TEL AVIV \u2013 Kuwait accused Iran of launching a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Middle East nation. <\/p>\n
The accusation brought Tuesday came just before U.S. President Donald Trump departed for Beijing<\/a> where he’ll meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a high-stakes visit<\/a> over the war and other issues.<\/p>\n Trump said he would have a \u201clong talk\u201d about Iran with Xi but said trade would be a bigger focus. As he left for the summit, Trump again threatened Iran if its leaders don\u2019t reach an agreement on its nuclear program. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have Iran very much under control,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe\u2019re either going to make a deal or they\u2019re going to be decimated. One way or the other, we win.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran didn’t immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war<\/a> and during the shaky ceasefire<\/a> still holding. But that allegation and ongoing attacks throughout the region have threatened to reignite open warfare. <\/p>\n The narrow Strait of Hormuz<\/a> remains in Iran’s chokehold, the U.S. is maintaining a blockade against Iran and negotiations between the two countries appear at a standstill.<\/p>\n \u201cTrue peace cannot be built with a literature of humiliation, threats, and coercive score-settling,\u201d Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, said Tuesday on X.<\/p>\n With the risk of the conflict breaking out again, Israel has sent Iron Dome<\/a> air-defense weapons and personnel to operate them in the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said. <\/p>\n It was the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel\u2019s military to the Emirates \u2014 home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai \u2014 and underlined the growing relationship between Israel and the UAE.<\/p>\n Kuwait alleges Iran planned attack<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Four men were detained and two escaped when Kuwait’s forces disrupted the attack, it said. <\/p>\n 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<\/a>. It also came under Iranian attack during the war. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Huckabee says Israel deployed to UAE<\/p>\n U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee<\/a>, a one-time presidential candidate, revealed at a conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, that Israel has sent Iron Dome<\/a> air-defense to the UAE.<\/p>\n The United Arab Emirates<\/a> diplomatically recognized Israel<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n The Israeli military declined to comment on Huckabee\u2019s statement about the Iron Dome while the UAE didn’t immediately respond. <\/p>\n 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 \u2014 suggesting the release of the information was intentional, likely with the Emiratis’ and Israelis’ blessing. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Hegseth tells Congress: \u2018We control the strait\u2019<\/p>\n