More Stories
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday accused Iran of orchestrating Houthi attacks against Israel and warned that Israel would escalate its military response, including further strikes on the group’s leadership and infrastructure.
“Iran stands behind them, providing support, guidance and approval,” Netanyahu said.
“The Houthis will pay a very heavy price, and we will defend ourselves through all necessary means to protect Israel's security.”
Earlier on Friday, Israeli airstrikes targeted the Houthi-controlled ports of Hodeidah and Salif in Yemen. The Israeli military reported that 15 fighter jets dropped over 30 munitions on these ports, which it said were to be used for transferring weapons.
Netanyahu confirmed the strikes saying, “Our pilots have now successfully struck two Houthi terrorist ports again, and this is just the continuation, with more to come.”
“We are not willing to sit aside and let the Houthis harm us. We will strike them much harder, including their leadership and all infrastructure that enables them to attack us.”
The Houthis have continued firing missiles at Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza, though they have stopped targeting US ships.
In response, Israel has launched retaliatory strikes, including a May 6 attack on Sanaa airport in Yemen that killed several people.
Former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has called on Washington to support a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities if Tehran does not agree to dismantle its program.
“Iran needs to feel maximum pressure to totally dismantle its nuclear program,” Haley wrote on X.
“That includes: Unprecedented sanctions, including on China for buying Iranian oil, which is keeping Iran’s economy afloat. Rallying our regional allies and partners to present a united front against Iranian aggression. Third and most important, making it clear that the US will support a military strike against Iran’s nuclear program if Iran doesn’t agree to end it.”
Tehran has not yet received the US proposal for a nuclear agreement but expects to obtain it soon, an Iranian source close to the negotiating team told Reuters.
“Oman has got it and will hand it over to Tehran soon,” the source said, referring to the written proposal presented by US officials during the fourth round of indirect talks in Muscat.
Earlier today, US President Donald Trump said that Iran has received his administration’s proposal on a nuclear deal and warned that Tehran must act fast.
A senior Iranian cleric on Friday condemned US President Donald Trump’s visit to Arab states, accusing him of stoking regional conflict through massive arms sales.
“This man, who set his ominous foot in the region, brought $149 billion worth of bombs and missiles for killing,” said Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad. “And yet we, sitting in our own home and wanting to defend ourselves, are called the threat to the region? Does he think the world has no sense?”
The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a $142 billion arms deal on Tuesday, which the White House described as the largest defense agreement in US history.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran has received a formal American proposal for a nuclear agreement and warned Tehran to respond swiftly or face consequences.
“They have a proposal. More importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad—something bad's going to happen,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after leaving the United Arab Emirates.
Axios reported Thursday that the written proposal was delivered during the fourth round of indirect talks between US and Iranian officials last Sunday in Muscat, Oman. It was the first formal offer made by the Trump administration since negotiations began in April, Axios cited US and diplomatic sources saying.
The document, handed over by White House envoy Steve Witkoff, outlines terms for a civilian nuclear program, with specific provisions for international monitoring and verification.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly took the proposal back to Tehran for review by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and other senior officials.
Witkoff described the proposal as “elegant” and “very big” in a recent briefing to the United Nations Security Council, according to Axios, but acknowledged that more work was needed. A fifth round of talks has not yet been scheduled.
Iran has responded positively in public statements. Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Khamenei told NBC News that Tehran is ready to stop enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels, reduce its stockpiles and accept inspections—if the United States lifts all sanctions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking Thursday from Turkey, said the diplomatic window remains open but warned the decision ultimately rests with Iran’s leadership.
“In the end, the decision lies in the hands of one person, and that's the Supreme Leader in Iran, and I hope he chooses the path of peace and prosperity, not a destructive path,” Rubio told reporters.
