Trump cancels peace mission to Islamabad as US Navy begins de-mining operations in Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the war with Iran and broader Middle East tensions during a phone call on Sunday with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, according to the UAE’s foreign affairs ministry.

During the call, Sheikh Abdullah emphasized the strengthening of ties between the two countries and addressed ongoing regional developments.

“Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed discusses, during a phone call with His Excellency Marco Rubio, the United States Secretary of State, the growing strategic relations between the two countries, and the overall current regional developments,” the UAE minister of foreign affairs said in a post shared on X.

Bin Zayed also expressed support for U.S. leadership efforts aimed at promoting stability and peace in the region.

“His Highness also commended the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at achieving peace and consolidating sustainable security and stability at both the regional and international levels, and similarly commended the efforts of the U.S. president and Marco Rubio in bringing about peace between Lebanon and Israel,” the minister said.

The Israeli military said Sunday it carried out a series of strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, underscoring ongoing tensions and despite a recently extended ceasefire.

"STRUCK: Hezbollah terrorists and military infrastructure sites used to advance attacks against IDF soldiers and Israel, north of the Forward Defense Line,” the IDF said in a post shared on X.

Among the targets struck were rocket-launching terrorist cells, a loaded, ready-to-launch rocket launcher, a weapons storage facility and military structures, it said.

The IDF also uncovered an underground terror tunnel containing living quarters, military equipment and weapons.

“IDF troops dismantled an offensive underground route 800 meters long, which contained living quarters, military equipment, and weapons, including vests and a rocket belonging to Islamic Jihad,” it said on X.

The ceasefire brokered by the United States took effect on April 16. It was initially set to last 10 days but was extended by roughly three weeks.

Crude oil cargoes valued at about $1.05 billion have been sent back to Iranian ports following “rapid interdictions” by the U.S. Navy, TankerTrackers said Sunday.

The firm said satellite imagery confirming the sightings showed the arrival of the crude oil in Iran.

“The U.S. Coast Guard has seized an estimated $380 million worth of Iranian crude oil in the Indian Ocean,” TankerTrackers also said in a post shared on X.

The firm said the oil shipment appeared to be heading toward the United States.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Sunday that "multiple ships and helicopters" are enforcing the blockade against Iranian ports in the Middle East.

“A U.S. sailor conducts preflight checks on an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter aboard USS John Finn (DDG 113),” CENTCOM said in a post shared on X.

“Multiple ships and helicopters are currently enforcing the U.S. blockade against Iranian ports,” the command said. 

President Donald Trump predicted on Sunday that the war with Iran will come to an end "very soon."

Trump made the statement during an interview with Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich on "The Sunday Briefing," saying the red line for the U.S. remains preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

"Israel would get blown up within minutes from the time they got it. So we can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon. So this should have been done by previous presidents. It should have been done for years, 40, 47 years. It's been going on and nobody did anything about it. We had to do that," Trump said.

"I took the greatest economy we've ever had. And I said, we're going to have to take a little detour and stop that from happening. And that's what happened. And we've done a great job, and it'll come to an end very soon, and we're going to be very victorious. But they cannot have a nuclear weapon," he added.

One Israeli solider was killed and six others were wounded during an operation in southern Lebanon, the IDF announced Sunday.

The IDF identified the deceased solider as Sgt. Idan Fooks. Four of his fellow soldiers were severely injured, and others sustained lighter injuries.

"Sergeant Idan Fooks, aged 19, from Petah Tikva, a soldier in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Brigade, fell during combat in southern Lebanon," the IDF said in a statement.

"During the incident in which Sergeant Idan Fooks fell, an officer and three additional soldiers were severely injured, along with a soldier who was moderately injured and a soldier who was lightly injured," the statement continued.

"The soldiers were evacuated to the hospital to receive medical treatment, and their families have been notified," it added.

President Donald Trump doubled down on his decision not to send U.S. delegates to Pakistan for Iran talks on Saturday.

Trump told reports and wrote on Truth Social that he believes the U.S. holds "all the cards" in the negotiations.

"We have all the cards. We're not going to spend 15 hours in airplanes all the time, going back and forth, to be given a document that was not good enough. And so we'll deal by telephone, and they can call us any time they want," Trump said Saturday.

"Again, we have all of the cards, they have no military left, practically, they have no leaders left. We don't know who the leaders are. Nobody knows who the leaders — I don't think they know who the leaders are, very importantly," he added.

President Donald Trump held a phone call with U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer on Sunday, with the pair discussing the urgency of reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Starmer's office revealed details of the call in a statement to the press shortly after the call. It made no mention of Trump's recent decision to cancel peace talks in Pakistan.

“The leaders discussed the urgent need to get shipping moving again in the Strait of Hormuz, given the severe consequences for the global economy and cost of living for people in the UK and globally,” Starmer's office said in a statement.

"The prime minister shared ​the ⁠latest progress on his joint initiative with President (Emmanuel) Macron ⁠to ​restore freedom of ​navigation," the statement added.

Days after Iran’s leadership projected a unified front, undermining the long-cited moderate-vs.-hardliner divide, President Donald Trump canceled planned talks with Tehran in Islamabad, Pakistan, citing "infighting and confusion" inside the regime.

Iranian American experts argue that social media posts from Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian and other key officials reveal that the "good cop, bad cop" tactic that the regime exploited to deceive adversaries and secure generous concessions in nuclear negotiations has collapsed.

In a Truth Social post Saturday, Trump announced he canceled the trip, citing "too much time wasted on traveling" and "too much work!"

"Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership,'" the president added, noting "nobody knows who is in charge, including them."

"Also, we have all the cards, they have none!" Trump wrote. "If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!"

The implosion of the hardline-moderate dichotomy within the regime could have profound consequences for Trump’s approach to the atomic talks in Islamabad, experts said. Trump appeared to allude to a blurry divide between factions within Iran last week.

"Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the ‘Hardliners,’ who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the ‘Moderates,’ who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), and it is CRAZY!" Trump wrote in an X post Thursday.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal.

President Donald Trump says he cancelled plans for further peace talks with Iran because the regime is suffering from "infighting" on Saturday.

Trump made the comments in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie.

"I've told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, 'Nope, you're not making an 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you're not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing,'" Trump said.

He later followed up on the comments with a post on Truth Social, saying Iran is suffering from "tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership.’"

"Nobody knows who is in charge, including them," Trump wrote.

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump's next steps in the Iran conflict remain unclear after he cancelled plans for sending a U.S. delegation to Pakistan on Saturday.

Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were scheduled to fly to Islamabad on Saturday, but Trump abruptly cancelled the flight.

"I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going is Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. "If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!"

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy has begun efforts to de-mine the Strait of Hormuz, a project it says could take up to 6 months.