Iran sets red lines for US talks: Lift sanctions, end threats — 'not a gram' of uranium leaves

Turkey took a step toward expanding its security presence in the Gulf on Tuesday by submitting the trilateral Mecca Joint Defense Agreement to parliament for ratification, Reuters reported.

The treaty, signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, moves NATO’s second-largest army closer to a formal defense commitment to Riyadh as Saudi Arabia faces attacks by the Houthis.

Under the pact's primary clause, an armed attack on any member state is treated as an attack on all, requiring signatories to use all necessary means to eliminate threats to each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to text seen by Reuters.

The agreement also establishes a framework for intelligence sharing, logistical support and defense-industry collaboration.

Iran's IRGC is increasingly targeting ships' engine rooms in the Persian Gulf, inflicting damage that can cripple vessels for months and trigger expensive repairs, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Shipping and maritime security officials reported a rise in engine-room damage, with strikes sparking fires, disabling power and propulsion systems, and leaving vessels out of service amid costly repairs.

“What we’re seeing is an increase in the frequency of attacks, and therefore, more damage in engine rooms and disabling fire,” Phillip Belcher, marine director at Intertanko, told the outlet.

“Attacks often focus on the engine room or the bridge of the ships as it maximizes damage while keeping the risk of an oil spill relatively low,” Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at BIMCO, said.

He also warned that “there are significant risks of crew injuries when these areas of the ship are hit.”

Oil prices dipped on Tuesday after touching a five-month high, Reuters reported.

Brent crude futures (LCOc1) fell 76 cents, or 0.69%, to settle at $108.79 per barrel.

Earlier in the session, the front-month contract reached $111.99, marking its highest point in five months.

The November contract for U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (CLc1), expired on Tuesday and settled $1.87 lower, or 1.8%, at $101.79 per barrel.

Investors were assessing a meeting between the Iranian president and Pakistan’s army chief, as well as continued Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure that could disrupt supply, the outlet said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the indefinite closure of the Sheeb border crossing with Iran on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported, citing an official.

The official said the crossing would be closed to people and goods beginning Wednesday until further notice.

Several other border crossings with Iran are expected to close gradually in the coming days, the official told the outlet.

The Iraqi government has not provided a reason for the closures.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Tehran has yet to receive a response from Saudi Arabia or Yemen's Houthi rebels regarding its offer to mediate, Reuters reported.

In an interview with Iraq’s Al Ekhbariya TV, Araghchi also said any Egyptian involvement alongside Saudi Arabia in the war would "further complicate the situation."

Iran had offered to mediate after the Houthis escalated their attacks on the kingdom.

Altought Tehran provides financial and material support to the rebel group, it has denied direct involvement in the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi-led coalition announced Tuesday that it had targeted and destroyed the launch platform used by Houthi forces to fire a ballistic missile at Riyadh.

“We destroyed the platform that launched the ballistic missile that was fired at Riyadh today,” coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki confirmed on X.

The coalition also shared footage showing the tracking and targeting process.

Earlier in the day, coalition forces also reported intercepting and destroying an incoming Houthi drone over the Riyadh area.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian demanded Tuesday that the U.S. lift sanctions and end threats before negotiations can begin, blaming American "warmongering" for regional instability and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking in Tehran with visiting Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pezeshkian blamed the United States for the ongoing conflict.

“All regional problems, from escalating tensions to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, stem from US warmongering,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iran's state-run broadcaster, IRIB.

“The Americans must explain why they started the war and embroiled themselves and the world in it.”

He added: “Before any negotiations, they must first end the pressure and threats and lift sanctions,” the president added.

British counterterrorism police re-arrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence and involvement in the suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford in September.

The arrests, made under the National Security Act, involve a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national, both from the London borough of Westminster.

"Our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement," Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said Tuesday.

He added that specialist teams are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry in what he described as a "hugely complex investigation."

The air base in Gloucestershire had been used by U.S. bombers to carry out strikes against Iran before the initial security breach when five men were arrested outside the facility.

