US Claims Victory as Iran Vows ‘Decisive’ Response to Aggression

Pakistan News June 4, 2026

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The United States has declared its military objectives in the conflict with Iran achieved, even as Tehran vowed a “decisive” response to any aggression and launched a deadly retaliatory strike against a US ally.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that the “Epic Fury” conflict was over and that the US had scored a victory. “We define victory as destroying their defense industrial base, significantly reducing the number of missile launchers that they possess, significantly reducing their stockpile of drones,” Rubio said, adding that Iran’s air force and conventional navy had been wiped out.

Despite this assertion, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted Kuwait’s airport on Wednesday in retaliation for US attacks, killing one person and wounding 63. Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned that “the era of free-of-charge Iran threats is over and that any aggression will be met with a decisive, regrettable, and proportionate response.”

Peace talks between the two nations remain stalled. Rubio confirmed that Tehran has not yet agreed to a deal, with negotiations centered on Washington’s demands that Iran turn over its near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, curb its nuclear activities, and re-open the Strait of Hormuz. For its part, Iran has demanded the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive talks on its nuclear program.

The conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has engulfed the Middle East, with Iran targeting US allies and effectively blocking the vital oil shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz.

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Updated: 2:39 AM PKT — June 4, 2026

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Wednesday that any Israeli attack on Beirut would trigger a “full-scale resumption” of the Middle East war. He stated that the fate of the conflict with Israel and the US is “inseparable” from the fighting in Lebanon, where its ally Hezbollah is engaged with Israeli forces. Araghchi added that Iran’s armed forces are ready to strike Israel if it attacks the Lebanese capital.

The warning came as Israeli and Lebanese diplomats held talks in Washington, which Hezbollah opposes. The Iranian minister insisted that an end to the war in Lebanon must be accompanied by a withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied areas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated his goal is to “disarm Hezbollah and… demilitarise Lebanon.”