Here's the latest
• Iran talks: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Pakistan tonight with a small delegation, Pakistani government sources and an Iranian source told CNN. Pakistani mediators expect there will be a second round of talks between the US and Iran, the government sources said.
• Pentagon hearing: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth railed against European allies, saying the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz “is much more their fight than ours.”
• Timeline uncertain: President Donald Trump again refused to give a timeline for resolving the Iran war, telling reporters: “Don’t rush me.” He said the US does not know who the leader is in Iran, as pressure grows from global economic impacts.
• Lebanon ceasefire: A fragile truce in Lebanon has been extended by three weeks after Israeli and Lebanese representatives met at the White House. The conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah is among the key sticking points in US-Iran peace efforts.
Hegseth says fight over Strait of Hormuz is "much more" Europe's "than ours"
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth railed against European allies on Friday morning for not helping the US enough in its war against Iran, saying the US “barely” uses the Strait of Hormuz and that the situation “is much more their fight than ours.”
Hegseth and President Donald Trump have repeatedly bashed US allies, particularly those in NATO, for not coming to the US’ aid after it began combat operations against Iran on February 28.
Trump lashed out against European allies last month, saying the US doesn’t “need any help actually” after insisting other countries should send naval assets to help escort oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
As Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi touches down in Islamabad late Friday to lead the next round of US and Pakistan talks questions about why Iran’s number two at the last talks almost two weeks has returned in pole position.
It would be wrong to assume Mohammad Baghir Ghalibaf the powerful former IRGC General and current speaker of Iran’s Parliament who led the last Iranian delegation and faced Vice President JD Vance across the talks table has been marginalized. Ghalibaf led the previous round of talks.
President Trump claims the Iranian leadership is divided has been roundly rejected by Iranian leaders including both Araghchi and Ghalibaf in near matching tweets in recent days, Ghalibaf saying “there are no radicals or moderates we are all Iranian and revolutionary”.
Trump had called on the Iranians to submit “their proposal”, its not clear what the aim of Araghchi mission to Tehran is but it breaths live back in to the stagnating talks process.
Hegseth: US blockade of Iranian ports is "growing and going global"
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at a news briefing today that the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports “is growing and going global.”
He said another aircraft carrier will join the blockade in the coming days.
In touting the blockade’s success, the defense secretary pointed to US seizure of two ships this week “in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect.”
A shaky peace, mounting outrage and gas hikes: Get up to speed for the day
A flurry of developments across the Middle East is intensifying an already volatile regional landscape, with diplomacy, military posturing and international reactions unfolding all at once. Here’s what you need to know to get you up to speed on the latest developments in the region.
- US-Iran truce: Iran is sending a delegation to Pakistan for talks, Pakistani and Iranian sources told CNN. It is unclear if there will be any US engagement but Pakistani mediators expect there will be a second round of talks between the two parties, the government sources said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Pakistan Friday evening.
- Lebanon ceasefire: US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by three weeks, expressing hope that leaders from both countries will use the window to engage in direct talks. It comes as outrage is mounting in Lebanon after an Israeli strike on Wednesday killed journalist Amal Khalil, an attack that the Lebanese prime minister condemned as a “war crime.”
- Strait of Hormuz: A US-sanctioned vessel sailing under the Curaçao flag traversed the choked critical waterway, according to an Iranian news agency, as Tehran maintains its grip on the key waterway. Trump on Thursday said he had ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats laying mines in the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, adding that American forces are actively clearing the waterway.
- Gas prices on the rise: US gas prices edged up 3 cents to $4.06 for a gallon of regular, according to the latest reading from AAA, the largest daily gain in that measure since the start of the month.
NOW: Pentagon holds news briefing on Iran war
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine are now holding a news conference to provide updates on the war with Iran.
Netanyahu says he delayed cancer reveal so it wouldn’t be used as propaganda by Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quietly underwent treatment for prostate cancer, he said Friday as he publicized the results of his annual medical examination.
It is the first time the longest-serving leader in Israel’s history has acknowledged that he was diagnosed with cancer.
Netanyahu, 76, underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate in December 2024, an operation the Prime Minister’s Office had disclosed publicly at the time. In the latest check-up following the surgery, Netanyahu revealed in a statement on social media that doctors discovered a malignant tumor in his prostate of less than a centimeter.
