Middle East War

[phkrause]

⏱️ New Iran deal timeline

The White House thinks it could take several days for an agreement with Iran to be approved by the country's leadership, including Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• Why it matters: The deal would avoid an escalation of the war and decrease pressure on the oil supply. But it's unclear whether it will lead to a lasting peace agreement that also addresses Trump's nuclear demands.

📱 President Trump said on Truth Social that he told his "representatives not to rush into a deal" to end the war.

• He said the U.S. naval blockade will "remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed."

A senior U.S. official said Iran's "slow and opaque" decision-making system could delay an agreement by another few days.

• "We are in a very good place — but there are ways in which the deal can be undermined," the official said.

👀 Behind the scenes: Trump told leaders of several Arab and other Muslim countries during a Saturday conference call that if a deal to end the Iran war is achieved, he wants their nations to sign peace agreements with Israel, per two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the call.

• The call included the leaders of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain.

[phkrause]

US military says it carried out ‘self-defense’ strikes in Iran, including on missile launch sites

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely.”

https://apnews.com/article/iran-deal-trump-israel-abrams-01a13e9a63ece786a0a7fa4933dbf09b?

[phkrause]

🇮🇷 New strikes in Iran

Via Truth Social Hours after Iranian officials arrived yesterday in Doha, Qatar, for talks to end the war, the U.S. military said it carried out "self-defense" strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines. President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Memorial Day that negotiations with Tehran are "proceeding nicely": "It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that!" U.S. Central Command said targets included "missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. … U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire." Get the latest.

[phkrause]

Iran negotiations

The US military conducted what it called "self-defense" strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. The strikes come amid a ceasefire and as Washington and Tehran are engaged in negotiations to end the war, though top US officials insist the military action will not derail the talks. Read more.

[phkrause]

Hormuz hangover

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Even if a U.S.-Iran deal lands, the oil market will look different from its pre-war version, Axios' Ben Geman writes. 🚢 Why it matters: The emerging deal — which would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while nuclear talks proceed — could return large numbers of barrels to the market, but it will take time. Related: U.S. Central Command disputed reports today that the Navy restarted escorting commercial vessels through the strait. What we're watching: 1. 😨 Confidence: Vessel owners and crews need to feel safe transiting the world's most important energy shipping line. It's unclear they will, said oil analyst Ben Cahill of UT Austin. 2. 🕰️ Timelines: The International Energy Agency estimates at least two to three months are needed to reestablish steady exports after mines are cleared. Persian Gulf countries need time to resume production that declined after the main export route was cut off. 3. 📜 Definitions: What "open" means for the strait is unsettled. Iran may not call it a toll, but Iranian officials are floating new fees on tankers. This could be a boon to Iran even if the fee is relatively small, said Edward Fishman, an ex-State Department aide at the Council on Foreign Relations. 4. ⚠️ Vibes and market risk: Before the crisis throttled supplies, there was debate in oil circles about whether markets were blasé about threats to infrastructure or shipping. Even once the crisis passes, watch the level of geopolitical risk premium — the market's willingness to preemptively price in risk — that elevates prices. 5. 🇺🇸 U.S. oil production: Higher prices will likely push producers to increase output, as the broader market went from oversupplied to tight. Between the lines: Restoring Gulf shipping, rebuilding crude inventories and restarting shuttered production will take months, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said in a note today. ⛽ That delay makes the timing of steep pump price cuts more uncertain. The bottom line: The old normal is gone, and the new one is still being shaped.

[phkrause]

US military conducts another strike against Iran after Trump says Iran is ‘negotiating on fumes’

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces carried out new defensive strikes on Iran on Wednesday after President Donald Trump asserted that Iran is “negotiating on fumes” and insisted that November’s midterm elections in the United States won’t make him rush into a deal to end the nearly three-month-old conflict.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-nuclear-cabinet-meeting-af77d581873bfeec32d7342b56841244?

US military conducts another strike against Iran after Trump says Iran is ‘negotiating on fumes’

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces carried out new defensive strikes on Iran on Wednesday after President Donald Trump asserted that Iran is “negotiating on fumes” and insisted that November’s midterm elections in the United States won’t make him rush into a deal to end the nearly three-month-old conflict.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-nuclear-cabinet-meeting-af77d581873bfeec32d7342b56841244?

[phkrause]

US and Iranian negotiators reach tentative deal to extend ceasefire and start new nuclear talks

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the ceasefire in the 3-month-old war by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-war-oil-may-28-2026-8f5ed2813ba63df7ae9ccbe991688d29?

