War latest news. Iran, US cost of war at 29 billion

Enrich uranium to 90% in the event of a new US-Israeli attack. It is one of the 'options' Tehran says it will consider if the US and Israeli bombing resumes. "We will discuss it in parliament," says Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission. A position diametrically opposed to that repeatedly made explicit by Donald Trump. 'Iran cannot get its hands on a nuclear weapon. That is a 100 per cent certainty,' says the US president on the eve of his trip to China for the eagerly awaited meeting with Xi Jinping, where the Iranian dossier will be among the hot topics at the centre of the talks. 'I don't think we need any help with Iran,' Trump downplays a possible Xi intercession, however, 'we're going to win one way or the other. We will win peacefully or the other way."

The tycoon continues to consider the resumption of military operations, especially after Tehran's negative response to his latest proposal. In any case, according to sources close to the talks, 'hardly' any final decisions will be taken before Trump's visit to China. The same sources add that US discontent with Pakistan's role as mediator is also 'growing'. Several Trump aides believe that Islamabad is not conveying the US president's 'degree of frustration' to Iran with 'sufficient firmness' and that Iran is not 'taking seriously' the warnings it has received. Meanwhile, as the US sends an Air Force B-1B Lancer strategic bomber to the area, the cost of the US operation continues to rise.

'We don't need China's help with Iran'. Donald Trump said this, reiterating that he was happy to go to Beijing. "It will be an extraordinary trip," he added. (

As US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth began his opening address to the Senate, a woman stood up and shouted, 'I am an Iranian-American and I am opposed to this war of aggression'. Within moments, she was removed from the hearing room by Capitol Police officers, but continued to declare her opposition to the war with Iran. In the back row of the Senate hearing room were seated some anti-war protesters wearing pink T-shirts, but they remained silent. Several of them got up and left while Hegseth was speaking.

'Only the United States and China can recover Iranian nuclear material'. This was stated by US President Donald Trump on the 'Sid & Friends in the morning' radio programme. "The Iranians have told me that we will get the powder," the president said referring to the uranium that survived the US attacks, "The problem is that the only two countries in the world that can recover it are us and China, because no one else has the necessary equipment.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned the Iranian ambassador after a group linked to the Revolutionary Guards allegedly infiltrated Boubyan Island. Iran International writes.

The United States Central Command (Centcom) disclosed that its forces prevented a Maltese-flagged tanker from crossing the Strait of Hormuz. "Our forces prevented the oil tanker Agios Phanourios from crossing the Strait of Hormuz due to a blockade violation," a Centcom spokesman told Al Jazeera, adding that the ship was not carrying Iranian oil. The spokesman added that US forces intercepted several oil tankers that were not carrying Iranian oil because they were violating the embargo, adding that the blockade imposed by the US on Iranian ports remains in place.

Operation Aspides "could be extended to the Strait of Hormuz: it would not even be necessary to change the mandate". This was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, during the press conference at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council in defence format, referring to the European mission active in the Red Sea in defence of freedom of navigation. "We support all diplomatic initiatives to find a way out and ease the tension. This is geographically crucial for foreign trade, for the flows not only of trade, but also of energy, and therefore navigation in the Strait and the Red Sea must be protected. We already have Operation Aspides, which could be extended to the Strait of Hormuz,' he says, recalling that immediately after the EU ministers' meeting there will be another one hosted by France and Germany 'precisely on these topics'. Responding to a follow-up question, Kallas adds that Aspides' operational area 'already covers the area' of Hormuz, 'so it is sufficient to change the operational plan'. A possible extension would, however, require more funds and more ships, both areas where some member states have announced they would like to contribute. The operation 'could clearly also contribute to the Coalition of the Willing' with Franco-British traction, he continues, emphasising that the EU could participate as a unit in the multinational force: it would be 'the quickest way' to contribute to it, he points out, 'and also the way we could make Europe really strong: strong in the region, but also strong geopolitically, because our contribution would be much more significant if we did it together'.

