The US military says that Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait and Bahrain failed or were shot down, and that the US launched strikes on an Iranian facility in response.
US Central Command said the strikes were on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz, that is home to a desalination plant.
Iran had fired missiles towards Kuwait and Bahrain but they failed to hit their targets, the US said. The two fired at Kuwait fell apart en route, while US and Bahrain forces intercepted the missiles aimed at Bahrain.
The escalation comes as president Donald Trump called suggestions that the US and Iran are no longer holding peace talks “false and erroneous” and insisted the two countries have been speaking "continuously".
In a post on Truth Social, he added the US and Iran in fact spoke “four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today”.But he also said he had told Tehran: "It's time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!”
Key Points
- US says Iran's attack on Bahrain and Kuwait failed
- US fires Hellfire missile at tanker heading towards Iran
- Oil climbs to $97 a barrel
- Sirens heard across Kuwait City following US attacks on Iranian military bases
- Netanyahu says Iran will 'fall in the end' in speech in Tel Aviv - watch
- US sanctions Iran’s largest digital asset exchange
Rubio says UK-France mission to secure Strait of Hormuz ‘a catch-22’
06:40 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A proposed mission by the UK and France to secure the Strait of Hormuz once the Iran war ends has been branded a catch-22 by US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
The top diplomat questioned the need for naval escorts “if no one’s shooting”, but acknowledged it could provide initial reassurance to shipping.
He expected efforts to reopen the critical waterway would dominate this month’s meeting of heads from the G7 group of leading democracies in Evian, France, pending the outcome of talks between Washington and Tehran.
The narrow Gulf channel has become a flashpoint in the conflict, now in its fourth month, with the US military saying on Tuesday evening it had launched strikes on an Iranian ground control station on an island near the strait.
Trump is furious with Netanyahu because Israel is still in charge
06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Donald Trump has gone further than ever in venting his rage against Benjamin Netanyahu, but don’t be fooled: it’s Israel’s PM who remains the master manipulator here, explains world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
Trump is furious with Netanyahu because Israel is still in charge
Iran-backed militias in Iraq say they will handover weapons
06:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Two of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed militias said they would begin handing in their weapons to the authorities, a major step in the new government’s effort to rein in militias that have long operated on their own.
One of the groups, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said it had formed a committee to oversee the move, inventory its fighters, weapons and equipment, and coordinate with the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces.
It cast the decision as a response to calls by Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority and the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in Parliament that dominates Iraqi politics.
The second group, the Imam Ali Brigades, made a similar announcement saying the time has come “to build a strong state with full sovereignty". It added that its aim was now to have weapons only with the state and help boost state institutions.
US sanctions Iran’s largest digital asset exchange
06:10 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The US placed sanctions on Iran’s largest digital asset exchange and three other exchanges in an ongoing effort to pressure Iran into a peace deal.
Included in the sanctions are Iran’s largest digital assets firm Nobitex and its chairman and co-founder, Amir Hossein Rad.
The US treasury department said Nobitex has processed more than 50 per cent of all Iranian digital asset income last year and supports Iran’s vast sanctions evasion network.
Secretary Scott Bessent said at the Reagan National Economic Forum this month: “We have seized about a billion dollars of their crypto."
British couple jailed for 10 years over ‘spying on Iran’ lose appeal
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A British couple imprisoned in Iran on espionage charges have had their appeal rejected, their family has confirmed.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who deny the spying allegations, were handed a 10-year sentence in February.
Their family alleges they were denied attendance at the appeal hearing. The pair were detained in January 2025 while undertaking an around-the-world motorcycle journey through Iran.
More here.
British couple jailed for ‘spying on Iran’ lose appeal
Israel continues to strike Lebanon despite ceasefire announcement
05:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israel kept up strikes on a string of towns in southern Lebanon, Lebanese security sources said, despite a US-mediated partial ceasefire announced on Monday.
The announcement failed to reassure many Lebanese, 1.2 million of whom have been displaced, and an Israeli drone over Beirut kept residents on edge on Tuesday.
"Every time we return to our homes, there is a warning for us to be displaced again," said Faten Al Chehime, who fled to a displacement camp from her home in Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday, only two weeks after returning there.
Israel continues to bomb Lebanon
05:25 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iran's Guard attacks US fifth fleet hq and airbase
05:12 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has attacked the US Fifth Fleet headquarters and an airbase and helicopters in a regional country using missiles and drones, Iranian media reported this morning.
The strikes have been described as a retaliation against the US attack on a communications tower south of Qeshm Island.
The Guard navy also targeted a vessel it identified as Panaya with missiles in response to what it said was a US attack on an Iranian tanker near the Strait of Hormuz with a projectile that damaged the engine room, Iranian media reported.
"Disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the US military," local media cited the IRGC as saying.
study reveals how much increased costs from Trump’s Iran war have hit your household
04:56 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The military conflict in Iran has cost U.S. households an estimated $100 billion overall, driven primarily by a sharp increase in energy costs following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a new study from Moody’s Analytics found.
The analysis indicates that the financial burden translates to roughly $750 per household since the conflict began in February. The military action, initiated by President Donald Trump without congressional approval, has led to a 35 percent surge in oil prices.
According to data from AAA, the national average price for regular gasoline sits at $4.29 per gallon, though prices remain elevated after previously climbing above $4.50. Costs continue to top $5 in six states following the disruption of shipping lanes in the region.
More here.
New study reveals how much increased costs from Trump’s Iran war have hit households
Iran finalises plan for World Cup attendance
04:37 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iran's Football Federation said that the final coordination with Fifa for the national team's travel to and stay in Mexico for the World Cup has been completed.
