What to know
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking about the war with Iran at a press briefing with Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports will last “for as long as it takes.”
- President Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon will hold talks today, though neither country has confirmed the meeting. Israel’s continued offensive in Lebanon has been a sticking point in U.S.-Iran negotiations for a long-term ceasefire agreement in the region.
- A top Iranian general threatened military retaliation if the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports, which began Monday. U.S. Central Command says the U.S. has diverted at least 10 Iranian-flagged vessels, including one cargo vessel that attempted to breach the blockade.
- More than 6,000 people have been killed in the Middle East since the U.S. and Israel launched their war with Iran in late February. More than 3,600 of those deaths have occurred in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, and 2,100 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry.