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US conducts 'self-defense' strikes in Iran

PHOTO: Israeli soldiers operate at Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon, in this handout image released on May 31, 2026.
1:47
Israeli Military/via Reuters
US conducts 'self-defense' strikes in Iran over the weekend
By David Brennan, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: May 25, 2026, 7:49 PM

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.

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan in April failed to reach a peace deal.

Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of a U.S. blockade until negotiations are concluded "one way or the other."

Key Headlines

  • Death toll in Lebanon now 3,412 from Israeli attacks, health ministry says
  • Any deal with US must secure 'rights of the Iranian people,' Ghalibaf says
  • IDF advances north of Litani River, approaches city of Nabatieh
  • 'Suspected' mine reported in Strait of Hormuz, Omani authorities say
  • Hegseth calls talks with Iran 'productive'
Here's how the news is developing.

May 25, 2026 7:49 PM

Israel will 'intensify' strikes in Lebanon, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will "intensify" strikes in Lebanon.

"We are not taking our foot off the gas. On the contrary, I have instructed them to press the pedal even harder," he said in a video message on Monday.

"What is required from us now is to intensify the blows, increase the force," he said. "We will strike them decisively."

The message comes as the Israel Defense Forces said Monday it struck more than 70 "Hezbollah infrastructure sites" across Lebanon.


May 25, 2026 5:30 PM

Trump honors troops killed in Iran war

PHOTO: President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, May 25, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, May 25, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

President Donald Trump honored the 13 service members killed during the war in Iran while delivering Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery.

"In Operation Epic Fury, we lost 13 wonderful souls, wonderful special people," he said. "These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world's number one state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon. Oh, and they won't. They will never have a nuclear weapon."

Seven service members died following the opening wave of Iranian retaliatory attacks across the Middle East, and six Air Force airmen were killed when a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, salute during the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, May 25, 2026, in Arlington, Va.
Rod Lamkey/AP Photo/Rod Lamkey
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, salute during the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, May 25, 2026, in Arlington, Va.
Rod Lamkey/AP Photo/Rod Lamkey

May 25, 2026 10:54 AM

Trump says Iran deal critics 'know nothing' of potential agreement

President Donald Trump on Monday again insisted that his proposed Iran deal is the "exact opposite" of former President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, attacking Democrats and his GOP adversaries in a new social media post.

"The deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal. It will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to a Nuclear Weapon for Iran. No, I don't do deals like that!" Trump wrote.

The president said that his critics "know nothing" about the potential deal he is working on, adding that "things haven't even been negotiated yet." On Saturday, Trump claimed an "agreement had been largely negotiated."

PHOTO: A woman holds an Iranian flag near an anti-U.S. billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran, Iran, on May 25, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/via Reuters
A woman holds an Iranian flag near an anti-U.S. billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran, Iran, on May 25, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/via Reuters

Trump also criticized his Republican adversaries, including Sen. Bill Cassidy, Rep. Thomas Massie, and Sen. Thom Tillis. While pointing to Cassidy and Massie's recent primary losses, Trump added that Tillis is also "Soon out of office!"

In a subsequent post, the president wished Americans a happy Memorial Day, "including the Dumocrats, who disrespect our Military and all of the tremendous success that it has had over the last year."

-ABC News' Emily Chang



May 25, 2026 9:09 AM

'No one' can say deal is imminent despite progress, Baghaei says

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told a Monday press conference that the U.S. and Iran have "reached a conclusion on a large part of the issues under discussion," though stressed that "no one" can say that the finalization of a deal is "imminent."

Tehran is "witnessing frequent changes in positions" from the U.S. side, Baghaei said, as quoted by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

"Within a few hours you will encounter different and in many cases contradictory views," Baghaei told reporters of the talks.

Baghaei also addressed different facets of a possible deal, saying a ceasefire of the war on all fronts -- including Lebanon -- was part of the draft agreement. He also said details about the management of the Strait of Hormuz are still undecided.

"We have not entered into the details of this agreement. How the Strait of Hormuz will be managed is a matter that concerns the coastal states of the strait," Baghaei said.

He added that no Iranian delegation visit to Pakistan, the mediating country, is planned at the moment.

"We are now focused on the negotiation process. How the understanding will be announced or signed later is an issue that there is time to decide on in the future," Baghaei said.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule


May 30, 2026 12:22 AM

US military searches have not found any mines in Strait of Hormuz: US official

U.S. military searches so far have not found any Iranian mines that may have been placed in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a U.S. official.

U.S. intelligence reports have mentioned that Iran has placed mines in the Strait, according to another U.S. official, who said that at one point it was believed that Iran had placed at least a dozen mines in the waterway. Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump also once again referenced in a social media post how Iranian mines have previously been destroyed or removed by the U.S.

PHOTO: Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are visible near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 22, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/vWANA via Reuters
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are visible near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 22, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/vWANA via Reuters

But U.S. military searches in the crucial waterway since the start of the war have not found definitive evidence of any mines, according to a U.S. official. Those searches have involved underwater drones and aircraft reconnaissance, according to the U.S. official.

In a statement, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson said: "U.S. military efforts for ensuring the Strait of Hormuz is fully clear of sea mines laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are ongoing. We are unable to publicly discuss specifics at this time for operational security reasons."

NBC News was first to report that the U.S. has not confirmed that Iran placed mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez


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