[phkrause]

US and Iranian negotiators reach tentative deal to extend ceasefire and launch nuclear talks

U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the ceasefire in the 3-month-old war by 60 days and launch talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Iran did not immediately confirm any deal, and the official noted that President Donald Trump has yet to sign off on it. The tentative agreement comes at a moment when the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran appeared to be wavering. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Israeli military strikes southern suburb of Beirut before crucial Lebanon-Israel talks in Washington Plans for the Gaza International Stabilization Force are in question as troop pledges stall

[phkrause]

Potential Iranian Deal

US and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative deal yesterday to extend a ceasefire by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and begin nuclear negotiations. The proposal has been sent to President Donald Trump for review. News of a potential deal comes as the two countries continue to accuse each other of violating the weekslong ceasefire. The US military struck Iranian missile launch sites and mine-laying boats this week, and also shot down several Iranian drones. Kuwait intercepted Iranian missiles late Wednesday that were apparently directed against a US air base on its soil. (Is the US running low on munitions?) Separately, Israel has continued strikes this week targeting what it called Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The country issued an evacuation notice on Wednesday covering 14% of Lebanon’s territory—the broadest warning since Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire last month. The two countries are set to hold security talks today in Washington, DC.

[phkrause]

🇮🇷 Behind the scenes: Trump seeks Iran deal edits

Axios' Marc Caputo and Barak Ravid take us inside Friday's Situation Room meeting on the Iran deal:

President Trump asked for several amendments to the deal his envoys reached with their Iranian counterparts during a Situation Room meeting on Friday, according to a senior administration official and a second source briefed on the issue.

• Trump wants the deal and expects to finalize it soon, but is keen to strengthen several points that are important to him — particularly around Iran's nuclear material, two U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: Trump's request has launched another round of back-and-forth that could last several days.

👀 The intrigue: Trump announced Friday that he'd be convening the Situation Room meeting and seemed to suggest he was leaning toward accepting the deal.

• A senior administration official tells Axios: "There will be a deal. The imminence of it, we'll see. We're willing to wait so the president gets what he asks for. It could be a week. It could be less. It could be more. At the turn of the week, we hope to have something."

Trump asked his team to make changes to the draft regarding Iran's nuclear program, according to the two sources.

• In its current form, the memorandum of understanding includes a commitment from Iran not to pursue a nuclear weapon, but no specific concessions beyond that.

Iranian state media has reported that a deal is close but not final, and claimed Iran would receive billions in frozen funds. The White House denies that.

[phkrause]

US bombs Iranian military sites and Kuwait is hit by drone and missile fire The United States said Monday that it bombed radar and drone sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American drone over the weekend. Iran then said it launched a strike of its own, and Kuwait reported incoming fire. Read more.

Why this matters: The nominal ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. has been repeatedly tested with such back-and-forth attacks, even as officials from both countries try to negotiate an end to the war. It’s not clear how close they are to a deal — and there is always the risk that an attack could derail those talks.   In the meantime, Iran has maintained its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and fighting has also escalated between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, despite their nominal ceasefire.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israeli army captures strategic castle in Lebanon in deepest incursion into the country in 26 years   WATCH: Israeli military footage said to be of troops capturing castle   Soaring prices during the Iran war jeopardize travel to tourism-dependent countries in Asia

[phkrause]

Israel kills 8 in southern Lebanon, a day after Trump said Israel and Hezbollah would de-escalate Israeli drone strikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed eight people, including a father and his son and daughter, a day after President Donald Trump said Israel and Hezbollah agreed to dial back fighting. Read more.

Why this matters: Israeli forces recently made their deepest incursion into Lebanon in more than a quarter-century. Israel threatened on Monday to strike Beirut’s southern suburbs and Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel. Iran has demanded an end to the war in Lebanon in its talks with the United States.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Rubio to testify before Congress for the first time since the start of the Iran war   A Lebanese hospital is in ruins and people flee a Beirut suburb after Israel’s threat, in photos   Ultra-Orthodox protesters block roads and trains across Israel over military draft

[phkrause]

Kuwait says Iranian drones hit airport and killed 1 as ceasefire is tested again

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport Wednesday, killing one person, wounding dozens and briefly closing the airfield — the latest in back-and-forth attacks by Iran and the U.S. that test a fragile ceasefire.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-lebanon-war-kuwait-ceasefire-3-june-2026-de2d1814c0f38252bf0383be859c870b?

[phkrause]

Trump acknowledges calling Netanyahu ‘crazy’ and says Israel is complicating peace talks with Iran

BEIRUT (AP) — President Donald Trump acknowledged criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “crazy” in a phone call that involved expletives, saying he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran.

https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-hezbollah-israel-tyre-khaldeh-beirut-b8e36e6248adcb00bc979f2b95514f97?

ps:Finally doing what should've been done from the beginning of this!!

