The United States and Iran remain locked in overlapping tracks of warfare and negotiation, with President Trump calling talks the “most serious” yet even as US strikes against Iran continued for a 13th consecutive night. “I think they are by far the most serious that we’ve seen,” Trump told reporters Friday, adding, “But that doesn’t mean we get there,” according to Reuters.
Trump has used similar language in past rounds of negotiation that ultimately collapsed, including a March characterization of “major points of agreement” that did not produce a deal, according to Reuters.
US Central Command’s overnight strikes targeted military command centers, drone facilities, communications networks, and maritime capabilities, according to CNN. The US military also disabled a tanker attempting to bypass its blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran claimed to have struck a US-operated base in Kuwait on July 24, though neither US nor Kuwaiti officials have confirmed the claim, according to RFE/RL. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard separately warned Gulf states against hosting US bomber operations, a message aimed at raising the political cost for governments sheltering American forces.
The conflict’s maritime front also widened Friday, with Saudi Arabia striking Houthi positions in Yemen after the group attacked another Saudi vessel in the Red Sea.
