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What we covered today
• Fifth straight day of US attacks: The US military said it completed a second wave of strikes on Iran on Wednesday that were aimed at degrading its ability to target vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump is also weighing options to expand the US military operation, sources told CNN.
• Tehran activity: Air defenses were activated early Thursday local time in parts of the capital, state media reported, and a resident told CNN they were awoken by a loud explosion. On Wednesday, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Iran has no plans for negotiations with the US.
• American freed: Trump shared on social media that Iran has released an American woman detained since December 2024 and praised Tehran’s gesture of goodwill.
• Blockade underway: The US military said it disabled an empty oil tanker sailing toward Kharg Island, an economic lifeline for Iran. It marks the first vessel disabled since the US naval blockade went back into effect.
War is making oil scarce again, but the world’s safety net is running thin
As traffic has once again slowed to a trickle in the Strait of Hormuz, the oil market is facing the same squeeze that has taken millions of barrels offline per day since March.
But the world is now missing a major buffer that helped ease the potential oil price shock the first time around: strategic crude stockpiles.
According to a Wednesday blog post from the International Monetary Fund, a deficit of about 4 million barrels a day between March and May was supplanted by a drawdown in crude inventories.
During the war in Iran, the International Energy Agency implemented the largest historic release of 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves.
China was also able to help mitigate a global shortage by cutting refinery output and leaning on domestic inventories rather than buying from the market.
However, the IMF said much of that supply shock absorber has been used up.
In a research note this week, Goldman Sachs also said that China may be looking to purchase more crude now as well, as it looks to replenish its own stockpiles and prices have fallen from their May highs.
State media report strikes on targets in central and northern Iran
Iranian state media are reporting that locations in the center and north of the country have been struck in recent hours.
Semnam Airport, in the north of the country and just over 100 miles east of the capital Tehran, was targeted by “airstrikes,” state media IRIB reported, citing a crisis management official.
Two projectiles also struck a location outside the central Iranian city of Khondab early Thursday, the deputy governor of Markazi province said, according to Iran’s state media IRNA.
Explosions were heard in Khorramabad, a city in the central west Lorestan province, according to IRNA.
CNN cannot independently confirm the strikes or determine their origin. CNN has sought comment from US Central Command.
US strikes on Iran in the past week have largely focused on southern coastal regions, though it has also targeted some areas further inland.
Yasha Saebi contributed reporting.
US military completes second round of strikes against Iran today
The US military on Wednesday completed its second wave of strikes against Iran today, US Central Command said in a social media post.
“US forces struck Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten innocent mariners crewing commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a post on X. “CENTCOM used precision munitions to hit targets in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas.”
Earlier today, US forces launched a 90-minute round of attacks on Greater Tunb Island. CNN reported on the significance of several islands in March, including Greater Tunb, which is among what one researcher called Iran’s “arch defense.”
Explosion heard in Tehran as state media says air defenses activated
Air defenses have been activated in parts of Iran’s capital Tehran, state media reported early Thursday local time.
“Tehran’s air defense systems have been activated to counter enemy reconnaissance aircraft,” the semi-official Fars news reported.
A resident of the capital told CNN they were awoken by a loud explosion around 4 a.m. local time.
The Tasmin news agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s revolutionary guards, said air defenses had been activated in the eastern and western parts of the city.
CNN reported earlier US President Trump is weighing options for expanding the military operation in Iran, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Recent US strikes on Iran have largely focused on southern provinces, closer to the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump says Iran has released American woman detained since 2024
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran has released an American woman who he said had been wrongfully detained in the country since December 2024.
“Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition. The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!”
Trump did not identify the person or provide additional details about the circumstances of her release. CNN has reached out to the White House and the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.
The woman was later identified by her attorney as Dena Karari.
A source familiar told CNN that Karari was detained, charged and released on bail with an exit ban that blocked her from leaving Iran.
“I am delighted and excited to report that my client U.S. citizen #DenaKarari, who had been trapped in #Iran since December 2024 on bogus charges is now free,” international human rights lawyer Jared Genser wrote in a post on X.
He thanked Trump and said his client “is now safe and traveling back to the United States.”
