Here's the latest
• Netanyahu at White House: US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a “positive” meeting at the White House today. An Israeli official told CNN the leaders reiterated that Iran should not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.
• Status of talks in dispute: Trump said negotiations with Iran were continuing, but Iran’s Foreign Ministry said no discussions are underway. Trump again threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants if no deal is made.
• Warning in strait: Iran’s military said any ships belonging to a country or company using frozen Iranian assets will be blocked from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media.
• Zelensky meeting: Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said they spoke about air defenses and diplomacy. Iranian officials have ramped up threats against Kyiv after last weekend’s attack by Ukraine on what Tehran said was an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea.
Ukrainian foreign minister urges de-escalation in call with Iranian counterpart
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said today he held a “frank” call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in which he stressed the need to avoid “unnecessary escalation” between the two countries.
Iranian officials have ramped up threats toward Kyiv after a recent attack by Ukraine on what Tehran said was an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea.
This weekend, Ukraine said its drones had struck two Russian vessels carrying military cargoes in the Caspian. It asserted that both had left Iran for a Russian port. Iran countered that one of its commercial vessels carrying a cargo of iron had been struck, killing one seafarer and injuring three others.
In the call, Sybiha said he reiterated to Araghchi that “all of Ukraine’s actions are aimed solely at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people.”
Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) also noted the call on Tuesday but did not provide any further details of the topics discussed.
It also comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier today.
CNN’s Aida Karimi contributed reporting.
Trump-Netanyahu meeting "very positive," Israeli official says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin departed the White House at 12:25 p.m. ET after concluding a meeting with President Donald Trump, which, per the White House, began at 11:03 a.m. ET.
“President Trump has concluded his meetings in the Oval Office with President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Both meetings were positive and productive!” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X after Trump’s separate meetings with Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
An Israeli official briefed on the Netanyahu-Trump meeting echoed the White House’s comments, saying “it was a very positive meeting, conducted in a good spirit together with senior members of the administration.”
“The excellent chemistry between the leaders was evident,” the official said. The leaders also reiterated their shared objective “that under no circumstances should Iran be allowed to have nuclear weapons,” the official added. The two also discussed the partnership between Israel and the United States, “which is stronger than ever, as well as various opportunities in the Middle East.”
Both meetings remained closed to the press.
This post has been updated with more details from the meetings.
Iran claims weapons production lines are “more active than ever”
Iran’s defense industry is expanding production and prioritizing air- and sea-based capabilities, a senior Iranian defense official claimed on Tuesday.
The assertion contrasts with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s statement in March that Iran’s defense industrial base was nearing “complete destruction” and that its ballistic missile production capacity had been “functionally defeated” and “destroyed.”
Iran’s acting minister of defense and armed forces logistics, Brig. Gen. Majid Ebnolreza, told the semi-official Tasnim News Agency that “defense industry production lines are more active than ever.” Tasnim is closely tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
He also claimed that strikes on strategic defense facilities had failed to halt Iranian weapons production.
Hegseth was questioned at a Senate hearing last week about his earlier assertion that Iran’s military had been “destroyed” and rendered “combat ineffective,” but he declined to say directly whether that assessment was accurate.
Neither Ebnolreza’s claims about Iran’s current production capacity nor the full extent of the damage caused by US and Israeli strikes could be independently verified by CNN.
CNN reported in May that Iran was rebuilding its damaged military industrial base faster than expected.
Iran threatens to block ships from using the Strait of Hormuz over frozen assets
Any ships belonging to a country or company using frozen Iranian assets will be blocked from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s military has warned, according to the state-run broadcaster.
The warning came after President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post last week that any damage done to ships or cargo “will be paid for by Iranian money that the US has in its possession, and controls.”
According to a post on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Telegram channel, a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s top military command, said:
“We declare to all companies and countries that welcome Trump’s proposal and make use of Iran’s frozen assets… (that) the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not permit any of their vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”
It is difficult to put a definitive total on the amount of frozen Iranian assets, which are spread across various financial networks.
Zelensky says he spoke with Trump about air defenses and reviving diplomacy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today he spoke with US President Donald Trump about Kyiv’s access to Patriot missile interceptors and reviving diplomacy during a “good meeting” at the White House.
