Iran threatens to lash out at Arab neighbors as US ramps up strikes

A mural depicting President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drowning in a red “sea of revenge” was unveiled in Tehran.

The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported on the mural on Thursday.

“You will drown in the sea of the Iranian nation’s revenge,” the mural read in Persian and English.

Another mural depicting Trump lying in a coffin was unveiled in Tehran, according to images published by Iranian media on Wednesday.

Israel is preparing for a possible escalation between the United States and Iran next week following recent remarks by President Donald Trump and ongoing diplomatic developments, according to reports.

A report by Channel 12 said Israel believes U.S. forces could begin targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure. So far, U.S. airstrikes have been largely focused on Iranian military sites.

Israel’s belief stems from remarks made by President Donald Trump during an interview with Fox News Channel’s chief political anchor, Bret Baier, that aired Tuesday on “Special Report.”

“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight. We’re going to hit them very hard tomorrow night. We’re going to hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants,” Trump said, the Times of Israel reported.

“Next week comes the bridges. We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate,” he added.

A Hamas commander who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel was killed in an airstrike in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said Thursday.

The IDF identified the target as Nihad Riyad Abd al-Rahim Arouq, a platoon commander in Hamas’s Shati Battalion.

“Throughout the war, including in recent months, Nihad Riyad trained terrorists and attempted to advance terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians,” an IDF post on X stated.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says Iran is still “very” interested in continuing peace talks with the U.S. as of Thursday.

Leavitt told reporters at the White House that President Donald Trump’s team remains in contact with Iran’s negotiators even as the U.S. escalates strikes against the Tehran regime.

“I’ve spoken with the president about this as recently as an hour ago. Iran very much continues to talk to the United States of America and expressed that they want to make a deal with us because they are suffering devastating blows on behalf of our United States military,” Leavitt said.

“The reason and this is important for the American people to understand the reason for the recent strikes over the course of the last several days is because Iran violated the memorandum of understanding that we struck with them, specifically in the memorandum of understanding that they signed, they were not to fire on commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz,” she added.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized on Thursday that President Donald Trump will not allow Iran to fire on trade vessels in the Strait of Hormuz without facing consequences.

Leavitt made the statement while speaking to reporters during a White House press briefing, saying Iran has clearly violated the Memorandum of Understanding it signed just weeks ago.

“Throughout this entire endeavor, the president has proved not just to Iran but to the entire world, that we can hit Iran any time, anywhere, any place, and their ability to defend themselves has been essentially wiped out because of this president and Operation Epic Fury,” Leavitt said.

Vice President JD Vance warned podcaster Joe Rogan in an interview published Wednesday that the administration is trying to establish a deal with Iran to stop a war and possible refugee crisis but claims a determined faction of the Republican Party wants to sabotage it at all costs.

“There are people who are super hawkish in the American system who have attacked the deal and, frankly, in some ways have tried to derail the deal. And what I always say to those people is, ‘What is your proposal? What is your actual argument?’” he said as he spoke to Rogan about the recent efforts to negotiate an end to the military conflict with Iran and prevent it from becoming a larger war.

He offered the Strait of Hormuz as one key example of how perilous the situation is, where Iran can shut down 25% of the world’s energy supply with cheap drones that are notoriously difficult to intercept.

Vance claimed some opposing Republicans and their allies who don’t want negotiations ultimately want to “just bomb them to oblivion” or to somehow achieve regime change in Iran. 

“But, look, what is our experience with doing that?” Vance responded.

“It’s not good,” Rogan said.

“It’s not good,” Vance agreed.

Vance argued that sending a ground invasion of 150,000 troops is “basically saying that the U.S. military should do the job for the Iranian people. We’re not in that business anymore. We’re just not.”

The other outcome Vance warned of is “the Libya outcome,” where, by the United States toppling dictator Moammar Gadhafi, “Libya basically turned into a failed state. You had a refugee crisis. You had people pouring into Europe, pouring into other parts of Asia, other parts of Africa. You had a lot of violence. A lot of terrorism came from that.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Alexander Hall.

President Donald Trump says the Iranian military’s weapon stores have largely been “depleted” as of Thursday, though Tehran remains unbending in negotiations with the U.S.

This weekend could see further escalation by the U.S. as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, spiking global oil prices.

Fox News’ Mike Tobin reports on the escalating U.S. military strikes in Iran as well as President Donald Trump’s threats of even further expanded operations Thursday.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also provided analysis of the regime’s nuclear ambitions during “The Faulkner Focus.”

Iran has reportedly instructed Yemen’s Houthi terrorists to prepare to close a critical Red Sea gateway if the United States attacks Iranian power infrastructure Reuters reported, a threat experts warn could sharply disrupt global shipping even if the group cannot completely seal the waterway.

“This threat should be taken seriously,” Nadwa Al-Dawsari of the Middle East Institute told Fox News Digital. “With recent escalation and U.S. strikes on Iran, Tehran has already signaled that the Bab al-Mandab could become part of its response.”

