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President Donald Trump said the Senate decided to “have a poorly timed and meaningless War Powers Act Vote” on Tuesday. The Senate voted 50-48 to back legislation aimed at limiting U.S. military involvement in Iran, the same day Trump said nuclear inspectors will visit nuclear sites in Iran “at the appropriate time.”
Covered by: Greg Norman-Diamond and Emma Bussey
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran’s economy had been severely damaged in the war, while touting lower oil prices and increased exports through the Strait of Hormuz.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday defended Trump’s military action against Iran, warning that allowing the regime to obtain a nuclear weapon would have devastating consequences for the world.
The Trump administration is keeping major U.S. military forces in the Middle East despite lifting its naval blockade of Iran and launching a 60-day negotiating period aimed at securing a long-term agreement with Tehran.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun thanked Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call Tuesday “for the attention that the United States is showing toward Lebanon, aimed at ending the war there,” according to a statement from his office.
The U.S. embassy in Kuwait reopened on Wednesday following a suspension in March caused by Iranian attacks in the area, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The spokesperson added that the embassy in Kuwait City will immediately resume emergency services for American citizens.
The embassy was closed in early March, during the beginning of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
In a post on X, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while visiting Kuwait, wrote “The American flag: a symbol of liberty, unity, and freedom now flies proudly once again over Kuwait City.”
“Kuwait is an indispensable partner for regional security and stability. The United States looks forward to strengthening our partnership across all areas of cooperation,” he added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he wants the deal between the United States and Iran to work out, “but if it doesn’t, the president knows what his options are.”
Rubio made the remark after US-Iran talks in Switzerland this past weekend produced a 60-day roadmap toward a broader peace agreement.
“They want to get into a negotiation, we’ll do a negotiation. If they make commitments at the negotiation, they need to keep them,” Rubio said. “If they don’t keep them, the president has multiple options at his disposal. That includes sanctions and includes other things.”
“So I think the president’s been clear — If we’re going to get a deal, it has to be a real deal and it has to be a good deal. If Iran wants to make a good and real deal, the United States is open to that. If they’re not, then of course the president has options,” Rubio added. “We want this to work out. We hope it works out. But if it doesn’t, the president knows what his options are.”
A State Department official told Fox News that the second day of talks between Israel and Lebanon are unfolding Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said last week that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun spoke by phone on Friday, where they “discussed the next round of negotiations, scheduled for June 23–25 in Washington, where the two sovereign governments will make progress toward a lasting peace.”
Israel and Hezbollah – an Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon — reached a ceasefire agreement on Friday, but the truce has come under strain in recent days.
The State Department official said Wednesday that Israel and Lebanon are trying to end the cycle of violence for good and establish a long-lasting peace and security between the two nations
Fox News’ Nick Kalman contributed to this post.
Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that Israeli troops won’t withdraw from a security zone in southern Lebanon “even if there is an American demand,” according to The Times of Israel.
“200,000 [Lebanese] residents will not return [to the homes they evacuated]. Because what happened in the past in security zones, where there was also a civilian population [present], was roadside bombs and attacks against the soldiers, and therefore we will not allow that,” the website quoted Katz as saying.
“We are not withdrawing,” he reportedly added.
Israel has been clashing with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon, in recent weeks. Iran has been pushing for Israeli troops to withdraw from the area.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he met with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, where they “discussed President Trump’s MOU with Iran, efforts to secure full and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and regional stability.”
“I thanked the UAE leadership for their unparalleled support, praised their courage and resilience in the face of Iran’s attacks, and reaffirmed our commitment to Emirati security and to our strong bilateral partnership,” Rubio said in a post on X.
Rubio is currently traveling through the Middle East, with stops in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
“The Secretary will discuss a range of regional priorities including the memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and free safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region. In Bahrain, the Secretary will also meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council to discuss shared priorities across the region,” according to the State Department.
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that it struck two “armed Hezbollah terrorists” in southern Lebanon.
“This morning, Golani Reconnaissance Unit forces operating in the Ali Taher Ridge identified two armed terrorists from the Hezbollah terror organization who posed a threat to our forces operating in the security zone,” the IDF wrote on X.
“Immediately after the identification, the Air Force and ground forces struck the terrorists to remove the threat. The IDF will not allow the Hezbollah terror organization to harm the citizens of the State of Israel and IDF forces and will continue to operate to remove immediate threats,” it added.
