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Trump suggested if a deal was made he would meet with Iran’s supreme leader
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Donald Trump said Washington did not need a ceasefire deal with Iran to get enriched uranium from the country as Hezbollah rejected a new ceasefire in Lebanon.
Trump also said that he did not want to meet with Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
“We could get it right now. I don’t think they could stop us if we wanted, but there’s no reason to. It’s entombed,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
Oman suspended oil loading operations at the Mina al Fahal terminal following an explosion near the facility. The blast occurred between the terminal’s SBM 1 and SBM 2 single-buoy mooring berths and was allegedly caused by a drone attack, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Operations were resumed on Friday morning.
Iran-backed Hezbollah on Thursday rejected a new US-brokered ceasefire proposal in Lebanon, saying the group was not involved in the negotiations.
Meanwhile, Israel continued strikes in southern Lebanon, with defence minister Israel Katz saying military operations would continue and troops would not withdraw.
President Donald Trump marks the 500th day of his second term in the White House Thursday, but the milestone coincides with a poll showing his approval rating at a new low.
The latest survey from The Economist and YouGov places Trump’s net approval rating at -25, down 1.1 points in a week, and reveals that only 35 percent of the American public approves of the job he is doing in the Oval Office, with a massive 60 percent disapproving and the remaining 5 percent unsure.
The news magazine explains that the results make the president the most unpopular U.S. commander-in-chief since it began polling in 2009.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would be honoured to meet new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, despite ordering air strikes that killed his father, reportedly also his wife and child.
“I don’t want to meet but if I did meet I would be honoured to meet him,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. “If we make a deal it’s possible that we would meet.”
“Do you think because Epic Fury killed his killed his dad and his wife and his kid that he’s has hard feelings?” a reporter asked.
The US leader replied: “I would say I’m not his favourite person, but with that being said, he’s probably a pro—I don’t know him—he’s probably a professional in some circles, he has a very good reputation actually, you know, sometimes when people say bad, but a lot of people say bad about me. It’s totally false, of course.”
Operations at the Mina Al Fahal crude oil export terminal have resumed and are proceeding normally, according to the country’s state news agency.
Oman suspended oil loading operations at the facility, which is its main crude oil export terminal following an explosion nearby.
The blast occurred between the terminal’s SBM 1 and SBM 2 single-buoy mooring berths and was allegedly caused by a drone attack, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Operations were resumed on Friday morning.
The UN nuclear watchdog has been unable to inspect nuclear facilities in Iran affected by the war last June, according to a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog circulated to member states and seen Thursday by The Associated Press.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it “cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran or whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities.
“The IAEA warned that it was “unable to discharge its safeguards responsibilities” that it has under the Safeguards Agreement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, adding that it is “indispensable and urgent” for Tehran to implement its obligations under that Treaty.
The only nuclear facility inspected in Iran by IAEA inspectors since the last report in February has been the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was visited on June 1-3.
The reactor currently running at Bushehr uses uranium from Russia enriched to 4.5 per cent, a low level needed for power generation in such plants.
The confidential report comes as tensions have flared in the Middle East.
Several oil industry executives have reportedly privately warned the White House that the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is straining global oil inventories and could lead to gas price spikes in the coming weeks.
For more than three months, Americans have been forced to confront high gas prices as a result of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. The conflict has disrupted global oil production because Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 34 percent of the world’s oil passes.
But executives from unidentified oil companies have warned senior administration officials in recent weeks that they’re concerned prices could rise further as a result of diminishing oil supplies, four executives told Politico.
The US State Department has urged Americans across the Middle East to remain cautious as tensions continue in the region.
In an advisory issued Thursday, the department said the security environment remains volatile and can change rapidly, encouraging US citizens to closely monitor news developments.
The warning comes despite secretary of state Marco Rubio saying the conflict with Iran is “over”, as the two sides continue to exchange attacks.
The alert says “due to high tensions in the region, the security environment remains complex and can change quickly.”
Iranian strikes on Kuwait on Wednesday reportedly killed one person and injured dozens.
The State Department said travel advisories for Bahrain, Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE remain at Level 3, advising travellers to reconsider travel. Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and Yemen remain under Level 4 “Do Not Travel” warnings.
The US House of Representatives on Thursday voted 324-92 to reject a Lebanon war powers resolution introduced by Representative Rashida Tlaib.
The measure would have required the president to withdraw US armed forces from Lebanon within seven days of its adoption.
Democratic leaders opposed the resolution, saying there are currently no US troops engaged in combat operations or hostilities in Lebanon.
They instead backed a separate, narrower proposal from Tlaib that would prohibit US involvement in hostilities in Lebanon while allowing continued security cooperation with the Lebanese military and protection of diplomatic facilities.
“I am grateful to the 90 members of Congress who joined me and my sister-in-service Delia Ramirez in voting to put an end to US support for these war crimes and mass atrocities,” Tlaib said in a statement.
Tlaib added that “far too many of my colleagues continue to fail to recognise the humanity of the Lebanese people”.
“This fight is not over. The Lebanese people continue to be subjected to violent forced displacement, illegal military occupation, and deadly US-funded bombs.”
The United States has boasted about 500 days of President Donald Trump’s “Golden Age” as the Iran war drags on.
The war has caused gas prices to soar while Americans were already struggling with the cost of living.
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