Three sources told Reuters on Thursday that Iran’s leadership had discussed using the Houthis to shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and recently conveyed the request to the group. A source close to the Houthis said missiles and drones had been deployed near the waterway and that the group was awaiting an order to begin attacking shipping.

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British ambassador to Yemen and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, warned in a recent Fox News Digital report that a full resumption of the Houthi maritime campaign could trigger wider fighting.

“It will be interesting if the Houthis do go all in, and resume their campaign against Red Sea shipping with full intensity,” Fitton-Brown said. “This will draw international anger and likely result in Israeli and U.S. strikes on Sana’a and Hodeida.”

“There is potential for a general escalation if this happens, albeit one in which the allies have a clear military advantage,” he added. 

Al-Dawsari said the Houthis have continued developing the weapons needed to threaten the narrow shipping corridor despite largely refraining from maritime attacks over the past year.

“While the Houthis have largely refrained from attacking shipping for about a year, they have continued to advance their maritime capabilities, including missiles, drones and sea mines,” she said. “They may not be able to fully close the strait, but they could significantly disrupt shipping and raise costs and risks for commercial traffic,” she said.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Efrat Lachter.

Fox News’ Peter Doocy reports the latest on the escalation in the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. forces fired on a ship attempting to breach the blockade on Iranian ports on Thursday.

Fox News’ Mike Tobin reported the latest on the escalating conflict between the U.S. and Iran as Rebeccah Heinrichs joined “America’s Newsroom” to weigh in on America’s current influence over the Middle East.

Fox News’ Harris Faulkner discussed how oil producers in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel and Iraq are planning to bypass the Strait of Hormuz with new pipelines.

The initiative aims to reduce Iran’s influence on global energy markets and circumvent its threats to shipping. Retired Lt Col Darin Gaub emphasized these projects contribute to Iran’s economic isolation, reducing its leverage in the region.

Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned Iran’s attacks on the nations of Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait on Thursday after days of repeated strikes.

Iran has lashed out at its Arab neighbors amid heightened attacks on Tehran by the U.S. The Iranian regime has threatened to further escalate its attacks if the U.S. targets Iran’s power and bridge infrastructure.

“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the repeated Iranian attacks on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Kuwait, considering them a blatant violation of the sovereignty of these countries and a flagrant breach of international law,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the need to spare the region the repercussions of these unjustified attacks and to maintain the course of dialogue, diplomacy, and de-escalation, thereby contributing to the consolidation of security and stability at both the regional and international levels,” the statement continued.

“The Ministry reiterates the State of Qatar’s full solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Kuwait, and its support for all measures they take to uphold their sovereignty and security,” it added.

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, discussed recent U.S. military strikes against Iran as well as the unexpected release of an American citizen from Iran.

Schanzer says Trump is walking a delicate road between ramping up attacks on Iran without causing a massive escalation of the conflict.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has “no plans” to leave the Democratic Party but if it officially became the “anti-Israel party,” count him out.

“My long-term concern has been with the Democratic Party, as I am a member of that, is that our party is going to back away and turn their back to Israel,” he said Wednesday at the Hill Nation Summit in Washington, D.C.

“If our party ever becomes, and just makes it official, the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me.”

The news comes as Fetterman and fellow Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., launch a rare joint fundraising PAC called “Common Ground PA” this month, according to FEC filings, and Fetterman’s breaks from Democratic Party votes have become increasingly apparent since he was elected in 2022 and took office Jan. 3, 2023.

“Though I was elected as a Democrat, I’m proud to serve all Pennsylvanians,” Fetterman wrote in a May op-ed, delivering the age-old mantra that he has not changed from his principles, the party has. “It has become increasingly lonely to serve in that way, but I firmly believe it’s what is needed.

“My party cannot simply be the opposite of whatever President Donald Trump says. The president could come out for ice cream and lazy Sundays, and my party would suddenly hate them. Such pointless pile-ons and attacks are unproductive. The American people want us to work together to find solutions on issues they and our country face.”

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Erick Mack.

This is an excerpt from an opinion article by Fox News contributor Hugh Hewitt.

“Can you or the American military or the Israeli military get to what’s left of their third string and their fourth string and their fifth string? Do you know where they are? Can you kill them?”

I posed those questions to President Donald Trump Monday, July 13.

“Yeah, I do, but we don’t want to talk about that,” the president replied.

“But we certainly are watching, yeah,” he added. “I know a lot about that subject. I know a lot, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk about it right now.”

Trump’s restraint about clearing the bench of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is interesting.

The public faces of the rump regime in Iran — President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — don’t have any authority over the killers with the guns. (Trump puts the number of Iranians massacred by the regime over two days in January at 52,000, so we know the ruthlessness of the men in charge.) When the campaign against Iran by the U.S. and Israel opened on Feb. 28, those strikes devastated the first and second tiers of “leadership” in Iran. Pezeshkian and Araghchi were not important enough to be in the command bunkers.

Sixty-eight-year-old Ahmad Vahidi emerged from the wreckage and his “retirement” after the wipeout of the senior leadership of the Islamic Republic to take command of the IRGC. Imagine how utterly ruthless a benched and passed-over killer must be, and how many grudges he must hold against those who put him out to pasture in the first place.

