Here's the latest
• Where negotiations stand: The US and Iran have a long way to go before reaching an agreement, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told state television. President Donald Trump said negotiations were still progressing but hinted at frustration with Tehran, saying “they got a little cute.”
• Strait closure: Vessel traffic on the Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt after Iran said it was once again closing the vital waterway, blaming the US for “breaches of trust.”
• Ships under fire: Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker trying to pass through the strait and a second vessel was hit by a projectile, according to maritime authorities. New Delhi said two Indian-flagged vessels were involved in incidents and summoned its Iranian ambassador.
Strait of Hormuz traffic grinds to a halt as waterway closes again
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz ground to a halt again after two vessels came under attack on Saturday.
Most vessels in the area have moved deeper into the Persian Gulf or into relative safety towards the Gulf of Oman, according to data from Marine Traffic.
Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker transiting the waterway Saturday, and a second vessel was reportedly hit by an “unknown projectile,” according to the UK Maritime Traffic Organization.
New Delhi said two Indian-flagged vessels were involved in incidents in the strait and summoned its Iranian ambassador over the matter.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it will blockade the strait and that “approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and any offending vessel will be targeted.”
Iranian Revolutionary Guards gunboats fired on two tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to an advisory from the UK Maritime Traffic Organization. CNN's Nic Robertson says the reported incident comes as Iran’s military says restrictions on the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz are being reimposed, alleging “repeated breaches of trust” by the United States.
CNN’s Tim Lister, Issy Ronald and Kunal Sehgal contributed reporting.
Video from Red Crescent shows war damage in Tehran
Footage from an aid workers’ visit released on Saturday showed buildings in Tehran destroyed by war.
Video from the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) showed blown-out buildings, debris-strewn streets and piles of rubble in what the aid agency said are “civilian areas” previously targeted by airstrikes.
Representatives of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) visited the site and “expressed concern over the attacks,” emphasizing the need to protect medical and relief centers, said the IRCS in a Telegram post.
In a post on X on Friday, Xavier Castellanos Mosquera, the IFRC’s under secretary general for national society development, said that a team from the IFRC was crossing into Iran from Armenia.
At least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel began strikes on the country, according to state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
Two Israeli soldiers killed in southern Lebanon in two days
Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon over the past two days, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF), bringing the death toll of their troops to at least 15 since the latest conflict began.
Sergeant First Class (Res.) Lidor Porat, 31, was killed on Saturday, a day after Sergeant Major (Res.) Barak Kalfon died, according to the IDF’s website.
Twelve other soldiers were injured in the two fatal incidents, IDF added. It did not provide further details.
The latest unrest started in early March following an attack by Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah in support of Iran. Israel has been bombarding its northern neighbor, with the Lebanese Health Ministry saying that more than 2,000 people have been killed and 7,000 wounded over the past six weeks. A 10-day ceasefire took effect earlier this week.
The announcement came just hours after French President Emmanuel Macron said a UN peacekeeping soldier from his country was killed in Lebanon Saturday.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again as ceasefire deadline looms. Catch up here
Iran has said it’s once again closing the Strait of Hormuz, blaming the US for “breaches of trust”, a day after declaring the vital waterway open.
Meanwhile, top US officials were seen arriving at the White House as negotiations with Iran approach a critical juncture, with a ceasefire set to expire in a few days. They included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the CIA director, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. CNN has asked the White House if they were attending formal meetings.
Here’s what else to know:
- Where negotiations stand: The US and Iran have a long way to go before reaching an agreement, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, said in an interview with state television. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that talks with Iran are still progressing. But he suggested frustration with Tehran’s approach, saying “they got a little cute.” The president had said multiple times this week that a deal with Iran was very close.
- Strait of Hormuz: Iran will blockade the Strait of Hormuz starting this evening, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said, after the country announced it was backtracking on plans to open the key waterway, blaming “breaches of trust” by the US. A senior Iranian official told CNN it will prioritize vessels that pay to cross the strait. Tracking data from Marine Traffic showed tankers turning around at the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, the US maintains its own blockade of Iranian ports.
- Ships attacked: IRGC forces opened fire on a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s announcement, and a second vessel was hit by a projectile in the region, according to maritime authorities. New Delhi also said two Indian-flagged vessels were involved in incidents in the strait and summoned its Iranian ambassador over the matter.
- In Lebanon: A French soldier serving as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon was killed Saturday. French President Emmanuel Macron said Hezbollah was likely to blame for the attack, which the group has denied.
CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey, Issy Ronald, Tim Lister, Alejandra Jaramillo, Ibrahim Dahman, Eugenia Yosef, Eyad Kourdi, Ivana Kottasová, Oliver Sherwood and Kunal Sehgal contributed reporting.
