President Trump said Iran would “get a beating” in response to a “surprise” attack against U.S. forces, which ended a days-long pause in direct military action between the two countries; global oil prices climbed more than 7 percent following his remarks (FT).
Saudi Arabia Joins U.S. Strikes on Iran-Backed Militias in Iraq
The United States partnered with Saudi Arabia to strike Iranian-backed militias in neighboring Iraq, killing at least twenty fighters and six Iranian advisers; the strikes marked Saudi Arabia’s entry into the war after six months (AP).
U.S., Iran Pause Strikes After Thirteen Days
After thirteen successive nights, the United States halted its bombing campaign against Iran, and Iran said it would suspend its own attacks for as long as the U.S. pause endures (Reuters).
Iran said it was still in control of the Strait of Hormuz and not seeking to resume peace talks with the United States (DW).
U.S. Defense Secretary Estimates War in Iran Has Cost $37.5 Billion
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before the Senate, detailing the Trump administration’s supplemental funding request for $67 billion to help cover the cost of the Iran conflict and replenish military supplies, as well as a request for $1.5 trillion to fund the Department of War in the next fiscal year; Hegseth estimated that the war in Iran has cost the U.S. $37.5 billion so far (AP)
Separately, President Donald Trump said that the United States currently has “no interest” in meeting with Iran for talks to end the war (AP)
U.S. Bombing of Iran Expands After Third Service Member Confirmed Dead
The United States conducted a new round of airstrikes targeting Iran after confirming the death of another American service member; Iran responded by launching an attack targeting Bahrain and Kuwait (AP)
Two U.S. Service Members Killed in Iranian Strike
Two U.S. servicemembers were killed, and another is missing in action after an Iranian strike targeted a U.S. military base in Al-Azraq, Jordan; the attack marks the first U.S. military fatalities since March (CNN)
Iran Warns U.S. Interference in Strait of Hormuz Is a “Red Line”
Iran’s military spokesperson warned that the United States’ interference in the Strait of Hormuz is “Iran’s invincible red line,” as both sides continue to trade strikes across the region (AP)
Meanwhile, India ordered shipowners, ship managers, and recruitment companies not to deploy the country’s seafarers on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz after an Indian seafarer who went missing a few days prior was confirmed dead (Reuters)
U.S. Strikes Against Iran Continue, Killing At Least Thirty
U.S. Central Command announced three waves of strikes against Iran and its enforcement of the naval blockade by disabling an oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port in the Arabian Gulf and redirecting two other commercial vessels (CENTCOM)
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said in a social media post that more than 30 people have been killed in recent attacks on Iran’s southern regions while Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said separately that more than 260 people have been wounded; the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also claimed to have targeted U.S. military bases and assets in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait in response to recent U.S. attacks (ABC)
Separately, Iran released a dual Iranian-American citizen who was charged with espionage and barred from leaving the country for over a year pending a trial; President Donald Trump announced the news in a social media post, praising the act of “goodwill” by Iran (NYT)
United States Enforces Naval Blockade Against Iranian Ports
U.S. Central Command announced two additional rounds of strikes against Iran to “continue degrading Iranian capabilities” used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz; they also began enforcing a naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas, with more than twenty U.S. warships and hundreds of military aircraft deployed across the Middle East (CENTCOM)
President Donald Trump said that the military will continue to hit Iran “very hard” until it returns to the negotiating table, blaming Tehran for breaking its end of the deal (Fox News)
One day after proposing a fee for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the United States would instead guarantee safe passage to vessels from Persian Gulf states that agree to invest in the country (NYT)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it launched simultaneous missile and drone attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait; Kuwait’s military said four members of its naval forces were injured in the attacks (Reuters)
Trump Announces Naval Blockade on Strait of Hormuz After U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted U.S. military facilities across the Gulf in response to U.S. strikes; Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates reported being targeted by the Iranian strikes (Reuters)
In response, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would reinstate a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and charge a 20 percent toll on eligible cargo (AP)
Separately, two Iranian officials issued calls for revenge against the United States and Israel for killing the former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said revenge was “the right of the Iranian nation” (NYT)
DP World—an Emirati logistics company based in Dubai—shared its plans to build a new port and container terminal on the United Arab Emirates’ east coast to bypass the Strait of Hormuz (FT)
Traffic in Strait of Hormuz Reaches Lowest Level in a Month
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz decreased significantly after Iran’s attack on a Cypriot-flagged container ship and the United States’ ensuing strikes; according to Kpler, a maritime data firm, only fourteen ships passed through the Strait on Sunday, the lowest level in a month (NYT)
U.S. Central Command reported completing an additional wave of strikes against Iran to “degrade” Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, using one-way attack sea drones for the “first time” (CENTCOM)
United States Strikes Iran in Response to Iranian Attack on Ship
U.S. Central Command carried out a third round of strikes against Iran in recent days after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces attacked a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire and one civilian crew member to go missing (CENTCOM)
