Israel, Lebanon to hold second round of talks in Washington, media say

Kuwait has declared force majeure on some crude and refined product shipments after disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz hindered deliveries, Bloomberg News reported.

State-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. informed customers it was invoking contractual clauses allowing it to delay shipments, the report said.

The move is not expected to halt supplies completely, and Reuters could not independently verify the report.

The United Arab Emirates said it has dismantled a group accused of planning attacks and undermining national stability, adding that those arrested were linked to Iran.

State security authorities said the group was involved in covert activities aimed at harming national unity and carried out recruitment through secret meetings.

Investigations showed the group had connections to Iran’s system of governance and maintained contacts with external actors, authorities said.

Officials said members also raised funds and sought to influence young people, with the aim of advancing agendas aligned with foreign interests.

The UAE said it would continue to act firmly against threats to national security.

US President Donald Trump said Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir did not recommend any changes to the US blockade on Iranian ports, disputing a Reuters report.

“Munir didn’t recommend anything on the blockade,” Trump told The Hill.

Trump defended the measure, saying it was having a major economic impact on Iran.

“The blockade is very powerful, very strong. They lose $500 million a day with the blockade up,” he said. “We control it. They don’t control it.”

Iran’s Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said Tehran has not retreated from its demands in negotiations.

“The enemy has come forward to seek negotiations, and the Islamic Republic has not backed down even one inch from its demands,” he said.

The Iranian-flagged cargo ship seized by US forces was part of a fleet tied to a sanctioned Iranian state-owned shipping group and had recently operated via China, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The report said the vessel, MV Touska, is controlled by a subsidiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, which has been accused of transporting goods with potential military use.

The ship had sailed toward Iran after visiting China late last month, according to the report.