The Prime Minister’s Office also released two letters from his doctors to accompany the revelation on social media. “This is an early detection of a very small lesions, with no metastases, as all other tests confirmed beyond any doubt,” one letter said.
He says he delayed the release of his annual medical report – which revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer – by two months so that it wouldn’t be used as propaganda by Iran.
Iranian foreign minister to head to Islamabad as Pakistan expects fresh US talks, sources say
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad tonight with a small delegation, Pakistani government sources and an Iranian source told CNN.
Pakistani mediators expect there will be a second round of talks between the US and Iran, the government sources said.
The sources added that a US logistics and security team is already present in Islamabad to facilitate the negotiation process.
Neither the US nor Iran have publicly commented.
US-sanctioned vessel crosses Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reports
A US-sanctioned vessel sailing under the Curaçao flag traversed the choked Strait of Hormuz, according to an Iranian news agency, as Tehran maintains its grip on the key waterway.
The Cuba supertanker “recently passed through the Strait of Hormuz” and anchored east of Larak Island, according to Iran’s semi-official outlet Mehr News. The ship has been on the US sanctions list since 2024 for transporting Iranian oil shipments to China, Mehr News added.
“The United States claims it has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and does not allow vessels linked to Iran to pass. However, according to reports, several Iranian ships have so far exited through the strait or entered the region via this waterway,” the agency said.
Remember: The pace of vessels through the channel — where ships carry one-fifth of global crude oil supplies — has stemmed to a near halt since the US-Israeli attack on Iran prompted retaliatory Iranian attacks in the region. In the ensuring weeks, Tehran and Washington launched mutual blockades on the waterway, with Iran attacking non-allied vessels and the US targeting ships from Iranian ports.
The US military has redirected at least 33 ships since the White House leveled the blockade on April 13, US Central Command said on Thursday.
However, at least 26 of shadow fleet vessels have breached the US blockade line as of Monday, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a maritime intelligence firm. Then on Wednesday, 10 shadow fleet tankers were heading toward the Persian Gulf area, the firm added.
US gas prices on the rise again
US gas prices edged up 3 cents to $4.06 for a gallon of regular according to the latest reading from AAA, the largest daily gain in that measure since the start of the month.
This was the second straight increase in gas prices after two weeks of prices either falling or staying unchanged. Gas most recently peaked at $4.17 a gallon on April 9.
That peak came two days after President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in the war in Iran.
Even if gas prices resume their decline, experts expect it’ll take months for gas to return below the $3 a gallon mark where they stood before the start of the war.
No disarmament, no deal: Middle East expert says Hezbollah hurdle threatens ceasefire
Peace between Israel and Lebanon hinges on Beirut’s ability to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah, a regional expert said, as the two sides agree to a three-week ceasefire.
“The main hurdle, of course, is the disarming of Hezbollah,” according to Dina Esfandiary, Middle East lead at Bloomberg Economics.
She told CNN’s Becky Anderson that the Lebanese government cannot single-handedly force Hezbollah to lay down its weapons and will have to rely on negotiation. “The Lebanese government doesn’t really have the means to do that unilaterally. It has to work with Hezbollah,” she said on “Early Start.”
Lebanon has long faced pressure to rein in the powerful Iran-backed group, but officials have cited the army’s limited funding and equipment as constraints.
Esfandiary also expressed doubts over the renewed ceasefire agreement, as both groups continued to trade blows during the talks.
“It cannot force Hezbollah to disarm, which means that it will continue to pose a problem to Israel and mean that this ceasefire really is just very fragile and very shaky,” she said.
Global oil prices above $100 a barrel for third day on little progress in ending war
Oil prices are rising again today as the timeline for resolving the US conflict with Iran remains murky.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, is up 1.9% at $107.1 a barrel. It settled above $100 a barrel Thursday and Wednesday as well, breaking a two-week spell of lower prices. WTI, the US benchmark, is up by a similar margin at $97.5 a barrel.
“There’s no real progress in ending the war between the US and Iran, though the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire has been extended by three weeks,” Neil Wilson, a strategist at online trading platform Saxo, wrote in a note.
