US president Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Xi but said trade would be a bigger focus. As he left for the summit, Trump again threatened Iran if its leaders don’t reach an agreement on its nuclear program. “We have Iran very much under control,” Trump said. “We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated. One way or the other, we win.”
The narrow Strait of Hormuz remains in Iran’s chokehold, the US is maintaining a blockade against Iran and negotiations between the two countries appear at a standstill. “True peace cannot be built with a literature of humiliation, threats, and coercive score-settling,” Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, said Tuesday on X.
Hegseth tells Congress: We control the strait’
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told members of Congress on Tuesday that the military has plenty of bombs and missiles despite concerns about its stockpiles. He also maintained that the US is in control of the Strait of Hormuz, even as Iranian attacks – and threats – have disrupted the shipment of oil and other products through the vital waterway.
“Ultimately we control the strait, because nothing’s going in that we don’t allow to go in,” said Hegseth, who faced tough questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers who oversee defence spending.
Kuwait accuses Iran of launching a failed attack
In the meantime, Kuwait accused Iran of launching a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Middle East nation. However, Iran didn’t immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war and during the shaky ceasefire still holding. But that allegation and ongoing attacks throughout the region have threatened to reignite open warfare.
With the risk of the conflict breaking out again, Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defence weapons and personnel to operate them in the United Arab Emirates, the US ambassador to Israel said. It was the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel’s military to the Emirates – home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai – and underlined the growing relationship between Israel and the UAE.
Kuwait alleges Iran planned attack
Kuwait said a paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran on May 1. Four men were detained and two escaped when Kuwait’s forces disrupted the attack, it said.
Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.
Kuwait provided no reason for why it delayed linking the attack to Iran after initially announcing it on May 3 without any details. Trump is travelling this week to China for a summit where Iran will likely be a main topic. Beijing long has been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and has been hurt by the strait’s closure, which has sparked a global energy crisis.