“Thank you for everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace,” Zelensky posted on X following the talks.
In the meeting, the pair discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production, as well as reigniting diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“It’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated. Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader also offered his condolences to Trump on the day of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral, while calling him “a true friend of Ukraine.”
Netanyahu arrives at White House
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House at 10:57 a.m. ET for a meeting with President Donald Trump.
A White House official told CNN they are expected to discuss the war in Iran, progress on negotiations with Lebanon and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords.
We’ll bring you updates as we get them.
The US and Iran may have stopped shooting at each other, but they remain poles apart
The two sides may have largely stopped shooting at each other, but listen to Washington and Tehran’s version of events and it’s clear they remain poles apart.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said Washington had halted strikes on Iran at the regime’s own request.
“They asked us very nicely, ‘Please stop, let’s meet’,” Trump said.
But Tehran sees it differently and appears prepared to dig in for the long haul to secure its demands.
The same day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei appeared to contradict Trump. “We have no negotiations with the United States at present.”
Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said “there was no begging from the Iranian delegation to continue the negotiations.”
During the lull, Iran has engaged in talks – not with the US, but with Oman, about the Strait of Hormuz. On Tuesday, Baghaei made Iran’s position even more definitive, saying talks with Oman are “constructive” but “unrelated” to the US.
If Oman gets a breakthrough over the waterway, whereby Iran concedes its demands to retain full control and charge a toll to ships, then Trump could count the lull as a win. But that doesn’t seem to be happening just yet.
Baghaei says the current talks are “for Iran and Oman, as two coastal states, to establish mechanisms to ensure safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights and sovereignty of both coastal states and observing Iran’s security and national interests.”
The kicker is in the last line. In diplomatic terms, “observing security and national interests” can have an ambiguous meaning, giving both parties – and end users like the US – space to interpret broadly enough to mean no tolls.
However, ambiguity is already an issue. The agreement reached between Iran and the US last month was riddled with it, designed to bring the two into further talks.
At the moment there is no evidence Iran’s interpretation of any proposal by Oman will be any more favorable to the US than the June agreement, further entrenching the impression Iran can keep this going longer than Trump has political capital, or patience.
Israeli defense minister says US is blocking Israeli strikes on Iranian energy targets
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that the United States has been preventing Israel from striking Iranian energy infrastructure due to economic and energy concerns.
“We very much want to strike Iran’s energy targets – the US is not approving it at this time,” Katz said. Washington is concerned that such attacks could prompt Iranian retaliation against neighboring states and trigger a global oil crisis, he added.
Speaking at a conference held by Israel’s Channel 14, Katz also confirmed that American fighter jets operate from Israel en route to strikes on Iran.
Katz reiterated Israel’s warning of a forceful response to any direct attack. “If Israel is attacked, we will strike back with full force. We have struck Iran twice, and we are prepared to strike a third time.”
His remarks came hours before US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were scheduled to meet in the White House Tuesday for the first time since the Iran war.
Katz acknowledged gaps between the two countries over how to proceed with the Iran strategy.
“The US has interests in Iran that go beyond Israel’s,” he said. “At the moment, we are not alone – we have the United States. Let’s see what it does: whether it returns to the campaign or chooses to act in other ways.”
Iranian officials warn of power cuts as country endures massive gas production loss
Iranian officials are urging the public to reduce their energy use and warning of possible power outages as the country struggles to cope with the rising demand.
Iran has lost around 230 million cubic metres per day of natural gas production capacity since the start of the war with the United States and Israel, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Tuesday, according to Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
“Lower gas production means less feedstock can be supplied to refineries and less fuel can be delivered to power plants. For this reason, we ask the public to conserve energy,” Mohajerani said.
In a separate announcement on Tuesday, Iran’s Chamber of Commerce Energy Commission said the country’s daily gas shortfall has risen from the 300 to 450 million cubic meters a day, while the country also faces an electricity shortfall of more than 15,000 megawatts and petrol production remains below demand, as reported by Iranian news agency Entekhab.
“The government may also be forced to cut gas supplies to villages and instead provide liquid fuel and the necessary equipment to help residents get through the winter,” said Arash Najafi, head of the commission.
