AJ
⚡️ Within today’s Middle East Recap for June 11, readers will find information about the aftermath from night two of the US’ attacks inside Iran, including reactions; Trump’s interview with Fox and journalist question time in the Oval office before and after a peace agreement announcement; more information about activity within the Strait of Hormuz; as well as other news in the Middle East.
Aftermath Of Night Two:
⚡️ Jordan Ministry of Defence said the country destroyed 20 missiles launched from Iran, with no casualties or material damage from the falling shrapnel.
⚡️ Bahrain’s Foreign Minister claimed that 36 Iranian drones were launched at the country early on June 11, but failed to mention how many had been intercepted, or issue any damage reports, due to the country’s censorship.
⚡️ Kuwait’s Army said its armed forces had intercepted 24 Iranian drones launched at Kuwaiti territory in the previous 48 hours, but censorship didn’t allow them to inform how many were intercepted or destroyed, potential targets or damage reports.
⚡️ Senior Military Advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mohsen Rezaee, said that the unhinged US President imagined bombs could get him out of the quagmire, but Iranian missiles will sink him deeper into it, adding that Washington must accept Iran’s terms and was losing the last shred of its credibility in the world.
⚡️ Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas about the recent regional developments following US strikes on Iran, condemning the attacks of violations of the UN charter and international law.
🔹 Araghchi argued that the US had effectively undermined the ceasefire and that bore full responsibility for any resulting consequences, while warning the international community their silence and inaction could increase both regional and global insecurity.
⚡️ Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the new US attacks on targets inside Iran were further evidence of ‘blatant aggression’ against sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and national security of Iran, as well as a broad violation and meaningless disregard of the ceasefire.
🔹 Gharibabadi said that describing the attacks as ‘self-defence’ as claimed in a statement by CENTCOM, the US couldn’t escape the consequences of their actions by just ‘changing the label,’ and military aggression is ‘not legitimised by word manipulation.’
🔹 The Deputy Minister added that Iran would remain resilient and stand up to any aggression, defending every inch of the country’s soil with decisive, powerful, and regret-inducing responses, while the full consequences of the ‘illegal and dangerous actions’ will fall on the United States and any party that facilitates or assists them.
⚡️ President Trump took to Truth warning that the US would be hitting Iran very hard again on the night of June 11, while claiming: “At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points,” in order to assume control over Iran’s oil and gas markets, much like what happened with Venezuela.
⚡️ Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan said on X that the reckless adventurism of the US along with a trigger happy approach proved the US were looking for brinkmanship and charlatanism rather than a substantial peace settlement with goodwill, but the Iranian nation will not bow down to threats or attacks, and it could leave Netanyahu and his lobby in Washington the only ones ‘celebrating the failure of another diplomatic initiative.”
⚡️ New York Times published a report that showed satellite images and videos of the US attacks near the water facility in Iran, claiming it is unclear whether the US deliberately targeted the facility or was aware of its nature, but acknowledged that deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime.
⚡️ CNN claimed President Trump was becoming increasingly frustrated this week after ordering new strikes on Iran, believing that both Tehran and the ‘fake media’ sections were downplaying the overall impact of the military actions, so Trump authorised a second round of strikes n Wednesday in an effort to increase pressure on Iran, push its leadership into an agreement, while also warning of later strikes, in order to gain further press coverage.
⚡️ Bahrain’s Interior Ministry claimed on Wednesday that a child was slightly injured due to the ‘fall of interceptor missiles’ wile attempting to prevent an Iranian attack, setting vehicles on fire and damaging houses in Manama and Hamad City, and the scale of destruction confirmed it was caused from either a PAC-2 or PAC-3 air defence system, according to Iraqi news agency, Naya.