[phkrause]

Bibi gets squeezed

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Getty Images

Axios' Barak Ravid, the world's most plugged-in reporter on the Middle East, writes: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent spat with President Trump over Lebanon underscored how his military objectives — and possibly his political survival — depend on a U.S. president who doesn't share his appetite for escalation. Why it matters: Trump and Netanyahu have coordinated very closely on Iran and speak almost daily. But officials on both sides have been cognizant that there could be a point when the allies' interests and objectives diverge. Some in Netanyahu's camp worry that time is now. Netanyahu himself said Tuesday that it was an "open question" whether he and Trump were aligned on how the war with Iran should end. 🖼️ The big picture: With an election expected by October, Netanyahu hasn't delivered on his promise to destroy Hamas or his plans for regime change in Iran, and he's under immense criticism at home over the ongoing Hezbollah attacks. Every time a siren near the border heralds an incoming drone or missile, Netanyahu faces domestic pressure to respond. It was in that context that he vowed major strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut — before being forced into retreat by an angry Trump, who cares far less about Lebanon than a deal with Iran. When Trump cursed Netanyahu in a call on Monday and pulled the brakes on the Beirut strikes, he also kicked up a political firestorm in Israel. Rivals and even some hawkish government allies claimed Netanyahu had made Israel an American "vassal," or surrendered Israeli sovereignty to Trump. Between the lines: While the call may have been just a blip in their personal relationship, their differences over the Iran endgame are more stubborn. Two senior U.S. officials told Axios that while Trump wants to end the war, Netanyahu seems to want to resume it. "Sometimes Bibi doesn't know when to stop," one of the U.S. officials said.

[phkrause]

Kuwait and Bahrain targeted by Iran after exchange of fire with US

Iran attacks American bases in Gulf states after Washington shoots down drones and strikes Iranian radar sites

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/06/us-says-iran-radar-sites-struck-and-drones-intercepted-in-latest-threat-to-fragile-ceasefire?

[phkrause]

Israel and Iran appear to pause strikes after trading fire for the first time since April ceasefire

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel and Iran appeared to back away from further strikes Monday, hours after they traded fire for the first time since the U.S. agreed to a ceasefire with Tehran two months ago. Both countries warned that they were ready to launch retaliatory attacks if provoked.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-ceasefire-hezbollah-israel-c16dc4917512f7436a3921a4b044b98b?

Israel strikes Beirut’s southern suburbs days after US-supported ceasefire deal

Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning on Sunday, days after a ceasefire agreement in Washington went into effect and despite a U.S. request not to attack Lebanon’s capital. Iran had warned that an attack on Beirut would renew full-scale war across the Mideast, even as Pakistan tries to restart talks between Tehran and Washington. Iran wants a deal to include ending the war in Lebanon. There was no immediate White House comment. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Arab attacker opens fire in central Israel, killing 1 and wounding 5 WATCH: Funeral of baby killed by Israeli forces in West Bank A new exchange of fire with Iran in the Gulf tests the fragile ceasefire UN food agency says millions are being pushed into hunger by Iran war American Airlines temporarily suspends some of its summer routes due to steep jet fuel costs

[phkrause]

☎️ Bibi defies Trump on Iran strikes

The war between Israel and Iran resumed yesterday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defied President Trump's request to stand down, with the two nations exchanging attacks — Israeli strikes on Tehran and Iranian missile launches toward Tel Aviv, Axios' Barak Ravid writes.

• Why it matters: The attacks last night and this morning are the most significant escalation since the April 8 ceasefire, and threaten to unravel the Trump administration's negotiations with Iran and draw the U.S. back into the war.

"Israel and Iran must immediately stop shooting," Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning.

• Israel first attacked Beirut, then Iran responded by launching a barrage of missiles toward Israel.

🔎 Behind the scenes: Trump told Netanyahu during a call to hold off because "we are close to doing something good in terms of a deal," a U.S. official told Barak.

• A U.S. defense official said the U.S. military wasn't involved in the Israeli strikes, which he described as "relatively limited."
• Iran had threatened to expand its attacks and target U.S. bases in the region if Israel retaliated.

Further exchanges of fire could unravel the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran and reignite the war.

• Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Israel and Iran trade strikes, threatening to drag the region back to full-scale war Israel launched strikes on central and western Iran early Monday in response to missile fire from Tehran, and Iran retaliated with waves of attacks. Read more.

