Trump and Hegseth claim 'control' over Iran and the Strait of Hormuz as
ceasefire talks are stalled
[May 13, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL and MELANIE LIDMAN
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait said on Tuesday that Iran
launched a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is
helping build a port in the Gulf Arab country. The accusation came just
hours before U.S. President Donald Trump was to depart for Beijing on a
high-stakes visit over the Iran war and other issues.
Trump said he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Chinese President
Xi Jinping but said trade would be a bigger focus. As he left for the
summit, Trump again threatened Iran if its leaders don’t reach an
agreement on its nuclear program.
“We have Iran very much under control,” Trump said. “We’re either going
to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated. One way or the other,
we win.”
Iranian state media quoted the country's foreign ministry as calling
“baseless” the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in
the war and during the shaky ceasefire that is still holding. But the
allegation and ongoing attacks in the region have threatened to reignite
open warfare.
The narrow Strait of Hormuz remains in Iran's chokehold, the U.S. is
maintaining a blockade against Iran and negotiations between the two
countries appear at a standstill.
“True peace cannot be built with a literature of humiliation, threats,
and coercive score-settling,” Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat,
said Tuesday on X.
With the risk of the conflict breaking out again, Israel has sent Iron
Dome air-defense weapons and personnel to operate them to the United
Arab Emirates, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said.
It was the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel’s military
to the Emirates — home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai — and underlined the
growing relationship between Israel and the UAE.
Also very late on Tuesday night, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook parts
of Iran, followed by several aftershocks, according to Iranian state
media. Witnesses felt the temblor in the capital of Tehran, where some
people sought refuge in the streets. Iranian state TV said there were no
reports of casualties.
Kuwait alleges Iran planned attack
Kuwait said a paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team tried to infiltrate
Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and
Iran on May 1.
Four men were detained and two escaped when Kuwait's forces disrupted
the attack, it said.
A statement that Iranian media attributed to the foreign ministry in
Tehran said four officers on a “conventional maritime patrol mission”
had entered Kuwait's waters because of “a disruption in the navigation
system." It denied any hostile intent and called for the men's release.
Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under
construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across
the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.
Kuwait provided no reason for why it delayed linking the attack to Iran
after initially announcing it on May 3 without any details. Trump is
traveling this week to China for a summit where Iran will likely be a
main topic. Beijing long has been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude
oil and has been hurt by the strait's closure, which has sparked a
global energy crisis.
Huckabee says Israel deployed to UAE
U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed at a conference in Tel
Aviv, Israel, that Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense to the UAE.
[to top of second column]
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff Gen. Dan Caine arrive to testify at a House Appropriations
subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense, Tuesday,
May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The United Arab Emirates diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020.
That drew criticism from Iran, long Israel's main regional enemy.
Iran didn't immediately respond to Huckabee's remarks, though it has
repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a
military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.
The Israeli military declined to comment on Huckabee’s statement
about the Iron Dome while the UAE didn't immediately respond.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, was quoted as
making comments similar to Huckabee's during an event at the Israeli
mission — suggesting the release of the information was intentional,
likely with the Emiratis' and Israelis' blessing.
The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the
ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to
nervous investors and the public that it remains open for business
and safe.
Hegseth tells Congress: ‘We control the strait’
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told members of Congress Tuesday
that the military has plenty of bombs and missiles despite concerns
about its stockpiles.
He also maintained that the U.S. is in control of the Strait of
Hormuz, even as Iranian attacks — and threats — have disrupted the
shipment of oil and other products through the vital waterway.
“Ultimately we control the strait, because nothing’s going in that
we don’t allow to go in,” said Hegseth, who faced tough questions
from Republican and Democratic lawmakers who oversee defense
spending.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, asked what the Trump
administration’s strategy is for reopening the waterway. “Your
average American is seeing this at the gas pump every single day as
the cost of gas continues to rise,” Coons said.
Hegseth avoided specifics about the next steps in Iran. The
Pentagon’s top budget official told Congress that the cost of the
war is close to $29 billion so far — that’s up from an estimate of
$25 billion just two weeks ago.
Norway has some 25 stranded vessels
One of Norway’s top diplomats met Tuesday with Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, pressing for the need to open the
strait.
Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Kravik stressed that the attacks on
commercial shipping and obstruction of the passageway must end, his
minister, Espen Barth Eide, said in an email.
Kravik said Iran’s actions affecting third-party countries are
“completely unacceptable” and noted that Norway has some 25 vessels
stranded, according to Eide.
___
Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press reporters
Sam Metz in Ramallah, West Bank, Collin Binkley and Konstantin
Toropin in Washington, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Switzerland, and
Giovanna Dell'Orto in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
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