What we're covering
• Iranian attack: The US military intercepted ballistic missiles fired by Iran in an attempted “surprise attack” on US forces in the Middle East, US Central Command said Tuesday. Oil prices jumped on the news. The attack came roughly a day after President Donald Trump said the US had halted strikes on Iran.
• Joint US-Saudi strikes: Separately, Central Command said the US military and Saudi Arabian forces conducted joint strikes “against Iran-aligned terrorists” in Iraq. Saudi Arabia’s involvement is notable as the kingdom has largely resisted being pulled fully into the conflict.
• Diplomatic activity: Trump met earlier today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The Israeli leader described the meeting as “one of the best conversations” they’ve had, citing close coordination on Iran and other security issues.
Iraq's PMF says its bases were hit in deadly US-Saudi strikes
An Iran-aligned Iraqi militia said several of its bases across Iraq were targeted by US and Saudi airstrikes early Wednesday.
“A number of” people were killed and wounded in the strikes, which also damaged several buildings, according to preliminary information, the Popular Mobilization Forces said in a statement.
“We consider this targeting to be a highly dangerous escalation, a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and an attack on its official security institutions,” the PMF said.
The US military and Saudi Arabian forces said they conducted joint strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq Wednesday, in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities.
Some context: The PMF is an umbrella organization within Iraq’s official security forces, which Iran has increasingly co-opted to wield its influence in the neighboring country. It is mostly made up of Shiite paramilitary groups.
It was established in 2014 as the ISIS militant group advanced across Iraq. Calling for Iraqis to volunteer alongside state forces, the government brought new volunteers and existing militias under the PMF umbrella. It played a major role in defeating ISIS and retaking Iraqi territory, before being formally incorporated into the state security apparatus in 2016.
Some powerful militias within the PMF have close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and form part of Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance” in the region, along with groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen. These Tehran-backed PMF groups have frequently launched attacks against the US and its allies in the Middle East.
Iran's IRGC says it launched missiles at US targets in Jordan: state media
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched ballistic missiles at US military targets in Jordan Wednesday, in a statement reported by Iranian state media Press TV.
The statement came after US Central Command said the US military successfully intercepted a “surprise attack” on its forces in the Middle East.
“At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East,” CENTCOM said in a post to social media. “All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”
CENTCOM did not give details on the locations targeted.
Saudi Arabia says it launched joint strikes with the US on Iran-backed militias in Iraq
Saudi Arabia carried out “limited, targeted strikes” with the US Wednesday against Iran-backed militias in Iraq that were linked to attacks on Saudi oil facilities, Riyadh’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
Earlier, the ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed several drones launched from Iraq targeting oil facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia.
In a separate statement, US Central Command said US and Saudi “fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq” in response to persistent drone attacks.
Saudi Arabia “does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression against it,” said the statement from the Saudi defense ministry.
This is the first time Riyadh has claimed responsibility for launching strikes inside Iraq since the start of the Iran-US war.
Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly targeted by Iran throughout the war, but has largely refrained from a military response.
US and Saudi forces conduct joint strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq, CENTCOM says
The US military and Saudi Arabian forces conducted joint precision strikes “against Iran-aligned terrorists” in Iraq, according to US Central Command.
CENTCOM said in a post on X the strikes targeted groups that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.”
“US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in a strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours,” CENTCOM said.
A US official said the IRGC had directed attacks at Saudi partners since the weekend without any provocation.
“This is a clear message that we will not let those attempts go unanswered,” the official told CNN.
Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the strikes is notable as the kingdom has largely resisted being pulled fully into the conflict, but it has recently found itself increasingly targeted by Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq and the Houthis targeting their vessels around the Red Sea.
This post has been updated with additional details.
It's been 5 months since a US strike on an elementary school in Iran
The February 28 US strike on the Shajareh Tayyiba school in Minab occurred while the US military was conducting strikes on a neighboring Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility, the initial investigation found. Iranian state media said that 168 children and 14 adults died in the attack. Families are still grieving the victims.
Learn more about the victims from CNN’s Jake Tapper below:
Oil prices rise after US says it intercepted Iranian missiles
Oil prices rose 5% after the US military said it intercepted a “surprise” missile attack from Iran.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 1.13% to $83 per barrel. WTI, the US benchmark, rose 4.11% to $83 per barrel.
The rise partially reversed a tumble in oil prices on Monday after the Trump administration said it had paused plans to escalate its war with Iran.
Oil prices had declined 8%.
CNN’s David Goldman and Anna Cooban contributed to this post.
US military says it intercepted Iranian "surprise attack"
The US military successfully intercepted an Iranian “surprise attack” on US forces in the Middle East, US Central Command announced tonight.
“At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East,” CENTCOM said in a post to social media. “All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”
There were no more than four ballistic missiles according to initial estimates, a US official told CNN.
The attack came roughly a day after President Donald Trump said the US had halted strikes on Iran and that the country had wanted to talk. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei appeared to contradict Trump at the time: “We have no negotiations with the United States at present.”
Recap the latest developments in diplomacy around the war in Iran
The United States and Iran remain poles apart on key issues but there have been developments in diplomatic conversations between heads of state.
Here’s the key things you need to know:
• White House meetings: President Donald Trump hosted two closed-door meetings, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described both meetings as “positive and productive,” while Netanyahu hailed “one of the best conversations” he and Trump have had, citing close coordination on Iran and other security issues. All the leaders later attended the funeral for Sen. Lindsey Graham at the National Cathedral.
• Ukraine-Iran tensions: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he stressed the need to avoid “unnecessary escalation” in a “frank” call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. 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.
• Iran’s energy consumption: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the US has been preventing Israel from striking Iranian energy infrastructure due to economic and energy concerns. Meanwhile, Iranian officials are urging the public to reduce their energy use and warning of possible power outages as Iran has lost around 230 million cubic metres per day of natural gas production capacity since the start of the war, Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
• Weapons production: Iran’s defense industry is expanding production and prioritizing air- and sea-based capabilities, a senior Iranian defense official claimed on Tuesday. That’s in contrast to 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.” CNN reported in May that Iran was rebuilding its damaged military industrial base faster than expected.
• Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s military warned that any ships belonging to a country or company using frozen Iranian assets will be blocked from transiting the strategic waterway, according to the state-run broadcaster. The warning came after Trump said 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.”
CNN’s Aida Karimi, Victoria Butenko and Billy Stockwell, Aileen Graef, Tal Shalev, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Mustafa Qadri, Svitlana Vlasova and Dana Karni contributed to this report.
Netanyahu calls White House meeting with Trump “one of the best conversations” they have had
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday as “one of the best conversations” the two leaders have had, citing close coordination on Iran and other security issues.
“It was a conversation of full partnership, of mutual support, with an understanding of the shared goal to ensure that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, and also other goals,” Netanyahu said in Hebrew in a video released by his office following the closed-door meeting.
Netanyahu left the White House at 12:25 p.m. ET after talks that began at 11:03 a.m. ET, according to the White House. Senior officials from both governments attended the meeting, which was not open to reporters.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the talks “positive and productive.” An Israeli official said the leaders also discussed US-Israeli cooperation and “various opportunities in the Middle East.”
Ukraine and Iran signal desire to de-escalate after Caspian Sea strike
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Tuesday that 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.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said later Tuesday that his Ukrainian counterpart had assured him a recent attack on an Iranian ship was unintentional and that Kyiv did not seek an escalation between the two countries.
“Iran does not seek escalation either, but made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable,” Araghchi wrote on X after speaking with Sybiha. “There must be restitution for losses.”
In Washington earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
CNN’s Aida Karimi contributed to this report.
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.
