Iran says it is ready to fend off new US attack as peace talks stall as Trump heads to China

Israeli strikes targeted two vehicles on Wednesday on a highway linking Beirut in southern Lebanon, state media reported, in the latest violence to test a ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration between Israel and Lebanon.

The attack took place near Jiyeh, about 12 kilometers south of the capital, said the National News Agency of Lebanon, without specifying whether there were any casualties.

An AFP news agency photographer saw a burnt-out car in the middle of the road with rescuers carrying a body. On Saturday, similar strikes targeted two other vehicles in the same area.

Israel has continued airstrikes in Lebanon against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah despite a deal that came into force in mid-April. The Israeli military says it is responding to threats and attacks by Hezbollah, while the US-designated terrorist group says it is only launching attacks in response to violations of Israel's cease-fire.

On Tuesday, 13 people were killed when the southern cities of Lebanon were attacked, according to the country's health ministry, and a total of 380 people have died since the ceasefire began.

The Israeli army also issued new evacuation warnings in six villages in the Tire region as they expect new attacks on Wednesday.

Violence came with Lebanon and Israel due to hold a new round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday, hosted by the United States.

Iran's national soccer team is making final preparations to head to the US ahead of the World Cup, but visa issues could derail those plans.

The team is currently in a training camp in Turkey, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, and they plan to fly to the US in late May for the final round of international friendlies before the tournament, which will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico, from June 11.

Training staff have expressed concern about possible delays or denials of US visas being issued. The president of the country's football association, Mehdi Taj, told State TV last week that the team has 10 conditions to attend the tournament, including that all players and technical staff will be given visas, “especially those who have served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, such as Mehdi Taremi and Ehsan Hajsafi.”

The IRGC has long been designated a terrorist organization by the US and Canadian governments. Taj was denied entry to Canada ahead of another soccer tournament last month.

Iranian officials have also called for respect for its flag and anthem, as well as security guarantees at airports, hotels and stadiums.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran's soccer players will host the World Cup, but warned that people linked to the IRGC may face restrictions on entering the country.

An Iranian commander says recent military training in the country's capital shows that the Islamic Republic's military is “at a high level of full readiness” to face a new attack by the US or Israel, “anywhere and anytime.”

Brigadier General Hassan Hassanzadeh, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Tehran region, said that the five-day exercises called “Martyr Commander” show his ability “to deal with any movement of the brutal enemy, the enemies of America and Zionism, in any place at any time in a very short response time.”

Soldiers including special forces and commandos of the IRGC participated in the exercises, which included using pre-planned operations “to deal with the enemy's special operations … and unit tactics and strategies to deal with the enemy in any place and in any situation.”

Tehran has set five conditions for resuming talks with Washington to end the 75-day war launched by Israel and the US on February 28, according to Iran's official Fars news agency, including the end of sanctions and compensation for war-related damages.

A Tuesday report sent to Fars media, citing an unnamed source, said the Iranian government had rejected the latest 14-point US proposal for a peace deal as a “need to surrender,” calling it an attempt to confirm through negotiations what Washington had failed to achieve on the battlefield.

According to Fars, Iran will rejoin direct peace talks with the US only in an agreement that includes an end to conflicts on all sides, including Israel's ongoing war with Hezbollah in Lebanon; the lifting of sanctions against Iran; the release of frozen Iranian financial assets; compensation for war-related damages; and recognition of Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran sees these as minimum requirements for negotiations to resume, but for the Trump administration, the latter two, at least, are likely to be non-starters.

The last direct US-Iran talks so far during the war took place in Pakistan in early April, but ended without an agreement. The fragile ceasefire that took effect on April 8 was tested last week however by maritime disputes in the Strait of Hormuz and new unusual Iranian attacks on US Gulf allies.

President Trump declared the deal “a lifeline” earlier this week.

President Trump said he would ask his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to “open up” China to American companies in time their big meeting this week, but his desire to raise trade will have to contend with political tensions over Taiwan and the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran, which has already delayed the trip since March.

As he left the White House on Tuesday for Beijing, Mr. Trump said he expected a “long talk” with Xi about Iran, which sells US-approved oil to China. But he also downplayed the disagreement, telling reporters, “I don't think we need help with Iran” from China and that Xi has been “very nice” on the topic.

Beijing is growing impatient for peace, however, as China's foreign minister urged his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday to step up mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington.

Beijing has grown in confidence and assertiveness since Mr. Trump there in 2017, and he may find himself in a weak position as he searches for a way out of the Iran war. But the summit comes at an uncertain time for China's economy, which has struggled in recent years due to a weak domestic currency and a protracted debt crisis in its once-booming real estate sector.

CBS/AFP

Australia will join a “strong defense” campaign led by France and Britain to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Defense Minister Richard Marles said.

The nation will contribute a Wedgetail E-7A surveillance aircraft, which is already deployed in the region to protect the United Arab Emirates from Iranian drone attacks, Marles said after the 40-nation meeting.

“Australia stands ready to support an independent and robust Multinational Military Mission, led by the United Kingdom and France, once established,” Marles said in a statement. The campaign aims to demonstrate a “tangible commitment to international trade security,” he said.

Amid sharp criticism from President Trump to all NATO allies for refusing to join offensive efforts against Iran, France and the UK began efforts to build an alliance of nations willing to help ensure that the virus remains safe and passes after the war.

French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that he will talk to Mr The US military has suspended its operations directing commercial ships out of the Persian Gulf.

CBS/AFP

President Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday that it is “REASON” that the media is saying Iran is doing well in the war.

“When Fake News says that the Iranian enemy is doing well, militarily, against us, it is a visible TREASON because it is false, and it is a deceptive statement,” said Mr. Trump. “They are aiding and abetting the enemy! All they are doing is giving Iran false hope where it should be. These are American cowards against our country.”

Rebellion it is defined in the US Constitution as a crime when someone “out of loyalty to the United States, levies war against it or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere.”

The president said in this post, as he has said before, that Iran's army and air force were destroyed by US forces, and the leaders of Tehran “are no longer with us.”

“Only losers, ingrates, and fools can sue America!” he said.

Mr. Trump has repeated criticized media coverage of the US-Israel war against Iran since the start of hostilities. In March, Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcast licenses after the president accused the media of reporting lies about the war.

Inflation increased in April to an annual rate of 3.8%. highest since May 2023as the Iran war raised energy costs and raised prices throughout the economy.

The Consumer Price Index, which tracks changes in the price of goods typically purchased by consumers over time, shows inflation rose 0.6% in April from the previous month.

Energy prices were the main drivers, accounting for 40% of the total CPI increase, according to the Labor Department. For the year, fuel prices are down 28.4% from last year.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 2.8% from a year earlier, suggesting that price pressures are also spreading beyond fuel costs.

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