From Iran To Ukraine: How Asymmetric Warfare Is Challenging Conventional Military Power
When it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia expected the fall of Kyiv within days.
In waging a bombing campaign of Iran in late February, the United States and Israel anticipated the rapid collapse of the Islamic republic.
But in both cases, overwhelming military power failed to defeat the smaller and weaker side in the conflict. Instead, Ukraine and Iran reshaped the battlefield with cheap, domestically produced drones.
The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have given rise to asymmetric drone warfare, experts say. Compensating for shortages of missiles and the lack of a modern air force, militarily weaker actors are increasingly using drones to even the playing field.
"Drone warfare is new in the sense that it doesn't truly replace conventional military means but rather modifies their uses," said Clement Molin, an analyst at the France-based think tank Atum Mundi.
"If drones are used so extensively by Ukraine and Russia, it is primarily due to a lack of air superiority capabilities or missiles. We see this in the Middle East, where states have been able to achieve almost total air superiority over Iran," he added.
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Any Deal With US Must Release 50 Percent Of Frozen Assets, Says Iranian Official
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says Iran "insists" that half of Tehran's frozen funds be released upon signing any potential deal with the United States to end the war.
Speaking with the state-affiliated Mehr News Agency on June 4, Gharibabadi added that the remaining frozen funds should be made available to Iran "after a reasonable period of time, which in our opinion will not be more than one or two months."
Gharibabadi has stated that Iran's three conditions for signing an agreement are the end of the war on all fronts, including the Lebanese front; the lifting of the US naval blockade; and the release of frozen Iranian funds.
US President Donald Trump has said no money would be given to Iran in exchange for a deal.
During the negotiations, the United States has repeatedly imposed new sanctions on Iran and has explicitly spoken of "Operation Economic Fury" to paralyze the Iranian economy.
However, Gharibabadi emphasized that from Iran's perspective, lifting sanctions and nuclear-related issues are in the second phase of negotiations.
This is despite Trump saying on his social media account, Truth Social, that almost all of the text of the agreement with Iran is about Tehran's nuclear activities. He has repeatedly written that Washington must obtain Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium.
Iran has called US demands regarding Iran's nuclear activities "excessive."
Trump Says US Will Win Iran War 'Militarily Or On Paper'
US President Donald Trump said the United States will win the conflict with Iran either "militarily or on paper," referring to the fitful negotiations with Tehran, and he suggested he could meet with Iran's reclusive supreme leader "if it was to make a deal."
"We're going to win one way or the other," Trump told reporters at the White House on June 4.
"It's going to be militarily or on paper."
Trump also said he had no desire to meet with Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen since the outbreak of violence on February 28 and was reportedly seriously injured in US-Israeli air strikes.
However, Trump added if the two sides reached a deal, it was possible the two leaders would meet and added: "If it happened...I'd be respectful."
"I don't want to meet, but if I did meet, I'd be honored to meet him," Trump said.
"But if we make a deal, it's possible that I would meet him. I'd be OK with that."
Trump was speaking at the White House on June 4 to reporters on a wide variety of subjects, including the Ukraine war, Cuba, and global trade issues.
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Rubio Condemns Iranian Attack On Kuwait
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has condemned Iran's "outrageous and unacceptable" attacks on Kuwait's international airport that killed one person and injured 63.
According to a statement from the US State Department, during a meeting with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in Washington, Rubio condemned "Iran’s outrageous and unacceptable attacks targeting Kuwait International Airport and other parts of the country."
According to the statement, Rubio also expressed condolences "for those killed and injured in that attack."
Kuwaiti officials said Iran launched 30 ballistic missiles and drones in the strike. One Indian citizen was killed.
The attacks, which the authorities in Kuwait described as "brutal," forced the closure of Kuwait International Airport and also damaged "vital installations," including diplomatic missions.
Iran has denied responsibility for the attack, saying a US Patriot missile was responsible.
CENTCOM, the US Central Command, has denied the claim.
IAEA Urges Tehran To Engage On Iran's Nuclear Material
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called on Tehran to engage "constructively" with the agency regarding the country's nuclear material, according to a confidential report cited by Reuters and AFP on June 4.
"While the agency acknowledged that the military attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and sites have created an unprecedented situation, it is critical for the agency to conduct verification activities in Iran without delay," the IAEA said.
The nuclear watchdog has not had access to some of Iran's key nuclear facilities since the start of the 12-day war involving Israel, the United States, and Iran a year ago, which included attacks on Iran's nuclear sites.
The report comes as a fragile cease-fire between the United States and Iran hangs in the balance amid stalled negotiations that are about to enter their third month without yielding any concrete results.
While details of the current negotiations remain uncertain, the matter of Iran's nuclear ambitions and the fate of the country's enriched uranium remains in the spotlight.