Iran’s energy ministry had previously called on Iranians to limit their use of air conditioning to allow for a more stable supply of electricity to the southern parts of Iran. Temperatures in southern Iran have recently soared above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Iranian state media.
Get up to speed on the upcoming Trump-Netanyahu meeting, Strait of Hormuz and oil prices
US President Donald Trump batted down any pressure to escalate the war with Iran from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of their White House meeting today.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke to his Omani and Saudi counterparts late on Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, just days after a delegation from Muscat visited Tehran to relieve ships traveling along the crucial waterway.
Over the weekend, officials from Iran and Oman held talks on maritime navigation through the strait — a key bargaining chip that could help renew stagnant peace negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
The cost of Brent crude oil — the international barometer — has dropped by 2.9% to almost $86 a barrel by 5.32 a.m. ET, following reports that the US and Iran were preparing to restart shaky ceasefire talks after lethal strikes petered out last week.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Trump demurs Netanyahu’s calls to escalate fighting with Iran: US President Donald Trump commented on reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to share intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program during their meeting today, telling Fox News, “I heard Bibi announce that. I said why didn’t you just tell it me, why do you have to announce it to the world?”
- Renewed threat on infrastructure: Despite attempts to resume diplomatic talks, Trump again warned he would destroy Iranian bridges and power plants if a ceasefire deal isn’t made. I could take out most of their bridges in less than an hour, less than an hour,” he said.
- Iran’s top diplomat calls Gulf nations: Araghchi called the foreign ministers in Oman and Saudi Arabia to “establish stability in the region” and “remove the imposed insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz,” he posted on Telegram. There was no immediate readout from the Saudi or Omani state.
- Tehran publicly executes two protesters: Iranian officials publicly executed two men accused of participating in sweeping anti-regime demonstrations earlier this year, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported Tuesday. Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi were among 14 who were sentenced to death in the same case linked to the rallies.
- Vital medical supplies arrive in Iran after US seizure: An Iranian cargo vessel carrying treatment for up to 44,000 patients facing dialysis was released after being seized by the US and held for 95 days, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said. The Iranian-flagged ship was seized by US Marines after resisting Washington’s blockade on Iran’s ports.
- Jordanian forces intercept drone: The Jordanian Armed Forces shot down a drone on Tuesday local time, a statement from the military said. The drone breached the country’s airspace at dawn and was shot down in the eastern desert, the statement said.
CNN’s Aida Karimi, Anna Cooban, Mustafa Qadri, Chris Lau and Betsy Klein contributed reporting.
Trump again threatens to blow up Iranian bridges and power plants
US President Donald Trump again threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants despite attempts to resume diplomatic talks.
“And if I go back and finish up the job, as some people would like, with the bridges … very easy, I could take out most of their bridges in less than an hour, less than an hour,” he added.
Trump said he could also target power plants: “The hardest thing to build is a power plant. The longest thing to build is a bridge.”
Trump said he would avoid attacking desalination plants.
“And who am I hurting there? I’m hurting the people. So I’m not looking to do that,” he said.
Trump bats down pressure from Netanyahu, saying Israel's PM wants him to "stay involved"
US President Donald Trump pushed back on Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning ahead of a consequential meeting with his Israeli counterpart, underscoring a strain in the relationship as he downplayed pressure to escalate the war with Iran.
Trump was asked during an interview on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” about reports of Netanyahu’s plans to share intelligence regarding Iran rebuilding its nuclear program.
“I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved,” Trump said.
The US, he said, is closely tracking Iran’s nuclear efforts.
“I heard Bibi announce that. I said why didn’t you just tell it me, why do you have to announce it to the world?” the president said hours before he sits down with Netanyahu in the Oval Office.
Trump told Fox News that he knows exactly “what is going on at Pickaxe” Mountain referring to an area that is believed to be an Iranian nuclear site as “not a big problem.”
“We took out their nuclear sites and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe Mountain if they don’t make a deal,” he said.
Could a proposal for voluntary fees in the Strait of Hormuz break the deadlock in talks?
A proposal to charge vessels for services in the Strait of Hormuz, which previously drew little interest from Iran, may yet offer a way to break the deadlock and revive peace negotiations.
Despite an impasse in negotiations between Iran and the United States, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said Iran is engaged in “constructive” talks with Oman on the strait that are unrelated to the US.
