Live updates: Trump says he has canceled strikes on Iran, signals move toward deal
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The president’s comments mark a shift after two nights of attacks between the two countries, hours after he said the U.S. would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT.”
What to know
- TRUMP SIGNALS MOVE TOWARD DEAL: President Donald Trump says he has canceled strikes on Iran planned for tonight, saying a deal with Iran is expected to soon be "finalized." Iran did not confirm that a deal had been reached.
- EXCHANGE OF ATTACKS: The apparent easing of tensions follows a second day of strikes between the two countries after the downing of a U.S. military helicopter. The U.S. launched strikes and Tehran retaliated against American targets across the Middle East.
- THREAT TO KHARG ISLAND: Earlier, Trump had said the U.S. would at some point seize Kharg Island and take “total control” of Iran's oil and gas industry.
- STRAIT OF HORMUZ CLOSED: Iran’s military announced that the Strait of Hormuz, the key trade route it has largely blocked through the war, is now closed to all marine traffic in response. U.S. Central Command maintained the key waterway was still open.
- INDIAN NATIONALS KILLED: Three Indian nationals were killed after the U.S. military fired at a Palau-flagged tanker off the coast of Oman, India’s minister of ports, shipping and waterways said.
- INSIGHTS AND ANALYSIS: Get exclusive analysis and insight into the Middle East conflict by becoming an NBC News subscriber.
Trump says strikes on Iran today are canceled, citing progress toward deal
Trump said he has “cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening.”
In a post on Truth Social, he said that the decision was made “based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.”
Trump said that “discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved,” which the president said included the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and others.
“The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly,” he said.
Iran did not confirm that a deal had been reached. The semiofficial Tasnim News Agency cautioned: "Until any potential understanding is officially announced by Iran, any statements by Trump on this matter should be viewed in the context of his previous claims."
Qatari delegation returns from talks with Iran
A delegation from Qatar returned from Tehran to Doha this morning following talks with Iranian officials, conducted in coordination with the United States, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Talks lasted into the early hours of this morning, the source said.
French news network condemns Israel's expulsion of reporter
French public radio station Radio France Internationale today condemned Israel’s decision to refuse entry to prominent journalist Alice Froussard and remove her from the country.
Froussard was denied entry yesterday after arriving at the Tel Aviv airport with the required travel documentation and application for a press visa to work in the occupied West Bank, RFI said in a statement today.
The journalist, who works for French outlets including RFI, was sent back without explanation. Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs, said on X without evidence that Froussard was denied entry because she “supports Hamas,” adding that “the State of Israel has run out of patience for Hamas supporters and for those who support sanctions and boycotts against it.”
The Foreign Press Association called the allegation “outrageous,” adding: "We find it especially alarming that a government minister would boast about this on social media to his supporters."
Jonathan Dagher, the head of the Middle East desk at Reporters Without Borders, added: “This experienced correspondent, who has covered the West Bank for years, is one of the journalists who has the courage to go to the occupied Palestinian territories to work alongside Palestinian colleagues despite the growing security risks they face."
“RFI’s management fully supports Alice Froussard and protests against this expulsion, which constitutes an obstacle to press freedom and comes at a time when journalists face growing difficulties covering events in the region,” RFI said.
Iran’s Parliament speaker issues warning after Trump threats
Iran’s Parliament speaker warned today against “wrong strategies and impulsive decisions” as President Donald Trump threatens to hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT.”
“Wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years,” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a key figure in U.S.-Iran negotiations, said on X.
“You will see a different Iran,” he said.
Video appears to contradict IDF account of baby shot dead by soldier
Video has emerged that appears to counter the Israeli military’s account of an incident in which a soldier opened fire on a car carrying a family and killed their 7-month-old baby Sam Abu Haikal.
The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that troops had “perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them” as they carried out “operational activity” in the area around the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. One soldier responded with several shots toward the vehicle, the IDF said, adding that three Palestinians were injured and evacuated for medical treatment.
But the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights, known as B’Tselem, has said that footage it obtained shows that the car appeared to slow to a stop, rather than accelerate toward soldiers.
In the video, which has been viewed by NBC News, the car can be seen clearly coming to a stop. The footage is silent, however, making it difficult to establish when exactly shots were fired.
“The footage clearly shows that the Israeli soldier fired at the car as it was slowing to a stop,” B’Tselem said in a statement. “The car was far from the soldiers and posed no danger to them whatsoever.”
B’Tselem spokesperson Shai Parnes said in an interview that the organization received the footage showing the incident without audio. Attempts to get a video with sound were unsuccessful, he said.
The video “speaks for itself,” with the car seen as “far away” from soldiers when one opened fire and clearly coming to a stop, he added.