US President Donald Trump, who has said there has been positive momentum in talks in recent days, said Tehran had made a major concession by stating that it would not seek to obtain a nuclear weapon.
On the state of the negotiations, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has warned against "speculation," saying Tehran could not assess the negotiating process until there was a clear outcome.
Kuwait Releases Images Of Attack On Airport
Kuwait's Civil Aviation Authority released images of a drone attack on the country's international airport that took place on June 3.
CCTV footage from the airport's interior and exterior shows a kamikaze drone crashing into the roof of a terminal, causing a large explosion.
Kuwait says one person was killed and more than 60 were injured in the attack. The deceased was an Indian national, and India's Foreign Ministry said several other Indian citizens were also injured in the attack.
Interior Minister Sheikh Fahd Yousef Saud Al-Sabah called the attack "a heinous Iranian aggression" during a visit to the Terminal 1 building of Kuwait International Airport.
Tehran says the attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain were in response to the US military's attack on an oil tanker en route to Iranian ports, as well as an attack on an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps communications tower on Qeshm Island.
Israel, Lebanon Agree To Cease-Fire In US-Led Talks
As a result of US-led negotiations, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to the implementation of a cease-fire, the US State Department announced in a statement on June 3.
Israel and Lebanon also agreed to swiftly advance the creation of pilot zones in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will assume exclusive control of the territory, excluding all non-state actors, the statement said.
These steps will facilitate progress toward a comprehensive peace and security agreement, it added.
Israel reaffirmed that its security and territorial integrity can only be ensured through the disarmament of Hezbollah and the dismantling of its infrastructure across Lebanon, according to the statement. The two parties agreed to reconvene the political and security tracks during the week of June 22 with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement.
Hezbollah is both a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, although the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.
The State Department said the United States had agreed to continue facilitating communication between the parties in the interim.
All parties condemned Iran's attacks on countries in the region and ongoing activities that undermine stability throughout the Middle East, the State Department also said in the statement.
Before the cease-fire announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned that any Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, would lead to "grave consequences and a full resumption of war."
His comments came amid ongoing tensions surrounding the fragile cease-fire between Iran and the United States, partly fueled by continued fighting in Lebanon.
US House Approves Measure To End Iran War As Rubio Insists Conflict Is Over
The US House of Representatives approved a war powers resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran, delivering a bipartisan rebuke to the administration even as Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that US operations against Tehran had ended.
The House voted 215-208 on June 3 in favor of the measure, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in support.
The resolution, introduced by Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, directs Trump to remove US armed forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress formally declares war or authorizes the use of military force.
The measure now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers are considering a separate war powers resolution. Even if approved by both chambers, Trump is expected to challenge efforts to limit his authority, and the House measure itself is largely viewed as symbolic because it does not carry the force of law.
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US Central Command Denies Iranian Attack On US Destroyer
US military officials have been rejecting claims by Iranian official media regarding ongoing operations in the Persian Gulf region.
A statement issued on social media denied a report by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying that Iranian armed forces had “targeted” a US destroyer as it approached Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman.
“Iran is lying. US military assets at sea continue to fly, sail, and operate safely and unimpeded,” said the post by US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Earlier, CENTCOM also contradicted Iranian reports that the IRGC had said Iran was not responsible for the deadly attack on Kuwait’s international airport on June 3.
Iranian state media quoted an IRGC spokesman as saying that the strike, that damaged part of a passenger terminal, was caused by a malfunctioning US-made Patriot air defense system.
This was despite the fact that earlier, the IRGC said the attack was retaliation for previous US strikes in recent days.
“Iran struck the civilian airport with drones in a deliberate, calculated, and unjustified attack,” CENTCOM said in another social media post.
Kuwait also blamed Iran for the attack.
"Iran's blatant acts of aggression...escalate tensions, undermine security and stability of the region, and constitute a flagrant violation of international law," Kuwait's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Battlefield claims could not be independently verified.
Iranian Foreign Minister Says Attack On Beirut Will Mean 'Full Resumption Of War'
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said any Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, would lead to "grave consequences and a full resumption of war."
Araqchi was speaking in an interview with Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen.
His comments come amid ongoing tensions in the shaky cease-fire between Iran and the United States, partly fueled by ongoing fighting in Lebanon.
Earlier this week, Israel threatened to attack Beirut as its forces moved north of the Litani River, deeper into Lebanese territory, as if fought Iranian proxy force Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is both a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, although the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.
Israel's threat was followed by news reports from Iran saying Tehran had decided to stop sending messages to Washington via intermediaries due to the Israeli campaign.
US President Donald Trump subsequently said he had got Israel and Hezbollah to agree not to attack each other and that US and Iranian negotiators were continuing to exchange messages.
Speaking with Al Mayadeen, Araqchi also said contact with Washington had not been cut off. However, he added, no progress had been made in negotiations.