Why this matters: It was their first exchange of fire since an April 8 ceasefire was reached. Iran warned that the United States would be responsible for any escalation. Two regional officials said concerted diplomatic efforts were underway Monday to salvage the ceasefire between Iran and the United States.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Live updates on the escalation    A timeline of tensions between Iran and Israel over Lebanon    WATCH: Iranian missiles aimed at Israel seen over Middle Eastern sky

[phkrause]

US says it has begun strikes against Iran following crash of Army Apache helicopter off Oman coast

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military said Tuesday it has begun strikes against Iran following the crash of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman that U.S. President Donald Trump blamed on the Islamic Republic.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-ceasefire-helicopter-hezbollah-israel-9-june-2026-50d7a8ecbb2cf33836af152679adb40e?

Netanyahu and Trump are at odds over the war they started together President Donald Trump had publicly warned Israel not to strike Beirut in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. When it did, on Sunday, Israel traded strikes with Iran, with which Trump has been engaged in weeks of high-stakes negotiations. Read more.

Why this matters: The latest strikes made it clear that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu want different things. While the fighting has since died down, the differences between the two leaders are likely to persist. That’s because Trump, whose party faces elections later this year, wants to wind down an unpopular war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease gas prices. Netanyahu, who also faces elections this year, is under pressure to stop Hezbollah's attacks and prove that he is winning the war with Iran and its allies.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israel and Iran exchange strikes after Beirut attack, in photos   WATCH: Trump says pilots are fine after US helicopter crashes near Strait of Hormuz   A very online Israeli army spokesman is the face of war for millions of Arabs    War in the Middle East is flaring again. Here’s how each side sees the stakes    After morning of sirens, Israelis fall back into well-worn war routines    Iran war President Trump said Monday that the US will declare "total victory" over Iran within the next two weeks. Trump also said the signing of a "powerful deal" with the country could be just days away, the latest in a string of similar promises that an agreement was just around the corner. Read more. ANALYSIS: Here's how many times Trump claimed an Iran deal was close

[phkrause]

US strikes Iran after Trump blames Tehran for downing Army helicopter

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military said Wednesday it had completed its airstrikes on Iran after the crash of an American helicopter off Oman that it had blamed on Tehran.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-ceasefire-helicopter-hezbollah-israel-9-june-2026-50d7a8ecbb2cf33836af152679adb40e?

[phkrause]

💥 U.S., Iran trade fire

Via Truth Social U.S. forces launched three rounds of strikes on Iran last night in response to Iran's downing of a U.S. helicopter, Axios' Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler write. Why it matters: The latest exchange risks military escalation with Iran, even as President Trump is seeking a deal to end the war. A U.S. official said Iranian air defense and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz were among the targets. Iran's military said it had targeted U.S. bases in the region in response to the strikes, including in Bahrain and Jordan. A Saronic-made Corsair cuts across the Potomac River near National Harbor, Md. Photo: Colin Demarest/Axios The backstory: Both crew members of the U.S. Army AH-64 Apache are in stable condition after being rescued by a drone boat in a first-of-its-kind operation, Axios' Colin Demarest writes. The drone boat, known as a Corsair, offers a glimpse of future warfare, in which humans and smart, militarized machinery operate alongside each other. A spokesperson for Central Command, which oversees American military action across the greater Middle East, told Axios the Corsair "picked up" the crew and "transported them to another location on the water," where they were then "hoisted up to a helicopter." More on the drone boat.

[phkrause]

US and Iran launch airstrikes after Trump blames Tehran for downing Army helicopter The U.S. military launched airstrikes early Wednesday, and Iran retaliated, another escalation that threatened to derail efforts to end the war. Read more.

What to know: The exchanges of fire came a day after a U.S. Army attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with an Iranian drone, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. It wasn’t clear whether the collision was intentional.   Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan — all of which host U.S. troops — came under Iranian fire. It was the second time this week that back-and-forth strikes have tested the ceasefire after Iran and Israel targeted each other on Monday. Officials have been unable to turn the April ceasefire into a deal to permanently end the conflict, particularly as Israel intensifies and expands its military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Alleged spy’s mysterious disappearance spotlights Israel’s intelligence networks in Lebanon   Israel is tightening its grip on east Jerusalem with evictions and demolitions    UK, France and other Western nations issue new sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank    Militants and police executed and maimed dozens of Palestinians in Gaza, UN report says

[phkrause]

US launches new strikes on Iran, which fires back at Gulf states and Jordan

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran into Thursday morning after President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations, and Iran responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-ceasefire-hezbollah-israel-10-june-2026-b7ec462890f3c2afa12bd5c0672f2b6b?

[phkrause]

Iran war

The latest exchange of attacks between the US and Iran is testing an already fragile ceasefire. It comes as President Trump on Wednesday warned of further strikes if a deal is not reached, adding that the US military could again target critical infrastructure in the region. Read more.

CONTEXT: Why a frustrated Trump is turning to bombs to force Iran's hand