Iran targeted three U.S. warships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to Trump, and U.S. Central Command said it responded by striking the Iranian military facilities from which the attacks were launched (CENTCOM)
Each side claimed the other had violated their month-old truce, though U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that the ceasefire remained intact (NYT)
Trump reiterated that talks with Iran were progressing “very well,” calling U.S. strikes on Iran a “love tap” while suggesting heavy bombing would follow if no deal was reached (FT;White House)
While Trump administration officials insist their economic pressure campaign is pushing Tehran toward a deal, four unnamed sources told the Washington Post that a CIA assessment found Iran can survive the U.S. blockade for at least three to four months before experiencing more severe economic pain (WaPo)
Pakistan, which is mediating, said that “we expect an agreement sooner rather than later,” but declined to provide a timeline (Dawn)
Meanwhile, diplomacy extended to the Vatican, where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pope Leo discussed ending the conflict; Rubio and Leo discussed achieving a “durable peace” in the region, which appeared to smooth relations between Washington and the Vatican following Trump’s repeated criticism of Leo (AP)
U.S.-Iran Talks Cautiously Proceeding
U.S. President Donald Trump said that the two countries had carried out “very good talks” and that Iran had agreed not to obtain a nuclear weapon (AP)
Iran’s mission to the United Nations wrote on social media that the only “viable solution” to the shipping quagmire in the Strait of Hormuz was a permanent end to the war and to the U.S. blockade of Iran’s coastline (Iran UN Mission)
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has acted as a key mediator, wrote on social media today that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and others had requested that Trump pause the U.S. shipping mission after it triggered hostilities in the strait on Monday (Pakistan PM)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for a ceasefire after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said Tehran would only accept a “fair and comprehensive agreement” with the United States (Al Jazeera)
The Washington Post reported that at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites across the Middle East have been damaged since the start of the Iran war, based on a review of satellite images; a U.S. military spokesperson told the Post that damage assessments could be misleading (WaPo)
Most U.S. personnel moved out of regional bases at the start of the war, making cooperation with U.S. partner countries in the Gulf more important for Washington’s military strategy; for example, Saudi Arabia’s denial of base and overflight access to the United States contributed to Trump quickly ending a mission in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, NBC News reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials (NBC)
Trump Pauses “Project Freedom”
President Donald Trump announced that the United States had paused efforts to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz while negotiations with Iran move forward; pausing the mission announced just this week would allow space for a deal with Iran to be finalized, he wrote on social media, claiming “Great Progress” had been made (Truth Social)
Trump announced the U.S. blockade on Iran’s coastline would remain in place despite the suspension of the shipping mission (Guardian)
Four unnamed sources told Axios that the two sides are currently considering a memorandum of understanding to end the war and kickstart a thirty-day period of negotiations to open the strait, limit Iranian nuclear activities, and relax U.S. sanctions (Axios)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters earlier in the day that the ceasefire with Iran had not ended, but Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf wrote on social media that U.S. actions had violated the truce and that a “new equation” was emerging in the vital waterway (Sky News;Iranian Parliament)
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine told reporters that Iran also attacked Oman yesterday (Reuters)
Regardless of the successful transit of two U.S.-flagged ships earlier this week, the strait remains mostly closed; a French ship was attacked in the strait on Tuesday and its crew injured, its owner said (Reuters)
As restrictions on energy flow in the Persian Gulf continue, the U.S. national average price of gasoline breached $4.50 per gallon for the first time since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine (Reuters)
Strait of Hormuz Clashes Test Ceasefire
Clashes in and around the Strait of Hormuz tested the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and threatened to derail a U.S. bid to restart global shipping (NYT)
Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, said that Iran launched missile, drone, and small boat attacks at commercial ships that Washington was helping guide through the strait; the United States sank multiple Iranian boats while successfully helping two U.S.-flagged merchant ships transit the strait, he added (CENTCOM)
