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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
President Trump said yesterday in a televised speech that the U.S. military had nearly accomplished its goals in Iran, but offered no clear timeline for ending the war. “We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” Trump said. “We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong,” Trump added, while stating that “in the meantime, discussions are ongoing.” Trump said the United States had destroyed Iran’s navy and air force, and crippled its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, but provided little detail on opening up the Strait of Hormuz and seemed to back away from plans to dispatch special operations forces to seize highly enriched uranium. Stock futures plummeted and oil prices jumped following Trump’s speech. Trevor Hunnicutt, Gram Slattery, and Steve Holland report for Reuters; Luke Broadwater and Tyler Pager report for the New York Times; Dave Lawler and Marc Caputo report for Axios.
The U.S. military this week presented Trump with a plan to seize nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium in Iran that would involve flying in excavation equipment and building a runway for cargo planes, according to two sources. The complex plan was briefed to the president after he asked for a proposal, the sources added. Ellen Nakashima, John Hudson, Alex Horton, and Karen DeYoung report for the Washington Post.
Advisers who speak regularly with Trump told Axios this week that Trump is mostly improvising rather than following any clear plan when it comes to the war in Iran. Aides have been convinced at various points that Trump is leaning toward a major escalation, and at others that he was seeking a swift resolution. “Nobody knows in the end what he’s really thinking,” a senior adviser said. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Axios, “That’s the plan – for you to not have a clue.” Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report.
Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed in recent days that the Iranian government is not currently willing to engage in substantial negotiations over ending the war in Iran, according to U.S. officials. The reports show that Iran is willing to keep channels open, but that it does not trust the United States and does not think Trump is serious about negotiations. Edward Wong and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times.
Three U.S. officials told Axios that the U.S. and Iran are discussing a potential deal that would involve a ceasefire in exchange for reopening the strait. Trump said on social media yesterday that Iran had asked for a ceasefire, adding he would not consider that until Iran allowed ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz safely. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Trump’s claim was “false and baseless.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian yesterday released a letter addressed to the United States that suggested diplomacy might be possible, saying that the “path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before.” Edward Wong and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times; Barak Ravid reports.
The Pentagon is doubling its Middle East fleet of Air Force A-10 attack planes, which can support advancing ground troops, two Pentagon officials said yesterday. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.
An Iran-backed Iraqi militia, Kataib Hezbollah, yesterday offered to negotiate with the Iraqi government for the release of kidnapped U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson in exchange for freeing detained militia members, according to two Iraqi security officials. Erika Solomon and Falih Hassan report for the New York Times.
IRAN WAR – POLITICAL RESPONSE
More than 30 countries will meet virtually today to “assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers, and to resume the movement of vital commodities,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. The United States is not among the countries in attendance. Jill Lawless reports for AP News.
“Let me remind you what NATO is. It is a military alliance concerned with the security of the Euro-Atlantic region. It is not designed to carry out operations in the Strait of Hormuz, which would breach international law,” French Junior Army Minister Alice Rufo said yesterday. John Irish reports for Reuters.
Over 100 international law experts have signed a statement expressing profound concerns about serious violations of international law and alarming rhetoric by the United States, Israel, and Iran in the present armed conflict in the Middle East. Tom Dannenbaum, Rebecca Hamilton, Adil Ahmad Haque, Oona A. Hathaway and Gabor Rona report for Just Security.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
The Russian Defence Ministry yesterday claimed that Russia’s armed forces had taken control of the entire Luhansk region of Ukraine. A Kyiv military official denied the claim. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy said yesterday that he would hold a video call with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss further trilateral negotiations. AP News reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Member states of the International Criminal Court yesterday voted to move ahead with disciplinary proceedings against Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan after considering two conflicting reports on sexual-assault allegations, according to officials. The first report, written by U.N. investigators, found that there was a “factual basis” to allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by a female aide and that witness accounts of the victim “lend support to her claims.” The second report, by a panel of three judges, found that the evidence gathered by the U.N. was insufficient to establish the truth of the allegations “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Matthew Dalton reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Eastern Libya’s military leader, Khalifa Haftar, has acquired what appear to be Chinese and Turkish combat drones, Reuters reporting has found, despite a U.N. embargo on supplying weapons to Libya. Commercial satellite images show at least three drones at Al Khadim airbase between late April and December last year. What appeared to be ground control equipment for the aircraft was still visible this year, according to three weapons experts. Alexander Dziadosz, Aaron McNicholas, and Vinaya K report.