In another video published by B’Tselem capturing the moments after the incident, Sam’s father can be seen standing by the car, cradling his baby, whose bright yellow clothing can be seen stained with blood. He appears to try to stem the bleeding from his small head.
The IDF said in an updated statement today that it viewed the matter “with great gravity, regrets harm caused to uninvolved individuals.” The incident was under investigation by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division “and is being examined with the utmost seriousness,” it added.
U.N. secretary-general calls for ceasefire that respects sovereignty of Lebanon
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for further negotiations today toward a ceasefire that respects the territory and sovereignty of Lebanon.
“Since March, we have witnessed a serious escalation — as Israel intensified its operations in Lebanese territory,” Guterres said on X. The Iran-backed armed militant group Hezbollah had also “fired deeper into Israel,” he added.
“All parties must work towards a diplomatic settlement that fully respects the territorial integrity, sovereignty & political independence of Lebanon,” he said, adding that he fully supported a monopoly on weapons by the Lebanese government.
“The process must start with a comprehensive ceasefire respected by all parties everywhere,” he said. “I hope further negotiations will contribute to lasting peace & stability.”
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike today that targeted the village of Choukine, Lebanon. AFP via Getty Images
Trump had copy of latest deal proposals but chose to attack instead, senior negotiator says
Expressing their frustration with Trump, a senior negotiator directly involved in mediating the talks between the U.S. and Iran, adding that the president had a copy of the latest negotiation proposal but had instead chosen to attack.
Trump, they said, “has the deal in his hands now,” the senior negotiator said.
The American side was expected to deliver that latest proposal to Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the hard-line speaker of Iran's parliament, they added. But instead, the U.S. proceeded with strikes, further complicating negotiations, they said.
Kuwait says Iranian latest attacks have not caused any casualties
Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense said today that its Armed Forces detected and engaged with 24 hostile drones within its airspace over the past 48 hours.
“The Iranian aggression resulted in limited material damage with no casualties,” Colonel Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan, a spokesperson for Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense, said in a statement.
Trump says his 'preference' is to take Iran's Kharg Island
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that his "preference has always been, take Kharg Island," a crucial outcrop which sits around 20 miles off Iran’s shallow coastline and accounts for more than 90% of Iran’s oil exports.
"I don't know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest with you," he said, adding that "you'd make a fortune."
In an earlier Truth Social Post, Trump said that the U.S. would take the island which is made of hard coral and provides a natural, geological platform rising from the Persian Gulf.
Trump told Fox News that the U.S. "dropped $250 million worth of bombs" on Iran last night. "They're really in submission, they just don't know it yet," he said of the Islamic Republic.
Asked whether the U.S. would bomb Iran more tonight, Trump said there would and it would be "bigger, more powerful."
"I don't want to have boots on the ground, but if I wanted to, we could put a small group of soldiers and take over the whole place," he added.
2 Israeli soldiers injured in the occupied West Bank
Two soldiers were injured after an explosive device was detonated in the area around the city Jenin in the occupied West Bank today, Israel's military said.
They were "evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital," it said.
Elon Musk's companies could become military targets, Iranian state media reports
Companies owned by Elon Musk are under review for consideration as potential military targets by Iran, semiofficial Fars news agency has reported.
The agency, which is closely affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said "all interests associated with economic holdings managed by Elon Musk across West Asia, including in Arab countries and Israel," were under review for being placed on Iran's military target list.
It comes after after reports of Starlink being used during the Iran war, Fars said.
Trump is 'unhinged,' senior military adviser to Iran's supreme leader says
Condemning U.S. strikes on Iran, a military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has called Trump “unhinged.”
“The unhinged U.S. president imagines that bombs can get him out of the quagmire he himself created,” Mohsen Rezaei said in a post on X, before Trump's latest post on Truth Social threatening to take hit Iran "very hard" tonight.
“But Iranian missiles will sink him even deeper into it,” he said, adding: “Washington must choose between accepting Iran’s terms and losing the last shred of its credibility in the world.”
Mohsen Rezaei, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general. Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Analysis: Ceasefire is effectively dead
It’s safe to say that the ceasefire is effectively dead and has now been replaced by negotiations under fire, because as Trump stressed in the Oval Office yesterday, he wants to pressure Iran into signing a deal.
But Iran is giving no indication that it wants to work this way and has insisted it will respond every time it is attacked. “Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on X on Tuesday.
There are real casualties.
India said three of its nationals were killed when the U.S. military fired at a Palau-flagged tanker off the coast of Oman. U.S. Central Command confirmed American forces had disabled the ship.
American strikes also destroyed what appears to be drinking water infrastructure on Iran’s southern coast early yesterday, according to videos and pictures shared by Iranian media and geolocated by NBC News.