Trump told Fox News that Iran would be “blown off the face of the earth” if it attacks U.S. ships in the vicinity of the strait, while Ghalibaf wrote on social media that Tehran had “not even begun” potential escalatory actions (Fox News;Iranian Parliament)
The flare-up has apparently affected states not party to the conflict; Seoul reported an explosion on a South Korea-flagged vessel, though it did not immediately announce the cause (CNA)
The UAE said Iranian attacks had set fire to an oil refinery and injured three Indian nationals; Iran did not immediately comment (Al Jazeera)
Gulf countries, Pakistan, and the European Union (EU) condemned the attacks on the UAE, while Abu Dhabi said it reserved the “full and legitimate right to respond” to them (Al Jazeera;Arab News)
U.S. Mission for Hormuz Shipping
U.S. President Trump announced an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz while indirect diplomacy between the United States and Iran continues (TIME)
Trump wrote on social media that the U.S. mission would support ships from countries not involved in the war, while U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said more than one hundred aircraft would take part (Truth Social;CENTCOM)
Rather than U.S. naval escorts for commercial ships, the mission will provide diplomatic and insurance assistance to coordinate passage, unnamed senior U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). While Trump said it was being carried out “for the good of” Iran and others, the head of Iran’s parliamentary national security commission wrote on social media that U.S. interference in the strait would be considered a ceasefire violation (Iranian Parliament)
The announcement came as Iran’s foreign ministry said it was reviewing Trump’s response to its latest peace proposal (WaPo)
Trump told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that Iran’s proposal was “not acceptable” (Times of Israel)
Deadline for Congress to Authorize War
The war in Iran hits a threshold today that typically requires a U.S. president to seek congressional authorization under the War Powers Act; the Vietnam War-era law requires winding down the conflict after sixty days unless Congress declares war or authorizes the fighting (Reuters)
An unnamed senior administration official told the Washington Post today that for the purposes of the War Powers Act, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28 have terminated” (WaPo)
Iranian Supreme Leader Vows to Protect Nuclear Capabilities
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the U.S. blockade is “doomed to fail” and breaks international law (DW)
A statement attributed to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that Tehran would protect its nuclear capabilities and the only place that Americans belonged in the Persian Gulf was “at the bottom of its waters” (AP)
When asked about the impending war powers deadline at a Senate hearing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he believed it was extended due to the current ceasefire; a handful of Republican senators broke from their party to endorse the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iran in a resolution vote, but it failed to pass (FT)
The heads of U.S. Central Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff briefed President Donald Trump about options for renewed U.S. strikes on Iran, underscoring the possibility of a return to large-scale fighting (Axios)
An unnamed senior official in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that new U.S. attacks would be met with “long and painful strikes” on U.S. assets in the region (Reuters)
Amid the prospect of a longer war, the price of Brent crude oil rose today to a temporary high of $126 a barrel, the highest level since 2022 (NBC)
Trump Vows to Continue Blockade
Iran had proposed reaching a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, postponing discussions of its nuclear program—but Trump told Axios that he would maintain the blockade in order to pressure Tehran toward a nuclear agreement; unnamed sources also told the outletthat the U.S. military is prepared to carry out a “short and powerful” wave of strikes on Iran (Axios)
The United States has spent an estimated $25 billion fighting the war so far, the acting Pentagon comptroller told lawmakers (NBC)
The $25 billion estimate of U.S. war costs is a conservative one that does not include repairs to U.S. bases that were attacked, three unnamed sources familiar with the issue told CNN; adding the repair costs could mean billions more (CNN)
In a congressional hearing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to answer questions about whether the estimate accounted for damage to U.S. bases and about how much longer the United States would need to keep fighting to meet its goals (AP)
UAE Exit From OPEC
Abu Dhabi’s exit, set for this Friday, adds to the unpredictability in global oil markets as the war in Iran shows no signs of resolution (WaPo)
OPEC countries supplied more than a quarter of global oil prior to the Iran war (NYT)
Meanwhile, the Treasury Department announced it was stepping up its economic pressure campaign against Iran by sanctioning thirty-five people and entities accused of aiding Iran’s war efforts and of working to evade other sanctions (Treasury)
Separately, it warned that banks working with Chinese refineries that process Iranian oil could also face sanctions (CNBC)
New Iranian Proposal to End the War
