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Trump, Hormuz, and threats
Donald Trump said he has been told by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin that they will not sell weapons to Iran, writing on Truth Social that Xi told him that under no circumstances he would provide or sell weapons to Iran, including through Chinese companies.
“under no circumstances would he provide or sell weapons to Iran, and this includes Chinese companies.”
Trump’s remarks came as the U.S. and U.K. were working to convene a conference next week in London about the Strait of Hormuz that could lead to an international coalition to protect shipping in the waterway.
NewsNation reported that the British military said it is “ready to defend itself” if Iran targets the U.K., while Iran said it will target U.S. bases in other countries and has attacked Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain.
In the same reporting, the British military statement followed media linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pointing out that Royal Air Force Base Fairford in Gloucestershire was used as a launching point for the American military.
The U.S. president also told reporters at the White House Friday afternoon that he believed Iran’s actions were “very serious” and said, “We’re locked and loaded.”
Pentagon worries and intelligence
The New York Post said fears inside the Pentagon are growing that Iran’s increasingly precise missile and drone attacks are being enabled by American adversaries such as Russia and China, citing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s confirmation that Moscow and Beijing are providing some level of support to Tehran.
Hegseth’s remarks were paired with Trump’s insistence that “two major Countries” often named in connection with Iran “are, in my opinion, not participating,” as Trump warned China and Russia it would be “very bad” if either provided weapons.
Reuters-based reporting in the BBC account described U.S. intelligence analysts examining whether Russia aided Iran’s drone strikes on CIA facilities in the Persian Gulf, while noting officials had not reached a firm conclusion about Russia’s role.
The BBC also reported that Reuters said at least two CIA centers were attacked in March, including the CIA center inside the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and another site in eastern Iraq.
In the same BBC reporting, Trump’s Truth Social language concluded that “the two main countries that people often name in connection with Iran, in my view, do not appear to be partners.”
Missile accuracy and what’s next
The Guardian reported that three U.S. soldiers were killed last Friday in an attack on the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan, which was being protected by a Thaad air defence system, and said satellite imagery later released by Iranian media showed several buildings had been destroyed.
“Three US soldiers were killed last Friday in an attack on the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan”
Andreas Krieg of King’s College London described the shift as “a real transformation,” saying it reflected a combination of better intelligence, missile navigation, manoeuvrability and coordinated attack planning.
The Guardian said the first step was using Chinese satellite imagery to help identify targets at U.S. bases and other sites in the Gulf, and it noted the U.S. imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies in May for providing such images.
It also reported that the U.S. defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, told Congress that China and Russia were helping Iran to some extent, while Trump contradicted him on Friday by saying Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin had personally assured him they would not sell weapons to Iran.
In the same reporting, the Guardian warned that stockpiles of Patriot and Thaad interceptors had been run down by about half after the 38-day U.S.-Israel bombing campaign in the spring, leaving a “large area to cover” as attacks continued.