3 main issues between US and Iran that need to be resolved
Washington and Tehran “are far from a final agreement,” Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a state television interview on Saturday, with a ceasefire due to expire in days.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said negotiations are still ongoing but Iran “got a little cute.” He had said multiple times this week that a deal with Iran was very close, claiming Tehran has made some key concessions.
Indications point to a number of hurdles that still need to be resolved — and Trump has threatened he would not extend the current ceasefire, if Iran doesn’t strike an agreement.
Here are the main sticking points:
The fate of Iran’s uranium stockpiles: Trump suggested this week that Iran agreed to ship its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US, a claim that was quickly rebuked by a senior Iranian official who said the demand was a “non-starter.”
Iran has about 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium. One proposal that has been floated involves unfreezing Iranian assets in exchange for Tehran turning over its stockpile.
Iran has asked for major sanctions relief and unfreezing of assets north of $20 billion, a source familiar with the negotiations told CNN.
Curbs on uranium enrichment: The length of any suspension to Iran’s enrichment program remains another point of contention. The Iranian official who spoke to CNN rejected Trump’s assertion that Tehran agreed to halt the program indefinitely, saying Iran “will never accept” being an “exception from international law.”
During talks last weekend, American negotiators proposed a 20-year pause on Iran enriching uranium, a source familiar with the discussions told CNN. Iran responded with a proposal for a five-year suspension, which the US has rejected, according to a US official.
Reopening Strait of Hormuz: The world breathed a sigh of relief on Friday when Iran announced it would reopen the key shipping route, which has been effectively shuttered for almost two months.
But the reprieve was short-lived. Iran says it is reimposing strict limits on shipping in response to Trump saying a US blockade on Iranian ports will continue until a deal is reached.
CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey, Frederik Pleitgen, Alayna Treene and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting.
How the Strait of Hormuz went from open to closed in less than 24 hours
What a difference a day makes. This time on Friday, one might have been forgiven for thinking more ships might start squeezing through the Strait of Hormuz as the US-Iran ceasefire approaches its expiry date.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump was effusive in welcoming an announcement from Tehran that the Strait of Hormuz was “fully open and ready for full passage. Thank you!”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had suggested on X that the strait would be fully open again, while adding that Iran would coordinate shipping routes. The post sent the price of crude oil down 10 percent in a matter of hours, but aged poorly, with semi-official Iranian outlet Tasnim criticizing Araghchi for creating “various ambiguities about the conditions for passage, its details, and its mechanisms.”
Then Trump said the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue “in full force” until the “transaction” with Iran is complete.
Now, 24 hours later, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it has blocked the strait once more, citing the continued US blockade of Iranian ports.
“Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and any offending vessel will be targeted,” the IRGC said in a statement.
After a brief hope that one of the world’s busiest waterways might reopen, United States and Iran appear to agree on very little beyond – maybe - being prepared to meet again.
What we know about Iranian gunboats firing on a tanker
Iran’s military says it is reimposing restrictions on the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker transiting the waterway Saturday, and a second vessel has since reported being hit by an “unknown projectile,” according to the UK Maritime Traffic Organization.
CNN’s Nic Robertson reports:
Iranian Revolutionary Guards gunboats fired on two tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to an advisory from the UK Maritime Traffic Organization. CNN's Nic Robertson says the reported incident comes as Iran’s military says restrictions on the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz are being reimposed, alleging “repeated breaches of trust” by the United States.
As Trump and Tehran quarrel, the path to peace gets bumpier — but remains open for now
It does feel as if we are drifting away from a deal — but not irretrievably.
US President Donald Trump was buoyant. A deal seemed close. Iran’s foreign minister sounded optimistic. Talks to be held early next week in Pakistan seemed on track.
But Iran’s moves on Saturday — once again shutting down the Strait of Hormuz and then reportedly shooting up a tanker near the waterway — have threatened that momentum.
It could all be maneuvering: Iran signaling anger that Trump didn’t lift his naval blockade after Tehran lifted its own. You might read into the weekend timing of the attacks — when there is no immediate market impact, and therefore no spiking economic pressure for Trump.
Both sides were beginning to believe the deal was possible. Trump, in a classic deal-making move, likely sought to use the looming end of the US-Iran ceasefire next week as leverage. But if so, the Iranians understood, preemptively applying their own pressure with the sudden shutdown of the strait and its violent enforcement.
It’s up to Trump if he chooses to escalate. The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Navy could start boarding Iranian vessels soon — but even in that case, the Iranians will understand that Trump could have taken things further by abandoning the ceasefire.
Both sides make their points. And the increasingly bumpy path to peace remains open for now.