Trump doesn’t seem to care. He says it’s all worth it to get Iran to promise to not have a nuclear weapon, which, of course, it has already done many, many times.
Explosion heard off Iran's southern coast, local media reports
Explosions heard from the sea near Iran's southern city of Sirik, Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency reported today.
It appears that the sounds may be related to clashes or an exchange of fire in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the agency said, adding that military and law enforcement officials had not commented.
Trump says U.S. to hit Iran 'very hard' tonight, will 'be taking' oil hub Kharg Island in near future
Trump has said that the U.S. will strike Iran "very hard" tonight and declared that America will seize Iran’s main oil hub, Kharg Island.
"At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points," Trump said in a Truth Social post today.
He said the U.S. would seek to "assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela."
The U.S. previously threatened to take control of the island, which accounts for more than 90% of Iran’s oil exports, before a shaky ceasefire came into effect in April. The ceasefire has effectively collapsed in recent days, though the exact status of peace talks was unclear.
A satellite image of Iran's Kharg Island. Planet Labs PBC / AFP - Getty Images
Bahrain's military says it intercepted fresh Iranian aerial attacks
Bahrain's military said today its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed a number of aerial attacks from Iran.
In a statement, the Bahrain Defence Force said Iran continued its "systematic hostile approach" through missile and drone attacks.
It said its air defense systems "confronted, intercepted and destroyed" a number of Iranian attacks.
It added that its weapons and units remained at the "highest levels of readiness" as it urged civilians to exercise caution and not to approach or touch any "strange or suspicious objects resulting from the remnants of the brutal Iranian aggression, and to report them immediately."
Moscow 'concerned' about latest exchange of strikes between U.S. and Iran
The Kremlin called on Tehran and Washington to "exercise restraint" after the latest escalation.
"We are concerned by this," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in his daily briefing earlier today, as he urged the parties to return to the negotiating table to avoid "further negative consequences for the situation in the region and the international economy."
Russia, a strong ally of Iran, has itself been mired in a war with Ukraine for more than four years, with the U.S.-led negotiations to settle the conflict currently stalled amid the Trump administration's focus on the Middle East.
U.S. disabled oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman with Hellfire missiles, CENTCOM says
A U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles to disable an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman last night, U.S. Central Command said in a statement today.
The Guinea-Bissau flagged M/T Jalveer “violated the blockade against Iran by attempting to transport Iranian oil, marking the third commercial ship disabled by American forces this week,” CENTCOM said.
“A U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces,” it added.
“CENTCOM forces have disabled nine non-compliant vessels, redirected 135 ships that complied, and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass since initiating the blockade on April 13.”
Neighbors condemn latest round of Iranian strikes
Several Middle Eastern countries have condemned Iran's recent strikes in the region, with Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia among those voicing outrage.
The attacks on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait represent a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of these countries and a dangerous escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region and exacerbates regional tensions,” Egypt said in a statement.
In a similar but separate statement, Qatar said the strikes breached international law.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry also warned in a statement that the strikes were exacerbating tensions in the region.
Analysis of satellite imagery suggests U.S. hit drinking water infrastructure
American strikes destroyed what appears to be drinking water infrastructure on Iran’s southern coast early Wednesday, according to videos and pictures shared by Iranian media and geolocated by NBC News.
Shared by Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency, the pictures show that the rooves of the facilities have collapsed although the walls remain intact. One photo shows the fragments of a bomb.
NBC News geolocated the videos and pictures to a village in Iran's southern Hormozgan Province by matching the unique roof structure and pipes of the facilities to the satellite imagery.
It is unclear whether the U.S. intended to strike water facilities deliberately, something which could constitute a war crime under international law.
Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until further notice, Iran says
The Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice after multiple incidents surrounding the waterway, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority has said.
Blaming “tensions created by the American aggressor forces in the region,” it said applicants who had already received transit permits should remain patient and await further guidance.
U.S. projectile hit cargo boat, Iranian official says
An Iranian cargo boat was struck by a U.S. projectile in the Gulf of Oman today, according to the governor the Islamic Republic's southern Sirik county.
The 150-ton cargo barge was hit about 5 nautical miles off the Omani city of Khasab, Reza Shahidian said, according to Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency. All five crew members were rescued by passing vessels, he added.
The U.S. military has not commented on the incident.
Shahidian comments came after the British military's maritime monitor, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a fire had broken out on a tanker off Oman’s coast.
It was not immediately clear if the incidents were related.
U.S. strikes render ceasefire ‘practically meaningless,' Iran says
The fresh wave of strikes launched by the U.S. against Iran overnight have rendered the ceasefire agreed to by Washington and Tehran "practically meaningless," the Iranian Foreign Ministry has said.