Fox Interview Trump By Phone:
⚡️ President Trump was live on air, speaking via telephone, being interviewed by Fox News, claiming that Iran and the US were still discussing the negotiations behind the scenes: “They’re dying to make a deal, they want a deal so badly,” he said, adding: “We dropped around $250 million of bombs on them last night (morning of June 11) – the whole thing is crazy – they’re really in submission, [but] they just don’t know it yet.”
🔹 Trump also said his preference was to take Kharg Island, but was unsure how the American public would react: “I don’t know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest with you – you’d make a fortune,” he said, adding: “I’m not sure that America has a long time, you know, it’s a little longer process, something that’s a guarantee if I want to do it.”
🔹 According to Trump, Iran could ‘wave the white flag and surrender, it could be the greatest deal in history,’ adding: “We’re flying planes over the middle of Tehran, and they don’t have no idea we’re there,” and claimed Iran’s missile capacity had dropped to around 20%.
🔹 Seemingly still obsessed with how the media are observing the war, Trump said Iran were very good at the publicity of the war: “Iran can’t believe the press they’re getting,” he said, claiming Iran told him ‘it’s amazing how well we’re doing in the papers.’
🔹 Trump said that Iran were still negotiating to make a deal, but it had become hard because they are a proud nation who had been the ‘bully of the Middle East for 47 years.’
🔹 According to Trump, the JCPOA agreement was a road to a nuclear weapon, whereas Trump’s agreement is no nuclear weapon, either buying or making, and said Iran had agreed to the terms: “No matter what I do, the press will say it is a great victory for Iran,” he added.
🔹 The President was asked about the threats made on June 10, which included potential attacks on bridges and power plants, asking if these were still to come, but Trump said he’d rather not do it because people suffer: “Water is really a devastating loss for them – I could do that in one minute, but the problem is the people won’t be able to drink water, so I don’t want to do that.”
🔹 Iranian people are afraid because they have no guns while the other side have, Trump said, claiming that once they decide to have a rally, they get shot: “They’ve killed at least 40,000 to 50,000 people, and the people are afraid,” Trump still alleged: “You know, when you have a machine gun staring you in the face or when you have four snipers on four different buildings shooting people in the head, it’s hard to have a rally.”
🔹 However, Trump confirmed that some of the protestors could have been armed, thanks to the US secretly sending weapons to the Iranian protestors through the Kurds: “We actually sent them weapons, and we were very disappointed by the Kurds to be honest with you, [because] the Kurds let us down.”
🔹 Trump said: “I disagree with the decision, you know, and I was saying, ‘No, I don’t believe they’ll deliver them,'” adding that he thought the Kurds kept them for themselves: “I think it’s a disgrace, but I’ll remember that, Kurds, I’ll remember that.”
🔹 Warning of more bombing, which would be ‘bigger, more powerful,’ and claiming that all of Iran’s anti-aircraft defences had been knocked out, Trump said: “They may get lucky with a shoulder weapon or something, but for the most part, you know, they have no defence – they’re finished, but the papers, the media, refuse to write it.”
🔹 Trump said: “We can walk in there tomorrow, we could take soldiers,” adding that he didn’t want to put boots on the ground: “But if I wanted to, we could put a small group of soldiers on the ground and take over the whole place.”
🔹 Concluding the interview, Trump said he’d like to get a deal now, ‘less than three or four weeks to go,’ stating that once you do this you could just go a step further, but didn’t know if America had ‘the appetite to do what I would really much prefer doing,’ because of the loss of 13 soldiers in Iran.
⚡️ Following the interview, CNN published an article saying that Iran had been preparing for a potential US operation aimed at taking Iran’s Kharg Island for several months, but noted Iran had reinforced the island’s defences, including the deployment of additional personnel, air defences, and MANPADS.
🔹 Iran has also placed anti-personnel and anti-armour mines along the shoreline in anticipation of a possible landing operation, noting that US officials and military experts have previously warned that any operation with the aim of seizing the island would carry significant risks, including US casualties.
