2h ago / 9:25 PM EDTU.S. military shot down Iranian drones tonight, U.S. official saysA U.S. official says the U.S. military shot down two Iranian drones that were trying to strike commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz tonight.“It appears Iran has attempted to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz tonight. U.S. forces shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones. Traffic flow through the Strait continues,” the official said.The attack occurred after Trump spoke about being close to a deal with Iran this afternoon.2h ago / 9:00 PM EDTIranian forces stop oil tanker from passing through Strait of Hormuz, Tasnim news agency saysIranian military forces stopped a tanker from transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced would be closed yesterday, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency. "Iranian forces prevented a non-compliant oil tanker from passing through the strait after it entered the area without prior coordination," the Tasnim report said. 3h ago / 7:50 PM EDTU.S. has 'made a great deal' with Iran, Trump saysTrump said during a tele-rally in support of Alabama Senate candidate Barry Moore tonight that the U.S. has "made a great deal" with Iran.“Probably you heard that today we settled up with Iran. We made a great deal," he said. "There’ll be no nuclear weapons. People will start coming home very soon. It’s pretty much, pretty much completed. We got everything we wanted.”Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said earlier today that no agreement has been finalized, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.4h ago / 7:22 PM EDTTrump and Qatar emir discuss negotiations with Iran, Qatari government saysTrump held a call today with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to discuss strategic relations and the situation in the Middle East, the Qatari government said in a statement.According to the Qatari statement, Trump said he confirmed that understandings reached with Iran “have received the approval of all concerned parties, with the participation and support of several brotherly and friendly nations—including the State of Qatar—while efforts continue to finalize the remaining procedures ahead of announcing the arrangements for signing the agreement.”The emir expressed the nation’s “welcome of efforts aimed at resolving disputes through dialogue and peaceful means,” the statement said.The statement also said, “His Highness also thanked the U.S. President for his efforts in supporting the path toward calm and de-escalation."5h ago / 6:28 PM EDTU.S. military was about 3 hours from strikes in Iran when Trump canceled themThe U.S. military was about three hours from launching missiles inside Iran today when Trump announced on social media that a deal had been reached, according to two U.S. officials. The military was ready, having already received orders from Trump to carry out the strikes this evening, the officials said. They said U.S. Navy ships had adjusted their air operations plan for the day and readied munitions for strikes.The officials said Kharg Island was not on the target list, even though Trump threatened military action there. The U.S. military has had plans for striking Kharg Island — and even to invade it — for the past several months, but those plans were part of typical planning for all options and were not approved by Trump, the officials said. The U.S. military previously struck Kharg Island during major combat operations. Trump’s Truth Social post this morning said the U.S. would be hitting Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” and that in the near future the U.S. would be “taking Kharg Island” and other oil infrastructure.That post did not align “with any of the planning or action” the military was preparing to take on today, one of the officials said. The military had options ready, but military officials did not start planning the specific strikes that were readied for tonight until after Trump posted on social media this morning, the two US officials said. At that time, they said, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made it clear to military officials that he wanted strikes in Iran to be different from options that were briefed to him over the past few weeks.The U.S. officials said the strikes planned for tonight were very similar to the ones the U.S. military conducted last night.The military was even more surprised by Trump’s post canceling the strikes than they were by his comments about big strikes coming tonight and taking Kharg Island, the officials said.Hegseth and the chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, traveled to the White House today to discuss options for Iran with Trump, according to two other U.S. officials. Trump posted about canceling the strikes soon after the meeting, the officials said. 5h ago / 5:54 PM EDTTreasury Department says U.S. will use Iranian assets to pay for damage caused to Gulf alliesThe Treasury Department said today that any damage Iran inflicts on America’s Persian Gulf allies “will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian Accounts.”“Every attack Iran launches will only deepen the economic and financial consequences it faces,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on social media.Trump announced this afternoon that the U.S. had called off new strikes against Iran and cited progress toward another deal.A source familiar with Bessent’s thinking told NBC News that the Treasury will use all its available tools to allow Iranian assets to be made available to U.S. Gulf allies to support rebuilding and repairs. The source also said Bessent has directed his team to assess conditions in the Gulf and request comprehensive estimates of costs associated with such repairs. 