Day 97 | Trump projects weekend breakthrough; as Iran denies 'tangible progress'

Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said the current draft memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war contains ambiguities that must be clarified before any agreement can be finalized.

Speaking to Iranian state television, Rezaei said US President Donald Trump is seeking to pressure Iran into accepting Washington’s conditions while leaving Tehran’s demands in a vague and unresolved state. He suggested that key issues in the negotiations remain disputed despite ongoing talks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a meeting Thursday with the Kuwaiti foreign minister, “condemned Iran’s outrageous and unacceptable attacks targeting Kuwait International Airport and other parts of the country,” a readout from the US State Department said.

Rubio “expressed condolences for those killed and injured in that attack,” the readout said, noting that the US stands “with the Kuwaiti people during this difficult time.”

The meeting between Rubio and Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al Sabah at the US State Department comes a day after one person was killed and 63 others were injured in strikes, including in what Kuwaiti authorities said was an Iranian drone strike on the airport. Iran claimed on Thursday that damage to the airport was caused by a malfunctioning US Patriot missile.

Rubio reiterated to his counterpart that the US is committed “to Kuwait’s security, to ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and restoration of freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Rubio’s sentiments of condemnation and support stand in stark contrast to remarks made by US President Donald Trump suggesting that Iran was “provoked” into the attacks on the US’ Gulf ally.

“Some people would say they were slightly provoked, because we took a strong action for a different reason, so they were reciprocating that,” Trump said in remarks in the Oval Office.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday condemned Iran's "outrageous" attack this week on a Kuwait airport that killed one person and wounded dozens.

Meeting Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in Washington, Rubio "condemned Iran's outrageous and unacceptable attacks targeting Kuwait International Airport and other parts of the country and expressed condolences for those killed and injured in that attack," according to a State Department readout.

Four Iranian-flagged oil tankers carrying a combined seven million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, marking the first such transit since April 17 despite the US blockade of Iranian ports, according to maritime tracking firm Kpler.

The development comes as maritime traffic continues through the strategic waterway following the ceasefire with Iran, with shipping companies closely monitoring security conditions in the region.

Footage released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards shows patrols in the Strait of Hormuz

'Israeli' military announced that an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah directly struck the vehicle of Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo while in southern Lebanon.

The military said that the drone targeted a patrol involving Milo, officers from his staff, commanders, and soldiers while they were raiding a Lebanese village.

The vehicle was hit directly, but no injuries were reported. Further details about the incident were not immediately released.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, to discuss the latest developments in the region, according to a statement by Iran's Foreign Ministry.

During the call, Araghchi reaffirmed Iran's continued support for what it described as the resistance of peoples in the region, particularly in Palestine and Lebanon, the ministry said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that the peoples of the region would not abandon Lebanon, calling for an immediate halt to 'Israeli' attacks and a full withdrawal of forces from Lebanese territory.

In a statement carried by Fars News Agency, the IRGC said the Lebanese people would not allow 'Israel' to achieve through political agreements what it failed to accomplish during the war.

"The people of Lebanon will not permit the usurping regime to obtain through an imposed agreement, backed by the child-killing American regime, what it could not achieve on the battlefield," the statement said.

The IRGC also stressed that any regional ceasefire arrangement must include Lebanon, saying Tehran's minimum condition for accepting a ceasefire during the conflict was a halt to fighting across all fronts.

According to the statement, 'Israel' must immediately stop its attacks on Lebanon, withdraw from areas it occupies, return behind internationally recognized borders, and recognize Lebanon's territorial integrity.

The IRGC further argued that stability in the region cannot be achieved without the withdrawal of 'Israeli' forces from Lebanese territory.

"We will support the people of Lebanon with all our strength," the statement added.

A Hezbollah official told AFP on Thursday that the group had informed Lebanese authorities that it rejects a ceasefire announced after ‘Israel’-Lebanon talks in Washington a day earlier.

The official said on condition of anonymity that the position, which was announced by Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem in a televised message, was passed on "to parliament speaker Nabih Berri", a Hezbollah ally acting as an intermediary who "shares this position".

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had said earlier Thursday he was waiting for Hezbollah's response.

Widespread destruction seen in the municipality of Srifa in southern Lebanon’s Tyre; following extensive ‘Israeli’ attacks.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Thursday demanded a comprehensive ceasefire and the withdrawal of ‘Israeli’ troops from Lebanon, urging authorities to abandon direct talks with ‘Israel’ after a truce agreement was announced.

"The ceasefire must be comprehensive... without the Israeli enemy having the freedom to kill," Qassem said in a televised message, urging the government to halt "the farce and humiliation called direct talks" with ‘Israel’.

He also vowed that "as long as our villages are unsafe -- being bombed, destroyed and our people killed -- the settlements (north Israel) are unsafe".