Negotiations:
⚡️ Al Arabia were told by a senior diplomatic source close to the negotiations that both Qatar and Pakistan had intensified efforts to push forward with an agreement, with the source dismissing reports of setbacks in the negotiations as untrue, while also confirming that Iran had delivered its response to the message handed over by Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
⚡️ President Trump had already made several threats of large-scale attacks on Iran, both on Fox News and Truth Social, but later said that discussions with Iran had been approved by the leadership level, so Trump had cancelled the scheduled strikes against Iran.
🔹 Discussions and final points had been approved by all parties involved, Trump claimed, listing the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others, but added the Naval blockade would remain in full force until ‘this transaction is finalised’ at a time and place to be announced shortly.
⚡️ i24NEWS were told that Israeli officials were caught off guard by President Trump’s announcement, with one source stating Israel had been relying on Trump’s public statements, saying Israel needs to hear Iran’s official response before determining whether the President’s assessment is accurate, and noted that past experiences suggested it may not be the case.
⚡️ An Israeli official also told Channel 12 they had no knowledge of any deal and were puzzled by President Trump’s announcement that the Iranian leadership had announced one, while Fars News said no text had been approved for the initial memorandum of understanding with the United States.
⚡️ Shortly before cancelling the planned strikes on Iran, President Trump spoke with Pakistani mediators who informed him that ‘we have a deal’ with Iran, according to NYT, who cited a senior administration official.
⚡️ Axios wrote that Qatari and Iranian negotiators believed they had reached an acceptable text with the US after narrowing differences on three key issues, which includes the release of Iran’s frozen assets, the arrangements for reopening the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire, and the framework for nuclear negotiations.
🔹 However, Iranian officials have said the agreement still requires an approval from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, while sources added that recent US strikes had increased the level of distrust between Iran and the US despite the ongoing progress in negotiations.
⚡️ Qatari’s Royal Court confirmed that Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had held a call with President Trump to discuss the latest developments in diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, noting the two leaders reviewed the results of consultations and understandings between Washington and Tehran, which led to progress in the proposed agreement.
🔹 Trump stated that the US-Iranian understandings had received the approval of all parties and the support of Qatar and other friendly nations, confirming that efforts are continuing to complete the final procedures in preparation for announcing the signing arrangements.
⚡️ Fars News Agency said the proposed draft agreement may be closer to receiving final approval after the US returned to accepting its original terms, noting the draft had been almost finalised two weeks ago, awaiting approval from Tehran and Washington, when Trump later sought to add new conditions beyond what US negotiators previously agreed to.
⚡️ Qatari mediators later informed Tehran that Washington had withdrawn from those additional demands and returned to the original draft, Fars said, stating the despite Trump’s public claims of Iranian concessions under military pressure, Iran has not yet given a final response, and the US was the side who adjusted its position.
⚡️ National Security and Foreign Policy Commission spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei said he was among the representatives who had seen Kharg and its supporting forces up close, warning that impure US feet would not reach there, and any attempts would be futile.
🔹 Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the status of the negotiations was clear to Iran from the beginning, with most of the text finalised, but the US kept changing their positions, proving that Iran doesn’t compromise on what it has defined as a red line, while matters raised about the agreement are ‘speculation and nothing has been finalised,’ adding that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz was more insecure due to the actions of the United States.
Trump Answers Questions Following Iranian Deal:
⚡️ President Trump said that a great settlement had just been made of the war with Iran, ‘and we’re going to be subject to finalisation documents, which should be done over the next few days,’ stating that the signing will ‘probably be in Europe’ and that the stock market was up by 1,000 points, meaning ‘they like the deal.’
🔹 “We have a deal that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, which was the whole purpose of what we had to go through to get to this, but we have a signing soon, and the documents are in pretty final shape, so we’ll see,” Trump told the reporters.
