Former CENTCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel said Iran’s reported effort to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz suggests Tehran is “hedging its bets” and attempting to ramp up pressure on the U.S. amid ongoing negotiations.
“Clearly the Iranians are trying to hedge their bets here and put more pressure on the U.S., and what we saw here was CENTCOM detecting that and then taking military action to address it very, very quickly,” Votel said during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News' “America Reports.”
Votel praised CENTCOM’s swift response as an “effective use of military force,” while noting that both military and diplomatic efforts will likely be needed moving forward.
The comments came after CENTCOM said U.S. forces carried out “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran on Monday, targeting missile launch sites and two Iranian boats allegedly laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
Tensions remain high in the Middle East as skepticism grows over whether Iran can be trusted to uphold ongoing ceasefire negotiations with the United States.
Panelists on Fox News’ “Special Report” reacted Tuesday after U.S. Central Command confirmed American forces carried out strikes in southern Iran a day earlier, targeting missile launch sites and two Iranian vessels allegedly laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I'm less interested now … in what Iran is saying, and I'm more focused on what they're doing,” Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said. “The very fact that they got caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz is every indication [of] their true motives.”
Fox News contributor Mary Katharine Ham warned against pursuing an agreement at any cost, arguing that Iran has a long track record of negotiating without following through on its commitments.
“I think it's always dangerous to want a deal more than the Iranians do,” she said.
Melissa DeRosa, former secretary to ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, echoed those concerns, arguing the Iranian regime appears “emboldened,” not “chastened.”
A major clash is brewing ahead of the 2026 World Cup on American soil as soccer’s unelected global governing body faces aggressive legal action for effectively bending the knee to the Iranian regime.
According to reports, FIFA plans to ban the "Lion and Sun" flag inside tournament stadiums. The green, white, and red tricolor served as Iran’s national flag before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
FIFA defended the restriction by pointing to its stringent Stadium Code of Conduct, which outlaws objects deemed political or offensive in the name of neutrality.
The Institute for Voices of Liberty, a U.S.-based nonprofit represented by attorney Shahrokh Mokhtarzadeh, is spearheading a legal challenge, arguing that enforcing a foreign entity's speech police tactics inside the United States directly violates our sacred First Amendment protections.
After FIFA arrogantly ignored a strict three-day legal warning to reverse the policy, attorneys announced plans to file a lawsuit in either California Superior Court or U.S. District Court to block the restrictions before kickoff.
This is an excerpt from an article by OutKick's Alejandro Avila.
{{#rendered}}U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday released striking new photos showing a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighter being refueled midair over the Middle East.
“A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighter is refueled by a KC-135 Statotanker while flying over the Middle East,” CENTCOM wrote on X alongside the photos.
The images highlight ongoing U.S. military operations in the region as tensions remain elevated.
Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, would have to approve any final deal with the U.S. through secret courier networks while remaining in hiding as a "designated target," counterterrorism experts said Tuesday.
The unprecedented arrangement, they claimed, means Washington is negotiating a high-stakes accord with an entirely invisible counterparty, with a potential memorandum signed by a regime leader and a "designated target" who can never publicly show his face.
"Khamenei is a designated target, and every confirmed sighting is a coordinate," Dr. Omar Mohammed told Fox News Digital.
"The courier system used for messaging is not transitional. It is the operating system of his rule.
"Any deal the United States signs will have to be designed for a permanently invisible counterparty whose enforcement depends on his continued survival. That is not arms control as it has been conventionally understood. It is a memorandum signed under American military pressure, with a regime whose leader cannot show his face."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey.
Iran is reportedly demanding the release of $24 billion in frozen funds as part of a potential agreement with the United States, according to IRGC-linked Tasnim News.
Tehran wants $12 billion released immediately once a memorandum of understanding is announced, with the remaining funds transferred during a 60-day negotiation period, Tasnim News reported.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly traveled to Qatar to discuss access to the first $12 billion and ease transfer restrictions.
Fox News' Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}Oil prices were hovering around $93.57 per barrel Tuesday afternoon, down 32 cents, according to NYMEX data.
