US downs Iranian drones after attempted attack on ships in Hormuz - Fox News

The Middle East may be entering a period in which ceasefires no longer end wars but manage them, as the warring sides trade limited strikes below the threshold of an all-out war, experts told Iran International’s townhall held in Washington DC.

The discussion, hosted by Iran International’s Negar Mojtahedi, centered on whether the latest ceasefire in Lebanon marks the end of a war or the beginning of a more dangerous phase: a regional conflict in which Iran increasingly treats attacks on its proxies as attacks on itself.

Continue reading

The US military was about three hours from launching missiles inside Iran on Thursday when President Donald Trump announced on social media that a deal had been reached, NBC News reported, citing two US officials.

According to the report, US forces already received orders to carry out the strikes that evening, and naval units had adjusted air operations plans and prepared munitions. The officials said the operation was in its final stages before being called off.

NBC reported that Kharg Island was not on the approved target list, despite earlier threats by Trump referencing the site. The report added that while the US military has developed contingency plans involving Iranian oil infrastructure, including Kharg Island, those options had not been authorized for execution.

The officials also said Trump’s public statements on social media did not align with the specific operational planning underway at the time, according to NBC.

Tehran given its final approval to a draft agreement with the United States and conveyed the decision to Washington through Qatari mediators, Al Arabiya reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the negotiations.

The report said the proposed agreement would include a mechanism overseen by a mediator to monitor and address any violations. Al Arabiya did not identify the mediator.

IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency cited a source in Iran's Hormozgan governorate as saying that no projectile impact or military engagement had occurred in Sirik as of now.

The source said the sounds heard in the area came from the sea and were related to the Strait of Hormuz, the report said.

President Donald Trump said an Iran deal could be signed over the weekend, probably in Europe, and that documents for the agreement were in a “pretty final stage.”

He said Vice President JD Vance would attend the signing.

"We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

"The strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe," he said.

Trump added that he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would speak to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.