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The US/Israel/Iran recap for June 3 included news regarding the negotiations, news in relation to the Strait of Hormuz, what the press have said recently, what the officials have said recently, and much more.
Negotiation News:
⚡️ President Trump spoke to the Trump Podcast, making various statements about Iran, including noting that the situation with Iran was developing rapidly and would be very good, while claiming gas prices would decrease in the near future, and added that he may like to meet Iranian leaders once a deal has been completed, while also admitting he told Netanyahu: “You’re fucking crazy,” which was recently reported by Axios.
⚡️ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that the Prime Minister of Pakistan was asked to specifically include the name ‘Lebanon’ in the clause related to stopping the war on all fronts: “The fate of the war between Iran and the Zionist Americans is not separate from the fate of the battle in Lebanon, and these two fronts have been linked from day one,” he said, adding that Iran’s positions were completely clear: “The end of the war and a ceasefire must be achieved simultaneously on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
🔹 Araghchi also warned: “We have explicitly informed all stakeholders that an attack on Beirut is a clear aggression and we will not remain silent in the face of it – any attack on Beirut will have severe consequences and will lead to a full resumption of war,” adding: “If Israeli aggressions against Beirut continue, our armed forces are fully prepared to resume the war and target objectives inside Israel.”
🔹 The FM also addressed recent media speculation surrounding the negotiations: “Communication with the Americans has not been cut off, and messages regarding the need to stop aggressions against Beirut have been exchanged, but nevertheless, no tangible progress has been made in the negotiation process,” he said, stating that returning to the negotiation table is a condition on securing the rights of the Iranian nation, ending the war in Lebanon, and stopping tensions in the region: “The Americans have clearly felt Iran’s power and capability in this war over the past 40 days,” he warned.
🔹 Araghchi said that if Trump governed with rationality he would never return to war: “We are fully prepared to continue the battle for a very long time and possess the necessary military capabilities,” he warned, stating the military situation had improved since the war: “We have never sought war and did not start this, but will respond decisively and powerfully to any aggression against our country – the end of the war is not in the hands of the enemy and never will be.”
News from the Media:
⚡️ President Trump told aides he’d consider ending the ceasefire with Iran if actions resulted in the deaths of American troops, the WSJ reported, claiming US officials said the repeated attacks increased pressure on Trump and raised questions about the long-term durability of the truce, adding the president’s reluctance to reignite the war suggests he may be willing to withstand smaller flare-ups for weeks, or even months, to avoid a broader conflict in the Middle East.
⚡️ American crude and oil reserves have fallen to their lowest level in more than two decades as the conflict continues to disrupt energy markets, the FT reported, stating the total US stocks of crude and refined products dropped by 10.6 million barrels last week to 1.57 billion barrels, the lowest level since 2004.
⚡️ Iran-US Agreement will cause trouble for Netanyahu
🔹 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will need President Trump’s support more than ever if Washington and Tehran reach an agreement to end the war, according to Foreign Policy magazine.
🔹 After the war, Iran has not only collapsed, but has become more cohesive, and the likely outcome of the negotiations would not only fail to achieve many of the declared war objectives, but could also weaken Netanyahu’s political position ahead of the elections.
Hormuz news:
⚡️ US Central Command took to X in a daily update, claiming to have now redirected 125 commercial vessels since the start of the US Naval blockade began on April 13th, while disabling 6 vessels for non-compliance.
⚡️ Iran’s Navy claimed to have targeted the ‘command and control centre’ of the US Army on an American destroyer on Wednesday evening that had intended to approach Iranian waters from the Gulf of Oman, according to Fars Navy: “The Navy said it is closely monitoring what it described as ‘criminal aggressive American-Zionist enemy’ and vowed to avenge the 75 crew members killed on board the IRIS Dena,” adding: “any hostile action would be met with a response in the shortest possible time.”
⚡️ US Central Command quickly denied claims that Iran had targeted a US Navy destroyer in the Gulf of Oman, saying: “Iran is lying – US military assets at sea continue to fly, sail, and operate safely and unimpeded.
