Iran war updates: Trump claims ‘not long’ before war ends

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• Trump says the US will prevail in its war on Iran, either by “peaceful” means or force, and that Washington doesn’t need Chinese help to resolve the crisis.
• Kuwaiti authorities allege that four members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard tried to infiltrate the country through Bubiyan Island to carry out “hostile” acts, a claim Tehran has rejected.
• Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, has called on the international community to reject “barbarism and domination”, warning in a comprehensive statement on X that the conflict represents a defining historical moment. Baghaei said the war’s outcome would shape the concept of “good and evil” now and into the future.
• The UAE has designated 16 Lebanese nationals and five Lebanon-based entities as “terrorists”, citing their alleged ties to Hezbollah.
• The UK has announced it will contribute a significant arsenal of weaponry to a multinational defensive mission dedicated to securing the Strait of Hormuz.
• A senior Pentagon official said the war on Iran has cost the US $29bn so far.
• The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, expressed strong optimism about the expansion of the Abraham Accords, suggesting that Gulf states will “have to make a choice” between Israel and Iran, as they weigh establishing formal diplomatic relations with the Israeli government.
• The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since early March has climbed to 2,883, according to the most recent data from the Lebanese Health Ministry.

South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back tells his US counterpart that Seoul is reviewing phased contributions to the US-led initiative in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Gyu-back and Hegseth held bilateral talks at the Pentagon earlier this week.

Yemen’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Iran for the “hostile acts” carried out by an armed group linked to the IRGC on Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island.

“The Republic of Yemen affirms that this aggressive behavior is a direct extension of the Iranian regime’s approach based on exporting chaos, undermining the security and stability of the region, and using militias and cross-border armed groups as tools for blackmail and threatening regional security,” the statement read.

Kuwait arrested four men after they allegedly tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island by sea and accused them of being affiliated with the IRGC. Iran has denied that it was planning hostile acts against Kuwait.

Hezbollah say it launched 25 strikes against Israeli personnel and hardware across southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

At the “al-Abad site”, the group claimed to have successfully targeted a “Drone Dome” jamming system, two communications vehicles, and a Merkava tank.

The group also said its fighters repelled an advancing Israeli column – including a tank, two bulldozers, and infantry – in Wadi al-Ain and Biyyada, using a combination of guided missiles and heavy artillery in three successive waves of strikes.

Additionally, the group launched rocket barrages and drone swarms against Israeli troop gatherings near Rachaf, the Naqoura port and the Qouzah triangle.

In the central border area, the group reported striking Israeli forces positioned inside residential homes in the towns of Hula and Biyyada.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed held a telephone conversation to review regional developments and coordinate efforts to bolster security and stability.

They also discussed areas of cooperation between the two countries, according to the SPA.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has met with Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, Norway’s deputy foreign minister, who travelled to Tehran to discuss the war and the “latest status of the negotiations”, according to Iran’s Press TV.

Araghchi said that the greatest obstacle to peace is the “excessive approach and threatening and provocative rhetoric of the American side, and the lack of goodwill and dishonesty of the US”.

Press TV said he added that the main issue with the Strait of Hormuz is the “military aggression of the US, and the Zionist regime against Iran, and its subsequent repeated violations of the ceasefire with the continuation of the blockade of Iranian seaports”.

Araghchi said that Iran is developing regulations related to the strategic waterway in accordance with international law.

Kravik, for his part, emphasised the need for “lasting peace and stability in the region”, Press TV reported.

“He also expressed his country’s readiness to assist in strengthening diplomacy as well as consultations regarding maritime safety and environmental protection in the region.”

US Senator Chuck Schumer has urged Republicans to vote in favour of stopping Trump’s war on Iran, as the country continues to feel an economic squeeze due to rising energy prices.

“Americans are paying over $4.50/gallon for gas because Trump refuses to end this war.

“If Republicans care at all about lowering costs and defending our troops, they will support Democrats’ War Powers Resolution to end this war with Iran,” he wrote in a post on X.

Earlier, we reported that Democrats wanted to launch their seventh attempt at stopping the war.

The War Powers Resolution is designed to prevent presidents from waging war without congressional approval after 60 days of conflict.

Democrats have attempted several times to pass the resolution, but as they are the minority in Congress, most votes have been split along party lines.

Americans are paying over $4.50/gallon for gas because Trump refuses to end this war.

