The Trump administration argues the conflict with Iran has effectively ended after a ceasefire that began in early April, a stance intended to avoid triggering a 1973 law that requires congressional approval for military action extending beyond 60 days. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators the ceasefire paused the war, and a senior administration official, speaking anonymously, said “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated,” noting no exchanges between U.S. forces and Iran since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.
Although Washington says the fighting has paused and the ceasefire has been extended, the situation remains tense. Iran continues to control the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is enforcing a blockade to prevent Iranian oil tankers from reaching open sea. U.S. Central Command said the blockade had turned back roughly 44 commercial vessels, part of an effort to deny Tehran oil revenue and potentially push it to cut production if storage runs out.
Inside Iran, Ayatollah Mohsen Qomi, a member of the Assembly of Experts and deputy for international affairs in the Supreme Leader’s office, dismissed Western reports about Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s health as rumor-mongering and said the new supreme leader is in “perfect health,” according to state-linked Fars News Agency. Khamenei has not made a public appearance since succeeding his father, who died in the initial strikes at the start of the conflict.
The White House is also factoring diplomacy into its strategic calculations. U.S. media report President Trump’s planned visit to China is shaping his deliberations on Iran, with an anonymous White House official telling NBC the trip is among considerations as he evaluates military and diplomatic options.
Iran’s U.N. envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, responded to a joint letter from six Arab states by accusing them of complicity for hosting U.S.-Israeli bases used to strike Iranian targets, defending Tehran’s military responses as lawful self-defense under the U.N. Charter.
Fighting continues in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah. The group says it is still attacking Israeli forces, while Israel reported another soldier killed, raising troop casualties to 17 since the Iran war began. Israeli strikes in Lebanon reportedly killed nine people, including civilians, and air-raid sirens sounded in Israeli communities near the border. The UAE imposed a travel ban on Iran, Lebanon and Iraq and urged citizens to return home.
Iran’s internal crackdown appears to have intensified since the start of the conflict. The judiciary reported executing 21-year-old Sasan Azadvar of Isfahan for allegedly attacking police during January protests. Activists and rights groups say a harsher campaign, including more executions, has followed the war with the U.S. and Israel.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has signaled Tehran will maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz. State media quoted him saying Iran’s “legal rules and new management” for the waterway would benefit the region; Iran had been charging some ships up to $2 million to transit the strait, according to earlier reports.
The continued closure of the strait has strained the ceasefire. U.S. officials say the blockade and vessel turnbacks aim to cut off revenue flows and pressure Iran. Tehran has proposed delaying nuclear talks, while the U.S. has cited preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon as a principal justification for the conflict. Iran has enriched uranium to roughly 60% purity, a significant technical step toward weapons-grade material.
State television read a statement from Khamenei vowing to protect Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and declaring a “new chapter” in regional history. He also made disparaging remarks about the U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf.
President Trump told reporters Iran is “dying to make a deal” to end the paused war and largely ruled out restarting airstrikes after Tehran warned of fresh attacks if the U.S. resumed hostilities. At the same time, U.S. Central Command and the Joint Chiefs briefed the president on a new options package that Axios said includes a “short and powerful” wave of strikes on Iranian infrastructure, an operation to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz to reopen it for commercial shipping, and a special-forces mission to secure Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Diplomatically, the U.S. sought clarification from the Maldives after its president, Mohammad Muizzu, criticized Washington’s war with Iran. Special envoy Sergio Gor and Deputy Assistant Secretary Bethany Morrison spoke with Maldivian Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam about the bilateral relationship.
The administration’s declaration that hostilities have “terminated” hinges on the ceasefire holding and on a broader diplomatic outcome. But Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, continued naval interdictions, regional fighting in places like Lebanon, and Tehran’s nuclear advances mean the situation remains fragile and subject to rapid change.
