IRGC says Iran in ‘complete control’ of Strait of Hormuz amid Trump threats

Representatives from more than 45 countries expected to attend initiative aimed at bringing an end to the war in Gaza Authoritarians, strongmen and dictators: who is on Trump’s Board of Peace? In other news, there have been reports that the US military is preparing for possible strikes on Iran , potentially as soon as this weekend. Unnamed sources quoted in New York Times , CBS News and CNN say Trump has yet to make a decision on how to proceed, but the significant build up of US military activity in the Middle East capable of striking nuclear facilities and other targets in Iran has continued this week despite indirect talks between the two countries on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Reports say move could come this weekend as White House urges Iran to ‘make a deal’ with Trump on nuclear program The US military is ready for possible strikes on Iran as soon as this weekend, multiple news outlets reported Wednesday citing unnamed sources. However, the reports said, Donald Trump has yet to make a final decision on whether to carry out an attack. Trump has repeatedly demanded Iran cease its nuclear program, and has warned he intends to use force if no deal is reached. Continue reading...

A U.S. fighter jet shot down the Iranian drone after it “unnecessarily maneuvered” toward the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.

Shahed-139 drone approached USS Abraham Lincoln ‘with unclear intent’ as US warships headed towards Iran The US military says it has shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying toward the carrier “with unclear intent” when it was shot down by a F-35 US fighter jet, US Central Command said on Tuesday. Continue reading...

One-fifth of the global oil is shipped through the strait, which remains effectively closed amid US-Israeli war on Iran.

US Navy 'will begin escorting' oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway, if necessary, Trump says.

Analysts say the US could run low on vital interceptor missiles within weeks.

General Dan Caine has warned that strikes against Iran could be risky, potentially drawing the US into a prolonged conflict, US media report.

US President Donald Trump says a second aircraft carrier strike group will deploy to the Middle East.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford embarked on the first of its sea trials to test various state-of-the-art systems on its own power for the first time, April 8, 2017, from Newport News, Va. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via AP, File) 2026-02-13T04:44:52Z WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will send the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East to back up another already there, a person familiar with the plans said Friday, putting more American firepower behind President Donald Trump’s efforts to coerce Iran into a deal over its nuclear program. The USS Gerald R. Ford’s planned deployment to the Mideast comes after Trump only days earlier suggested another round of talks with the Iranians was at hand. Those negotiations didn’t materialize as one of Tehran’s top security officials visited Oman and Qatar this week and exchanged messages with the U.S. intermediaries. Already, Gulf Arab nations have warned any attack could spiral into another regional conflict in a Mideast still reeling from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Iranians are beginning to hold 40-day mourning ceremonies for the thousands killed in Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month, adding to the internal pressure faced by the sanctions-battered Islamic Republic. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); The Ford’s deployment, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. Already, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers are in the Arabian Sea. The person who spoke to The Associated Press on the deployment did so on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements. Ford had been part of Venezuela strike force It marks a quick turnaround for the Ford , which Trump sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last October as the administration build up a huge military presence in the lead-up to the surprise raid last month that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro . It also appears to be at odds with Trump’s national security strategy , which put an emphasis on the Western Hemisphere over other parts of the world. Trump on Thursday warned Iran that failure to reach a deal with his administration would be “very traumatic.” Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman last week. “I guess over the next month, something like that,” Trump said in response to a question about his timeline for striking a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. “It should happen quickly. They should agree very quickly.” freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Trump told Axios earlier this week that he was considering sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East. Trump held lengthy talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and said he insisted to Israel’s leader that negotiations with Iran needed to continue. Netanyahu is urging the administration to press Tehran to scale back its ballistic missile program and end its support for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any deal. The USS Ford set out on deployment in late June 2025, which means the crew will have been deployed for eight months in two weeks time. While it is unclear how long the ship will remain in the Middle East, the move sets the crew up for an usually long deployment. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Ford’s deployment comes as Iran mourns Iran at home faces still-simmering anger over its wide-ranging suppression of all dissent in the Islamic Republic. That rage may intensify in the coming days as families of the dead begin marking the traditional 40-day mourning for the loved ones. Already, online videos have shown mourners gathering in different parts of the country, holding portraits of their dead. One video purported to show mourners at a graveyard in Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province, home to Mashhad, on Thursday. There, with a large portable speaker, people sang the patriotic song “Ey Iran,” which dates to 1940s Iran under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. While initially banned after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran’s theocratic government has played it to drum up support. “Oh Iran, a land of full of jewels, your soil is full of art,” they sang. “May evil wishes be far from you. May you live eternal. Oh enemy, if you are a piece of granite, I am iron.” ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

