Iran clerical regime’s pursuit of nuclear weapon 'irreconcilable', Rubio says

The US Air Force and General Atomics tested MQ-9A Reaper drones armed with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS), a laser-guided rocket system designed to counter drones and other aerial threats, National Interest reported on Wednesday.

The tests took place at the Nevada Test and Training Range and included engagements against aerial targets using APKWS-guided rockets integrated onto the MQ-9A platform.

The system is viewed as a lower-cost alternative to deploying fighter jets and expensive air-to-air missiles against relatively cheap drones, amid growing concern inside the US military over the cost of countering mass UAV attacks.

A Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being stranded in the Gulf for more than two months due to the US-Iran war, according to ship-tracking data cited by Reuters.

The Very Large Crude Carrier Yuan Hua Hu was seen heading toward China’s Zhoushan port on Thursday and is expected to arrive on June 1, according to LSEG and Kpler data.

The vessel had briefly anchored off the Gulf of Oman near the area where the US Navy set up a blockade on Iranian vessels earlier this week, the report said.

US Republican Senator John Kennedy warned that Iran would use a nuclear weapon if it acquired one, saying the country poses an immediate and dangerous threat in remarks during a Fox News interview on Wednesday.

"Here's the problem. Here's why the New York Times is wrong. Iran has been a problem since God was a baby, and the problem is that the leadership, there is a strain of crazy that can't be fixed. If you give them a bomb, they will use it. I know my colleagues, like Senator Schumer, says they're not a problem, but frankly, Chuck Senator Schumer can't even cook a cheeseburger on this issue, he's wrong. They're a threat, and that's why the President acted," Kennedy said.

Kennedy said Iran enriched uranium to 60% and it is only a short step from weapons-grade levels, arguing that once a warhead is developed it could be mounted on a missile and used against other countries.

Iranians travelling along the road toward Tehran are increasingly concerned that the conflict with the United States and Israel could resume, amid stalled ceasefire talks and heightened regional tensions, according to a CNN report.

The report, based on CNN correspondence on route through northwestern Iran, said damaged infrastructure from earlier strikes and continued uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz have added to public anxiety about a possible return to hostilities.

Some residents quoted in the report warned that renewed strikes could not be ruled out, reflecting what CNN described as a broader sense of unease linked to political uncertainty and economic pressure inside the country.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on Wednesday Iran is “isolated” over what he described as illegal actions in international waters, including mining and imposing tolls on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on X, Waltz said there were 113 co-sponsors of a UN Security Council resolution condemning Iran’s actions, adding that countries including India, Japan and South Korea backed the initiative.