House passes measure to end Iran war in symbolic rebuke of Trump

Persian Gulf oil producers are discussing new pipeline projects that would allow crude exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz if disruptions to shipping persist, according to comments from a senior Kuwaiti oil executive reported by the Financial Times.

Sheikh Khaled Ahmad Al-Sabah, managing director of international marketing at Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, said Kuwait was in talks with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates about potential pipeline routes that could connect Persian Gulf oil production to export terminals outside the strategic waterway.

The report said Kuwait is also discussing potential oil storage facilities in Oman on the other side of the strait. Saudi Arabia and the UAE already operate pipelines that allow some oil exports to bypass Hormuz, but new projects would be needed to accommodate other producers.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday the Trump administration is working on the "final piece" needed to reopen commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, calling on US allies and partners to support the effort, according to the Associated Press.

Johnson said he spent three hours at the White House with Donald Trump, JD Vance and Marco Rubio, adding that Trump was focused on restoring commerce through the strategic waterway.

"All of us are calling on our allied nations and friends — the Arab states in the region, and NATO partners and everyone else," Johnson told reporters at the Capitol. "The entire world has an interest in the Strait of Hormuz being reopened for commerce. That's what he's working on."

Inspectors general for the Department of War, State Department and US Agency for International Development have begun legally mandated oversight coordination for Operation Epic Fury, the Department of War Office of Inspector General said in a press release on Wednesday.

Department of War Inspector General Platte B. Moring III was designated lead inspector general for the operation on May 12, after the military operation exceeded 60 days as an overseas contingency operation, the statement said.

Moring will coordinate US government oversight activities tied to the operation, including a joint strategic oversight plan and quarterly reports to Congress. The first quarterly report is expected in the fall.

"This Lead Inspector General designation not only follows the framework required in the IG Act, it also reflects the extensive experience of the DoW OIG with comprehensive oversight of overseas contingency operations," Moring said.

"We are collaborating closely with our colleagues to promote accountability and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars," he added.

Eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International reported sounds of explosions and air defenses in several Iranian cities on Wednesday, including Tehran, Karaj, Bojnourd, Robat Karim and Urmia.

Locals reported consecutive air defense sounds in eastern Tehran and a loud explosion around 8:45 p.m. in the Hakimiyeh area.

Residents also reported several explosions around 10 p.m. in Tehran’s District 14 and unusual sounds in the Narmak neighborhood.

Other accounts said air defense sounds were heard in Karaj and Urmia, the capital of West Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran, explosions were heard from Bojnourd Airport, and explosions and limited anti-aircraft fire were heard in Robat Karim, southwest of Tehran.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington and Tehran were studying the texts that had been exchanged, in an interview with Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen.

Araghchi warned that Iran would respond decisively if Israel attacked Beirut.

He added that Tehran's contacts with ⁠Washington have not ‌been ​cut off, but ​no ⁠progress has ‌been made ​in the negotiations.