A US military spokesman says the drone was shot down while approaching an American vessel in the Arabian Sea.

CENTCOM says Iranian drone approach USS Abraham Lincoln with 'unclear intent' before being shot down.

Donald Trump says Iran is ‘seriously talking’ with the US and hopes that talks with Tehran will lead to a nuclear deal.

Trump ordered an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile strike group to the Middle East as tensions soar with Iran.

President Donald Trump has said a ‘big force’ of US warships is heading towards Iran.

Satellite images released Monday show fires burning and vast plumes of black smoke rising from Iran’s main naval headquarters at Bandar Abbas, with at least one vessel ablaze following a strike. The images, from Planet Labs , were released within days of the U.S. and Israel launching targeted strikes on Iran, and ahead of President Donald Trump saying he would not rule out sending U.S. troops into Iran if "necessary" amid Operation Epic Fury. The escalation comes as commercial tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has effectively stalled, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward AI . US SURGES FORCES TO MIDDLE EAST AS PENTAGON WARNS IRAN FIGHT ‘WILL TAKE SOME TIME' According to the Times of Israel , Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commander also said the Strait of Hormuz was closed Monday, with Iran claiming it would set fire to any vessel trying to pass. Fox News National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin confirmed the Strait of Hormuz was not closed, according to CENTCOM. Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan Province, occupies a key position along the Strait of Hormuz and the port is a key base serving as the headquarters of the Iranian Navy . "As of 10:56 a.m. GMT on March 2, 2026, the Port of Bandar Abbas is experiencing multiple active fires , including one aboard a berthed vessel, while maintaining a significant combined military and commercial presence at port facilities," Windward AI reported. FROM MISSILES TO MINERALS: THE STRATEGIC MEANING BEHIND THE IRAN STRIKE "Three distinct fires are currently reported in the vicinity. Two are located at port infrastructure facilities, and one involves a vessel currently at berth." Seventeen military vessels and five commercial ships remained docked despite the fires, the firm said, noting that the continued military concentration suggests "a heightened defensive posture rather than evacuation." Windward warned that active fires at Iran’s principal naval and commercial port introduce "additional operational uncertainty" and raise the risk of secondary maritime disruption across the Gulf. Video footage also shared by Iran International appeared to show an attack targeting Iranian naval air facilities in Bandar Abbas. KEY MILITARY SITES TARGETED INSIDE IRAN AS PART OF COORDINATED US-ISRAELI STRIKES Satellite imagery analyzed by BBC Verify identified a damaged vessel about 230 meters (750 feet) long — consistent, it said, with a Makran-class forward base ship operated by the Iranian Navy. The Makran, a converted tanker measuring about 228 meters, is also a mobile maritime base and helicopter carrier capable of deploying up to five helicopters and fast-attack boats. The strike at Iran's naval HQ came on the third day of open conflict, with U.S. Central Command saying it had sunk 11 Iranian vessels in the Gulf of Oman. "Two days ago, the Iranian regime had 11 ships in the Gulf of Oman, today they have ZERO," CENTCOM said on X. Trump has said "annihilating" Iran’s naval forces is a core objective of Operation Epic Fury, and that the U.S. has destroyed nine Iranian naval ships so far.

