Here's the latest
• Strait of Hormuz: Tehran’s national security chief issued a list of demands for the US to fulfill before Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. State media published the list, which includes measures such as lifting the US naval blockade, withdrawing military forces and permanently ending the war. Separately, Iran and Oman have signaled they are close to a deal on managing the key waterway.
• Washington’s dilemma: Sources tell CNN the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has privately made clear that the US needs to find an off-ramp from the war with Iran, because the military options on the table to escalate the conflict could backfire.
• Supreme leader: Iranian state media shared an undated video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since becoming the country’s top political and religious authority. The post provided no detail on the timing of the footage and will likely only fuel speculation over his whereabouts and health.
US must meet Iran’s demands before reopening Strait of Hormuz, says security chief. Here’s the latest.
Tehran has issued a list of demands for the US to meet before it will agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media.
Meanwhile, fighting persists in Yemen, where troops carried out a military operation against Iran-backed Houthi militants on Saturday.
Here is the latest:
- Iran sets conditions: Tehran’s national security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr called for the US to lift its naval blockade, withdraw military forces and end the war permanently. “Until America corrects its behavior, the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened,” he said Saturday, in a statement published in state media.
- Managing Hormuz: Iran and Oman say they are close to striking a deal to manage the vital waterway. However, Oman urged caution, saying ongoing attacks on shipping could derail progress.
- Washington’s next move: Sources tell CNN the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has privately emphasized that the US needs to find an off-ramp from the war with Iran, as escalating militarily could backfire.
- In Yemen: Troops from Yemen’s internationally recognized government launched a military operation against Iran-backed Houthi militants on Saturday. A spokesperson for Yemen’s armed forces criticized the group, saying it has “dragged Yemen into regional conflicts in service of foreign agendas and schemes.”
- Supreme leader: Iranian state media released a video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since assuming his role as the nation’s top political and religious figure. The video, shared Saturday, was undated which will likely only fuel speculation over his whereabouts and health.
Trump administration faces tough choices on the path forward in Iran
Over the last few weeks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has privately made clear to other top advisers that the US needs to find an off-ramp from the war with Iran.
The military options on the table to escalate the conflict could backfire and airpower alone is unlikely to achieve President Donald Trump’s stated objectives, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Caine is not alone in his view that the war has reached a crossroads. He has discussed concerns about the military options for escalating the conflict and raised the prospect of finding an off-ramp from the war with other key Cabinet officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, two of the sources said.
The top US general has recently side-barred with some of those key, like-minded Trump advisers in an effort to ensure they are on the same page ahead of meetings with the president. The aim has been to make clear the limitations and pitfalls of the available military options, including those that do not involve putting US boots on the ground, the sources said.
Trump has consistently appeared averse to the idea of deploying ground troops in Iran, instead signaling he believes that air bombing can force them to agree to a deal on his terms.
Caine and others in Trump’s Cabinet privately view that outcome as unlikely and instead have sought to develop other options that fit within the president’s own parameters, according to multiple sources familiar with recent discussions.
Read the full story on the US military’s options in Iran here.
Iran security chief issues demands for US before Strait of Hormuz reopens
Tehran’s national security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr issued a list of demands for the US to fulfill before Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
State media published the list of requirements from Zolghadr, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. The list includes measures such as lifting the US naval blockade, withdrawing military forces and permanently ending the war.
Zolghadr also calls for the US to compensate Iran for damage caused by the conflict and release frozen Iranian assets.
“These are the demands of the Iranian people, which they have loudly proclaimed during 160 days of steadfast presence in the field and in the streets,” the politician said.
“Until America corrects its behavior, the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened,” his statement read.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Some background: Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran is “very close” to reaching a deal with Oman on managing the Strait of Hormuz.
But he cautioned that the reopening of the strait was “subject to other conditions,” including the US making amends for what he said was a violation of the memorandum of understanding agreed between the two countries in June.
Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the negotiations as “positive and constructive.”
On Friday, Iran’s state-affiliated Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported that Iranian lawmakers had largely landed on a proposed framework agreement with Oman but were waiting for “final approval.”
How Yemen factors into wider conflict in the Middle East
Yemeni troops conducted a military operation targeting Iran-backed Houthi militants on Saturday. A spokesperson for the country’s armed forces condemned the group, saying it has “dragged Yemen into regional conflicts in service of foreign agendas and schemes.”
The Houthis are among several Iranian proxies that have threatened to widen the conflict as the US and Israel remain at war with Iran. The rebel group has struck commercial shipping and recently ramped up attacks targeting Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials last week signed a NATO-like defense agreement with Pakistan and Turkey as they looked to bolster the kingdom’s mutual defense.
The war in Yemen dates back over a decade, and is primarily a conflict between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognized government.
After the Arab Spring in 2011, the Houthis seized a northern province and later the capital Sanaa, which they still hold, along with much of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline. In the process they became part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” a network of allied militant groups across the region, receiving weapons and technology.
US-allied Saudi Arabia spent seven years trying and failing to dislodge the Houthis from northern Yemen, launching a large-scale offensive against the militant group in 2015. The ensuing conflict provoked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Now, experts say the Yemeni rebel group sees an opportunity to regain some of its losses during the Iran war, deepening a sense that the Middle East is on the edge of a wider regional conflict.
