US-Iran ceasefire deal hangs in the balance as Israel, Lebanon slated for rare Washington talks
Iran has reportedly attacked and seized ships in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. continues its blockade against Iranian ports despite President Donald Trump extending the ceasefire. Israel and Lebanon, meanwhile, will hold talks in Washington, D.C., Thursday as their ceasefire deal is set to expire Sunday.
US forces stop, board another ship transporting oil from Iran
The Pentagon released video Thursday showing U.S. forces carrying out "a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility."
"We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate," the Department of War said.
"International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain," it added.
Ship-tracking data shows the oil tanker Majestic X in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia — near where U.S. forces previously interdicted and boarded another stateless sanctioned tanker, the Tifani. The vessel had been headed for Zhoushan, China, according to The Associated Press.
The incident follows a sharp escalation just one day earlier, when Iran attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz and reportedly captured two of them — intensifying threats to a critical global shipping lane that carries about 20% of the world’s oil during peacetime.
The Majestic X, which sails under a Guyana flag, was formerly known as the Phonix and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude in violation of U.S. sanctions, the AP reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
‘Crazy’ political infighting in Iran, Trump says
President Donald Trump said in a Thursday social media post that "crazy" political infighting is happening in Iran.
"Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the 'Hardliners,' who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the 'Moderates,' who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is “Sealed up Tight,” until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!!"
USS Gerald R. Ford photos show flight operations continuing aboard world's largest aircraft carrier
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released several photos Thursday morning from the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), saying that "day and night flight operations continue aboard the world's largest aircraft carrier."
"The Ford Carrier Strike Group continues to operate in the Red Sea, supporting maritime security in U.S. 5th Fleet," CENTCOM wrote on X, sharing photos of daytime and nighttime views of the flight deck, personnel and several aircraft.
Trump orders Navy to fire on any mine-deploying Iranian small boats
President Donald Trump announced in a Thursday morning Truth Social post that he has commanded the U.S. Navy to conduct deadly strikes against any boats placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
"I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz," the president declared in the post.
"There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine 'sweepers' are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level! Thank you for your attention to this matter," he added.
US drains critical missile stockpiles in Iran war as yearslong rebuild looms
The U.S. may have burned through roughly half of its Patriot missile interceptors during the conflict with Iran, according to a new analysis, underscoring how even a campaign lasting just weeks can place heavy strain on key munitions stockpiles.
While the U.S. still has enough firepower to sustain operations in the current fight, analysts warn the greater risk lies in a future conflict against a peer adversary.
A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that U.S. forces used large shares of several critical munitions during the 39-day air and missile campaign, including more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 1,000 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs). Patriot interceptor use was estimated between roughly 1,060 and 1,430 missiles — more than half of the U.S. prewar inventory.
Israel, Lebanon to hold second round of talks in Washington Thursday
Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold a second round of talks in Washington, D.C., Thursday to discuss potentially extending the fragile 10-day ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists.
The meeting between Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad and her Israeli counterpart Yechiel Leiter is the second between the two diplomats, days after they held the first such direct talks between the two countries in three decades.
Lebanon President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that contacts are ongoing to extend the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect Friday.
Hamadeh will put forward an extension of the ceasefire during the meeting and ask for an end to ongoing Israeli home demolitions in villages and towns occupied by Israel after the latest war broke out on March 2, Aoun said in comments released by his office, according to The Associated Press.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Lebanon to work with Israel to disarm Hezbollah terrorists ahead of negotiations in Washington.
“We don’t have any serious disagreements with Lebanon. There are a few minor border disputes that can be solved,” Saar said during Independence Day remarks to Israel’s ambassadors and diplomatic corps in which he also described the neighboring country as a “failed state.”
“The obstacle to peace and normalization between the countries is one: Hezbollah,” he said, adding that Lebanon could have “a future of sovereignty, independence and freedom from the Iranian occupation.”
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
Hannity says this is a 'nightmare scenario' for Iran
Fox News host Sean Hannity said the situation in Iran is a "nightmare scenario" for the country's government and its people.
"According to the White House, a beaten, a battered, now near close to bankrupt Iran and government there will have no more than 3 to 5 days to present what would be a unified response to the president's peace proposal, let me make this very simple. If anyone in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard or any other faction of Iran's well remaining government is watching or you hear about this, your unified response, it better look like this: no nukes, no terrorism, no attacks on the straight of Hormuz. And yeah, nuclear dust, you can't have it. This is not a crazy list. Not that complicated. And it's not too much to ask. In return, in return, you will get to live. In return, your own people will have a shot at an economy that is not destroyed. Not the radical Islamists who for 47 years have been terrorizing their very own people," he said on his show, "Hannity."
"In 3 to 5 days, Iran will cease hostilities, agree to the president's terms, come to a negotiated settlement, or they will face total destruction. Now, if they are foolish, for those of you in Iran tonight, you might hear about this. If you're foolish enough to think the president working at the request of Pakistan's prime minister to exhaust every possible path to peace and a negotiated settlement is just another opportunity to stall. Well, you're clearly the dumbest people on the planet, especially after Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury, he continued.
Hannity added: "Now, Kharg Island is already largely defenseless, responsible for 90% of Iran's oil exports. And in just, well, frankly, less than an hour, the U.S. military could level the entire island, obliterate Iran's oil industry, and with it their entire economy. In about the same amount of time, the U.S. military can level critical infrastructure all across the country, force what's left of the regime to have to rebuild everything without almost any revenue. Remember, they're losing four to 500 million a day right now."
He went on to say that "it is a nightmare scenario for both the people and the government of Iran."
"But President Trump is prepared to act if the regime will not commit to opening the straight of Hormuz, giving up their nuclear material," he said. "Though time will tell. We will wait. We will all hope for peace. Although all hope for a negotiated settlement. Frankly, you have to expect the worst. They have made one dumb decision after another. But as President Trump has stated, America's military, they are locked. They are loaded. They're ready to go."
Yesterday’s Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage on the Iran conflict.
Live Coverage begins here