On Tuesday, the IDF reported multiple incidents involving “terrorists” in the same area. Hezbollah, a terrorist group in Lebanon, is backed by Iran.
President Donald Trump told Fox News on Wednesday that U.S. inspectors will join the International Atomic Energy Agency when it goes into Iran to review the country’s nuclear sites.
“They’ll make a deal, put it in writing, then they’ll go out and say it’s not true,” Trump said after Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday claimed there were no scheduled visits yet for the U.N. watchdog.
“They’ve agreed to it, they’ve agreed to the inspectors,” Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst.
The president also said there is no rush in getting the inspectors in.
Fox News’ Trey Yingst contributed to this post.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran has informed the U.S. it will seek no tolls or any other charges for ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran has informed the U.S. that, despite troublemaking Fake News reporting to the contrary, there are ‘NO TOLLS, NO INSURANCE COSTS, & NO OTHER CHARGES OF ANY KIND BEING SOUGHT OR RECEIVED BY IRAN ON SHIPS TRAVELING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“If this is false information, negotiations would end, immediately!” Trump continued.
“Additionally, no money has been given to Iran, or released from their money to them, by the U.S. We will be releasing some of their money, that is totally controlled by us, to our Farmers and Ranchers, for the purchase of Corn, Wheat, Soybeans, and more. Food is desperately needed in Iran, and we will be purchasing it for them exclusively from the United States,” Trump also said.
Iran’s hardline parliament speaker and key negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the deal between the U.S. and Iran aimed at ending the war is “America’s declaration of defeat,” a report said.
“The Islamabad understanding was not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation,” Ghalibaf said on Iranian television, according to The Times of Israel.
“That is why, the Islamabad memorandum of understanding became a declaration of America’s defeat,” he reportedly added.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Wednesday that inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites are “going to happen.”
The declaration comes after Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday claimed there were no scheduled visits yet.
“I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing I would like to remind you and draw your attention to is that there has been a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both presidents,” Grossi said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
The accord “says explicitly that the nuclear activities that are going to be carried out with regards to the nuclear material facilities will be supervised by the IAEA — in all letters,” he said.
“Obviously, to do that, we will have to inspect. Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in 10 days, it’s important, but not essential. This is going to happen,” Grossi added.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday voiced support for President Donald Trump’s criticism of NATO but argued that despite some frustrations within the alliance, European members have provided support to U.S.-led military operations.
His remarks came after Trump renewed pressure on NATO allies to increase contributions to collective defense and support alliance missions.
“I completely back him on this when it comes to NATO,” Rutte said during an appearance on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
“I know there is disappointment, but let’s also see these are isolated cases,” he added.
Rutte pointed to European support for military action against Iran, noting that thousands of flights originated from European bases to assist the mission.
“I totally understand the disappointment, but when you take, for example, Italy, 500 U.S. planes took off from U.S. bases in Italy to support the operation. So this is massive.”
He also highlighted logistical assistance provided by other allies.
“When you look at all of Europe, again, it’s between 4,000 and 5,000 sorties,” Rutte said. “A country like Romania — in its capital, Bucharest — had to cut down on commercial air traffic because the airport was being used as a tanker facility. So all this is taking place,” he said.
President Donald Trump ripped the Senate for holding a war powers resolution vote on Tuesday, saying the measure was “poorly timed and meaningless.”
The Senate voted 50-48 to back legislation aimed at limiting U.S. military involvement in Iran. The measure, which previously passed the House, received support from four Republicans: Sens. Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Bill Cassidy. Sen. John Fetterman was the lone Democrat to vote against it.
“So, I have Iran on the ‘ropes,’ ready to go down for the fall, willing to give us practically anything, and for the first time in decades, respecting the hell out of the United States and its President, ME, and the U.S. Senate decides to have a poorly timed and meaningless War Powers Act Vote, telling the Number One Sponsor of Terror in the World that the United States doesn’t like what I am doing to them, and I must stop, and by so doing has provided aid and comfort the Enemy,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Four Republican Losers voted with the Dumocrats, and Iran asked my people, ‘what does that all mean?’ These Senators have just made my job more difficult, but I will get it done, one way or the other, because I always get it done!” Trump added.
Yesterday’s Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this post.
Live Coverage begins here
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG.
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