Only US and China can retrieve enriched uranium from Iran's 'obliterated' nuclear sites, Trump says

The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation on Friday called for urgent U.S. action following the release of a voice recording from American journalist Reza Valizadeh, who is being detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison.

In the recording, shared with CBS News by Valizadeh’s attorney and Foley Foundation board member Ryan Fayhee, Valizadeh described deteriorating health conditions among Americans imprisoned in Iran and criticized the U.S. government for failing to secure their release during recent diplomatic developments.

“While three American citizens and I are imprisoned in Iran, 20 Iranian sailors were released by the United States on May 21 and returned to Iran,” Valizadeh said in the recording. “The U.S. government could have demanded our exchange in return. However, it did not happen.”

The Foley Foundation urged President Donald Trump to prioritize the release of Americans detained in Iran, including Valizadeh, who has been imprisoned since September 2024.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least six people in Lebanon on Friday after Hezbollah rejected the latest ceasefire agreement with Israel, according to Lebanese state media.

Fox News correspondent Max Gordon reported on 'Special Report' that Israeli troops have pushed farther into southern Lebanon than at any point in the last 26 years as fighting with the Iran-backed terror group intensifies.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck 650 Hezbollah targets and killed 125 Hezbollah fighters over the past week after the group launched rockets into northern Israel.

The latest escalation comes as Iran ties any broader peace agreement with the U.S. to an end to fighting in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israeli forces do not intend to withdraw from southern Lebanon in the near future.

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that the Israeli Air Force intercepted one hostile aircraft after sirens warning of an aerial infiltration sounded across several areas in northern Israel.

The IDF added that two additional hostile aircraft fell near areas where Israeli troops are operating in southern Lebanon.

“No casualties,” the military said in a post on X.

President Donald Trump said Iran still retains roughly 21% to 22% of its missile arsenal following U.S. military strikes earlier this year, according to a preview clip released Friday from NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”

“They have some missiles, they have some drones. I would say percentage-wise, maybe 21–22% of their missiles,” Trump said in the interview.

“It’s a lot of missiles, but it’s not what it was when we first attacked,” he added.

The full interview is scheduled to air Sunday.

The State Department approved a possible $1.98 billion foreign military sale to Kuwait for counter-unmanned aerial systems platforms and related equipment, according to a congressional notification released Friday.

The proposed package includes electronic warfare systems, kinetic interceptors, mobile and maritime sentry towers, tactical operations centers and command-and-control systems designed to counter drone threats.

The State Department said the sale would support the security of a major non-NATO ally and improve Kuwait’s ability to counter current and future unmanned aerial system threats in the region.

Anduril Industries, based in Costa Mesa, California, would serve as the principal contractor.

An Iranian national pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Seattle to charges tied to a yearslong scheme to illegally export military-related technology to Iran through China, according to the Justice Department.

Prosecutors said Reza Dindar managed a China-based company that concealed the true destination of U.S.-purchased goods, falsely claiming they were headed to China when they were allegedly intended for Iran.

According to court records, Dindar and his co-conspirators used deception to purchase parts for three military sonar systems from a Washington state business before routing them through China in violation of U.S. sanctions and export controls.

Dindar faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when sentenced in August.

CNN reported Friday that Israel secretly deployed elite forces and Mossad agents to Azerbaijan and operated a covert fighter jet refueling base in Somaliland during the war with Iran, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report, Israeli commandos stationed near the Azerbaijan-Iran border were initially tasked with rescuing downed pilots before their mission expanded to intelligence and drone operations supporting strikes inside Iran.

CNN also reported Israel used a base in Somaliland for aerial refueling operations during the conflict.

Azerbaijan’s embassy in Israel rejected the report as “entirely baseless,” saying the country has “never allowed, and will never allow,” its territory to be used for hostile operations against another state.

The Justice Department (DOJ) said Friday that U.S. forces seized a sanctioned supertanker allegedly tied to Iran’s “Ghost Fleet,” a network accused of helping Tehran evade sanctions and generate oil revenue.

According to the DOJ, the M/T Davina, also known as Lenore, can carry up to two million barrels of oil and was listed under U.S. Treasury sanctions targeting Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors.

The department said the seizure is part of a broader U.S. effort to disrupt Iran’s illicit oil smuggling operations and revenue streams benefiting the Iranian government and the IRGC.

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it killed a Hezbollah operative accused of operating from inside a United Nations base in southern Lebanon and “endangering UN personnel.”

According to the IDF, troops identified the operative inside a UNIFIL site in the Burj Qalaouiyah area before he later left the compound in a vehicle and approached Israeli forces “in a manner that posed an immediate threat.”

The military said it then carried out a “precise strike” targeting the operative while avoiding damage to the nearby UN facility.

Iran’s World Cup soccer players have been granted visas to enter the United States ahead of the tournament, Reuters reported Friday, citing a White House official.

The visas were approved just 10 days before Iran’s opening Group G match against New Zealand in Los Angeles amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran, according to the report.

Reuters reported Iran’s ambassador to Mexico said late Thursday the team had still not received visas before approval came overnight.

President Donald Trump’s Iran envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner quietly traveled to Tennessee this week to meet with nuclear experts who could help implement a potential deal with Tehran, according to a new Axios report.

Axios, citing two U.S. officials, reported the pair visited Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex on Thursday as the White House pushes toward a possible memorandum of understanding with Iran.

According to Axios, the officials said a team of roughly 100 experts was recently assembled to prepare for potential technical implementation of a future deal, including handling Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.