⚡️ IRGC issued a firm warning about the Strait, saying only the new route designated by Iran is safe for navigation in the Persian Gulf, and any other vessels violating the new terms of the Strait will be targeted, adding that they were intelligently monitoring and controlling the Strait of Hormuz.
⚡️ Satellite images gained by Bloomberg appeared to show the first oil tanker in almost a month moored at Iran’s main crude export facility at Kharg Island, noting no similar ships had been observed since the 6 May, indicating the effectiveness of the US blockade, adding that no Iranian crude exports passed through the blockade in May, citing a report by United Nations Against Nuclear Iran.
News from the USA:
⚡️ President Trump said the attacks on Kuwait that damaged the airport were not unexpected: “Well, you know, there’s a reason for everything, and we hit them pretty hard the night before and actually last night – they were slightly provoked, they were reciprocating,” while claiming the Strait of Hormuz would be open immediately after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.
⚡️ US President Donald Trump was answering questions at the White House on Wednesday from reporters on a number of various issues currently making the news.
🔹 Trump was asked whether the Iranian attack on Kuwait overnight meant the ceasefire had ended, responding: “Well, you know , there’s a reason for everything, and we hit them pretty hard the night before and actually last night – they were slightly provoked and were reciprocating,” adding: “In that part of the world, a ceasefire is when you are shooting in a more moderate manner.”
🔹 President Trump said the negotiation itself is ‘going very well…’ noting that it ‘might not happen, but if it happens, it could happen over the weekend,’ possibly in another attempt to drive oil prices down, adding: “In theory, they are pretty close to signing on the paper – on what you saw for the last few night: it takes two to tango.”
🔹 Trump said: “We could go another 2-3 weeks and wipe everybody out – very easy to do, but if we can get something down in writing that will accomplish the same thing without killing everybody, I would like to do that.”
🔹 Asked about Trump’s relationship with President Xi of China, Trump said: “President Xi is a good friend of mine, he is a good man…” adding: “He is for China, and I am for the USA.”
🔹 Speaking about the Lebanese ceasefire, Trump said: “We actually spoke with Hezbollah for the first time – we didn’t know they spoke – they agreed yesterday they’re not going to shoot, Israel’s not going to shoot, we’re just going to see,” adding that he’d like to separate the Lebanese issue from Iran if possible.
🔹 Trump continued: “Bibi Netanyahu has been, for me, a great partner, but for other people, not so good,” stating that Israel needed the US and couldn’t have done it without US support: “They couldn’t even come close,” he said, adding: “They needed us, and they got us to help them with a real problem, because Iran was a real problem, a big problem a worldwide problem…”
🔹 Asked about the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said: “Immediately upon signing the memorandum of understanding, the Strait of Hormuz will be open.”
⚡️ President Trump told the Pod Force One podcast that Iran had agreed not to obtain a nuclear weapon, while stating negotiations with Tehran are continuing, adding that the situation was rapidly evolving and would be very good.
🔹 According to Trump, he is working on a deal with Iran, while suggesting the Naval blockade could be lifted on Labour day, adding that he believed the Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was involved in the negotiations, but couldn’t be positive, while saying he would like to meet the Iranian leaders depending on the outcome of the talks.
🔹 Trump also rejected suggestions Israeli Prime Minister had drawn him into a war with Iran, saying the decision to launch military action was his own, according to a report by the NYP: “I mean, I’m the one that started it, I don’t want to bore anybody, but I started it because we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” adding that there would be no Israel if it wasn’t for him.
🔹 However, the US President did confirm he told Netanyahu “you’re fucking crazy,” saying: “I did – I always get angry, I was little bit perturbed at him, constantly fighting with Lebanon… You know, at some point I said we’re going to stop this,” adding that the ‘constant fighting in Lebanon bothers me.’
🔹 Mehr news wrote that President Trump’s comments came after a report published by Mehr on Monday, quoting a knowledgeable source close to the Iranian team, who said the text of the possible Memorandum of Understanding between Tehran and Washington was still being discussed and reviewed in Tehran and that no response had been sent.
🔹 The informed source told Mehr that due to the historic experiences of the ‘US breach of promises,’ and ‘distrust’ towards Iran caused the delegation to examine the proposal with caution, while noting that Iran sought to gain real benefits from any agreement, adding: “The US is worried about the war, but we are worried about the agreement because the US have spent a lot on the war and have not succeeded.
