Here's the latest
• War negotiations: The US is awaiting a response from Iran on a proposal to end the war. President Donald Trump previously said his administration was expecting to hear back from Tehran on Friday night.
• Strait of Hormuz: Trump said the US might resume a short-lived operation to guide ships through the waterway. He paused the operation earlier this week, citing progress in negotiations with Iran.
• Fresh sanctions: The US imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies over their links with Iran, just days before Trump is due to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
• Iran’s supreme leader: US intelligence assesses that Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained out of public view, is still shaping war strategy, according to sources familiar with the matter.
US intel: Iran’s injured supreme leader is still shaping war strategy
US intelligence assesses that Iran’s new supreme leader is playing a critical role in shaping war strategy alongside senior Iranian officials, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence. The reports found that precise authority within a now-fractured regime remains unclear, but that Mojtaba Khamenei is likely helping direct how Iran is managing negotiations with the US to end the war.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he sustained serious injuries during an attack that killed his father and several of the country’s top military leaders at the beginning of the war, leading to speculation about his health and role in the Iranian leadership structure.
The Trump administration continues to pursue a diplomatic end to the conflict as a ceasefire stretches past a month with US intelligence assessing that Iran continues to dig out from the US bombing campaign that left significant Iranian military capabilities intact and the ability to survive months more of an American blockade, according to sources.
Khamenei was announced as Iran’s new supreme leader replacing his father days after the strike that injured him, but to date the US intelligence community has not been able to visually confirm his whereabouts, the sources said.
Part of the uncertainty stems from Khamenei not using any electronics to communicate, instead only interacting with those who can visit him in-person or by sending messages via a courier, one of the sources added.
US sanctions Chinese firms over Iran links just days ahead of Trump-Xi summit
Days ahead of a critical summit between US President Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, the United States has placed fresh sanctions on a number of Chinese firms for links with Iran.
On Friday, the State Department sanctioned four firms, three of which are based in China, linked with providing satellite imagery it said enabled Iranian strikes on US forces in the Middle East.
The US Treasury Department, meantime, designated 10 individuals and companies, including several based in China, on Friday, which it said helped Iran secure weapons and materials needed to build ballistic missiles and drones.
“Today’s action holds China-based entities accountable for their support to Iran,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement Friday. “The United States will take all necessary action at its disposal to target third-country entities and individuals aiding Iran’s military and defense industrial base.”
The US recently imposed sanctions on several Chinese refineries over purchases of Iranian crude oil, prompting a pushback from China which ordered companies not to comply.
Beijing’s foreign ministry has consistently said it opposes “unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law” and will safeguard the rights of Chinese citizens and companies.
Trump is expected to travel to China next week.
The US is expecting Iran's response to a proposal to end the war. Where things stand now
President Donald Trump told CNN on Friday that his administration was expecting to hear back from Iran later that evening about a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict.
Asked by CNN’s Kristen Holmes whether he had received a response from Iran, Trump said, “We’ll hear from them supposedly tonight.”
Pressed on whether he believed the Iranians were slow-rolling negotiations, Trump replied that he did not know. “We’ll find out soon enough,” he said.
As at Saturday morning Eastern time, it is not clear if Iran has responded to the US.
The president’s comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US expected a response from Iran on Friday regarding a proposal intended to end the war.
Other headlines to know:
- Project Freedom: Trump told reporters that the US might resume a short-lived operation, named “Project Freedom,” that guided ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Attacks on vessels: US Central Command said on Friday the US military fired on and disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers as the ships tried to bypass the blockade. The attacks came after the US said it targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking its warships in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Exchange of fire: According to Iranian media, the US and Iran have been embroiled in a “limited exchange of fire” around the strait, while Trump maintains the ceasefire is still in effect. Rubio said that the latest US military action was “separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury” and that the US would continue to respond “defensively.”
- Hezbollah attacks: Hezbollah said it attacked a military base in Israel on Friday, which appears to be the first time the Iranian-backed group has publicly claimed responsibility for a cross-border strike since a truce between Israel and Lebanon was ordered in mid-April.
- Port blockade: US Central Command said Friday that more than 70 vessels are being stopped from entering or leaving Iran’s ports amid the US blockade.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, Billy Stockwell, Brad Lendon, Eleni Giokos, Tim Lister, Aida Karimi, Sana Noor Haq, Jennifer Hansler, Sarah Tamimi, Charbel Mallo, Eugenia Yosef, Kevin Liptak, Kaanita Iyer and Mustafa Qadri contributed to this report.