How would it work, and who would be charged?
Since the war, Iran has sought to charge ships for safe passage through the critical waterway, arguing that the strait lies within Iranian and Omani territorial waters. Before the war, about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas were passed through it.
Oman has resisted the imposition of transit fees, upholding the position that international law already protects the right to safe transit passage through straits used for international navigation, rendering any form of toll arbitrary.
However, Oman has for weeks been touting a compromise that may offer a way to address Iran’s position while remaining consistent with international maritime law.
A proposal, if made, is likely to be modeled on the funding mechanism actioned on the Strait of Malacca – the waterway connecting the Indian Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and bordered by Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
The vital transit passage exercises a non-mandatory, voluntary-contribution system whereby financial donations support with navigation costs, environmental protection and search-and-rescue operations, remaining in line with international maritime law.
If Iran and Oman agree to pursue a voluntary framework, shipping companies and governments will be among those expected to make payments to help cover the cost of a well-maintained, functioning shipping lane that facilitates safe passage for all.
The US previously expressed concern about a fee-based system emerging in the strait, as transit through international waterways is protected by United Nations conventions.
CNN’s Hanna Ziady, Zachary Cohen, Aileen Graef and Nic Robertson contributed reporting.
Iran publicly executes two protesters, as regime cracks down on dissidents
Iranian officials publicly executed two men accused of participating in sweeping anti-regime demonstrations earlier this year, human rights officials say, as Tehran tightened its noose on dissidents.
Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi were “executed at dawn” in Ali Khani Square, US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported Tuesday.
Both men were arrested after allegedly protesting in the central city of Esfahan, as part of nationwide rallies against the ruling theocratic government between late December and January this year. The two men were among 14 who were sentenced to death in the same case linked to the demonstrations earlier this year.
Authorities in Iran accused the protesters of using “deadly violence against security forces,” wielding “firearms, bladed weapons and incendiary devices,” damaging public property and “setting fire to the bodies of those killed,” HRANA said.
The agency has not independently verified the allegations, and it warned that defense lawyers had “limited access to case files” while families were “not provided with full details of verdicts.”
“The case should be viewed in the context of longstanding allegations by international human rights groups that Iranian authorities have relied on coerced confessions, torture and other forms of ill-treatment in national security prosecutions,” HRANA said. “Iranian authorities have consistently rejected such allegations.”
Some background: Tehran ramped up executions of political dissidents after the US-Israeli assault in late February. Before launching lethal strikes, the Trump administration had repeatedly declared solidarity with those killed. However, the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, which laid out a long-term pathway to peace, made no mention of protesters, persecuted dissidents or human rights.
Iran says dialysis supplies for over 44,000 patients arrive after US seizure of cargo
An Iranian cargo vessel carrying vital supplies needed for medical treatment has been released after being seized by the US and held for 95 days, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The vessel, the M/V Touska, which was detained on April 20, is said to be carrying eight containers containing materials that can aid up to 44,000 patients facing dialysis – a medical treatment that filters waste from the body when the kidneys fails.
This comes after the Iranian Red Crescent Society collaborated with 17 international and humanitarian organizations to secure the cargo’s return, according to the report.
Part of the cargo was delivered yesterday and the remainder today to a company affiliated with the Iranian Red Crescent, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
“This vessel, which on April 20 this year was carrying supplies and equipment needed for dialysis patients, was seized by American pirates,” an Iranian Red Crescent spokesperson told Mehr.
“With the arrival of this shipment, the treatment needs of approximately 44,000 dialysis patients across the country for essential dialysis equipment will be met,” the spokesperson added.
Some background: The Iranian-flagged ship was seized by US Marines after defying Washington’s blockade on Iran’s ports. US Central Command said it warned the Touska repeatedly over a six-hour period, during which time the container ship was steaming in the Arabian Sea toward Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Oil prices fall further on hopes of renewed US-Iran peace talks
Oil prices continued to drop on Tuesday on signals that the United States and Iran are preparing to restart peace talks following a pause in fighting.
Brent, the global benchmark, fell 2.9% to trade at almost $86 a barrel by 5.32 a.m. ET while WTI, the US benchmark, was down 2.6% to $80 a barrel by the same time.
Both contracts tumbled on Monday, posting their largest declines in several weeks, after an apparent pause in strikes between the US and Iran.