FOX Business anchors David Asman and Lauren Simonetti said Tuesday that markets appear to expect tensions in the Strait of Hormuz to ease despite Iran’s threats following U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Asman said investors believe the strait will eventually reopen and oil prices will fall, even as inflation and rising interest rates continue to pressure consumers.
“The stock market is looking through this current crisis as something that will mitigate very soon after we open the strait,” Asman said.
Simonetti said it could take about a month after the Strait of Hormuz reopens for shipping traffic to recover to roughly half of normal levels.
“It'll take about one month, according to Kpler, to get to 50% of the normal level,” Simonetti said. “… Once it opens, we will still see the price of oil come down drastically, but you're not going to get that renewed level of where we used to be in terms of traffic for a little bit of time.”
Qatar’s emir and Iran’s president discussed regional tensions and de-escalation efforts during a phone call Tuesday.
Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke about ongoing efforts to ease tensions, protect regional security and promote stability across the Middle East, according to the state-run Qatar News Agency.
The Qatari leader also thanked Iran for its efforts in ongoing negotiations and called for continued dialogue, while Pezeshkian praised Qatar’s role in promoting regional stability, the outlet reported.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday that 25 vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships, transited the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours under Iranian oversight.
In a statement shared by Sepah News, the IRGC said the ships passed through the strait after receiving authorization.
The IRGC also warned that it maintains “intelligent control” over the Strait of Hormuz and said any “act of aggression” would trigger a “strong and crushing response."
{{#rendered}}President Trump said Tuesday that a planned Cabinet meeting at Camp David will instead be held at the White House due to concerns over severe weather.
"Based on the possible bad weather conditions tomorrow, we will be having our Cabinet Meeting in the White House, and will be postponing the Cabinet trip to Camp David," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump had planned to convene a rare Cabinet meeting at Camp David — the wooded presidential retreat located in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park — on Wednesday as negotiations with Iran enter a critical phase.
Scattered thunderstorms are forecast Wednesday in Catoctin Mountain Park in Frederick County, Maryland, according to FOX Weather.
All Cabinet members are expected to attend the meeting, first reported by the New York Post and confirmed by Fox News, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
President Trump on Tuesday made a new Truth Social post repeating a message he originally shared on May 18, once again criticizing major media outlets over their coverage of the Iran conflict.
In the post, Trump claimed that even if Iran were to surrender while “wildly waving the representative white flag,” media outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and CNN would portray the outcome as a “masterful and brilliant victory” for Iran.
“The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!!” Trump wrote.
Foreign ministers from the U.S., Australia, India and Japan discussed the Iran conflict and threats to energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz during a Quad meeting Tuesday in New Delhi.
The talks included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio , Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong warned the Indo-Pacific is facing “acute economic stress” and said any closure of the strait would have consequences for regional energy security, according to The Associated Press.
“We recognize the importance of maintaining the principle of freedom of navigation and our opposition to any tolling proposition,” Wong said, rejecting Iran’s plan to charge ships passing through the key waterway.
Wong said the Quad nations remain united in their commitment to a "free and open" Indo-Pacific.
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are speaking on the phone, Fox News has learned from a source with knowledge about the call.
Earlier today, Netanyahu convened a security cabinet and said Israel is deepening the attacks against Hezbollah.
Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.
Israel said Tuesday that the IDF carried out a strike in Gaza targeting Mohammed Oudeh, identified as the new leader of Hamas’s military wing and a key planner of the Oct. 7 attacks.
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Oudeh headed Hamas intelligence during the Oct. 7 massacre. He was recently named successor to Hamas commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who Israel says was killed in a recent strike.
“Oudeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and injury of many Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” the statement said. “We commend the IDF and the Shin Bet for their ongoing efforts to eliminate our enemies.”
The statement added: “We will continue to pursue everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre. Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all."
IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an urgent evacuation warning Tuesday to residents in several parts of Lebanon, including Khirbet Silm, Majdal Silm and Tulin, urging civilians to move north of the Zahrani River.
“In light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is compelled to act against it forcefully. The Defense Army does not intend to harm you,” Adraee wrote on X.
Adraee added that anyone near Hezbollah operatives, facilities or weapons is putting their life at risk.