USS Michael Murphy launches Tomahawk cruise missiles from an unknown location, in a handout video released yesterday by U.S. Central Command. U.S. Central Command
Condemning the barrage of strikes from the U.S., the ministry said the "responsibility for the extremely dangerous consequences arising from this warmongering will rest with the ruling authorities of America," the Iranian state-run IRNA news agency reported.
The U.S. resumed strikes against Iran this week after Trump accused Tehran of downing an American military helicopter, an incident that the two soldiers onboard survived.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized the country's "determination to neutralize the origin and source of aggressive attacks against Iran," with fears growing of a return to an all-out war in the Middle East amid the mounting hostilities.
Fire breaks out on tanker off Omani coast, British maritime monitor says
A fire has broken out on a tanker off Oman's coast, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said this morning.
Local authorities reported that the tanker was experiencing a fire in its engine room, with the incident unfolding around 21 nautical miles northeast of the city of Sohar.
The UKMTO said on X that incident was under investigation, with vessels warned to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.
The incident comes after India said three of its nationals were killed when U.S. forces disabled a Palau-flagged tanker off the coast of Oman.
At least 20 Iranian missiles intercepted this morning, Jordan's military says
At least 20 Iranian missiles were intercepted over Jordan this morning, the country’s military said.
The missiles had been launched toward the Azraq area in the Zarqa governorate, which sits around 65 miles east of the country’s capital, Amman, the Jordanian armed forces said in a statement.
No injuries were reported in connection with the attack, it said, adding that the military continued to monitor the situation and to operate “at the highest level of readiness to protect the Kingdom’s airspace.”
India says 3 nationals killed on tanker shot by U.S. military
Three Indian nationals were killed after the U.S. military fired at a Palau-flagged tanker off the coast of Oman, an Indian official said today.
Sarbananda Sonowal, India’s minister of ports, shipping and waterways, said the three seafarers on the Settebello had been confirmed dead, with two bodies recovered so far. "This is a profound loss to our maritime family," Sonowal said in a post on X, adding that India's government "stands firmly with the bereaved during this difficult hour and is fully committed to supporting the next of kin."
It comes after U.S. Central Command confirmed that U.S. military forces had disabled the Settebello in the Gulf of Oman yesterday. It said the tanker had “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.”
CENTCOM said it moved to disable the tanker, with a U.S. aircraft firing precision munitions into the ship’s engine room “after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces.” It was one of a series of vessels that U.S. forces have disabled, with scores more redirected, since Washington launched its blockade in April.
Bahrain says debris from Iranian drone injures child
Debris from an Iranian drone interception injured an 11-year-old girl in Bahrain, in addition to causing damage to homes and vehicles, the country’s Interior Ministry said today.
@moi_bahrain / via X
@moi_bahrain / via X
Calling Iran’s attacks in the region “sinful,” it said in a post on X that the girl was injured after shrapnel fell following the interception and destruction of Iranian drones, with both Hamad Town and the capital, Manama, affected.
Sharing photos of firefighters putting out a blaze in a building and of a charred car, it said first responders were taking the “necessary measures” to respond to the incident.
Photos: Anti U.S.-Israel protest in Beirut
Supporters of the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs last night for an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel protest organized by the International Popular Committees to Resist Aggression.
A protester carries a portrait of Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei at the demonstration in Beirut yesterday. Anwar Amro / AFP via Getty Images
Supporters of the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah wave flags during the protest yesterday. Anwar Amro / AFP via Getty Images
A woman holds a portrait of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during the protest in Beirut yesterday. Anwar Amro / AFP via Getty Images
Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon killed at least 12 people yesterday, a medical source told AFP, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Lebanese people to join Israel’s fight against Hezbollah.
Iran claims it targeted U.S. aircraft in Jordan
Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said that it fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. air base and its control center in Jordan.
"12 ballistic missiles were launched at the locations where American F-35, F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft are stationed, as well as key facilities of the terrorist American military at Al Azraq air base and its control center and the facilities and a large number of the fighter aircraft were destroyed," the Guard said, according to state TV.
There was no immediate response to the claim from the Pentagon.
Kuwait reopens airspace after Iranian attacks prompted brief closure
Kuwait has reopened its airspace hours after Iranian attacks prompted a temporary closure.
The reopening comes after “the dissipation of the conditions” that had triggered the earlier closure, Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
Kuwait International Airport is back to normal operations and flights have resumed “with ongoing monitoring and immediate evaluation of any new developments that may arise, and taking the necessary measures at the time,” the directorate said.
It said it continues to monitor the situation to ensure safety.
U.S. launches ‘self-defense’ strikes on Iran after Apache helicopter shot down
The U.S. launched what it called “self-defense strikes” after an American helicopter was shot down by an Iranian drone over the Strait of Hormuz, as President Donald Trump vowed Iran would “pay the price.”