Despite a slowing of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days and the threat of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels against tankers in the Red Sea, oil traders appear relieved at the prospect of a ceasefire.
On Monday evening local time, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls with his counterparts in Oman and Saudi Arabia on regional peace and the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement on his Telegram channel.
Iran's top diplomat calls counterparts in Oman and Saudi Arabia
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s has held separate phone calls with his counterparts in Oman and Saudi Arabia on regional peace and the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement on his Telegram channel.
The leaders “emphasized the necessity of strengthening cooperation,” it said, adding the call took place on Monday evening, local time.
They also disccused “advancing joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region and to remove the imposed insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz resulting from the aggressive actions of the United States,” the statement added.
There was no immediate readout from the Saudi or Omani side.
The timing of the calls is however significant.
The come came days after an Omani delegation visited Tehran for a discussion on Strait of Hormuz and as Saudi Arabia faces increasing attacks from Iran-backed proxies in both Yemen and Iraq.
Drone downed in Jordan, military says
The Jordanian Armed Forces shot down a drone on Tuesday local time, a statement from the military said.
The drone breached the country’s airspace at dawn and was shot down in the eastern desert, the statement said.
Recap the regional tensions and diplomacy efforts to end the war with Iran
At the center of the latest key developments in the war with Iran are attacks on US ally Saudi Arabia by Tehran-supported groups.
As a reminder, the Saudi Defense Ministry said Monday that it intercepted several drones launched from Iraq that targeted petroleum facilities in the kingdom’s oil-rich Eastern Province and the Riyadh region.
Here are the latest developments on that front and other critical issues we’re monitoring:
• While the drones launched at Saudi Arabia were not the first to come from Iraq, multiple countries have condemned the attacks, including Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Lebanon.
• Oman launched a regional diplomatic push Monday aimed at finding a political solution to the military conflict between the US and Iran. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi held calls with counterparts from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt to discuss de-escalation efforts, according to Oman’s Foreign Ministry.
• Iran is not currently engaging in peace talks with the US. Tehran “will never allow the United States to determine the timing of war and peace,” Esmaeil Baghaei, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a televised press conference. While the US has said it is pausing strikes on Iran to allow talks to develop, Baghaei said there are “no negotiations with the United States at present.”
• The US would like to have more sophisticated munitions as the war in Iran draws down stockpiles, President Donald Trump said, but he insisted that the military has what it needs to wage the conflict. The president acknowledged that Russia may be helping Iran by passing along intelligence on US bases, but he brushed it off, saying it “hasn’t had much impact because we’re knocking the hell out of them.”
• Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is en route to the US, where he said Iran would be a key issue “on the agenda” during his meeting with Trump on Tuesday. The US president separately shut down questions about Netanyahu’s objection to F-35 fighter jet sales to Turkey, saying that “nobody” dictates the sales but him.
• And next week, Israeli and Lebanese officials will again meet in Rome to continue to work on implementing a US-brokered agreement ultimately aimed at a comprehensive peace between the two countries. The US-led talks will take place on August 4-6, a US State Department official said.
• Almost all of the 78 vessels that crossed the Strait of Hormuz since Saturday used the route designated by Iran, and none recorded using the southern route near Oman’s coast promoted by the US, according to shipping intelligence group Marisks.
CNN’s Aida Karimi, Sana Noor Haq, Abbas Al Lawati, Dana Karni, Tim Lister, Eleni Giokos, Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler, Aileen Graef, Eyad Kourdi, Aqeel Najim and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
Trump will meet Zelensky and Netanyahu at the White House
President Donald Trump is set to welcome both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Tuesday for separate meetings expected to focus on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, a White House official told CNN.
Trump will meet with Netanyahu to discuss the war in Iran, progress on negotiations with Lebanon and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, the White House official said.
During Trump’s meeting with Zelensky, the leaders will discuss the ongoing peace process between Russia and Ukraine, according to the official. “Now is the time to end the war,” the official added.
Earlier on Monday, Trump downplayed Zelensky’s allegation that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence on US military bases, saying: “I don’t think they’ve been doing it, certainly not at a high level.”
Both Netanyahu and Zelensky plan to attend the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral in Washington on Tuesday.