{{#rendered}}Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday that Israel is “deepening” its operation in Lebanon, where forces have been pushing back against attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
“Under my direction and that of the defense minister, together with the chief of staff, we are deepening our operation in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. “The IDF is operating with large forces on the ground and taking control of strategic areas. We are fortifying the security zone to protect the northern communities.”
Netanyahu said Monday he had ordered the military to “intensify the blows” against Hezbollah signaling an escalation in Israel’s campaign in Lebanon as cross-border drone attacks surged.
“We are at war with Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said in a video released on X.
Fox News’ Yonat Friling and Emma Bussey contributed to this post.
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that American forces "are not currently escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz."
The announcement came in response to "Recent media reporting claims that the U.S. Navy has restarted escorting or assisting commercial vessels during transits through the Strait of Hormuz," which CENTCOM described as "FALSE."
President Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social post earlier this month that the U.S. would launch "Project Freedom" to help ships from other nations escape the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump later said that “Project Freedom" will be paused temporarily following what he described as significant progress toward a potential agreement with Iran.
Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg and Emma Bussey contributed to this post.
U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday that the military has now redirected 108 commercial ships during the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports.
The blockade began on April 13 and remains in effect as the U.S. and Iran are trying to reach a diplomatic solution to end the war.
"Our service members are doing extraordinary work," Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement last week. "They have been highly effective by executing the mission with precision and professionalism, allowing zero trade into and out of Iranian ports which has squeezed Iran economically."
CENTCOM also said "More than U.S. 200 aircraft and warships are supporting the mission, including the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group/31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and multiple guided-missile destroyers."
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump will convene a rare Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Wednesday as negotiations with Iran enter a critical phase.
All Cabinet members are expected to attend the meeting, first reported by the New York Post and confirmed by Fox News, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
The gathering comes as the administration weighs next steps in high-stakes negotiations aimed at securing a broader agreement with Tehran amid a fraying ceasefire.
Trump in recent days has suggested the sides are nearing a potential breakthrough, while Iranian officials have publicly pushed back on claims that a deal is imminent.
Camp David has historically been reserved for major national security and diplomatic deliberations.
Trump has repeatedly warned that military action remains on the table if talks collapse, even as administration officials continue to publicly express optimism about diplomacy.
The internet watchdog Netblocks said Tuesday that a “partial restoration” of internet connectivity in Iran has been observed following nearly 90 days of outages.
“Live metrics show a partial restoration to internet connectivity in Iran on day 88, after 2,093 hours of near-total isolation from international networks, the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history,” Netblocks wrote on X. “It is unclear if the restoration will be sustained.”
Iran was plunged into an internet blackout after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes around Iran on Feb. 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion.
Within hours of the strikes, NetBlocks CEO Alp Toker confirmed connectivity started "flatlining."
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this post.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson called on the U.S. and Iran to “honor the commitments to ceasefire” after U.S. Central Command carried out “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran on Monday.
“We urge relevant parties to honor the commitments to ceasefire, solve disputes in peaceful ways, and continue to work for solutions that accommodate the legitimate concerns of all parties through dialogue and negotiation so as to enable peace to return to the Middle East and Gulf region at an early date,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Tuesday.
“On the Iranian nuclear issue, China always supports a peaceful resolution through dialogue and negotiation. We hope relevant parties will seize the opportunity and find a solution that accommodates the legitimate concerns of all sides through negotiation,” she added.
“China will continue playing a constructive role in the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue to safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and promote peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond,” the spokesperson also said.
{{#rendered}}Iran’s foreign ministry declared Tuesday that Iran “will leave no act of aggression unanswered” following U.S. strikes on Monday, The Associated Press reported.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, had said.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins added.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday called the strikes a ceasefire violation and warned that Washington would bear responsibility for “all consequences,” the AP added.
It also reported that Iran denounced the strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability."
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iranian authorities executed a man on Tuesday after he was convicted of alleged cooperation with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, according to The Times of Israel.
“Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was hanged for the crime of intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime, after the verdict was confirmed by the Supreme Court and through legal procedures,” Iran’s Mizan News Agency said in a report.