China’s military and a tech firm have released high-resolution satellite imagery showing the US military build-up around Iran, amid reports that Washington may strike Tehran as soon as this weekend. Images posted on social media on Thursday by Chinese commercial satellite analysis company MizarVision show the latest American deployments at bases in Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The images from Jordan show 18 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters and six EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft...

Russia warned Iran and "all parties in the region to exercise restraint and caution" Thursday amid a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the remark as the world’s largest aircraft carrier , the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its strike group are moving from the Caribbean toward the Middle East. "Russia continues to develop relations with Iran, and in doing so, we call on our Iranian friends and all parties in the region to exercise restraint and caution, and we urge them to prioritize political and diplomatic means in resolving any problems," Peskov said Thursday, according to Reuters. "Right now, we are indeed seeing an unprecedented escalation of tensions in the region . But we still expect that political and diplomatic means and negotiations will continue to prevail in the search for a settlement," he added. WORLD'S LARGEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER HEADS TO MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN NUCLEAR TENSIONS SPIKE DRAMATICALLY The move of the USS Gerald R. Ford would place two aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago. Negotiations between the United States and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program advanced Tuesday toward what Tehran described as the beginning of a potential framework, but sharp public divisions between the two sides underscored how far apart they remain. IRAN FIRES LIVE MISSILES INTO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TRUMP ENVOYS ARRIVE FOR NUCLEAR TALKS Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the two sides reached a "general agreement on a number of guiding principles" and agreed to begin drafting text for a possible agreement, with plans to exchange drafts and schedule a third round of talks. Yet, Washington has publicly insisted that any agreement must result in the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program — including its enrichment capacity — along with limits on Tehran’s ballistic missile program and an end to its support for allied militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Those demands go well beyond temporary enrichment pauses or technical adjustments. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