Iran Retaliates in Response to Renewed Strikes
Iran fired missiles and drones across the Persian Gulf overnight in retaliation for the latest wave of American attacks, targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait (NYT)
In response, President Donald Trump warned that the United States would hit Iran “hard” tonight and said that he thinks the truce—signed on June 17—is “over” (AP)
Hours later, U.S. Central Command carried out an additional round of strikes to “further degrade” Iran’s ability to attack the Strait of Hormuz (CENTCOM)
U.S. Strikes Iran in Response to Iranian Attacks on Ships
U.S. Central Command carried out a round of strikes against Iran in response to Iran’s latest attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz (CENTCOM)
Before the strikes, the United States revoked a license that had allowed Iran to conduct oil sales openly in U.S. dollars for the first time in years (AP)
Hundreds of Thousands Gather to Commemorate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran
The weekend-long funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—who was killed by U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28—drew hundreds of thousands of mourners from across the region (NYT)
Iran Issues Warning Over Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or will face a “forceful response;” the warning came after the U.S. military’s Central Command put out a statement that said Middle East leaders “underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through” the strait (AP)
United States, Iran Hold Separate Meetings in Qatar
U.S. and Iranian negotiators met separately on Wednesday with Qatari and Pakistani mediators after Iran said it would not meet directly with U.S. envoys; Qatar said “positive progress” was made and that discussions would continue after the funeral of Iran’s previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (AP)
United States and Iran to Hold Talks in Qatar
President Trump said in a social media post that U.S. and Iranian officials would hold further talks on Tuesday in Qatar (NYT)
Oil prices rose by more than 1 percent following the exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran over the weekend, which slowed energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran Amid Escalating Tensions
President Trump threatened that Iran would “no longer exist” if it did not honor the agreement to end the war (Reuters)
Shortly thereafter, Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, threatening a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the war if the United States continued its attacks (AP)
Later, a U.S. official said both parties agreed to halt attacks and allow vessels to move freely through the Strait of Hormuz (NYT)
United States and Iran Trade Strikes
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that in response to U.S. strikes a day prior, its navy struck the locations where the “terrorist U.S. military” is stationed in the region and warned that any further U.S. attacks would be met with a broader response, according to a statement carried on state media (Reuters)
U.S. Central Command forces launched additional strikes in response to “continued Iranian aggression,” targeting Iranian military surveillance infrastructure and communication systems (CENTCOM)
U.S. Strikes Iran in Response to Iranian Attack on Ship
U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes against Iran in response to Iran’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz a day prior (CENTCOM)
In response, Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media that “violence will be met with violence” (X)
Iranian Drone Strikes Ship in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a Singapore-flagged commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official said (CBS)
The attack forced the International Maritime Organization to halt its evacuation of the eleven thousand seafarers who had been stranded in the Persian Gulf during the war (CNN)
U.S.-Iran Negotiations Make “Encouraging Progress”
High-level negotiations between the United States and Iran seeking a permanent end to the Iran war concluded; Vice President JD Vance, who led the talks in Switzerland, called them a “good foundation for a successful final deal” (AP)
Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar also said that Vance and his Iranian counterparts made “encouraging progress” after agreeing on a mechanism to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and opening a “communication line” to help ensure safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
However, some critical issues, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions, remain unresolved (NYT)
Technical negotiations will continue in Switzerland through the week (AP)
Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz, Alleging Israeli Ceasefire Violation
Following an exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Saturday morning, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it would once again close the Strait of Hormuz to shipping vessels; the IRGC is warning ships not to approach the Strait for their safety in what it is calling the “first step” in its response to the violation of the U.S.-Iran Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which called for a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon (NBC)
Israeli airstrikes, which the IDF claims were a response to threatening projectile launches by Hezbollah, killed approximately sixteen people in Lebanon on Saturday morning; Hezbollah and Israel also engaged in a deadly exchange of fire on Friday after Hezbollah accused Israeli troops of advancing in Lebanese territory and killing four IDF soldiers by striking a tank (Guardian)
The status of the Strait of Hormuz and the other terms of the MOU were left uncertain after U.S. Central Command denied the IRGC’s claims and insisted traffic was still flowing freely through the waterway (NYT)
U.S. Lifts Naval Blockade of Iran
U.S. forces lifted the blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, in accordance with the U.S.-Iran interim deal signed the day prior (CENTCOM)
The deal, which does not curb Iran’s missile program nor establish a clear path to dismantling its nuclear facilities, has drawn concern from Israeli analysts and officials (Reuters)
Vice President JD Vance responded by warning Israel that Trump is the country’s “only remaining powerful ally” in the world (NYT)