The state-run media outlet claimed that Shakarab “sought to recruit individuals and employ them inside the country to carry out anti-security measures in line with the service's goals.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei claimed in a Telegram message on Tuesday that the United States will “no longer have a safe haven” in the Middle East.
“What is certain in this regard is that the hands of time will not turn back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for U.S. bases,” he wrote in a 2026 Hajj pilgrimage message.
“The United States not only will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region but day by day, it is growing more distant from its former status,” Khamenei added.
The defiant remarks come as the U.S. and Iran are working towards reaching a deal to end the war.
{{#rendered}}Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the language of a potential deal with Iran could “take a couple of days” to finalize.
“The president had a very important, I think, historic call just a couple of days ago with a number of leaders from the region. I think there's strong alignment and agreement on what a preliminary draft should look like,” Rubio said.
“Like anything with something like this, it's going to take a couple of days to settle on, even down to the disagreements over a word, a sentence. So we'll have to work through that. If there's going to be a deal, we're going to have to work through that. But this is, you know, it's either going to be a good deal or there isn't going to be one,” he added.
Rubio also said Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be “open, unimpeded, [and] without tolls.”
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that it struck more than 100 targets in Lebanon belonging to the terrorist group Hezbollah.
The IDF said a Hezbollah weapons storage facility was one of several targets struck in the Beqaa Valley during the wave of overnight strikes.
“In southern Lebanon, more than 90 weapons storage facilities, command centers, observation posts, and infrastructure sites used by Hezbollah terrorists to advance attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians were struck,” it added.
The IDF released a video showing some of the strikes in the area of Mashghara, where it said terrorists were eliminated.
Fox News’ Yonat Friling contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump on Monday said negotiations with Iran are “proceeding nicely” and urged multiple Middle Eastern countries to sign onto the Abraham Accords, saying Iran could also eventually join the agreement if a deal is reached with the United States.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said it “should be mandatory” for countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords as part of any broader agreement involving Iran, arguing the pact would bring “Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East.”
"Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that!" Trump wrote in part.
Trump held a conference call at the White House on Saturday with leaders and senior officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to discuss the Iran conflict.
"I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords. Those Countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!)," Trump wrote Monday, referencing the call. "It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be."
"The Abraham Accords have proven to be, for the Countries involved (The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Kazakhstan), a Financial, Economic, and Social BOOM, even during this time of Conflict and War, with the current Members never even suggesting leaving, or taking so much as even a pause," Trump wrote. "The reason for this is that the Abraham Accords have been great for them, and will be even better for everybody, and bring true Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East for the first time in 5,000 years. It will be a Document respected like no other that has ever been signed, anywhere in the World. Its level of Importance and Prestige will be unparalleled!"
Trump continued, "It should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit. If they don’t, they should not be part of this Deal in that it shows bad intention. In speaking to numerous of the Great Leaders mentioned above, they would be honored, as soon as our Document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords. Wow, now that would be something special! This will be the most important Deal that any of these Great, but always in Conflict Countries, will ever sign. Nothing in the past, or in the future, will surpass it."
"Therefore, I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition. The Middle East would be United, Powerful, and Economically Strong, like perhaps no other area, anywhere in the World! By copy of this TRUTH, I am asking my Representatives to begin, and successfully complete, the process of signing these Countries into the already Historic Abraham Accords. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he added.
{{#rendered}}The U.S. military carried out “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran on Monday, targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins said.
According to a senior U.S. official, two Iranian boats were spotted laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while forces also responded after a missile site had targeted U.S. warplanes.
The U.S. military eliminated both IRGC vessels and also struck the SAM, or surface-to-air missile, site in Bandar Abbas.
“These were defensive strikes,” the official told Fox News. The strikes do not indicate the ceasefire with Iran is over, two additional sources said.
This came after explosions were heard Monday in various regions across the Strait of Hormuz, with one explosion heard in Iran’s Bandar Abbas in the country’s south.
Other explosions were reported close to Sirik and Jask near the strategic waterway. The official confirmed Monday that the U.S. strikes were "over for now."
Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the Iran conflict.
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Coverage for this event has ended.