General Dan Caine, US Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought to dispel fears that the war on Iran would significantly deplete much of the US military's global stockpile of ammunition. "We have sufficient ammunition to accomplish the missions that we have been assigned at this time," Caine said during a House hearing, citing reports from top military commanders stationed in various parts of the world. However, the conflict has forced the Pentagon to urgently transfer bombs, missiles and other war material from military commands in Asia and Europe to the Middle East. The withdrawals have made regional commands less prepared to deal with potential adversaries such as Russia and China, and forced the US to find ways to increase production to cope with depleted stockpiles, according to Trump administration and congressional officials.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called on the Lebanese government to withdraw from direct talks with Israel, calling them a concession and urging "indirect negotiations". Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold two days of talks in Washington, US, starting Thursday in an attempt to end the latest clashes that erupted two months ago, following the war with Iran, and to discuss the future of relations between the two sides that have been at war since Israel was created in 1948. Qassem said in a letter addressed to officials of the Shia group that direct negotiations benefit Israel and are "concessions on the part of the Lebanese authorities". He added that the Lebanese government should instead resort to indirect negotiations with Israel, as in previous years, for example when a ceasefire was reached in November 2024.

An Israeli attack killed two rescue workers in southern Lebanon while they were engaged in an operation. This was announced by the country's civil defence.

They were "shot (...) as they were rendering aid to an injured person targeted by another Israeli attack" in the town of Nabatiye, he specified in a note.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that 43,000 people in the Gaza Strip have suffered severe permanent injuries as a result of Israeli attacks since October 2023. Over 5,000 have suffered amputations, more than 2,000 have spinal cord injuries, over 3,400 have severe burns, and over 1,300 have suffered traumatic brain injuries. About a quarter of the injured are minors. The total number of injured, including less serious cases, is around 172,000.

The Qatari-flagged oil tanker Mihzem has crossed the Strait of Hormuz. This was announced by the Iranian Tasnim agency on X. "The ship," it read, "showed its position in the Sea of Oman just a few minutes ago and crossed the Strait of Hormuz following the route indicated by Iran. The Qatari tanker was awaiting Iranian approval for the passage of the Strait of Hormuz.

The cost of the war launched by the US against Iran has risen to "close to $29" billion. Jules W. Hurst III, the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Defence, said this in a parliamentary hearing. Compared to his testimony on 29 April, when he spoke of a cost of $25 billion, the cost of the war has been revised to reflect "the cost of repairs and replacement of equipment and the general operating cost.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, during a congressional hearing, responding to Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum who asked him whether the administration has a 'plan B' to scale back operations in Iran, replied: 'We have a plan to escalate if necessary. We have a plan to scale it back if necessary. We have a plan to shift resources."

I costi della guerra

Il segretario alla Difesa degli Stati Uniti Pete Hegseth si prepara a testimoniare davanti alla sottocommissione per la difesa della commissione per gli stanziamenti della Camera dei Rappresentanti in merito alla richiesta di bilancio del Pentagono per il 2027, presso il Rayburn House Office Building a Washington, DC, USA, il 12 maggio 2026. I legislatori hanno colto l'occasione per mettere Hegseth sotto torchio riguardo ai costi della guerra in Iran. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

Kuwaiti authorities arrested four people - suspected of links to Iran's Revolutionary Guardians - who were attempting to enter the country by sea. This was reported by the official Kuna news agency, citing a note from the Ministry of the Interior in Kuwait City. According to the note, the four admitted during interrogation that they belonged to the Pasdaran and that they had been charged with infiltrating the island of Bubiyan on board a chartered fishing boat with the aim of committing 'hostile acts against Kuwait'. During a firefight with the suspected infiltrators, a member of the Kuwaiti security forces was injured. The emirate's Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, attributing Iran 'full responsibility'.

The IDF announced that a drone 'took off from the east' was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force near the southern Israeli city of Eilat. It is suspected that the drone was launched from Yemen, although the IDF is still investigating its origin. Sirens were not activated, "according to protocol", the Israeli military specified.

