Overview
- Washington conveyed readiness to negotiate through multiple channels, with Turkey, Egypt and Qatar working toward a meeting between envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Iranian officials in Ankara as early as next week.
- Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old symbol of recent protests, was freed on bail, and Iran’s presidency published an official list naming 2,986 people killed in the unrest.
- U.S. planners continue moving air and missile defenses, including additional THAAD and Patriot systems, while the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group operates in theater and officials signal any strike would not be immediate.
- President Trump has requested attack options described as rapid and decisive, even as he says Iran is engaging on talks and seeks an outcome that avoids a prolonged regional war.
- Iran’s military remains on maximum alert and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned a U.S. attack would spark a wider regional conflict, as authorities reported five deaths from explosions in Ahvaz and one death with 14 injured in Bandar Abbas, attributing incidents to gas leaks and leftover ordnance.