As of last month, the US government was tracking at least six Americans detained in Iran, a US official said, including two who had been designated as wrongfully detained.
CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this post.
Explosions heard in several Iranian cities, state media reports
Explosions were heard in several areas across Iran, including the port city of Bandar Abbas and the southern cities of Ahvaz and Chabahar, late Wednesday evening local time, the country’s media outlets reported.
Families and patients at Shahid Baghaei Hospital, a facility in Ahvaz in southwestern Iran that specializes in the care and treatment of children with cancer, were temporarily evacuated from the building after a projectile from a US strike landed nearby, state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported.
One hospital staff member told IRIB that families carried their children out of the building in any way they could.
“These are vulnerable patients, many already in critical condition,” said the healthcare worker whom IRIB did not name. “Unfortunately, the bombardment nearby was so intense that even patients who depended on oxygen, ventilators, and other life-support equipment were affected. The blast waves were very powerful, and the windows shook violently.”
The hospital’s director said 211 patients had to be relocated, according to state news agency IRNA.
Valiollah Hayati, deputy governor for security and law enforcement of Khuzestan Province, reported that a strike caused damage to nearby homes and shattered the windows of some housing units, according to IRIB.
The reports follow US Central Command’s announcement of a new round of airstrikes against Iran.
US says it disabled empty oil tanker bound for Iranian port while enforcing blockade
The US military said Wednesday it had disabled an empty oil tanker sailing toward Kharg Island, an economic lifeline for Tehran. It marks the first vessel disabled by US forces since the US naval blockade of Iranian ports went back into effect Tuesday.
“US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces observed Curacao-flagged M/T Belma transiting international waters toward Kharg Island. The commercial vessel ignored multiple warnings as it attempted to violate the US blockade. A US aircraft disabled the vessel after firing hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
US Central Command added that during the first 24 hours of the naval blockade, it has redirected “two compliant commercial vessels and disabled one non-compliant vessel.”
During the last blockade, which was lifted after the US and Iran agreed to a memorandum of understanding in mid-June, CENTCOM claimed to have redirected 142 ships and disabled nine that didn’t comply over a two-month period.
US launches second wave of Wednesday strikes against Iran
US forces began an additional round of strikes 3 p.m. ET, after early-morning attacks that targeted an island near the Strait of Hormuz.
The new strikes focused on “Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command said in a post on X. The statement didn’t specify the area of the strikes.
“The US military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” the post added.
Earlier Wednesday, US forces launched a 90-minute round of attacks on Greater Tunb Island. CNN reported on the significance of several islands in March, including Greater Tunb, which is among what one researcher called Iran’s “arch defense.”
The first strikes began at 6 a.m. ET and were completed by 7:30 a.m. ET, the military said.
Vance defends diplomacy amid renewed hostilities with Iran
Vice President JD Vance offered a defense of attempting diplomacy with Iran amid a renewal in hostilities, saying the war will not be won through military force alone.
“I’m very frustrated by the Americans and frankly by people in other countries who are like, you cannot negotiate with the Iranians,” he said on an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” released on Wednesday.
Vance has led US efforts to engage in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, but those efforts have stalled amid disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the utility in continuing talks with Iran as the war resumes, claiming it is a “waste of time dealing with them.”
But Vance suggested the asymmetric threat posed by Iranians in the strait meant the conflict can only be resolved through diplomacy.
“You can bomb them, you can take away their radar, you can take away some of their drones and some of their missiles, but it’s just too easy to fire at ships in the straits,” he said. “So you’ve got to actually be willing to talk and to try to figure out the problem.”
Shipping through Strait of Hormuz still subdued
At least 13 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the last 24 hours, MarineTraffic data shows, amid boiling tensions between the US and Iran.
Eight vessels moved into the Persian Gulf — six cargo ships and two tankers — while five departed, made up of three tankers and two cargo ships.
The numbers are consistent with the depressed transit levels recorded over recent days, after indirect US-Iran negotiations fell apart. Before the war, an average of about 110 ships transited the strait daily.
GPS spoofing also remains a concern in the region — a type of navigational interference that makes ships’ broadcast positions show up in false locations. The disruption has continued for months, sometimes throwing vessels’ reported coordinates off by dozens of miles and making traffic through the waterway more difficult to monitor.