“Fragile ceasefires, albeit extended ones, combined with escalation fears as vessels are being seized in the Strait of Hormuz – it’s enough for risk sentiment to sour as we head into the weekend,” he added.
Stock markets around the world are mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng posted small gains, while Europe’s leading indexes are trading lower. Dow futures point to a slightly weaker open, while S&P 500 futures are broadly flat and Nasdaq futures signal a stronger open.
Iranian FM speaks with Pakistani counterpart and army chief
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate conversations with Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Friday – as both parties discussed efforts to maintain a truce between Tehran and Washington.
Araghchi discussed “regional developments and issues related to the ceasefire” with Field Marshal Munir and Dar, according to Iran’s semi-official agency, Mehr News.
Araghchi and Dar “exchanged views on regional developments, the ceasefire, and ongoing diplomatics efforts being pursued by Islamabad,” according to a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson.
The Pakistani foreign minister “underscored the importance of sustained dialogue and engagement to address outstanding issues, in order to advance regional peace and stability at the earliest,” the spokesperson added.
Araghchi “appreciated Pakistan’s consistent and constructive facilitation role in this regard, and both leaders agreed to remain in close contact,” the spokesperson said.
Pakistan’s military has not separately shared details of the conversation between Araghchi and the Field Marshal Munir. Munir has been Pakistan’s leading mediator between the US and Iran during the ongoing negotiations between the two countries. Iran is yet to confirm attendance at a second round of peace talks in Islamabad.
Why this man is Lebanon's most feared delivery driver
This delivery driver is inadvertently causing panic in Lebanon because he has a lookalike in Israel: the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee, who many in the Arab world have grown to associate with bombs and displacement.
He’s the most feared delivery driver in Lebanon, able to create panic with just a knock on the door. He has a lookalike in Israel: the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee. Adraee is the man many in the Arab world have grown to associate with bombs and displacement, as he extended the Israeli army’s reach through social media. Adraee’s lookalike in Lebanon used the resemblance to his advantage, building a persona to counter Adraee’s content.
Stock markets globally too high, will fall "at some point," says Bank of England deputy
The Bank of England expects stock markets around the world to fall as share prices are too high given the multitude of risks facing economies, its deputy governor for financial stability has told the BBC.
“There’s a lot of risk out there and yet asset prices are at all-time highs. We expect there will be an adjustment at some point,” Sarah Breeden said in an interview published today.
She declined to say when she expected markets to fall or by how much, according to the BBC, but pointed to a number of factors that markets seemed complacent about.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite hit record highs despite the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a critical artery for the global economy – which has pushed global oil prices back above $100 a barrel.
Tech stocks are back in favor after sliding earlier this year over nerves about high valuations and artificial intelligence disrupting the software industry. The tech rebound is supporting the US market rally.
Private credit, also mentioned by Breeden, is a lightly regulated area of finance in which non-banks lend money to risky companies. Investors have flocked to private markets in recent years, drawn by the prospect of juicier returns than they can typically find in the public bond market.
CNN’s John Towfighi and Allison Morrow contributed reporting.
Iran government "shaky" but functioning, National editor-in-chief says
Despite a “decimation of the top leadership,” Iran’s government remains largely functional, a Middle Eastern journalist told CNN on Friday.
“Our reporting shows that it is shaky and there has been decimation of the top leadership in Iran, and also those who were skilled in negotiating with the US and also making these long-term, military plans,” said Mina al-Oraibi, the editor-in-chief of The National, a newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates.
The IRGC is an elite wing of the Iranian military that was established in the aftermath of the country’s revolution and is at the forefront of Iran’s military operations in the Middle East. The US considers the IRGC a terrorist organization.
At the same time, Al-Oraibi said, “the Iranians have used this ‘good cop, bad cop’ narrative for years. That’s how they’ve been able to stall resolving major issues,” she said. “This is a state that is largely functioning, despite the incredible disruptions there.”
Some context: On Thursday, US President Donald Trump blamed what he described as a lack of clear leadership in Tehran for holding up talks, saying the US does not know who the leader is in Iran. Iran’s president and top negotiator hit back the same day, issuing identical statements in response.