President Donald Trump on Thursday slammed a vote in the US House seeking to order the withdrawal of American troops from the Iran war, suggesting the “unpatriotic” and “meaningless” move disrupted negotiations with Tehran.

The largely symbolic vote came "right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"Who would do such an unpatriotic thing. They know where the negotiations stand."

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that an agreement on implementing a ceasefire announced in Washington after talks with ‘Israel’ was the "last chance" to reach a comprehensive truce.

"The results of the fourth round of negotiations, and the statement issued from it, which included very important points in Lebanon's favour, represent the last chance to enter into a final, comprehensive ceasefire.

Each party bears responsibility" if it fails to respond positively, Aoun said, according to a statement from his office.

Aoun said Lebanon would inform the United States of its position "as soon as responses are received from the concerned internal parties, particularly Hezbollah", adding that the US would determine the ceasefire's start date and "President Donald Trump will be the direct guarantor of its implementation".

The head of the Quds Force, the foreign arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards, said Thursday that ‘Israel’ must pull back from its current front lines in Lebanon, where it is fighting Tehran's ally Hezbollah.

"Supporting the resistance in Lebanon is the duty of all of us, and removing Israel from the region is an attainable goal for Muslims," Esmail Qaani said in a post on a domestic social media platform.

"The minimum demand of the resistance is the withdrawal of the usurping regime (Israel) to the position it held before the start of the 40-day war."

A UN peacekeeper killed in southern Lebanon was Serbian, the country's defence ministry confirmed on Thursday, specifying that he died from injuries caused by a missile strike on the UN base.

"Senior Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic was given emergency medical care at a hospital inside the base after being wounded and then transported by helicopter to the University Medical Center in Beirut, where he died," the statement said.

Iranians gather at Imam Khomeini Mausoleum in Tehran to mark the 37th anniversary of his death. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, died in 1989 and was succeeded by Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the Middle East war.

Iran's supreme leader on Thursday accused the US and ‘Israel’ of trying to sow "division" among Iranians after suffering a "decisive blow" during the Middle East war.

In a written message, Mojtaba Khamenei said “the malicious enemy” was seeking to "plant the seeds of doubt, despair, fear, mistrust and division" among the public.

"In confronting these ill intentions, everyone must, through steadfastness, insight, preserving unity and cohesion... neutralise their sinister plot," his message said.

‘Israel's’ defence minister said Thursday that a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon grants the military the "freedom" to strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks ‘Israeli’ communities, adding that operations in southern Lebanon would continue.

"The IDF will, at this stage, continue its fire and ground operations, remain in the security zone in Lebanon up to the Yellow Line -- including in the Beaufort area -- and without the return of the population, while continuing to dismantle terrorist infrastructure on the ground," Israel Katz said in a statement, as he hailed the ceasefire deal reached on Wednesday.

He said ‘Israeli’ forces retained the "freedom of action, with American backing, to strike in Beirut in response to fire on Israeli communities and territory".

Israel's Home Front Command has activated air raid sirens in the northern border community of Arab al-Aramshe after detecting a suspicious aerial target suspected to be an incoming drone.

• US Army cites financial strain from Iran war and border missions
• Rising fuel costs increase transport expenses
• Training schedules affected by higher operating costs
• Commanders ordered to make tough resource decisions

The United States Army is grappling with mounting financial distress driven by an expensive multi-front operational load and escalating economic pressures, military officials told Fox News.

The budget strain is forcing leadership to re-evaluate daily expenditures, threatening to impact everything from routine logistics to essential troop readiness.

Budget pressures

According to US Army officials, the military branch is currently facing a compounding financial squeeze from three primary sources: the ongoing war with Iran, continuous domestic border operations, and a sharp increase in global fuel prices.

These simultaneous challenges have rapidly consumed baseline budgets, leaving the military to manage an unexpectedly high operational burn rate.

Logistics, training hit

The surge in fuel costs has emerged as a particularly disruptive factor for the Army's day-to-day operations.

Speaking to Fox News, a US Army spokesperson warned that these rising energy prices are directly threatening to inflate the costs of transporting personnel, vital supplies, and heavy military equipment worldwide.

Beyond moving assets from point A to point B, the price hikes have fundamentally altered preparation efforts.

Officials confirmed that the soaring cost of fuel has already begun to affect and alter scheduled military training plans, raising concerns about the long-term impact on troop preparedness.

'Difficult decisions'

With no immediate relief in sight, senior military leadership is moving to contain the damage through strict resource management.

The US Army spokesperson revealed that official directives have been issued to commanders across various echelons, instructing them to make hard choices regarding how they manage their available assets.

These directives effectively mandate that leadership on the ground prioritize essential operations while scaling back elsewhere to navigate the tightening fiscal reality.