live One Killed In Iranian Air Strikes On Kuwait

US law enforcement has arrested a dual US-Iranian citizen for allegedly selling "sophisticated US-origin networking, security, and encryption equipment" to customers including the Iranian military, in violation of longstanding sanctions.

A statement by the US Attorney's Office said 63-year-old Jamshid Ghomi would appear in court in Santa Ana, California.

If convicted, he could face 20 years in prison and seizure of assets including a $35 million mansion in Newport Beach.

"Ghomi is accused of aiding our declared enemies by selling US-origin computer networking parts to Iran and earning millions of dollars in violation of US sanction laws," said First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli.

Prosecutors allege Ghomi sold the sanctioned tech via front companies in the United Arab Emirates from 2011 until 2023, according to the Attorney's Office statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on June 3 that Iran was "playing with fire" following Tehran's recent attacks on Kuwait.

Speaking to CNBC, Netanyahu was asked whether the cease-fire remained intact after the latest strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain.

"Iran certainly knows that the president said if necessary there will be a full return to military action," he replied.

Netanyahu noted that any decision on renewed military action would ultimately be up to US President Donald Trump.

"Israel is ready and American forces are ready. I think Iran should consider this," Netanyahu added. "I think they have considered this, but it is clear that they are playing with fire."

According to Kuwaiti authorities, the attacks involving missiles and drones resulted in casualties and injuries.

During the interview, Netanyahu also addressed reports that he had a difficult phone conversation with Trump earlier in the week. While declining to discuss specific details, he dismissed suggestions that the exchange reflected a major dispute between them.

"I don't want to get into the details of our conversations. We've spoken thousands of times, or at least many times.... If you think that's a crisis, you should be in some other conversations! But we've always found a way to solve problems."

Netanyahu emphasized that he and Trump continue to share the same fundamental objectives regarding Iran, saying, "We agree on the core things."

He said those shared goals include preventing Iran from posing a threat to Israel, the broader Middle East, and the international community.

In an interview broadcast on June 3, Trump was asked whether he had called the longtime Israeli leader "effing crazy" and accused him of ingratitude, paraphrasing a report by Axios.

"I did," Trump told the Pod Force One podcast. "I wouldn't say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon, you know."

Trump went on to say he and Netanyahu get along very well.

The European Union's diplomatic service has proposed assigning the EU naval mission Aspides a primary role in clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz as part of a France- and UK-led coalition to be activated "when conditions allow."

According to a May 26 EEAS note seen by Reuters, the EU should make a "meaningful contribution" to a coalition led by France and the United Kingdom and operating separately from direct parties to the conflict.

Aspides was established in 2024 to protect commercial shipping from Houthi attacks in and around the Red Sea. Any change to the mission's mandate would require unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states.

The EEAS note stated that the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's selective authorization of passage has had major consequences for both the region and Europe. Roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments normally transit the strait.

France and the United Kingdom have been leading efforts to organize a multinational maritime coalition aimed at restoring safe navigation through the waterway once conditions permit.

Masud has been forced to sell off his household appliances in order to survive Iran's deepening economic crisis.

The United States and Israel's bombing campaign has left much of Iran's infrastructure and industries in tatters, fueling runaway inflation and joblessness.

"We have sold our furniture just to get by," Masud, a resident of the capital Tehran, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda using a pseudonym for fear of retribution. "We gathered electrical appliances from the house, took carpets and things like that, and sold them."

Masud is not alone. Millions of Iranians are grappling with the economic fallout from the three-month-long war.

Years of international sanctions and government mismanagement had already crippled Iran's economy. Now, the country of 90 million people is confronting a complete economic collapse.

To read the full report, click here.

Kuwait says Iranian air attacks have left at least one person dead and several others injured, in addition to forcing the closure of Kuwait International Airport and damaging "vital installations," including diplomatic missions.

The country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 3 that it condemned "the brutal and continuous Iranian attacks."

"The minister affirms the State of Kuwait's categorical rejection of Iran's blatant acts of aggression, which escalate tensions, undermine security and stability of the region, and constitute a flagrant violation of international law," it added.