U.S. B-1 bombers were withdrawn from the base after the arrests.

A total of seven suspects were initially arrested and released on bail, including the 24-year-old arrested near the base and the 25-year-old later arrested in London.

Iran's ambassador to the United Kingdom has denied the allegations that Iran was involved.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Tuesday that he made an visited Israel on Monday and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I was there visiting our troops," Hegseth told reporters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

"Had a chance to talk to the Prime Minister. Of course, the nature of our conversations is not something I would talk about, but they've been good partners and I appreciate that."

Hegseth’s remarks follow reports that the high-level meeting took place at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel.

According to sources, the private talks centered heavily on regional security concerns, including threats posed by Iran.

Hegseth also met with U.S. service members stationed in the region under U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). 

Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Tehran rejected a U.S. arrest warrant targeting former Cuban President Raul Castro on Tuesday, labeling the move an illegal and criminal act of foreign intervention.

In an official statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry also denounced U.S. economic sanctions and intimidation tactics against Cuban officials, framing Washington's pressure campaign as a violation of the U.N. Charter and international law.

Tehran also reiterated its solidarity with the Cuban government, Iran International reported.

The statement followed an arrest warrant filed by Florida prosecutors charging Castro with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

The charges stem from his role as defense minister during the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue, which left four people dead.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Iran on Tuesday of attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and targeting civilian crews — tactics he compared to Nazi U-boat operations during World War II.

“You haven’t seen that since the Second World War. They are doing Nazi U-boat tactics,” Rubio told India's Network18, according to Iran International.

Rubio also warned that a diplomatic solution with Tehran would be difficult because Iran is governed by "radical Shia clerics."

Rubio added that Washington would maintain “extraordinary economic pressure” to cut off funding for Tehran's regional proxies and military production.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that hatred between President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a major obstacle to ending the war in Ukraine, arguing that Zelenskyy could have secured a better peace deal two years ago.

“We want Zelensky to make a deal. He can make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“He could have made a deal two years ago when we had our little chat in the Oval Office.

“We had a now quite well remembered chat with JD, myself, some others.

“Zelenskyy could have made a good deal then, could have made a much better deal then probably possibly than he could make now.

“But he's going to have to want to make a deal, because I don't think his people are going to stand for it.

“What it affects me is to see that many souls lost so needlessly,” he added.

“The hatred between President Putin and President Zelenskyy is tremendous,” Trump said.

“I think that's most of the reason they haven't been able to make a deal, actually," he added.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that military strikes against Iran are not enough unless the United States can ensure the country will not develop a nuclear weapon in the years ahead.

“When people are unhappy with the gasoline. I hate to sound trivial, but, they say it themselves. It's a it's a big price, but actually, it's a small price to pay for not letting Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“And they will never have a nuclear weapon. We could leave right now, and we would have done a good job, a great job, that that beautiful plane right there took them out.”

“But it's under hundreds of tons of rock. But it's not good enough for me,” Trump added.

“We have to make sure it doesn't happen in five years, six years, 10 years.”

“And that's what's going to happen. So it really is. It's a very small price to pay for not letting the most dangerous country in the world have a nuclear weapon,” he said. 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the country has established a 700-square-kilometer security zone in southern Lebanon as part of a new strategy to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah threats.

Katz also said the Israeli military has no plans to leave southern Lebanon anytime soon.

"The IDF will not move out of the security zone as long as Hezbollah has not been disarmed throughout Lebanon — and the threat to the residents of the north has not been removed," Katz said on X.

"We are pursuing a determined policy stipulating that any shooting or launch of drones and UAVs toward Israeli cities, moshavim, or kibbutzim will be met with a powerful response against the Dahiyeh district in Beirut," Katz added.

"If Hezbollah joins an Iranian attack on Israel, it will receive a harsh blow," Katz said.

Yemeni government forces intensified pressure on the Houthi stronghold of Taiz on Tuesday following a 24-hour offensive as part of "Operation Dawn Yemen."

Military spokesman Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said 744 strikes hit "legitimate military targets," including fortifications, supply networks and command centers.

