Overview
- U.S. and Iranian forces traded strikes in the past 48 hours, a cycle of attacks that multiple outlets said has effectively rendered the April ceasefire meaningless and pushed the war toward renewed confrontation.
- President Donald Trump posted that the U.S. would hit Iran "VERY HARD" and threatened to seize Kharg Island, a key oil terminal, then later said he cancelled planned strikes after saying negotiations reached Iran's highest levels, though Tehran has not publicly confirmed approval.
- U.S. Central Command said its airstrikes struck Iranian surveillance, communications and air‑defense sites, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard responded with missile and drone launches toward Gulf states that reported interceptions, debris damage and minor injuries.
- The U.S. naval blockade and interdiction operations remain in force; CENTCOM said it disabled multiple tankers trying to carry Iranian oil and India reported three sailors killed in a separate strike, heightening humanitarian and shipping concerns.
- Backchannel mediation by Qatar, Pakistan and others continues but negotiators call progress fragile, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is keeping oil prices elevated and raising the risk of wider regional and economic fallout.