Chinese tanker carrying 2 million barrels leaves Strait of Hormuz

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.

The Pentagon abruptly canceled the deployment of an armored brigade to Europe, even as some troops and equipment were already en route, in a move marking a further reduction in the US military presence on the continent, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The decision halted the deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, which had been preparing for a rotation in Europe, and follows earlier plans to remove 5,000 troops from Germany as part of a broader drawdown strategy under the Trump administration.

According to the report, some US military officials were surprised by the midstream cancellation, which came as the Pentagon shifts its focus toward homeland defense and the Indo-Pacific while encouraging European allies to take greater responsibility for their own security.

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said on Wednesday a US court suspended sanctions imposed against her.

'The judge ruled that protecting the freedom of speech is always just the public interest," Albanese said in a post on X.