🔹 Mehr said the source added that Iran had previously faced breaches of promises from the United States, therefore Tehran had insisted reviewing any agreement would be reversibility and tangibly executive actions.
⚡️ Due to what appears to be a security breach in the US, Reuters and Mehr News Agency, citing informed sources, reported the CIA had stopped exchanging information about Iran with the office of the Director of National Intelligence, stating: “Amid disputes over the diversions of power and information exchange, the CIA has halted participation in certain intelligence assessments, including those related to the war.”
⚡️ CBS News reported the pilot of the F-15E Strike Eagle which bad been shot down over Iran on April 3 had also been aboard one of three F-15Es that were accidentally downed by a Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet in a friendly-fire incident less than five weeks earlier, noting the pilot ejected safely both times but sustained serious injuries in the Iran shoot-down.
News from Iran:
⚡️ Mojtaba Khamenei said on Wednesday that Any Gulf state who ‘shirks’ its duty, whose territory wages any attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran originates, will not escape the consequences for its actions.
⚡️ Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Wednesday that Any Gulf state who ‘shirks’ its duty, whose territory wages any attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran originates, will not escape the consequences for its actions.
⚡️ The Deputy Chairman of the Iranian Parliament said that Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the Foreign Ministry to establish a working team that will work in coordination with other bodies, including the armed forces and the general staff, to enforce the legal terms of the Strait of Hormuz.
⚡️ Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on X that a disbeliever judges everyone by his own beliefs: Playing the victim cannot whitewash the brutal war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity that you committed against the Iranian nation,” which came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Congressional hearing that Iran was seeking to assassinate American officials, Mehr News reported.
⚡️ Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said: “The Iranian people have shown in their confrontation with the United States and the Zionist regime that the era of threatening Iran without cost has come to an end, and that any aggression will be met with a decisive, regretful, and proportionate response.”
⚡️ Major General Mohsen Rezaee said on X that neither in negotiations nor in the ceasefire process would Iran allow the US to be ‘greedy,’ warning the response to any shot would be a barrage of missiles and drones, while adding that history does not go backward, and the aggressor would be swiftly punished.
⚡️ The General Staff of the Armed Forces and Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya, published a statement saying: “The American and Zionist regime have no choice but to surrender in the face of the divine will of the armed forces, and the vigilant and aware nation of Iran.
⚡️ Fines and disconnections could be applied to consumers exceeding new consumption rules in Iran, with a fine imposed first, but if high consumption continues, the subscriber faces disconnections of the water and electricity supply, IRNA reported.
⚡️ IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi confirmed on Wednesday the war had halted some of Iran’s nuclear activities, but warned that no agreement to end the conflict is more imaginable without strict verification and monitoring: “Many nuclear activities that were taking place in Iran have stopped,” he added.
⚡️ However, Bloomberg were told by Western officials that the risk of Iran covertly pursuing nuclear weapons is greater now than it was before the military strikes in February, which has also been predicted from other US media sources.
⚡️ Reward of up to $15 million for information related to the IRGC’s network was offered by the US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program, seeking information related to cryptocurrency accounts, financial custodians, front companies, and other mechanisms used to support the IRGC’s operations.
⚡️ Iran’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement that marked the anniversary of Khomenei’s passing: “With all our might, we will take steps to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities, develop strategic technologies, further empower the armed forces, while protecting the security, independence, and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
⚡️ The Chairman of the Parliament’s National Security Commission said that ceasing the war on all fronts is at the top of any agreement with America: “We will note allow the United States and the Zionist regime to undermine the unity of the resistance of Iran,” they said in the statement, adding: “We believe in the victory of the resistance and have faith that with mutual understanding and effort,” noting the ultimate goal, “which is the destruction of Israel,” will be achieved.
Other News:
⚡️ Gulf states accelerated efforts to replenish air and missile defences after thousands if Iranian missile and drone attacks during the war, according to the IISS, noting the US had approved over $41 billion in emergency arms sales since March 19, including half of the amount for Patriot interceptors, with South Korea, Ukraine, the UK and the US being approached for interceptors, point-defence systems and radar.