The squad will depart for Tijuana on Saturday and arrive in the Mexican city early Sunday for the tournament.
Iran moved its base to Mexico due to the ongoing conflict with the US.
The team will travel from there to match venues, including Los Angeles and Seattle.
US fires Hellfire missile at tanker heading towards Iran
04:27 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The US military fired a Hellfire missile at a tanker heading towards Iran as part of a blockade being imposed by Donald Trump.
US Central Command posted a video showing the missile striking the Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie, and said it targeted the ship's engine room, disabling it.
"The ship's crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from US forces multiple times over a 24-hour period," Central Command said in a statement.
"A US aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran.
"The Lexie is the sixth ship that the US military has disabled since it started its blockade of Iran on 13 April.
Oil climbs to $97 a barrel
04:10 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Oil prices climbed more than 1 per cent in early trade as hostilities in the Middle East erupted anew with Iran firing missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain.
Brent futures rose $1.05, or 1.09 per cent, at $97.05 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.01, or 1.08 per cent, to settle at $94.77.
On the supply side, US crude oil inventories fell for a seventh straight week last week, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute data.
Crude stocks fell by 6.8 million barrels in the week ended 29 May, Reuters reported.
US says Iran's attack on Bahrain and Kuwait failed
04:05 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The US military has claimed that Iranian missile attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and other regional targets were either thwarted or failed, as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran showed little progress.
Two Iranian missiles shot at Kuwait fell short or broke apart in flight, while several ballistic missiles aimed at regional targets failed and three missiles heading for Bahrain were intercepted, the US Central Command said.
It said the US military also downed Iranian drones targeting civilian ships in regional waters and US forces in Kuwait, and carried out strikes on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz following attempted attacks by Iran.
The Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly attacked the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, located in Bahrain, as well as an airbase and helicopters in an unspecified regional country using missiles and drones in response to a US attack on a communications tower south of Qeshm.
Watch: Rubio eviscerated over Trump’s ‘dumpster fire’ foreign policy during Congressional testimony
04:00 , Rachel Dobkin
There are supposed to be ceasefires across the Middle East, but the fighting is worsening
03:30 , Rebecca Whittaker
Ceasefires have been announced, often to great fanfare, in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. So why is there still so much fighting?
In just the last few weeks, Israeli forces have captured more territory in Gaza and killed two top Hamas militants there, as well as more than a dozen other people. In Lebanon, Israeli troops captured a Crusader fortress over the weekend in their deepest incursion in 26 years, as Hezbollah kept up rocket fire into northern Israel.
The fighting in Lebanon showed no sign of letting up on Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said both sides had agreed — again — to de-escalate.
Read more from Sam Metz:
There are supposed to be ceasefires across the Middle East, but the fighting is worsening
Watch: Sirens heard across Kuwait City following US attacks on Iranian military bases
03:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
US forces disable oil tanker during its blockade
02:00 , Rachel Dobkin
American forces have disabled an unladen oil tanker during its blockade of Iranian ports.
The tanker “was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on the Arabian Gulf” on Tuesday, according to the US Central Command.
“The ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period”, CENTCOM said in an X post.
A US aircraft “ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran”, the post read.
American forces have disabled a total of six commercial vessels and redirected another 122 ships during their blockade, which started on April 13.
US sanctions Iran's largest crypto exchange
01:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
The United States announced sanctions on Iran’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, accusing it of enabling the Iranian government and blacklisted state institutions to circumvent Western sanctions.
The four entities include; Nobitex, Bitpin, Ramzinex and Wallex.
Watch: Trump is furious with Netanyahu because Israel is still in charge
Wednesday 3 June 2026 00:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia says it will start handing its weapons to the state
Tuesday 2 June 2026 23:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
One of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed armed groups said Tuesday it would begin putting its weapons under government control, a major step in the new government’s effort to bring militias that have long operated on their own under state command.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq said it had formed a committee to oversee the move, including an inventory of its fighters, weapons and equipment, and to coordinate with the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The group cast the decision as a response to calls by Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority and the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in Parliament that dominates Iraqi politics.
Powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia says it will start handing its weapons to the state
Over 2,000 US diplomats left foreign service over the last year
Tuesday 2 June 2026 22:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
As the United States grapples with a deadlock in negotiations with Iran, NBC News has revealed that over 2,000 US diplomats left the foreign service over the last year, according to figures by the American Foreign Services Association.
The officials were either laid off or forced to retire, according to the report.
Current and former state department officials say that the reduction in numbers is a critical disadvantage for the US at this time. The US diplomatic service was made up of 13,000 employees in 2024.
Pictured: Israeli airstrike in Nabatieh, Lebanon
Tuesday 2 June 2026 21:00 , Becky Whittaker
Watch: Netanyahu says Iran will 'fall in the end' in speech in Tel Aviv
Tuesday 2 June 2026 20:40 , Rebecca Whittaker
Israel kills 11 in Lebanon, a day after Trump said Israel and Hezbollah will de-escalate
Tuesday 2 June 2026 20:20 , Rebecca Whittaker
Israeli drone strikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed 11 people, including a man along with his son and daughter, the state-run news agency said, a day after Donald Trump said Israel and the militant group Hezbollah agreed to dial back fighting.
Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, launched dozens of projectiles and drones toward Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and Israeli cities and towns in recent days as Israel's airstrikes killed dozens, including women and children, in Lebanon. Hezbollah did not carry out any attacks on Israel after Trump's announcement.
Trump said Monday he'd spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and had communicated with Hezbollah through mediators, and that no troops would be “going to Beirut." But the intensity of attacks between Israel and Hezbollah continued.
