Overview
- Pakistani officials said Wednesday that Tehran received a U.S. 15-point proposal via Islamabad for a possible ceasefire covering sanctions relief, nuclear limits, missile curbs, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Even with that outreach, Iran said it fired cruise missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group and Israel reported new strikes in Tehran and at a submarine facility in Isfahan, while Iran’s nuclear agency said a projectile hit the Bushehr plant compound without damage.
- President Trump said negotiators including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are “in negotiations right now” and touted a “very big” oil-and-gas “present,” as Iranian officials publicly denied direct talks and mocked Washington as “negotiating with itself.”
- U.S. force posture kept growing, with roughly 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne and thousands of Marines and sailors preparing to deploy to the Middle East in the coming days, according to multiple reports.
- Iran’s throttling of the Strait of Hormuz continues to shake energy and shipping, with Tehran telling the International Maritime Organization that only “non-hostile” vessels qualify for passage, a stance that has swung oil prices and strained fuel supplies worldwide.