After a round of U.S.-Iran talks earlier this month stalled due to differences over Iran freezing its nuclear enrichment, Tehran has proposed a phased agreement that would first end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping—and only afterward discuss nuclear matters, multiple news outlets reported (Reuters)
Tehran’s proposal includes guarantees that the war would not start up again, according to the Wall Street Journal, though its details were not immediately made public (WSJ)
Under the reported plan, Iran would continue to charge fees on shipping through the strait, which it began charging after seizing control of the waterway in the early days of the war (NYT)
An unnamed source told Axios that Iran’s proposal to delay nuclear talks, in part, stemmed from a lack of consensus among Iranian officials on nuclear matters (Axios)
U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the peace plan with aides and is reportedly unhappy with the proposal (Times of Israel)
A White House spokesperson said that Washington “will not negotiate through the press,” while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States will not allow Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz (NYT)
Trump Calls Off U.S. Negotiators’ Trip to Islamabad
Trump wrote on social media that time was being wasted and there was “infighting and confusion” on the Iranian side (Truth Social)
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Islamabad on Saturday and held talks with Pakistan’s prime minister (Pakistan PM)
Araghchi then traveled to Oman to discuss efforts to end the Iran war, Iran’s foreign ministry said (The National)
IEA: Strait of Hormuz “Double Blockade” Causing Global Energy Crisis
As U.S. and Iranian restrictions on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz—a chokepoint for the world’s energy supply—continue, the director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol warned that the world is “facing the biggest energy security threat in history;” he added that the prolongation of the “double blockade” on the Strait of Hormuz might soon cause a jet fuel shortage in Europe (CNBC)
Trump declined to give a timeline to reporters on an end to the U.S.-Iran conflict; while he reiterated a threat of using additional military force if Washington was unsatisfied with diplomacy, Trump also ruled out the possibility of using nuclear weapons (C-SPAN)
U.S., Iran Standoff Over Strait of Hormuz as Ceasefire Stalls
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement Tuesday that Washington would extend its truce with Iran, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on social media that Tehran considers the U.S. blockade of Iran’s coastline a violation of the ceasefire (Iranian Parliament)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump had not set a specific deadline for Iran to submit its next proposal in the negotiations (AP)
As a result of the gridlock, only one ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence (NYT)
Four hundred U.S. service members have been wounded and thirteen killed in nearly two months of war, the Department of Defense said; most of the wounded were in the Army (WSJ)
Trump Extends Ceasefire
Trump announced an extension to the U.S.-Iran truce to allow Iranian leaders to reach a “unified proposal” in talks (Truth Social)
The eleventh-hour move came as the truce was in its final stretch and marked an abrupt shift for the president, who had reiterated opposition to an extension earlier in the day (CNBC)
Trump’s truce extension came after fears of a return to fighting rippled through oil markets, sending Brent crude back up to around $100 per barrel (Bloomberg)
Unnamed U.S. officials told multiple news outlets that the extension reflected divisions within Iran’s leadership and trouble communicating with the injured Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei; an advisor to one member of Iran’s negotiating team called the extension meaningless, though the team did not immediately give a unified response (CNN)
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for the extension, writing it would “allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course” (Pakistan PM)
While it staves off resuming large-scale hostilities in Iran and the Persian Gulf, both Washington and Tehran are maintaining their restrictions on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz while condemning each other’s actions (Reuters)
The United States boarded a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean (NYT)
Uncertainty Over U.S.-Iran Talks as Ceasefire Expiration Looms
The U.S.-Iran truce was expected to expire tomorrow according to a timeline originally announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, but Trump told Bloomberg that he believed it expires “Wednesday evening Washington time”—slightly extending the window for talks; however, Trump declared a ceasefire extension was “highly unlikely” as U.S. negotiators prepared to travel to Islamabad for a second round of talks that Iran had not officially confirmed it would attend (Bloomberg)
