Here's the latest
• Peace talks: President Donald Trump said the US could be “better off” if officials don’t reach a deal with Iran. He previously said he is not satisfied with Iran’s latest proposal to end the war.
• War powers: Trump also called a law limiting the use of force without congressional authorization “totally unconstitutional,” although in a letter to Congress leaders, he argued that “hostilities” with Iran have “terminated.” Separately, Trump told an event in Florida he considers it “treasonous” for people to say the US is not “winning” the war.
• Troop withdrawal: The Pentagon said the US will be withdrawing roughly 5,000 troops from Germany. Trump had said that the US was considering removing troops after Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the war.
• In Lebanon: The Israeli military warned residents in southern Lebanon to evacuate amid a fragile ceasefire. Several people were killed in Israeli strikes on the region on Friday.
At least 9 killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon on Friday
At least nine people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Friday.
Eight people, including one child, were among the dead in strikes on Habbouch, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported, adding that 21 others were wounded.
And in Ain Baal, one person was killed and seven were wounded, according to the ministry.
For context: The Lebanese health ministry said more than 2,600 people have been killed since the latest conflict started in early March.
Israel warns residents in southern Lebanon to evacuate
The Israeli military has issued an urgent warning for residents in parts of southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes.
Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, urged people to “stay at least 1,000 meters away” from nine towns and villages and move to open areas in an X post on Saturday morning.
Towns and villages in the evacuation zone are Qaq’a Al-Jisr, Adshiet Al-Shaqif, Jbeishit, Abba, Kfar Jouz, Harouf, Al-Dweir, Deir Al-Zahrani and Habboush, he said.
The fragile ceasefire in Lebanon is under growing pressure as Israel and Hezbollah have increased attacks on each other despite the US-brokered extension.
What Trump said at Florida event about Iran deal, Cuba and seized cargo ship
President Donald Trump said that the US was “sort of like pirates” as he described a recent incident in which the Navy fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship.
President Donald Trump delivered remarks on Friday evening at an event in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he addressed a pending deal with Iran, taking over Cuba and a recently seized cargo ship.
Here’s what he said:
- On a deal with Iran: Trump said Friday that the United States could be “better off” if officials don’t reach a deal with Iran, as negotiations again appear snagged. “Frankly, maybe we’re better off not making a deal at all. Do you want to know the truth? Because we can’t let this thing go on,” he said. “Been going on too long.” Earlier, Trump told CNN before departing for Florida that he was not satisfied with Iran’s latest proposal aimed at ending the conflict.
- On “taking over” Cuba: Trump quipped about the prospect of the US immediately “taking over” Cuba, suggesting military forces could move on the country on their way back from the war in Iran. “We’ll do on the way back from Iran, we’ll have one of our big — maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the biggest in the world. We’ll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore, and they’ll say, thank you very much, we give up,” he said of the Cuban leaders.
- On seized Iranian cargo ship: Trump also likened the US to being “sort of like pirates” as he described a recent incident in which the Navy fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship. “The ship stopped. They used tugboats, and then we landed on top of it, on top of everything else. … We took over the cargo, took over the oil,” he said.
US withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany after chancellor criticized war
The Pentagon said on Friday the US will be withdrawing roughly 5,000 troops from Germany over the next year.
The move, which comes after President Donald Trump lashed out the German chancellor over his criticism of the US war with Iran, would still leave more than 30,000 US troops in the country.
Trump foreshadowed the cuts earlier this week after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran.
During his visit to a school in central Germany on Monday, Merz accused US officials of entering a war without a clear strategy, saying the “whole affair is ill-considered to say the least.”
“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” Merz said. “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.”
Trump on Tuesday said Merz “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” on Iran and the following day announced that the US was “studying and reviewing” a possible troop reduction.
Trump: "It's treasonous" to say US is not winning war with Iran
President Donald Trump said he considers it “treasonous” for people to say that the United States is not “winning” the war with Iran, despite notifying Congress earlier that the hostilities have “terminated.”
President Donald Trump said he considers it “treasonous” for people to say that the United States is not “winning” the war with Iran, despite notifying Congress earlier that the hostilities have “terminated.”
Speaking of the swift January military action in Venezuela, which he called “one of the greatest military movements in history,” Trump said he doesn’t want to speak too soon about victory in Iran.
“We’re doing just about as well in Iran. But I don’t like talking about it until the jobs are finished,” Trump said, without acknowledging the clear differences between the two conflicts.
Trump has repeatedly said the US has destroyed Iran’s navy and emphasized the “genius” of the US blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports. However, Iran still maintains leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.
Life gets harder to afford in Iran as prices rise, jobs disappear
Years of sanctions, government mismanagement and now war have had a catastrophic impact on Iran’s economy. As prices rise and jobs disappear, people say essentials like food and medicine are becoming out of reach.