This was the first drone attack on Eilat since the ceasefires in Iran and Lebanon came into effect last month. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched several missiles and drones against Israel during the war.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem emphasised that his group's weapons were not part of the upcoming negotiations between Lebanon and Israel and threatened that his fighters would turn the battlefield into 'hell' for Israeli forces. The arms issue "is an internal Lebanese matter and not part of the negotiations with the enemy," reads a note ahead of the third round of talks in Washington, scheduled for Thursday and Friday. "We will not surrender and will continue to defend Lebanon and its people, we will not abandon the battlefield and turn it into hell for Israel," it added.

Iran should not use the Strait of Hormuz to 'blackmail' countries in the Gulf area. This was stated by the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

Tehran believes there is still room for diplomacy with the US, despite its distrust of Washington. This was emphasised by the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, in a note released by his office. "Despite distrust of the enemy, the Islamic Republic of Iran believes it can negotiate from a position of dignity, wisdom and opportunity," Pezeshkian said. "Tehran will have to consolidate in the diplomatic arena all that the Iranian Armed Forces have achieved on the battlefield," the Iranian head of state noted. Two days ago, US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's response to the US proposal to resolve the conflict, calling it 'totally unacceptable'.

Israel sent Iron Dome anti-missile batteries and personnel to operate them to the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said this today, confirming what has been leaked in the press in recent weeks.

"I would like to express my appreciation for the United Arab Emirates, the first member of the Abrahamic Accords," Huckabee told a conference in Tel Aviv, according to Associated Press reports, "just look at the benefits. Israel has sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help them operate them'.

Further reading

West Bank, economy heading for default: how Israel blocks PNA finances

08 May 2026

The Knesset last night approved a law to establish a special military court to try Palestinian terrorists accused of committing atrocities on 7 October 2023, with 93 votes in favour and none against. This was reported by the Israeli media. The bipartisan bill envisages a special court to try the approximately 300 alleged terrorists captured by security forces in Israel. Under the new law, the court will be able to charge the attackers with all relevant crimes, including genocide. Those convicted of genocide would face the death penalty.

"China strongly opposes unlawful unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorised by the UN Security Council, and will vigorously protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said today in response to a press question on the sanctions announced yesterday by the US Treasury against 12 individuals and entities that allegedly facilitated the sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China, including Hong Kong-based companies.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, threatens by stating that Iran could enrich uranium to 90 per cent purity if the country suffers another attack. "One of the options available to Iran in case of another attack could be to enrich uranium to 90 per cent. We will discuss this in parliament,' Ebrahim Rezaei wrote in X. While nuclear power plants use uranium enriched to 3-5%, nuclear weapons generally require 90% enrichment

The Israeli army called again this morning for the urgent evacuation of the inhabitants of four towns and villages in southern Lebanon. "In light of the violation of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist organisation Hezbollah", the army is "forced to act firmly", the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Telegram, listing four towns and villages to be evacuated "immediately" and to be kept "at least 1,000 metres away, in open areas".

The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on X that 'there is no alternative' to the 14-point plan presented by Tehran to end the conflict.

'There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as set out in the 14-point proposal,' Ghalibaf wrote, 'any other approach will lead to nothing but failure after failure. The longer they prevaricate, the more American taxpayers will pay the price'.

At least six people died and seven others were injured in an air attack carried out last night by Israeli forces against a house in Kfardounine, south Lebanon. This was reported by the Lebanese news agency NNA.

"Two weeks ago, I asked the Chinese to play a positive role for the ceasefire and to protect the Gulf countries. The Chinese position is not the same as ours regarding Iran, but I believe China could play a key role and convince Iran to reach an agreement. Everyone should be tired of war, but there is an insurmountable red line, which is Iran's atomic weapon. Once and for all, Iran must agree not to build the atomic weapon'. Thus Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in an interview with 'Il Messaggero'

- The United Arab Emirates conducted military strikes against Iran. Informed sources told the Wall Street Journal. The attacks suggest that the country, one of the hardest hit by Tehran's raids, is now more keen to protect its economic power and growing influence throughout the Middle East. Sources report that the operations included a raid against a refinery located on the Iranian island of Lavan in the Persian Gulf in early April, around the time Donald Trump announced the ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump is currently meeting with his national security team and the senior leadership of the US military to discuss future strategies for the conflict with Iran, including the possibility of resuming military action. Cnn reports this, citing informed sources.