🔹 Trump said the deal should be done quickly, which Iran wants every bit as much as everyone else, and said he thought a lot of good relationships could ensure from this: “I just spoke with the leaders of many countries that were mentioned in the release, and I just spoke to Bibi,” he said, adding: “They’re all happy, the whole Middle East is happy, and beyond the Middle East – the Strait will be open as soon as we have it signed.”
🔹 According to the President, the signing could take place over the weekend in Europe, but he couldn’t be there personally to sign the agreement, so Vice President JD Vance would likely attend on his behalf.
🔹 When asked whether the Iranian Supreme Leader had approved the deal, Trump said: “I understand the answer is yes,” and when asked whether the US would immediately lift the naval blockade upon signing, Trump replied: “Yes, it’s part of the deal.”
🔹 Trump was also asked whether there was any agreement actually secured on the discussions about the nuclear material and the nuclear negotiations, to which he responded: “Yes, conceptually on that, and nobody is getting close to it because its buried under a mountain, basically.”
🔹 One reporter mentioned that Trump had said previously how close a deal was with Iran, but it didn’t happen, so what made the President so convinced this time was different, to which Trump said: “Because they’ve taken a pounding,” adding: “And they want to make a deal a lot more than I do.”
🔹 Trump was asked whether the Kharg Island operation was now off the table, and the President confirmed it would be if the deal was signed, adding that Iran weren’t so thrilled when they heard that’s what Trump was going to do.
⚡️ Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office published a statement noting that President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke about the emerging memorandum of understanding with Iran to enter negotiations.
🔹 “Although Israel is not a party to the MoU, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for President Trump’s commitment that the final agreement at the conclusion of the negotiations will include the removal of enriched material, dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limiting missile production, and stopping Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region,” the statement said.
Hormuz News:
⚡️ More vessels are starting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz using a narrow route along Oman’s coastline to bypass the IRGC, reported the Financial Times, stating that around 15 ships per day, mostly oil tankers, were transiting under US military air protection, also reported by AJ News on May 28. despite President Trump’s claims it was a ‘secret mission.’
🔹 Shipping executives warned the route, which can narrow to just 800 metres and carries two-way traffic, is at high risk of collisions, particularly for the large, fully loaded tankers operating with limited visibility and manoeuvrability.
🔹 Although the traffic has increased, it remains well below pre-conflict levels of around 135 ships per day, while removing around 12 million barrels of oil per day from the normal market flows, despite alternate measures such as ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman.
⚡️ Central Command published a video showing a third vessel, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged Jaliveer, which had been attacked as it attempted to transport Iranian oil through the Gulf of Oman, noting the US disabled the tanker at 11:20pm (EST) on June 10 by firing two Hellfire missiles into the ships engine room.
⚡️ Three Indian seafarers were found dead following the US strike on the Iranian-linked M/T Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, CNN reported, adding that New Deli summoned Washington’s Chargé d’Affaires to lodge a protest.
🔹 Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on X that the attacks on Indian merchant ships by the US forces, which has resulted in the deaths of at least three citizens, were clear indications of America’s ongoing policy of ‘armed robbery and state piracy,’ extending condolences to those killed, their families, and the Indian government, adding that international communities needed to hold the US accountable.
⚡️ Explosions were heard approximately two kilometres off the coast of Sirik in the Hormozgan Province, local sources claimed, but the cause was initially unconfirmed, although suspected it could be linked to ongoing US operations attempting to move ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, confirmed when an F-35 appeared on civilian monitoring systems with a distress call over Abu Dhabi for unknown reasons, while previously, several tankers and an AWACS surveillance aircraft flew out of Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and were orbiting the Gulf region.
🔹 Fars News later confirmed Iranian forces blocked a non-compliant tanker from transiting the Strait of Hormuz after it entered the area without coordination or permission, noting that there were reports of activity and explosions around Bandar Abbas and off the coast of Sirik, while Fox News reported that Iran fired several drones at commercial vessels attempting to transit the Strait, adding that a US defence official said US forces shot down two Iranian drones and that traffic continued through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran News:
⚡️ Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets, and create an endless quagmire that ‘you will be stuck in for years,’ adding: “You will see a different Iran.”