Government and allied forces in Burkina Faso have killed more than twice as many civilians as Islamist militants have since 2023, according to a report published today by Human Rights Watch. “The scale of atrocities taking place in Burkina Faso is mind-boggling, as is the lack of global attention to this crisis,” said Philippe Bolopion, executive director of Human Rights Watch. Portia Crowe reports for Reuters.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Anthropic this week accidentally exposed internal code and systems used to run its Claude Code AI app. By yesterday morning, the company had issued large-scale copyright takedown requests, initially affecting around 8,000 copies before being scaled back. Sam Schechner and Robert McMillan report for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
The United States has lifted sanctions against acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, according to a Treasury Department notice posted yesterday. Cheyanne M. Daniels reports for POLITICO.
An FBI technical team arrived in Cuba this week to launch an “independent investigation,” the U.S. Embassy in Havana said yesterday, following an incident in February when 10 Cuban nationals tried to enter Cuba by speedboat. Dave Sherwood reports for Reuters.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
A New York state medical examiner’s office announced yesterday that the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a nearly blind Rohingya refugee, who was discovered days after being left outside a coffee shop by Customs and Border Protection officers, was ruled a homicide. The cause of death was identified as “complications of a perforated ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. Daniella Silva reports for NBC News.
Top ICE legal officials told field attorneys within the Homeland Security Department in an email last month to stop filing new motions for third-country deportations tied to asylum cases. The email, reviewed by AP News, did not provide a reason. Before this pause, over 13,000 individuals awaiting asylum claims have been issued with third-country deportation orders. Tim Sullivan reports.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Senate and House Republican leaders yesterday announced a deal to reopen the Homeland Security Department, funding the department through Sept. 30 but excluding new funding for ICE and Border Patrol. Their statement said, “In the coming days, Republicans in the Senate and House will be following through on the president’s directive by fully funding the entire Department of Homeland Security on two parallel tracks: through the appropriations process and through the reconciliation process.” This plan had previously been rejected by House Republicans last week. Carl Hulse and Michael Gold report for the New York Times.
The FBI last week deemed a recent China-linked cyber intrusion into a sensitive agency surveillance system a “major incident,” according to one congressional aide and two U.S. officials. Congress was formally notified of the decision earlier this week, but officials have not publicly disclosed the specific findings or evidence that prompted the FBI to reach this determination. John Sakellariadis reports for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Home Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin yesterday revoked a Noem-era policy requiring the secretary to personally approve contracts and grants worth more than $100,000. Jacob Wendler reports for POLITICO.
Trump has discussed firing Attorney General Pam Bondi in recent days over his frustration at her handling of the Epstein files, according to four sources. Trump has not made a final decision, but the sources said he is considering replacing her with Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Tyler Pager reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge yesterday found that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials had violated a previous order regarding warrantless arrest and ordered agents operating in her judicial district to fully document their reasons for making any future stops. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.
Democratic Party leaders yesterday filed a lawsuit to block Trump’s attempt to limit voting by mail ahead of the midterm elections. Democrats argue that an executive order signed by Trump on Tuesday, which creates an approved list of absentee voters among other actions, is an unconstitutional interference in the power of states to regulate elections. Jacob Wendler and Aaron Pellish report for POLITICO.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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ICYMI: Yesterday on Just Security