If Republicans care at all about lowering costs and defending our troops, they will support Democrats’ War Powers Resolution to end this war with Iran.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) May 12, 2026

The Wafa news agency reports that a man was killed by Israeli fire on Tuesday evening in the town of ar-Ram, north of occupied East Jerusalem.

The victim was identified as 44-year-old Zakaria Ali Mohammed Qadees. According to the Wafa report, Qadees was shot “following an alleged attempt to cross the annexation and expansion wall built on the lands of ar-Ram”.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has discussed regional developments with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in a phone call.

The two leaders also “discussed strategic cooperation and ways to strengthen UAE–US relations in support of mutual interests”, according to the Emirates News Agency.

The Lebanese armed group says it has carried out more attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah said its fighters directly struck an Israeli Merkava tank in the Iskenderun area.

The group later said it struck another Merkava tank with a guided missile in the Ain el-Ouadi area between the towns of Biyyada and Bayt al-Sayyad, while artillery shells and rocket barrages targeted the remaining forces.

The Israeli drone attack targeted people in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, medical sources tell the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The casualties were brought to al-Awda Hospital, Wafa reported.

Israel has continued to carry out deadly attacks on Gaza despite a “ceasefire” in the coastal enclave.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud have discussed relations between their respective countries and regional developments in a phone call.

The regional developments discussed include “those related to the ceasefire between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and efforts aimed at de-escalation in a way that contributes to strengthening security and stability in the region,” Qatar’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a post on social media.

During the call, Al Thani also “stressed the need for all parties to respond to ongoing mediation efforts in a way that opens the door to addressing the root causes of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, and leads to reaching a sustainable agreement that prevents the recurrence of escalation”, concluded the statement.

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ Receives Phone Call from Saudi Foreign Minister

Doha | May 12, 2026

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received a phone call from HH Minister of… pic.twitter.com/fNuuWGvXAn

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) May 12, 2026

Trump has hit out against media coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran, saying that reports that Tehran is “doing well” militarily against Washington amount to “virtual TREASON”.

“They are aiding and abetting the enemy! All it does is give Iran false hope when none should exist. These are American cowards that are rooting against our Country,” the US president wrote on Truth Social, without specifying which media reports he was referring to exactly.

“Only Losers, Ingrates, and Fools are able to make a case against America!” he added.

Trump and other senior members of his administration have lambasted US media outlets for critical coverage of the war.

Citing unnamed officials familiar with the matter, CNN reported this week that Trump “personally pushed” the US Department of Justice to issue subpoenas to reporters covering the war in a push to identify their sources.

Pete Hegseth has defended the Trump administration’s unprecedented $1.5 trillion military budget request during a new round of questions from lawmakers over the war on Iran.

See more below:

Let’s bring you up to speed on what’s been happening:

• Trump tells reporters that it “will not be long” before the war with Iran ends and that Washington will “win, peacefully or otherwise”.
• Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs defends the country’s proposal to end the conflict while condemning “threats and pressure” on Tehran.
• Iran has rejected allegations from Kuwait that armed IRGC members attempted to “infiltrate” the country; Qatar had earlier condemned the incident as “a dangerous development” and a violation of Kuwaiti sovereignty.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan told Al Jazeera that Ankara wants navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to return to the pre-war status quo.
• The death toll in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since early March has risen to 2,883, according to the latest figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

The Lebanese-armed group has announced new attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, saying the strikes were carried out in response to Israeli ceasefire violations and attacks on Lebanese villages.

Hezbollah said its fighters launched a “squadron of attack drones” at Israeli soldiers gathered in the Qouzah triangle, followed by another drone strike targeting troops in the town of Rashaf.

The United Arab Emirates has designated 16 Lebanese nationals and five entities based in Lebanon as “terrorists” for their alleged links to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

“Under the Resolution, all regulatory authorities are required to identify any individuals or entities connected through financial or commercial relationships with those listed, and to take the necessary measures in line with the applicable laws in the UAE, including freezing assets within less than 24 hours,” reported the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

“The decision reflects the UAE’s firm and longstanding commitment to combating terrorism and extremism in all forms, and to preventing the financing of terrorist groups and organisations, as part of the country’s broader efforts to enhance security and stability and address threats to regional and international peace,” said WAM.

The UAE, in conjunction with the GCC, formally designated Hezbollah as a “terrorist organisation” in March 2016.

UAE designates 16 individuals, five entities on its Local Terrorist List over Lebanon's Hezbollah links#WamNews https://t.co/8ay3yhFcgl pic.twitter.com/mG6G9AIjz8

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) May 12, 2026