⚡️ National Security and Foreign Policy Commission spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei said the great Iranian nation is unyielding: “It is undoubtedly America that must surrender in this battle,” he said.
⚡️ Chairman of the National Security Commission, Ebrahim Azizi, said that the Iranian armed forces are more prepared than during the 40-day war, stating the US President was ‘delusional,’ because since the 12-day war there had been no achievements despite continuous threats.
🔹 Azizi claimed more than 900 American forces fled the Persian Gulf, while 14 US bases had been defeated, and warned that if any uncalculated action was to be taken on Iranian soil, they would receive a response that would be recorded in history, because the Armed Forces were at the peak of readiness.
🔹 “Violation of ceasefire, breach of treaty, and breaking promises are the usual traits of the Americans,” Azizi pointed out, noting that recent actions by the American-Israelis are the military annex of the negotiating table: “Especially the delusional and narcissistic president whose biggest traits are breach of promise, treaty violation, and at this stage, violation of the ceasefire he himself requested.”
⚡️ Commander of the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya, Major General Ali Abdollahi, said that one one hand, the US spoke of an agreement and negotiation, but on the other hand acted maliciously, which is clear contradictions of behaviour and speech of the United States meant to cause insecurity in the region, and has endangered the security of trade, international economy, and countries, especially the Strait of Hormuz.
🔹 “The US leaders, due to their lack of proper understanding of the honourable and brave Iranian nation and its powerful armed forces, are caught in a vicious cycle, and the repeated lies of the US are one of the signs of this,” Abdollahi said, adding that the US could never compensate for their ‘humiliation and successive defeats’ in the war, or hide their ‘warmongering through propaganda and media warfare.’
🔹 Abdollahi warned that if the US attempted to carry out attacks against Iran again, the response would be more severe, and the ‘fire of war will become more widespread and extensive,’ causing insecurity in the region: “Considering the recent threats against Iran’s oil infrastructure, it is declared that either oil and gas exports are for everyone or for no one.
⚡️ Meanwhile, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said: “Today, Iran’s defensive strength and deterrence are miles beyond the area of the Third Sacred Defence and any other period,” adding the power growth trend is unstoppable, and the current capabilities cannot be compared to those two months ago: “With reliance on God and the strength of the armed forces, any aggression will face a definite and regretful defeat.”
⚡️ Bloomberg reported of the first high-level in-person security meeting between the UAE and Iran, which showed signs of an effort to reduce tensions after months of conflict, stating that while the UAE continued to view Iran as a threat.
🔹 The report said that the UAE were increasingly focused on preserving stability to safeguard its financial sector, tourism industry, and other major investments, while Iran’s incentive to improve relations was the key trading partnership with the UAE before the war broke out.
⚡️ Due to the number of Starlink systems that were smuggled into Iran pre-war and during the war, as well as the US and Israeli reliance on the systems when targeting the country, Iran have said that Starlink’s regional partners ‘could’ be considered ‘legitimate targets,’ as Iran’s Fars News Agency claimed Iranian forces could target SpaceX-linked assets in the region to prevent future attacks conducted using the company’s infrastructure.
⚡️ German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Iran must verifiably and permanently end its nuclear program: “Security for Israel and the entire region must be guaranteed,” he said, adding: “Otherwise, there will be no peace in the region.”
USA News:
⚡️ The US Air Force has increased its presence at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport by deploying additional aerial refuelling tankers alongside those already stationed there during the war, with expanded military traffic reportedly contributing to delays for civilian flights.
⚡️ Treasury Secretary Schott Bessent warned that the Iranian regime would lose the ‘zero-some’ game it is playing, because any damage inflicted on allies in the Gulf will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian accounts, while any tolls paid to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority will be offset by funds extracted from Iranian accounts.