The military also reported that 200 Houthi fighters were "neutralized" and that 90 vehicles and key facilities were disabled.

Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said Tuesday that the United States would not attack Iran ahead of the midterm elections.

Responding to a question about recent talks between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kelly told Al Jazeera that, as Trump stated, “Iran is in very bad condition – both economically and militarily – and the blockade will remain in full force and effect with oil flowing in record numbers of barrels through the Hormuz Strait.”

“The United States will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections,” she clarified.

The "vast majority" of Iran's attempted attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz are "unsuccessful" as the key waterway remains open for transit, U.S. Central Command spokesperson and U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News Digital this week.

Hawkins spoke after CENTCOM said the GFS Pride, a Singapore-flagged, Cyprus-owned container ship was hit by an Iranian projectile in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday and sunk while being towed ashore due to a fire on board the ship.

"The vast majority of Iran's attempted attacks on innocent civilian mariners transiting an international waterway, being the Strait of Hormuz, they are unsuccessful," Hawkins said.

"As a matter of fact, the U.S. military has assisted in providing coordinated protection for thousands of ships that have safely transited.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Greg Norman.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Monday, Axios reported.

The visit comes just eight days before Israeli elections, and President Donald Trump has thrown his endorsement behind Netanyahu.

No details of Hegseth's meeting have been released as of Tuesday.

Rebecca Heinrichs, a Hudson Institute senior fellow, discussed escalating Middle East tensions amid Houthi strikes in Yemen and the latest updates on the war in Ukraine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined 'Life, Liberty & Levin' to discuss the upcoming Israeli elections on Monday.

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper discussed the threat Iran-backed Houthis pose to the Middle East and the impact of the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on "America Reports."

U.S. Amb. to the U.N. Mike Waltz joined Brian Kilmeade to analyze the civil unrest, looting and rising influence of extremist groups across Europe as well as reports that Iran admitted it needs nuclear weapons, warning of growing threats to international stability.

Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection bid, saying he intends to stay out of Israel's election despite President Donald Trump throwing his support behind the Israeli leader.

During an interview Monday with Mark Halperin on "2WAY Tonight," Vance said his focus remains on U.S. candidates ahead of the midterms, Politico reported.

"The president has the most effective endorsement in American or international political history," Vance said. "I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on in the midterms. So I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections."

However, Vance made clear that his decision should not be interpreted as opposition to Netanyahu.

"I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections," the vice president added.

The comments come one day after Trump gave Netanyahu his "Complete and Total Endorsement" in a lengthy Truth Social post, praising the prime minister as a key U.S. ally and partner in confronting Iran.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Sophia Compton.

A new coalition of Iranian opposition groups in the restive southeastern provinces of Sistan and Baluchistan and Kerman in the Islamic Republic have launched a string of armed attacks against the clerical regime in the region.

The six strikes claimed by the coalition known as the People’s Fighters Front (JMM) have contributed to instability in the provinces, raising pressing questions about whether armed resistance against the clerical regime in Tehran will spread and if the regime can retain control over Sistan and Baluchistan, which is a majority Iranian Sunni province.

Iran is largely a Shiite Muslim country, and the minority Iranian Sunni population has faced discrimination over the decades. Sistan and Baluchistan is the second largest of the 31 Iranian provinces.

Mardo Soghom, an Iran expert who has written extensively about the Islamic Republic, told Fox News Digital, "The Sunni unrest can stretch the regime's military and internal security capabilities and have a psychological impact on its forces, in addition to what they experienced during the 40-day operation by the U.S. and Israel. The armed groups would not be able to establish control of the south-east, but they can seriously weaken the regime's control."

He added, "Whether these forces are receiving assistance from the Islamic Republic's adversaries — being that the Gulf Arab states or even Israel and the U.S. — remains an open question."

According to an October Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) report, "The pace of violence accelerated significantly in recent weeks [in the provinces] with 18 incidents recorded in just the final 18 days of the reporting period, surpassing the total for any previous full month." 

