US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that 'negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely' while military operations continue. According to Fox News, Trump stated that 'It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all' with Iran, emphasizing the critical nature of ongoing diplomatic efforts. This latest development comes as U.S. Central Command carried out 'self-defense strikes' in southern Iran on Monday, targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats allegedly laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. As reported by Fox News, the strikes occurred amid an ongoing ceasefire between the two countries, with Capt. Tim Hawkins confirming that 'U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces'.
US President Donald Trump launched another scathing attack on media outlets over their coverage of the West Asia conflict, posting on Truth Social that they would depict Iran's surrender as their victory. According to reports from ANI, Trump stated that even if Iran surrendered completely with their military walking out of Tehran while waving white flags, mainstream media outlets would headline it as Iran's masterful victory over the United States. He referred to the media as 'The Failing New York Times,' 'The China Street Journal (WSJ!),' and 'Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN,' calling them members of the 'Fake News Media'. In his latest post, Trump described a hypothetical scenario where Iran's entire military surrenders, including their Navy resting at the bottom of the sea and Air Force no longer operational, yet media outlets would still portray it as Iran's brilliant victory over the United States. As reported by ANI, Trump specifically stated that 'The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn't even close.'
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. According to The Associated Press, 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. '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.
Trump announced a significant expansion of the Abraham Accords, stating that 'it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords' including Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!). As reported by Fox News, Trump wrote that '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' and argued that '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'. Trump continued that 'It will be a Document respected like no other that has ever been signed, anywhere in the World' and suggested that 'If they don't, they should not be part of this Deal in that it shows bad intention'.
Despite the media criticism, US military operations continued with 'self-defence strikes' targeting Iranian missile launch sites and boats near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. According to Fox News, these strikes occurred amid an ongoing ceasefire between the two countries, with U.S. Central Command announcing it carried out 'self-defense strikes' in southern Iran targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. As reported by Fox News, former CENTCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel explained that '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'. The military operations reflect the ongoing tensions despite Trump's claims of Iran's alleged defeat, with both countries maintaining their positions while diplomatic channels remain open to resolve the West Asia conflict.