Here are the top headlines as the US launches more strikes on Iran today
Iran’s foreign ministry said it has no plans for negotiations as the United States carried out a new wave of attacks.
Here’s the latest headlines:
- Iran will continue to respond “firmly” to US strikes and has no plans for negotiations, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iranian media.
- At the same time, Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran must continue to defend itself while also remaining open to diplomatic talks, according to a statement released by state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
- Ghalibaf advocated for maintaining the “Iranian arrangements” in the Strait of Hormuz, which allow Iran to control the waterway, and accused the US of “trying to weaken the Iranian arrangements through force.”
- It comes after the American blockade of Iranian ports was reinstated. The US military said it has already redirected two commercial vessels since it began yesterday.
- The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights, a nongovernmental organization with members inside and outside Iran, believes the Iranian regime has ramped up executions under the cover of the conflict.
- Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon have agreed on the “structure and guidelines” for possible Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon, a US State Department official said. An Israeli official described the Israel-Lebanon talks as “positive” and said they agreed on the need to disarm the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour discussed the latest developments today with Leslie Vinjamuri, the President and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
CNN’s Aida Karimi, Mitchell McCluskey, Isobel Yeung, Vasco Cotovio, Max Saltman, Jennifer Hansler and Oren Liebermann contributed reporting to his post.
Iran "must always be prepared" for fighting, top negotiator says
Iran must continue to defend itself while also remaining open to diplomatic talks, the country’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a statement released by state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on Wednesday.
Iran is engaged in a “fundamental and existential” conflict with the US, he said.
“We have never welcomed war, and do not do so now, but we must always be prepared for battle and be ready to defend our national security and interests with our lives,” said Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker. “At the same time, we must also use diplomacy and negotiations to advance and consolidate our national interests.”
Ghalibaf warned that Iran “has no reason to remain committed to an agreement if it derives no benefit from it” and that “the armed forces have full freedom of action” to respond to enemy aggression.
He advocated for maintaining the “Iranian arrangements” in the Strait of Hormuz, which allow Iran to control the waterway, and accused the US of “trying to weaken the Iranian arrangements through force.” He insisted that “our national security depends on preserving” control over the strait.
The politician also appealed to Iranians living in the southern parts of the country, the frequent target of airstrikes.
“You are the lifeblood of Iran, and we would sacrifice our lives for you a thousand times over,” Ghalibaf said.
Iran has no plans for negotiations, Foreign Ministry says
Iran will continue to respond “firmly” to US strikes and has no plans for negotiations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iranian media on Wednesday.
“We currently have no plans for negotiations and remain focused on defending the country,” Baghaei told reporters outside a Tehran memorial service for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son-in-law, according to video from Iran’s Student News Network (SNN).
Baghaei said Iran will not adhere to any agreement if the US “breaches its obligations.”
“This is a principle, and we will continue to follow it,” Baghaei said, adding that Iran believes the United States has disregarded the ceasefire from its inception.
Soon after SNN reported the spokesperson’s comments, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that the US struck Iran’s Hengam Island near the Strait of Hormuz.
On the sidelines of the memorial service, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran will “respond decisively” to any acts of aggression, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
“We will not leave any act of aggression or any action against the Iranian nation unanswered,” Gharibabadi said.
Data shows massive increase in executions of political prisoners in Iran
Under the cover of conflict, the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR), a nongovernmental organization with members inside and outside Iran, believes the Iranian regime has ramped up executions.
So far this year, the regime has executed at least 47 political prisoners, a massive increase from 16 around the same time last year.
Amid widespread protests across the country at the end of last year, US President Donald Trump warned leadership in Tehran against a violent crackdown on demonstrators, saying America would “come to their rescue.”
But as Trump and the White House tired of the US-Iran conflict, and the global economic repercussions worsened, their language softened and support for Iranian dissidents waned.
You can read more about the plight of Iran’s political prisoners in our full article here, available to subscribers.
“Structure” for possible Israeli military withdrawals from southern Lebanon agreed to in talks
Two days of “productive and positive discussions” in Rome between Israel and Lebanon have ended, a State Department official said.