JMM coalesced as an opposition coalition in Dec. 2025 through an amalgam of Baloch nationalist organizations with the militant Sunni group Jaish al-Adl.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal.

The U.K. announced Tuesday that it is expanding its military support for Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

U.K. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting says Royal Air Force Typhoon jets will not strike Houthi targets but will instead “conduct defensive counter-air operations over Saudi Arabia, helping to protect Saudi cities, civilian populations and critical national infrastructure from Houthi attack.”

The U.K. will also send a military transport and an unspecified number of military advisers to Saudi Arabia, Streeting said.

President Donald Trump has hinted that the U.S. may step in to assist the Saudis in Yemen, but has yet to make an announcement.

The embattled French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday pinned some of the blame on the U.S. war against the terrorist regime in Iran for the widespread riots and looting unfolding across France.

The controversial passage referring to the Iran war from his televised speech triggered criticism from some experts. Macron said that "demonstrators expressed concern about the cost of living and the price of fuel. Both are driven by the conflict launched in the Persian Gulf, a conflict in which France has taken no part but whose consequences we are suffering."

He added, "I fully understand their concern. It is being expressed in several other European capitals as well. That is why I have taken several initiatives at the international level to secure our fuel and our gas and to act on energy markets." Macron announced that he would be traveling to the Gulf on a three-nation stop to discuss the energy crisis.

It is unclear which demonstrators Macron signaled out for alleged concerns about fuel prices. Fox News Digital reported on Monday on the inner workings of the large-scale riots with many of the groups named seeking to abolish the free enterprise system.

Macron stressed that those who have tried "to bring down the republic will be held accountable."

President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that, "I said the first time I met Macron, I said, you got to close up your borders. You're going to ruin your country. And they've ruined their country. It's going to be hard to get it back. But hopefully France will come back."

A spokesman for the French foreign ministry pointed Fox News Digital to President Macron's televised address on Sunday and referred Fox News Digital to the Elysée press office for other questions. The Élysée press office did not respond by time of publication.

Lisa Daftari, an Iran expert, told Fox News Digital, "Macron is pointing at the Iran war, but fuel is expensive because Iran's regime closed the Strait of Hormuz and held the world's energy supply hostage. The bigger question is whether this is really about students and fuel prices at all. Major infrastructures and landmarks have been set on fire, shops were looted across the country and nearly 2,400 people were arrested in a single day."

According to Daftari, who is the Foreign Desk Editor-in-Chief, "That's not a protest over the price of diesel. It's organized lawlessness and Macron's own government admits it, blaming ultra-left groups and criminals. France has a domestic crisis, and current geopolitics are not the alibi for it."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran and Moscow are working more closely than ever before amid the conflict with the U.S.

Araghchi made the statement in a post on X after meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

"We covered everything from Europe to West Asia, including Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine and Yemen. Also focused on expansion of economic and nuclear cooperation," Araghchi wrote.

"Never in our history have Iran and Russia worked as closely as now," he added.

Lavrov in his own statement blamed the conflict on "unprovoked U.S.-Israeli aggression."

"I reiterated Russia’s readiness to help find acceptable negotiated solutions to this man-made crisis," he said in a statement.

President Donald Trump slammed Iran on Monday, accusing the regime of killing Americans with roadside bombs and hanging protesters from cranes.

“They wanted me to guarantee that we won't kill them like we killed the others,” Trump said of the Iranian regime.

“And you know why? Because they've killed a lot of Americans with their roadside bombs over the years,” Trump said during remarks in Kansas.

“Soleimani was killed. You know Soleimani by me in the first term, Soleimani was killed,” Trump said, referring to Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020.

“But they did a lot of a lot of killing. They did a lot of killing. And by the way, in the last eight months, they've killed 75,000 minimum protesters,” Trump said.

“Somebody said, I wonder why they don't protest. Well, well, it's a little hard when you got machine guns at the end of the street shooting you down,” he continued.

“They hang them by cranes. They hang up by cranes for all to see. A very, sad thing. Rough group,” Trump added.

Fox News' Emma Bussey contributed to this report.