The Kuwaiti military says it is once again fending off missile and drone attacks from Iran on Thursday.

The Iranian regime has launched waves of strikes at neighboring Arab countries that house U.S. military bases in recent days.

“The Kuwaiti air defenses are currently confronting attacks by hostile drones, following the sinful Iranian aggression,” Kuwait’s army said in a statement.

“The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosion sounds heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting hostile targets,” it said.

“Everyone is requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the relevant authorities,” the statement said.

Israel is moving closer toward a withdrawal from southern Lebanon after two days of talks with Lebanese officials in Rome this week, U.S. officials say.

Israel on Wednesday agreed to move forward with “pilot zones” where Israeli troops would withdraw and turn control over to the Lebanese military, the officials told the Associated Press.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement that the talks were “productive” and the parties “agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process, to be finalized and implemented in the coming days.”

There was no immediate statement from Lebanon or Israel on the outcome of the negotiations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Tuesday that some Iranian officials are “desperate” to strike a deal with the Trump administration amid renewed strikes and escalating U.S. pressure on Tehran.

“There are elements in the country, in the government, that are desperate to make a deal with the United States,” Miller said.

“And we entered into an agreement that the Iranians violated, they attacked commercial shipping through this strait, and President Trump made clear: ‘You do not cross the United States, you do not violate an agreement with the United States. You do not break your word with President Trump or America, and you attack shipping in violation of that agreement, and you will pay a hellish price,’ and that is what has happened,” he added.

Miller’s remarks come as the Trump administration has resumed strikes against Iran following the collapse of a ceasefire that the White House says Iran violated by attacking commercial shipping.

Miller argued Tehran had grown accustomed to testing previous U.S. leaders without facing consequences but said Iranian leaders “made one vital mistake” by assuming they could do the same under Trump.

“They forgot that Donald Trump is the president of the United States,” Miller said.

“One way or another, whether it be through bombing, whether it be through the blockade, whether it be through economic strangulation, whether it be through global pressure brought to bear, any or all of these things, one way or another, this country, this regime, will ultimately be forced to change its ways.”

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Taylor Penley.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran has released an American woman who was “wrongfully detained” in the country for the past year and a half.

She was identified as Iranian American citizen Dena Karari by her attorney Jared Genser, who confirmed her release to Fox News. She was reportedly accused of espionage over her work with an American nonprofit helping impoverished children.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the woman was detained in December 2024, during the Biden administration and was recently allowed to leave Iran. 

“Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country,” Trump wrote.

Karari is reportedly now safely outside Iran and in good condition following her release, according to Trump.

Her release marks the first time an American has been freed from Iranian custody since 2023, and represents a notable development amid ongoing military confrontations between Washington and Tehran.

Following her release, Trump thanked Iran for what he described as a “gesture of goodwill.”

“The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” he wrote.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Bonny Chu.

In his first public appearance outside the White House since the NATO summit amid threats to his life by Iran, President Donald Trump said Wednesday he doesn’t “think about it” and that his focus is on taking out the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which he said has lost roughly 90% of its weapons capabilities due to continued strikes.

Trump made the remarks during an exclusive interview with FOX Business ahead of the annual Defense and Innovation Summit in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he also highlighted gains in U.S. defense and the economy and announced $10 billion in private investments for the defense industry.

The president said he was not concerned about threats from Iran, revealing that the U.S. carried out another strike on the country within the past 24 hours. He also suggested he could eliminate the IRGC the same way he defeated ISIS during his first administration.

“Well, we’re going to be in good shape,” Trump told FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence. “They’ve been depleted. Their weapons are down 91%. The drone capacity is way down. They still have, but not a lot. Their manufacturing capacity is down. Their rocket launchers and their missile launchers are way down. Their missiles are way down.”

Trump said the U.S. is “building up” its military with the Defense Production Act and companies working to refill supplies and replenish American forces.

“We have to watch ourselves. You know, it’s called America First. And we’re building up our reserves very rapidly. And as you probably also know, the great companies that we have are now building plants, although not just taking one plant that they’ve used for a long time and doing overtime,” he said. 

“We have four or five, six plants by each of the major companies being built, brand-new plants in different areas to make, as an example, you could say the Patriot [missile], which is so heavily sought, or the Tomahawk missile.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Bonny Chu and Edward Laurence.

A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned Thursday that Tehran would unleash widespread military attacks across the region if the United States strikes the country’s key infrastructure.

“If the recent threats by the empty-headed U.S. president to target the infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran are carried out, then everything that, out of Iran’s restraint, has so far remained intact — namely all infrastructure in the region — will be crushed under the powerful blows of Iran’s armed forces,” the spokesman, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said in a statement.

Zolfaghari also said Iran would not allow the U.S. to intervene in the Strait of Hormuz “under any circumstances,” calling it “Iran’s invincible red line.

“Earlier this week, President Donald Trump threatened to expand military strikes and continue hitting Iran “very hard” unless it returns to the negotiating table.

“Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants,” Trump said Tuesday in an interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst.

“Next week comes the bridges. We’re gonna knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”