Exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's former shah, was splattered with a red liquid on Thursday.
Video footage of the incident shows the liquid being splashed on Pahlavi while he was walking down a street in Berlin, Germany, flanked by security. The Associated Press reported that police detained the alleged perpetrator and indicated that the substance appeared to be tomato juice.
Pahlavi had just left a news briefing where he was critical of the ceasefire involving the U.S. and Iran.
"I’m not saying that diplomacy should not be given a chance, but I think diplomacy has been given enough chance," he said on Thursday, according to the AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s ousted shah, said any negotiations with Iran's clerical leadership amount to appeasement.
“The whole narrative of ceasefire and negotiation is still based on thinking that… you’re going to deal with people who all of a sudden have become pragmatists,” Pahlavi told reporters in Germany. “I don’t see that happening."
Pahlavi voiced hope that Iranians would renew street protests in an effort to topple the regime, the Times of Israel reported.
He noted that Iranian leaders have “slaughtered innocent citizens by the thousands” and has threatened Europe with long-range missiles.
“No deal will solve this. No negotiations will solve this. It is in their DNA.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded to President Donald Trump, who said Thursday that the country's hardline and moderate leaders are infighting over who will lead the Islamic Republic.
In a social media post, Pezeshkian noted that there are no moderates or "radicals" in Iran.
"In Iran, there are no radicals or moderates," he wrote on X. "We are all 'Iranian' and 'revolutionary,' and with the iron unity of the nation and government, and complete obedience to the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, we will make the aggressor criminal regret his actions."
Iran has only "the path" of victory, Pezeshkian added, which is "more precious than life."
{{#rendered}}Lebanese President Joseph Aoun addressed ministers at the head of a government session on Thursday by laying out the goals for the ceasefire talks expected with Israel in Washington, D.C.
"This evening, a meeting will be held in Washington to extend the ceasefire, which also includes stopping the destruction of homes, attacks on civilians, places of worship, journalists, medical personnel, and educational institutions — this is what Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, will carry to the meeting, and she will do everything in her power to secure these items," Aoun told ministers, according to a readout shared by the Lebanese Presidency account on X.
"The positive aspect lies in the fact that, for the first time, the Lebanon file is returning to the American table, and specifically to the table of the Secretary of State who also holds the position of National Security Advisor, which opens the door for us — if things proceed as they should — toward economic recovery, reconstruction, and more," he added.
Aoun said he hopes to be able to visit Washington and meet with President Donald Trump "to brief him in detail on the true situation in Lebanon, as a phone call is not sufficient for such a matter or to reach an understanding; however, he was sympathetic to Lebanon and stated that he loves this country, and this is what we must build on for the future."
"As President of the Republic, I am responsible toward my country and people, and I will adopt any means capable of ending the war and destruction," he said.
He floated "raising the transportation allowance for public sector employees, given the rise in oil prices due to current developments, in addition to granting them an exceptional one-time assistance."
Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said during a security assessment that Israel is waiting for a “green light from the United States” to resume fighting against Iran.
“Israel is prepared to renew the war against Iran. The IDF is ready in defense and offense, and the targets are marked,” said Katz, as reported by The Times of Israel.
He said Israel was “awaiting a green light from the United States, first and foremost to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty—the initiator of the extermination plan against Israel—and the successors of the successors of the leadership of the Iranian terror regime."
In addition, he added that Israel wants to "return Iran to the age of darkness and stone by blowing up central energy and electricity facilities and crushing national economic infrastructure.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) noted in a Thursday morning post on X that "U.S. forces have now redirected 33 vessels since the start of the blockade against Iran."
The blockade of Iranian ports started more than a week ago.
When U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire extension on Tuesday, he said that he had ordered the military to keep carrying out the blockade.
{{#rendered}}White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained why President Donald Trump does not consider Iran's seizure of two ships in the Strait of Hormuz a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Leavitt made the statement during an interview with Fox News' Martha McCallum on Wednesday just hours after Iran captured the Greek and Mediterranean-flagged vessels.
"Does the seizure of two ships — as we said, they were Greek and Mediterranean-owned ships with cargo on them, and the reports are that Iran basically seized them and then moved them into Iranian waters. We don’t know what’s going to happen to these crews. We’re not sure where all of this is going. Does the president view that as a violation of the ceasefire?" McCallum asked.
President Donald Trump told MS NOW on Thursday that the Iranian government is in disarray, claiming the country has "no idea" who its leader is.
“They’re all messed up. They have no idea who their leader is. You know, we took out, really, three levels of leaders. And everybody that was even close behind him,” Trump said, referring to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of Operation Epic Fury. “So they have a hard time figuring out who the hell can speak for the country. They just don’t know.”
“They’re really a mess, and now nobody wants to help them, because they no longer have the fear factor,” the president reportedly added. “They’re no longer — they’re no longer the bully of the Middle East.”
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!!!"
{{#rendered}}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.
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.
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.
{{#rendered}}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.
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.
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.
{{#rendered}}Live Coverage begins here