6h ago / 5:09 PM EDTNo agreement between U.S. and Iran has been finalized, Iran Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman saysIranian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said no agreement between the U.S. and Iran has been finalized, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency. "Iran has not yet reached a final decision regarding an agreement," Baghaei said, adding, "Reports regarding an agreement are speculative, and nothing has been finalized."Baghaei said Qatar and Pakistan were acting as mediators, “but U.S. actions are affecting the diplomatic process.”He added: "The state of the negotiations has been clear to us from the outset, and a substantial portion of the text had already been finalized. However, the Americans kept changing their positions."Baghaei also said U.S. actions have destabilized the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway through which 20% of the world's oil passed before the war."The situation in the Strait of Hormuz has become more insecure as a result of U.S. actions," he said. 7h ago / 4:45 PM EDTU.S. agreement with Iran to include removal of enriched uranium, Israeli prime minister's office saysIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Trump tonight and expressed his appreciation that final negotiations with Iran will include removing enriched uranium from Iran and limiting its missile production, according to Netanyahu's office. "President Trump spoke this evening with Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the emerging memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran to enter into negotiations," Netanyahu's office said on X. "Even though Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for President Trump’s commitment that the final agreement at the conclusion of negotiations will include the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region."7h ago / 4:09 PM EDTStocks surge into close after Trump says Iran deal could be signed in Europe soon After Trump said at the Oval Office that a Iran deal could be signed in Europe within days, stocks surged in the moments before the closing bell rang on Wall Street. The S&P 500 finished higher by 1.75%, while the Nasdaq Composite index surged 2.5%. The Dow jumped 930 points. The price of oil declined to its lowest levels of the day around 4 p.m. ET. U.S. crude oil was down more than 3.8%, and Brent crude oil fell 4.2%.8h ago / 3:39 PM EDTTrump says U.S. made ‘a great settlement of the war with Iran’Trump said today in the Oval Office that the U.S. “made a great settlement of the war with Iran.”"We’re going to be subject to finalization of documents, which should get done over the next few days." he said.Trump added, "Probably have a signing, maybe in Europe, and great thing, stock markets up 1,000 points; that means they like the deal."8h ago / 3:27 PM EDTTrump tells NY Post agreement with Iran ‘pretty much all wrapped up’Trump told the New York Post today that an agreement with Iran is “pretty much all wrapped up” shortly after he announced that tonight’s planned strikes against Iran had been called off. He said earlier on Truth Social 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.”Iran did not confirm a deal. 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.”Trump said in the post earlier that “discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved,” which he said included the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, the 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.8h ago / 2:55 PM EDTIran vows ‘regret-inducing response’ to any further strikes, Iranian media saysIran’s defense ministry said today that any attacks on its territory would be met with a “decisive” response, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.The statement came before Trump said he had canceled upcoming strikes.“Any miscalculation or infringement upon the country’s security and territorial integrity will be met with a decisive, regret-inducing response far beyond the enemies’ expectations,” the ministry said, according to Tasnim.9h ago / 2:16 PM EDTOil prices slide after Trump says Iran strikes have been paused The price of oil reacted swiftly after Trump announced on Truth Social that strikes against Iran, planned for tonight, have been paused.U.S. crude oil fell 2% to $87 per barrel. International Brent crude oil tumbled 3% to $90 per barrel.Meanwhile, stocks sharply rose. The S&P 500 jumped as much as 1.5%.10h ago / 1:44 PM EDTTrump 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."10h ago / 1:26 PM EDTQatari delegation returns from talks with IranA 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.10h ago / 1:02 PM EDTFrench news network condemns Israel's expulsion of reporterFrench 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.11h ago / 12:34 PM EDTIran’s Parliament speaker issues warning after Trump threatsIran’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.11h ago / 12:30 PM EDTVideo appears to contradict IDF account of baby shot dead by soldierVideo 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. 12h ago / 11:06 AM EDTU.N. secretary-general calls for ceasefire that respects sovereignty of LebanonU.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 Images12h ago / 10:51 AM EDTTrump had copy of latest deal proposals but chose to attack instead, senior negotiator saysExpressing 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.12h ago / 10:49 AM EDTKuwait says Iranian latest attacks have not caused any casualtiesKuwait’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.13h ago / 10:30 AM EDTTrump 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. 13h ago / 10:06 AM EDT2 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. 14h ago / 9:35 AM EDTElon 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.14h ago / 9:13 AM EDTTrump 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 Images14h ago / 9:00 AM EDTAnalysis: 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. 14h ago / 8:54 AM EDTExplosion heard off Iran's southern coast, local media reportsExplosions 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. 15h ago / 8:37 AM EDTTrump says U.S. to hit Iran 'very hard' tonight, will 'be taking' oil hub Kharg Island in near futureTrump 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 Images15h ago / 8:25 AM EDTBahrain's military says it intercepted fresh Iranian aerial attacksBahrain'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." 15h ago / 7:48 AM EDTMoscow 'concerned' about latest exchange of strikes between U.S. and IranThe 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.16h ago / 7:34 AM EDTU.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.”16h ago / 7:28 AM EDTNeighbors 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.16h ago / 7:04 AM EDTAnalysis of satellite imagery suggests U.S. hit drinking water infrastructureAmerican 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. 17h ago / 6:23 AM EDTStrait of Hormuz will remain closed until further notice, Iran saysThe 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.17h ago / 6:01 AM EDTU.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. 18h ago / 5:46 AM EDTU.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.