⚡️ Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has reached an agreement to purchase Aluminium Dunkerque, the European Union’s largest aluminium, in a transaction worth around $2.2 billion, according to the company on Tuesday.
🔹 The deal will give Alba complete ownership of the French smelting facility near Dunkirk, and as part of the transaction, French state-backed investment bank Bpifrance will acquire a 6% stake for €100 million.
🔹 Alba said the acquisition would be financed entirely through a consortium of its banking partners, while Bpifrance will also secure a seat on the board of Aluminium Dunkerque’s holding company.
🔹 Reports suggest the smelter has an annual production capacity of around 300,000 metric tons of aluminium, and the announcement coincided with the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Bpifrance in Paris during the Choose France Summit.
⚡️ Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced the arrest of 15 individuals allegedly linked to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps agents who were detained earlier this year – the suspects were accused of incitement and intimating residents under Iranian instructions, aiming to push Bahrainis, especially the youth, to carry out acts prohibited by law, although IRIB News reported the arrest of 25 individuals including 5 Shia scholars in Bahrain, taking the total to 58 since the beginning of the war.
⚡️ MP Mohammed Al-Hasnawi told the Iraqi Parliament the US viewed the Popular Mobilisation Forces as a threat to its interests and presence in the region, following movements against the PMF, including the issue of limiting weapons available to the government and potential merger to the Iraqi army, IRNA reported.
⚡️ Kurdish Democratic Party President Masoud Barzani rejected what he called ‘incorrect interpretations’ regarding the status of Peshmerga weapons, following the push by the Prime Minister to bring all armed groups under control: “The Peshmerga’s weapons are not merely pieces of iron, ammunition or tools or war,” Barzani said, adding: “They represent history, sacrifice, dignity and belief.”
⚡️ Saud al-Saadi, an official of the Huquq movement which is affiliated with Kata’ib Hezbollah, rejected the Coordination Framework’s support for restricting weapons and state control, warning disarmament would create a security vacuum, saying efforts to restrict weapons are ‘in the hands of the Americans, not the government,’ and that abandoning the resistance’s weapons endangered the state.
⚡️ Iranian-aligned militia group Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba had also reaffirmed its rejection to disarmament, stating its position on the ‘disciplined sacred weapon’ remains unchanged, arguing that Iraq’s sovereignty is being compromised by foreign interference.
⚡️ Spokesperson of the Iranian-banked Saraya Awliya al-Dam, Abu Mahdi al-Jaafari, declared it would be among the first to respond to any genuine national project to restrict weapons to the state, but only if included guarantees of full sovereignty, insisting that without real steps to end foreign interference and military occupation, any disarmament project wouldn’t achieve true sovereignty.
⚡️ Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi received delegations from Asa’ib al-Haq and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali, both of whom had agreed to disengage from the Popular Mobilisation Forces and restrict arms control, discussing that a joint committee would be formed within the next two days to oversee the process.
⚡️ Two Israeli delegations are due to travel to the UAE next week, according to the Times of Israel, who claimed the relations between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv had reached a new phase of political, security, and economic cooperation following the recent war.
⚡️ Japan’s cabinet approved a $19 billion extra budget to shield households from inflation tied to the war, according to AFP, as PM Sanae Takaichi’s office said the supplementary budget was formally decided at a Wednesday morning meeting, which was confirmed by Spokesman Minoru Kihara to have been formulated to minimise risk amid ongoing Middle East uncertainty.
⚡️ Kuwait’s Interior Ministry announced the arrest of a social media user who filmed and published videos showing air defences engaging missiles, but ended up crashing the vehicle he was driving, as the ministry warned publishing images or videos related to military or security sites, air defence operations or field readiness measures, harmed public safety and security, stressing legal action would be taken against violators.
⚡️ UAE Air Force and Air Defence Commander Major General Rashid Al Shamsi met with French Air and Space Force Deputy Inspector General Major General Bertrand Jardin to discuss strengthening bilateral military cooperation, noting that both sides focused on expanding coordination, sharing operational expertise, and developing joint capabilities across military domains, while reaffirming efforts to enhance readiness and interoperability between the two forces.