Earlier, Kuwait's Defense Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi said "a number of hostile drones targeted the passenger terminal (T1)," describing the attack as "the criminal Iranian aggression, which resulted in significant material damage to the building and injuries to a number of individuals."

He affirmed that Kuwait's armed forces are monitoring the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities.

Kuwait's General Civil Aviation Authority said flights at Kuwait International Airport have been suspended and diverted to alternative airports until further notice, with the airport activating its emergency response plan.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington will not allow individuals with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to be included in the country's delegation for the FIFA World Cup, which begins on June 11 and is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Iran's national team is scheduled to play matches in the United States but will be based in Mexico during the tournament.

Rubio said the United States had "no problem" admitting the Iranian team and its support staff, despite heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

"What we're not going to allow is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature, so we are going to watch that very closely," Rubio told lawmakers during a hearing at the US House of Representatives committee on June 2.

US forces successfully intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones during incidents across the Middle East, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said.

In statements on June 2 and June 3, CENTCOM said that several Iranian missiles launched toward regional neighbors failed to reach their intended targets.

The command reported that three missiles fired at Bahrain were intercepted by US and Bahraini air defense systems, while two missiles aimed at Kuwait fell short or broke apart in flight.

CENTCOM also said US forces shot down three Iranian one-way attack drones that were said to be targeting civilian shipping in regional waters. In response, US forces conducted what CENTCOM described as "self-defense strikes" against an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island, which is located in the Strait of Hormuz.

The command emphasized that no US personnel were injured and rejected the claims from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps that US 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a US air base in the region had been successfully hit.

In a later post on X, CENTCOM added that another wave of Iranian drones targeting US forces in Kuwait was intercepted without causing damage or casualties.

The Kuwaiti military separately reported that its air defense systems were "confronting hostile missile and drone attacks" but provided no further details.

Military authorities also urged residents not to approach or handle any debris, shrapnel, or unidentified objects that could result from the interception of hostile aerial targets.

We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.

Amid uncertainty over weeks of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, the US Treasury has made a major new sanctions announcement targeting Iran’s largest crypto exchange, Nobitex.

In a statement on June 2 it said Nobitex and three other digital exchanges were being hit. It said Nobitex was a conduit for transactions linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

“While Iran’s economy is in free fall, the regime has chosen to co-opt digital asset technologies for its own corrupt agenda, including evading sanctions and transferring wealth out of the country,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

A recent Reuters investigation highlighted the role of Nobitex in creating what the news agency called “a parallel financial system” serving the IRGC and central bank.

Nobitex’s chairman, Amir Hossein Rad, and other senior representatives were also personally sanctioned by the US Treasury.

The statement said Nobitex accounted for more than 50 percent of all Iranian “asset inflows” in 2025.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to help a US-sponsored resolution calling for freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz to pass through a vote at the United Nations, saying Beijing should have a "vested interest" in the issue.

Rubio was speaking on June 2 at a hearing at the House Appropriations Committee, following an earlier session with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"We would like to see their help at the United Nations," he said, referring to a motion that Washington has co-sponsored with Bahrain that seeks to protect international waterways, commercial shipping, and energy supplies.

"Unfortunately, the Chinese continue to threaten a veto of it. So, if in fact they are against the closure of the straits, they should be endorsing this, at a minimum abstaining, and not using a veto of it," Rubio said.

"The Russians are another matter, of course. They're vehemently opposed to that resolution for a variety of different reasons," he added.

A similar motion tabled by Bahrain in April was vetoed by both China and Russia.

A Security Council report on June 1 said it was not clear when the motion would come to a vote.

Rubio told lawmakers on June 2 that the first stage of a deal would be Iran lifting its blockade of the strait in exchange for Washington lifting its naval blockade on Iranian ports and waters.

Referring to the UN resolution, he noted that China was an "export-driven economy" and therefore "China in the short to long term should have -- and we've made this point to the Chinese -- a vested interest as well in ensuring that Iran stops its activity."