Trump suggested on social media that he was seeking a stronger agreement than the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration (Truth Social)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that Washington had “violated the ceasefire from the beginning,” and warned that if the U.S. and Israel launched renewed aggression, Iranian forces would respond accordingly; Tehran specifically cited the overnight seizure of an Iranian carrier and the naval blockade as its grounds for refusing talks, with Baghaei dismissing U.S. statements on negotiations as “a media game” (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Seizes Iranian Cargo Ship
The U.S. Navy dramatically escalated its maritime standoff with Iran when the USS Spruance fired on and disabled an Iranian-flagged container ship in the Arabian Sea after the vessel failed to comply with warnings over a six-hour period; marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit subsequently rappelled from helicopters onto the ship’s deck and seized the vessel, which remains in U.S. custody (CNN)
Trump announced the seizure on Truth Social, noting the ship was under U.S. Treasury sanctions due to its prior history of illegal activity (CNBC)
Iran’s military command condemned the seizure as an act of “maritime piracy” and vowed to retaliate, calling the boarding a violation of the ceasefire agreement and international law (AP)
Meanwhile, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that Tehran would not attend a second round of negotiations, citing Washington’s “excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance,” as well as the ongoing naval blockade, as breaches of the ceasefire (Guardian)
Despite Tehran’s public statements, Iranian sources familiar with the negotiations told CNN that a delegation representing Tehran would nonetheless travel to Pakistan for talks, and Trump announced that Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner would head to Islamabad (CNN)
Oil prices climbed roughly 7 percent amid renewed Iranian restrictions on Hormuz shipping, heightening fears of a supply disruption (Al Jazeera)
Iran Reimposes Strait of Hormuz Closure
Iran’s IRGC announced it was reimposing a full blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a brief opening from the previous day and citing U.S. “breaches of trust” for refusing to lift its own naval blockade on Iranian ports; the IRGC stated that approaching the strait would be considered cooperation with the enemy, and that any offending vessel would be targeted (CNN)
Following the announcement, IRGC gunboats fired on at least three commercial vessels attempting to transit the waterway, according to maritime security reports; the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center confirmed a tanker was fired upon twenty nautical miles northeast of Oman, with no radio warning issued beforehand (TIME)
India summoned the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi after two Indian-flagged vessels were involved in incidents in the Strait (WSJ)
Iran also announced it would give priority transit to vessels that pay a toll and comply with the new Strait of Hormuz protocols, with those that do not pay facing delayed passage (Times of Israel)
On the diplomatic front, Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged European countries to quickly decide on reimposing sanctions against Iran (AFP)
Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey were coordinating a broader regional effort to prevent renewed escalation and lay the groundwork for a post-war security arrangement (Times of Israel)
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told state television that while there had been some progress in talks with Washington, there were “many gaps” remaining and the two sides were “still far from a final discussion” (Al Jazeera)
Iran Claims Strait of Hormuz Is Open While Trump Reiterates Blockade
Iran declared the waterway would be “completely open” for the remainder of the ceasefire, though President Trump said a U.S. blockade on Iran’s coastline would continue until a deal was finalized (CNN)
Earlier, France and the United Kingdom (UK) cohosted a meeting on their strategies for securing passage through the Strait of Hormuz (RFI)
The call included dozens of countries and discussed “purely defensive” measures to ensure safe shipping through the strait “when security conditions allow,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media (French President)
An unnamed German official told Politico that Germany is open to deploying minesweepers and maritime reconnaissance equipment in the waterway if an international mandate to do so is agreed upon (Politico)
Pakistan Expects to Host Another Round of U.S.-Iran Peace Talks
No date has been announced for an additional round of U.S.-Iran talks, however (NYT)
As part of Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the United States and Iran, the country’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran today, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif holds meetings in Qatar (AP)
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine told reporters this morning that U.S. forces will “actively pursue” ships worldwide that are attempting to provide “material support” to Iran (Joint Staff)
Iran Threatens to Block Gulf Trade
Iranian state media reported that Ali Abdollahi, the head of Iran’s joint military command, warned that Iran would block all imports and exports across the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Sea of Oman if the United States did not lift its blockade on Iranian ports (AP)