The USS Gerald R. Ford has been ordered to move from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East, as President Donald Trump weighs whether to take military action against Iran amid tensions in the region, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News. This will put two aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago. The USS Ford, which set out on deployment in June 2025, was sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last fall as the administration established a significant military presence ahead of the operation to strike Venezuela and capture its president, Nicolás Maduro. SCOTT BESSENT SAYS IRAN UNDERSTANDS 'BRUTE FORCE' AS TRUMP WEIGHS OPTIONS AMID NUCLEAR STANDOFF On Thursday, Trump warned Iran that failure to reach a deal with the U.S. regarding its nuclear program would be "very traumatic" after the two countries held indirect talks in Oman last week. "It should happen quickly. They should agree very quickly," he told reporters. Trump held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and said he insisted to the Israeli leader that negotiations with Iran must continue. TRUMP SAYS IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER KHAMENEI SHOULD BE 'VERY WORRIED' AMID TENSIONS Netanyahu is calling on the Trump administration to push Tehran to scale back its ballistic missile program and end its support for terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any deal. Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The United States will send the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East to back up another already there, a person familiar with the plans said on Friday, putting more American firepower behind US President Donald Trump’s efforts to coerce Iran into a deal over its nuclear programme. The USS Gerald R. Ford’s planned deployment to the Middle East comes after Trump only days earlier suggested another round of talks with the Iranians was at hand. Those negotiations did not materialise...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, even as Washington and Tehran ‍prepare to resume negotiations aimed at averting a new conflict. Oman facilitated talks between Iran and the US last week, which a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry said had allowed Tehran to gauge Washington’s seriousness and showed enough consensus for diplomacy to continue. The talks came after Trump had positioned one aircraft carrier in the...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Wednesday that Iran requested to change locations for talks with its U.S. counterparts, following several reports on the matter. "We thought we had an established forum that had been agreed to in Turkey. It was put together by a number of partners who wanted to attend and be a part of it," Rubio said when taking questions from reporters on Wednesday. "I saw conflicting reports yesterday from the Iranian side saying that they had not agreed to that. So, that's still being worked through. At the end of the day, the United States is prepared to engage in, has always been prepared to engage with Iran." IRAN PUSHES FOR FRIDAY NUCLEAR TALKS IN OMAN AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH US FORCES: SOURCE A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News on Tuesday that Iran had requested to hold nuclear talks with the U.S. in Oman on Friday. Additionally, Axios reported that Iranian officials were pressing to limit the talks to a bilateral U.S.-Iran format, excluding other Arab and regional countries — a move that could complicate U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region. Rubio would not say what topics had been agreed on. Rather, he laid out matters that, in his view, would need to be discussed in order for the meeting to "actually lead to something meaningful." The topics on Rubio's list include the range of Iran's ballistic missiles, its sponsorship of terror organizations, its nuclear program and the treatment of its people. IRANIAN MEDIA CLAIMS DRONE SHOT DOWN BY US WAS CONDUCTING SURVEILLANCE IN A 'ROUTINE AND LAWFUL MISSION' The secretary also spoke about the anti-regime protests that have raged in Iran since late December. When the demonstrations began, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would act if protesters were met with violence. Rubio credited Trump's tough talk with the cancellation of protesters' executions, something that the regime has denied. "The Iranian people and the Iranian regime are very unalike," Rubio said. "The leadership of Iran at the clerical level does not reflect the people of Iran. I know of no other country where there's a bigger difference between the people that lead the country and the people who live there." TRUMP SAYS IRAN 'SERIOUSLY TALKING TO US' AS MILITARY SHIPS HEAD TO MIDDLE EAST Rubio said that the Islamic regime is unable to fix the economic problems plaguing its people because Iranian leaders are using the country's money and resources to sponsor terrorism and proxy groups around the world. On Tuesday, the U.S. military shot down an Iranian drone after it "aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent," a U.S. Central Command spokesman told Fox News. Iran later claimed that the drone was conducting surveillance as part of a "routine and lawful mission over international waters." Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan, Greg Norman-Diamond and Liz Friden, and Fox News' Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.

The US military on ‌Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the ‍Arabian Sea, a US official said. The incident came as diplomats sought to arrange nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, and US President Donald Trump warned that with American warships heading towards Iran, “bad things” would ⁠probably happen if a deal could not be reached. The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying towards the carrier “with unclear intent”...

The U.S. military shot down an unmanned Iranian drone Tuesday after it "aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent," a U.S. Central Command spokesman told Fox News. "USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was transiting the Arabian Sea approximately 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone unnecessarily maneuvered toward the ship," Capt. Tim Hawkins added. "The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters," CENTCOM also said. " An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board." Hawkins said no U.S. service members were injured and no U.S. equipment was damaged during the incident. IRANIAN GUNBOATS UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPT TO BOARD OIL TANKER AS TRUMP BUILDS MILITARY PRESENCE Hawkins also told Fox News on Tuesday that, "During a separate incident hours later in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel lawfully transiting the international sea passage." "Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker," the CENTCOM spokesman said. "Guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) was operating in the area and immediately responded to the scene to escort M/V Stena Imperative with defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force. The situation de-escalated as a result, and the U.S.-flagged tanker is proceeding safely." IRAN RAMPS UP REGIONAL THREATS AS TRUMP CONSIDERS TALKS The USS Abraham Lincoln is in the Middle East after President Donald Trump said last week that, "A massive Armada is heading to Iran." "It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Hopefully, Iran will quickly 'Come to the Table' and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS — one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!"

With the recent arrival of a US Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Middle East near Iran, President Donald Trump is set to have all the military assets in place needed to launch a war against Tehran by the end of this week. While a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough is still on Washington’s cards, Trump may soon have to pick one of the plans drawn up by the Pentagon to meet his desired outcomes – none of which have been made public. Washington has maintained diplomatic backchannels open...