the targets.
🔹 Arab sources reported sighting of Iranian missiles simultaneously with the alarms sounding, claiming that the missiles impacted on the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, later reporting that several explosions rocked the base, and Bahrain was also attacked 20 and 30 minutes later by additional missiles and drones.
🔹 Kuwait sirens also began to ring out as the Ali Al Salem Airbase came under attack by missiles and drones, which forced the country to close their airspace, and ten minutes later, there were new reports of explosions and columns of smoke rising above Manama, the capital of Bahrain.
🔹 Iraqi sources also claimed the US Al-Harir Airbase in Erbil, Northern Iraq, was targeted by missiles from Iran, while Al-Maloumeh reported that Iran destroyed an American radar in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.
🔹 Following the US’ second wave of ‘defensive’ attacks, Iran’s missiles were seen in the dawn skies above Tabriz, Zanjan, Urmia, and Isfahan, as footage also showed Jordanian air defences attempting to intercept the incoming ballistic missiles, near the US’ Muwaffaq Salti Airbase, while reports of interceptions over Amman meant the US Airbase wasn’t the only target in Jordan, and footage published later from Naya appeared to show at least one to two impacts around the area of Muwaffaq Salti Airbase.
🔹 The IRGC said it carried out two waves of attacks in total, carrying attacks against 18 ‘important targets’ belonging to the US forces in Al Ali Al-Salem and Ahmad Al-Jaber airbases in Kuwait, and Sheik Isa airbase in Bahrain, claiming the strikes ‘hit hard and destroyed the targets.
🔹 According to the statements, the missile site targeted the US army on a recreational site, production complex and an area of barracks near Karaj and Nazarabad, as well as a local IRGC base in Pishiva county, with 12 ballistic missiles targeting the locations of the US F35, F16, F16 fighter jets and also important facilities of the US army located in the Al-Azraq airbase and control centre, claiming a facilities and a large number of jets were ‘destroyed.’
Aftermath (Early Edition):
⚡️ Jordanian Armed Forces said air defence systems and Royal Air Force aircraft intercepted and shot down 20 missiles launched from Iran toward the Blue Zone early Thursday morning, while a military source said engineering units were dealing with missile debris to ensure no explosive materials remain, and that falling fragments caused no injuries or material damage.
🔹 Bahrain were less unfortunate, because one strike by Iran led to an 11-year-old girl sustaining minor injuries and was luckily treated at the scene, as Bahrain’s Ministry also said several vehicles caught fire and homes were damaged in Hamad town and Manama due to ‘debris from intercepted drones.’