Meanwhile, Esmail Baghai stated that there was a “high chance” that Iran would host a delegation of Pakistani mediators (NYT)
He also stated that Iran was willing to discuss the level and type of its uranium enrichment (AP)
The Kremlin said it offered to store Iran’s enriched uranium as part of a potential deal, but the United States declined (Reuters)
With only a few days left in the current ceasefire, Washington is maintaining a naval blockade on Iranian exports as well as fresh sanctions that it is threatening to expand (Treasury)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the United States was carrying out “the financial equivalent” of a military campaign against Iran and warned that two Chinese banks were at risk of sanctions for activity related to Iran (White House;Bloomberg)
Amid rising humanitarian concerns, Pier Hossein Kolivand, the president of Iran’s Red Cross Society, said that emergency teams across Iran have rescued over 7,200 people from rubble after U.S. and Israeli strikes (NYT)
Weeks ahead of Trump’s scheduled visit to Beijing, China has criticized both the U.S. naval blockade on exports from Iran—one of its major oil suppliers—and what it called the U.S. threat of “illegal” sanctions (Forbes;Anadolu Agency)
Yet Trump claimed in a social media post that China was “happy” about his efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and had agreed not to send arms to Iran, an implicit acknowledgment of Beijing’s longstanding military relationship with Tehran (Truth Social)
The Chinese embassy in Washington declined to comment on Trump’s post and said Beijing was “objective and impartial” regarding the war (WaPo)
U.S. Central Command Claims Blockade Success
U.S. Central Command claimed success in the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, stating that during the first twenty-four hours, no ships were able to pass through; it further stated that six merchant ships turned around and entered via the Gulf of Oman (AP)
Meanwhile, an anonymous U.S. official stated that though future talks with Iran are under discussion, they have not yet been scheduled (AP)
Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee has called for a humanitarian corridor to be established in the Strait of Hormuz to allow lifesaving aid to reach vulnerable populations in countries such as Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia (IRC)
Separately, Xi Jinping issued his most direct criticism yet of U.S. actions in the Middle East, warning against abandoning international rule of law; Beijing’s engagement is driven in part by its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz for oil, but it also signals that China is trying to play a greater role in the ceasefire process (NYT)
U.S. Military to Begin Blockade
The U.S. military provided additional information on the blockade set to be implemented later today, stating that the blockade will be in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz, applying to all vessels regardless of flag, with unauthorized ships subject to interception and capture; neutral transit through the Strait of Hormuz remains permitted, though vessels may be searched for contraband, while humanitarian shipments will be allowed through after inspection (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stated that Israel supported the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf (NYT)
As tensions continue to rise, analysts warn that a blockade of Iranian ports could prompt the Iranian-backed Houthis to disrupt transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (AP)
U.S. Navy to Blockade Ships in Strait of Hormuz
After U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan resulted in no agreement, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. Navy would begin a blockade on ships entering and exiting the Strait of Hormuz; U.S. Central Command stated that the blockade would involve all Iranian ports, though it would allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the Strait (AP)
Responding to the U.S. threats, Mohsen Rezai, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iran has the tools to counter a U.S. blockade (NYT)
U.S.-Iran Talks End Without Agreement
U.S. President JD Vance announced that talks with Iran ended after twenty-one hours without reaching an agreement; he stated that Iran refused to accept the terms of not developing a nuclear weapon (AP)
The United States and Iran approached the negotiations in fundamentally different ways: while Iran sought an all-encompassing agreement that would secure the end of the war, the United States pursued an issue-specific negotiation focused on the Strait of Hormuz (ISW)
Esmail Baqaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said that some agreements were reached, but the Strait of Hormuz prevented a final breakthrough in negotiations (NYT)
U.S. Vice President JD Vance Departs for Islamabad
U.S. Vice President JD Vance departed for Islamabad, where a first round of peace talks will be held tomorrow (AP)
While he expressed optimism for positive negotiations with Iran, he warned Tehran not to “play” the United States (Reuters)
Meanwhile, oil prices are rising slightly as traders remain wary of the ceasefire’s durability; Brent crude has increased by 1 percent to $97 a barrel, though that is lower than before the ceasefire (NYT)