As prices rise and jobs disappear, people across Iran say essentials like food and medicine are becoming out of reach.
War "hostilities" with Iran "have terminated," argues Trump in letter to Congress
While President Donald Trump stated Friday that the war powers resolution is “totally unconstitutional,” his administration appears to be making an effort to comply with Congress, according to a letter obtained by CNN.
In the Friday letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, Trump argues that the Iran war “hostilities,” which began with US strikes on February 28, “have terminated,” after a ceasefire was declared — an argument that aligns with prior CNN reporting.
“On April 7, 2026, I ordered a 2-week ceasefire. The ceasefire has since been extended. There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” the letter states.
It notifies Johnson and Grassley of changes to the United States’ posture in Iran, as part of his “efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution.”
At the same time, Trump writes that the threat from the Iran regime “remains significant” and the Defense Department will continue to “update its force posture” to address it “as necessary and appropriate.”
The law states Trump would need to “terminate any use of the United States Armed Forces” or seek congressional authorization after the Iran conflict’s 60-day mark. For some, Friday marked 60 days, but others argue that since the ceasefire paused military action, the days after it was declared don’t count toward the 60 days.
Read here for more context on the war powers resolution.
Poll: Most Americans call Iran war a mistake as economic worries continue
A 61% majority of Americans say that it was a mistake for the US to use military force against Iran, according to a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday.
As the Post notes, that’s on par with the 59% who called the Iraq war a mistake in a May 2006 Post/ABC poll. A Gallup poll from 1971 noted that roughly six in 10 Americans said the same thing about the Vietnam war.
Roughly nine in 10 Democrats currently call the military action against Iran a mistake, as do 71% of independents and 19% of Republicans.
There are mixed opinions on America’s next steps, with 48% of the public saying the US should make a peace deal with Iran even if it results in a worse deal for the US, and 46% saying that the US should push Iran for a better deal, even if that means resuming military action.
On the economy: The survey also finds that 23%, roughly one-quarter of Americans, say they’re falling behind financially — up from 17% in February. Another 52% say they have just enough to maintain their standard of living, with 24% saying that they’re getting ahead.
On the impact of high gas prices: The poll showed 44% saying they’ve cut back on driving, 42% say they’ve cut household expenses and 34% say they’ve changed travel or vacation plans. Half of Americans say they expect gas prices to get worse over the next year, while only 21% say they expect them to get better.
The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll surveyed 2,560 US adults on April 24-28, using a nationally representative panel. Results among the full sample have a margin of sampling error of +/- 2 percentage points.
Trump claims US has more weapons inventory than ever, but assessments suggest otherwise
President Donald Trump claimed Friday that the United States has “tremendous amounts of inventory” all over the world, adding that “we have more than we’ve ever had.”
He criticized his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for providing Ukraine with US weapons.
However, CNN reported last month that the US military has significantly depleted its stockpile of key missiles during the war with Iran and created a “near-term risk” of running out of ammunition in a future conflict should one arise in the next few years, according to experts and three people familiar with recent internal Defense Department stockpile assessments.
Here’s how much of the US stockpile has been expended over the last seven weeks of war, according to a recent analysis conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies:
- At least 45% of its stockpile of Precision Strike Missiles
- At least half of its inventory of THAAD missiles, which are designed to intercept ballistic missiles
- Nearly 50% of its stockpile of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles
Those numbers closely align with classified Pentagon data about US stockpiles, according to the sources familiar with the assessment. Earlier this year, the Pentagon signed a series of contracts to help expand missile production, but the delivery timeline to replace these systems is three to five years, even with increased capacity, CSIS experts and sources said.
CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Natasha Bertrand contributed reporting.
Majority of US military sites in the Middle East have been damaged by Iran
At least 16 American military sites have been damaged in Iranian strikes, making up the majority of US positions in the Middle East, a new CNN investigation can reveal. The damage includes high-value targets, raising questions about America’s footprint in the region. CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi reports.
Iran and its allies have damaged at least 16 US military installations across eight Middle Eastern countries, rendering some of those positions virtually unusable, a CNN investigation has found.
The report drew on dozens of satellite images and interviews with sources in the United States and Gulf Arab nations. The damaged facilities constitute the majority of US military positions in the region, according to one congressional aide familiar with the damage assessments.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said another US source familiar with the situation.
Satellite images showed that Tehran’s main targets included advanced radar systems, communications systems and aircraft. Many of those assets are expensive and difficult to replace.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon’s comptroller, Jules “Jay” Hurst III, told lawmakers that the Iran war has so far cost the US $25 billion. A source familiar with the matter later told CNN that the real cost estimate is closer to $40 to 50 billion.
US Gulf allies that host American military installations have borne the brunt of Iran’s attacks and have privately criticized Washington for starting the war without consulting them.
“The war showed us that the alliance with the US cannot be exclusive and it is not impregnable,” one Saudi source told CNN.