Trump described Iran’s government as “seriously fractured” when he extended a ceasefire to give it time to come up with a “unified” proposal. But observers of Iran see things differently. Read more from multiple experts here.
EU warns Iran will be "more dangerous" if nuclear experts not included in talks
The EU’s top foreign policy official has warned that Iran could pose a greater threat if nuclear specialists are excluded from peace negotiations.
Speaking Friday morning at a gathering of EU leaders in Cyprus, Kaja Kallas cautioned that any future deal risks being weaker than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 agreement negotiated during the Obama administration, which US President Donald Trump later withdrew from.
That deal required Iran to scale back sensitive nuclear work and permit international inspections in exchange for relief from economic sanctions imposed by the UN, EU, and the US.
“If the talks are only about the nuclear (program) and there are no nuclear experts around the table, then we will end up with an agreement that is weaker than the JCPOA was,” Kallas said.
She also warned that failing to address broader concerns could worsen the situation.
A 3rd US aircraft carrier has arrived in Middle East. Here's what experts are saying
The US military said a third aircraft carrier had arrived in the Middle East, the highest number of American carriers deployed to the region in more than 20 years, according to analysts.
The announcement on Thursday came around the same time US President Donald Trump declined to give a timeline on when the Iran war could end.
US Central Command, which coordinates American forces throughout the Middle East, announced in a social media post that the third aircraft carrier, the Nimitz-class USS George H.W. Bush, had transited into its area of responsibility.
The Bush, commissioned in 2009, is the newest of 10 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the US fleet. Almost 1,000 feet long and displacing more than 100,000 tons, it can carry more than 80 aircraft, is powered by two nuclear reactors and has more than 5,500 sailors and air crew aboard.
Asked about plans for the Bush, a defense official told CNN the military does not “discuss force disposition, ship movements, or locations to protect service members and operational security.”
But analysts note the arrival of the Bush sends a message without even firing a shot.
Analyst Peter Layton, a fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, and others said the Bush might be coming on to relieve the USS Gerald R Ford, which has been deployed since last June, well past the normal seven or so months US carriers deploy under normal circumstances.
The carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, meanwhile, was shown in the Arabian Sea south of Iran, as it has been since the beginning of the war.
Read more about the growing US military presence in the Middle East.
What to know about mines in the Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump has ordered the US Navy to fire on any Iranian boats that are placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the critical energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of all global crude oil.
It’s not clear what prompted Trump’s warning, but fears are growing that mines in the strait could spark economic repercussions that outlive the war.
When did Iran start laying mines?
In early March, CNN reported that Iran had begun laying mines in the strait, according to two people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue. Trump warned at the time that if mines were placed and not removed, Tehran would face consequences “at a level never before seen.”
The sources said in March that Iran could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the waterway. But it doesn’t take that many to effectively keep the strait shut as commercial captains and ship owners don’t want to take the risk.
Later that month, Iran’s military said Tehran had “no need” to mine the Persian Gulf to assert its power and would use “every possible means to ensure security as necessary.”
What are the potential impacts?
Aside from the obvious risks to vessels in the region, and the safety of crew members, the presence of mines could delay the reopening of the strait.
Pentagon officials briefed lawmakers this week on an intelligence assessment that found it could take up to six months to fully clear the strait of mines after the war with Iran ends, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. A Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday that a six-month closure would be “unacceptable.”
How easily can the mines be removed?
US Central Command chief Adm. Bradley Cooper said last week the number of mines in the strait is “well within our ability to remove,” adding that the US has already been conducting de-mining operations.
Trump repeated Thursday that US “mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!”
Iranian officials are some of the toughest negotiators, ex-hostage envoy says
Former US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Roger Carstens, told CNN that the Iranians are tougher negotiators than the Russians, the Chinese, and even the Taliban.
"Don't rush me": Trump snaps at reporters in Oval Office over Iran questions
President Donald Trump declined to give a timeline for resolving the Iran war on Thursday, telling reporters at the White House, “Don’t rush me.” CNN’s Kristen Holmes reports.
President Donald Trump declined to give a timeline for resolving the Iran war on Thursday, telling reporters at the White House, “Don’t rush me.” CNN's Kristen Holmes reports.