The report said some of the experts involved previously participated in recovering enriched uranium from Venezuela and also joined Witkoff and Kushner during earlier nuclear negotiations in Oman before the war.

The report said the meetings focused on preparations for handling Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and enforcing possible limits on future enrichment if negotiations move forward.

President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. is seeing “great success” with Iran and insisted Tehran is “in no position to have a nuclear weapon” as concerns over oil prices and energy markets continue amid tension in the Middle East.

“We’re having great success with Iran,” Trump told reporters before departing the White House for Wisconsin. “They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. They’re in no position to have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump also downplayed chatter of a major oil pricing shock, noting crude prices had not surged as dramatically as some had feared.

“People thought it was going to be a lot worse,” Trump said. “Today I looked at $96 a barrel. People thought that was going to be $300 a barrel.”

The president added the U.S. has “a lot of alternatives” on energy and touted American oil, gas and coal reserves while also celebrating warming relations with Venezuela's energy sector.

“We have more oil and gas and coal and everything else than any other country on the planet,” Trump said.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun accused Iran on Friday of trying to use his country as a “bargaining chip” in negotiations with the U.S. 

The remark comes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released a statement on Thursday declaring that “no peace in the region will be established” unless Israeli forces withdraw from Lebanese territory, according to Iran International. 

The regime supports Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist group that has been launching attacks toward Israel. 

“It’s not your country, it’s our country,” Aoun told CNN. 

“They are using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiation with US,” he reportedly added. “It’s unacceptable.” 

“You are not trying to help us… the people of Lebanon are paying the price … for the sake of your own interest,” CNN also quoted Aoun as saying, adding that “our interests… do not coincide with your interests.” 

U.S. Central Command said Friday that Adm. Brad Cooper, its commander, met with senior leaders from Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan during a recent trip to the Middle East. 

CENTCOM has played a central role in Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign against Iran that was launched on Feb. 28. 

In a post on X, CENTCOM also said that Cooper “met with deployed U.S. service members, recognized exceptional performers, and presided over the leadership transition for U.S. Army Central” during his visit to the Middle East. 

The U.S. Treasury Department announced Friday that its Economic Fury campaign against Iran is taking further aim at Iranian gas smuggling and shadow banking networks. 

The Office of Foreign Assets Control said it is “designating a network of individuals, entities, and vessels responsible for shipping hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian-origin liquid petroleum gas (LPG) --intentionally disguised as Omani LPG -- to end users in South and East Asia.” 

“The network used front companies in the United Arab Emirates and China, foreign bank accounts, and Iran’s shadow fleet to move millions of barrels of Iranian LPG while concealing its Iranian origin and evading U.S. sanctions,” the department said. “OFAC is taking this action to expose the complicit actors enabling an economic lifeline for Iran while exploiting commercial infrastructure to obfuscate their actions.” 

The moves are part of Economic Fury, which the Treasury Department is describing as a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran focused on “targeting the regime’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds.” 

“OFAC is also taking action today against Iranian exchange house Mehrdad Geramian Nik and Partners Company and its leadership, who have moved hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign currency on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks,” the Treasury Department added. “Iran’s foreign exchange system relies heavily on selected brokers and rahbar companies, which use overseas shell and front companies to conceal Iranian connections, bypass sanctions, and move funds through accounts typically held outside Iran on behalf of Iranian bank customers.”   

“Iran’s economy is floundering and its military is decimated,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said. “Through Economic Fury, Treasury will continue to sever Iran’s shadow fleet, shadow banking networks, and access to global trade.”  

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that three of its officers have been injured in southen Lebanon over the last two days. 

The IDF described how in one incident this morning, “a combat officer was seriously injured and another combat officer was lightly injured during an encounter with terrorists in southern Lebanon.” 

“Yesterday, a combat officer was seriously injured as a result of a suspected aerial target strike in southern Lebanon,” it added. 

The IDF said following both incidents, the injured were evacuated for medical treatment at hospitals. 

Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah continue to clash along the Israel-Lebanon border.

U.S. Central Command said Friday that 129 commercial ships have been redirected during the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports. 

It released a photo showing the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship transiting the Arabian Sea in support of the blockade, which began in mid-April. 

Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned Monday that Iran's armed forces have little patience with the blockade. 

"The Strait of Hormuz is under Iran's management," Rezaei wrote on X. "We will not allow the continuation of the maritime blockade, and the escalation of tensions in Lebanon will not be tolerated either." 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report. 

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that the Israeli Air Force has struck more than 650 Hezbollah targets over the last week. 

Israeli forces also have eliminated over 125 Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon and have worked “to destroy terrorist infrastructure and eliminate threats to the citizens of the north,” the IDF added. 

The IDF said earlier Friday that it killed Abed Harb, the commander of Hezbollah’s engineering unit, who “was responsible for assembling explosives intended to harm IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon.”

U.S. Central Command pushed back Friday on reports citing Iran’s navy as saying that it fired warning missiles and drones at American warships in the Gulf of Oman. 

"Iranian forces did NOT attack or fire at U.S. Navy warships," CENTCOM said, adding that "doing so would be a gross violation of the ceasefire."

“U.S. forces continue to operate freely in regional waters while fully enforcing the ongoing blockade against Iran,” it continued.

The statement comes after Reuters reported that Iranian media was citing Iran's navy as saying it fired warning missiles and drones at American warships in the Gulf of Oman.

Tensions remain high in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. and Iran are trying to negotiate a deal to end the war. 

CENTCOM said as of Thursday, U.S. forces “have redirected 127 commercial vessels, disabled 6 non-compliant ships, and allowed 36 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass” as part of the blockade.