The talks included participation from US representatives, led by State Department counselor Dan Holler.
An Israeli official also described the talks as “positive” and said that Israel and Lebanon agreed on the need to disarm Hezbollah.
The official said the two areas slated for the first Israeli military withdrawals from southern Lebanon have been “agreed upon.”
Israel will use the zones as a way of testing whether Lebanon’s government can secure the areas under the ceasefire agreement, which will be verified “by a third party,” the official said, without identifying who would serve in such a role.
The agreement comes as the Israeli military said it killed three Hezbollah militants inside Israel’s “security zone” in southern Lebanon. The militants, Israel’s military said, “were carrying combat equipment” and posed a threat to Israeli soldiers nearby.
The headline of this post has been updated.
US hits island near Strait of Hormuz during fresh strikes on Iran. Here's the latest
The US has carried out a wave of strikes on Iran today, marking another round of attacks after multiple airstrikes on consecutive nights.
Meanwhile, the American blockade of Iranian ports has also been reinstated, with the US military saying it has already redirected two commercial vessels since it began yesterday.
If you’re just joining us, here’s the latest:
- Before launching daytime strikes today, the US military carried out its fourth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, hitting dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and coastal areas, according to US Central Command.
- In retaliation for the US strikes, Tehran said earlier that it targeted US military infrastructure in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
- More than 260 people have been injured in recent US strikes against Iran, the country’s Health Ministry said today, including at least three women and six children. CNN cannot independently verify this figure. More than 30 civilians have been killed in the strikes, according to Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Doha to attend a ceremony in honor of Qatar’s former emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency. It’s unclear if the trip will include discussions on restoring peace between the US and Iran.
- US gas prices rose another 3 cents to $3.89 for a gallon of regular in the latest daily reading from AAA today. Prices are now 10 cents higher over the past week after fighting resumed.
CNN’s Kit Maher, Lauren Chadwick, Clay Voytek, Helen Regan, Lex Harvey, Billy Stockwell, Aida Karimi and Chris Isidore contributed to this reporting.
US military says it has redirected 2 commercial vessels since restarting blockade
The US military says it has redirected two commercial vessels since reinstating a naval blockade against Iranian ports.
“Since restarting the naval blockade against Iranian ports 17 hours ago, U.S. forces have redirected 2 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade. The U.S. military remains vigilant and prepared to ensure full compliance,” US Central Command said in a social media post on Wednesday.
The blockade of ships heading to and from Iranian ports began around 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The US had previously enforced a blockade on Iranian ports for roughly two months between April and June.
CNN’s Haley Britzky contributed to this report.
Hundreds injured in recent US strikes on Iran, Iranian health ministry says
More than 260 people have been injured in recent US strikes against Iran, the country’s Health Ministry said today.
This includes at least three women and six children, according to Hossein Kermanpour, the Health Ministry’s spokesperson. “So far, 222 of the injured have been treated and discharged,” he added.
Kermanpour said the injuries were sustained during the “latest wave of attacks against Iran,” but did not specify an exact timeframe.
CNN cannot independently verify the figure.
Earlier today, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said more than 30 civilians had been killed in US strikes on the southern regions of Iran in recent days.
Meanwhile, at least seven Iranian military personnel were killed in overnight US strikes targeting a military base in the country’s southeast, Iran’s army said.
What is Greater Tunb, the island targeted in the latest round of US strikes?
The Greater Tunb, a small island in the Persian Gulf close to the Strait of Hormuz, has was targeted in the latest wave of US strikes on Iran this morning.
It is one of several islands in the region that experts say are important to securing the safe passage of ships – and naval vessels – through the Strait of Hormuz. The island is administered by Iran but claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Researchers at Sun Yat-sen University in Zhuhai, China, call Greater Tunb as well as six other islands, Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb, Hengam, Qeshm, Larak and Hormuz, Iran’s “arch defense” regarding the strait.
Iranian officials have referred to them and other gulf islands as Tehran’s “stationary and unsinkable aircraft carriers,” according to the researchers.
Last year, the IRGC said it was reinforcing its presence on Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, Iranian state media reported.
