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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.
Latest Developments
Jul 21, 3:54 PM
Hegseth estimates the war with Iran cost the US $37.5 billion
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told congressmembers on Capitol Hill that the war in Iran has cost the U.S. $37.5 billion so far.
Hegseth said this includes estimated costs through Sept. 30.
Jul 21, 12:33 PM
Many ship owners refusing to transit through alternate route after Houthi threats, shipping executive saysEven the threat of attacks by the Houthis is having an impact on ships transiting through the Bab el Mandeb route -- a strait in the Red Sea's southern gateway and one of the world's most important oil shipping routes for crude and fuel shipments moving between the Middle East, Europe and Asia -- according to a ship fleet company executive who has seven tankers in the region.
"There is no transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Also as of today the Bab el Mandeb transits into the Red Sea are also uncertain as Houthis have sent messages to many companies banning transit to Saudi ports," the executive told ABC News.
"We deal with uncertainty on a daily basis but the level of uncertainty now is unprecedented. Especially for the seafarers this is a nightmare. This is a huge concern for the world because if the Bab el Mandeb closes while the Strait of Hormuz is closed oil will go to 150!" the executive said.
The executive said it is "too risky" to go through the Arabian Gulf, adding that the "Red Sea transit has become an unknown. No incidents as yet but clear threats and instructions from Houthis not to head to/from Saudi ports."
-ABC News' Desiree Adib
Jul 21, 11:55 AM
Trump says Iran 'desperately' wants to meet for ceasefire talks amid new strikes
President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that Iran "desperately" wants to meet for ceasefire talks despite the U.S. and Iran exchanging limited strikes for over a week.
But, Trump maintained that the war is not yet over telling reporters at the White House, "We're not finished."
"We're not leaving," Trump said.
Jul 21, 11:43 AM
Crew members in Kuwaiti tanker injured in Iranian attack
Multiple crew members were injured in Iranian strikes on a Kuwaiti tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday evening, Kuwait’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The ministry said it had summoned Iran’s ambassador to Kuwait to protest the alleged attack.
"The State of Kuwait renewed its demand for Iran to immediately cease its illegitimate attacks, emphasizing Kuwait's reservation of its right to take necessary measures, and holding Iran fully responsible for this aggression and its ongoing assaults against the State of Kuwait," Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Tuesday.
Jul 21, 8:28 AM
Pentagon names soldier killed in Iraq by downed Iranian drone
The Pentagon on Tuesday identified the soldier killed in Iraq over the weekend during the disposal of a downed Iranian one-way attack drone.
Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died during the controlled detonation of the drone at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
At least 17 U.S. troops have been killed since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28, while some 500 others have been wounded, according to Defense Department figures and an updated casualty count provided by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell on Monday.
One service member also remains missing following last week's attack in Jordan, where officials are still working to identify human remains recovered at the scene.
-ABC News' Steve Beynon
Jul 21, 7:40 AM
Kuwait says Iranian attacks damaged power, desalination facilities
Several power generation and water desalination plants in Kuwait came under attack from Iran for the fourth consecutive day late on Monday, causing fires at a number of facilities, the Ministry of Electricity said in a statement.
Several generating units were taken offline as a precaution to protect equipment and maintain the stability of Kuwait's electricity and water systems, the statement said.
-ABC News' Ayat Altawy and Othon Leyva
Jul 21, 7:14 AM
Jordan intercepts 3 Iranian missiles
Air defenses in Jordan intercepted three Iranian missiles on Tuesday afternoon, the Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement.
No injuries or damage were reported, the military said. The announcement came hours after the military announced it downed five Iranian drones overnight.
-ABC News' Othon Leyva
Jul 21, 7:07 AM
IDF 'adjusts force posture' as Lebanese military begins pilot program
An Israeli military official told ABC News on Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces "will adjust its force posture" in one of the south Lebanon villages earmarked for a U.S.-backed pilot scheme, through which the Lebanese military will take control of the villages and clear them of Hezbollah presence and weapons.
The Lebanese Armed Forces will take control of three villages in the south of the country under the program, which was agreed during U.S.-brokered talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials last month.
The IDF, the Israeli military official said, will continue "safeguarding the security of IDF soldiers and preserving its right to self-defense and to remove threats."
The IDF, they added, will remain in southern Lebanon "for as long as necessary to defend the communities of northern Israel" and will "retain the freedom of operation to remove threats posed to the soldiers deployed in the Security Zone," a reference to a 6-mile-deep area along the shared border which Israeli forces have occupied.
"In the event of any violations of the agreement by the Hezbollah terrorist organization, the IDF will work through the coordination mechanism, mediated by the United States," the official said. "The objective of the pilot and the agreement is the disarmament of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and the removal of its illegal weapons," they added.
The LAF said in a post to X on Tuesday that its forces had begun deploying to the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, in the southern Nabatieh Governorate.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Othon Leyva
Jul 21, 6:16 AM
Jordan says it intercepted drones launched from Iran
Jordan's Ministry of Government communication said in a post to social media that the country's air defenses intercepted five Iranian drones on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
-ABC News' Charlotte Gardiner and Joe Simonetti
Jul 21, 6:11 AM
IRGC says 'not a drop of oil or gas' will transit Strait of Hormuz
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed on Tuesday morning that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to commercial traffic.
"Not a single drop of oil or gas, nor any shipment of chemical fertilizers, will be exported from the region as long as the United States continues its hostile actions," the force said in a statement.
-ABC News' Nasser Atta and Joe Simonetti
