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."
Trump calls Iran strikes 'love tap,' says ceasefire still in place
Following strikes between the U.S. and Iran, President Donald Trump told ABC News the ceasefire is not over.
"The ceasefire is going. It's in effect," he said in a phone call.
He called the strikes a "love tap."
"It's just a love tap," he said.
-ABC News' Rachel Scott
5:52 PM EDT
US conducted 'self-defense' strikes after 'unprovoked' Iranian attacks: CENTCOM
The U.S. conducted "self-defense" strikes against Iranian targets after Iran fired at U.S. destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to U.S. Central Command.
"U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman," CENTCOM said in a statement.
No U.S. assets were struck, it said.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) transits the Atlantic Ocean, on Feb. 21, 2026.
Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jayden Brown/U.S. Navy
CENTCOM said the USS Truxtun, the USS Rafael Peralta and the USS Mason were transiting the strait on Thursday when Iranian forces "launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats."
In response, U.S. forces targeted "Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes," CENTCOM said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gave a contradictory account, saying in a statement that it had targeted U.S. warships in retaliation for U.S. strikes on an Iranian oil tanker headed toward the strait and civilian areas along the Iranian coast.
The IRGC also claimed to have struck the warships, "inflicting substantial damage," which CENTCOM disputes.
4:04 PM EDT
Iran reviewing messages mediated by Pakistan but 'hasn't yet reached a conclusion'
Iran is reviewing the U.S.'s proposal that was passed along through Pakistan, Esmail Baghaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement Thursday.
“The last conversations we had with our Pakistani counterpart, focused on our suggested proposal, the 14-item proposal that has been relayed to the Americans through Pakistan," Baghaei said in a statment.
Adding, "As soon as we finalize, [our response] will be shared with the Pakistani mediator, and based on the result of these message exchanges, the next steps will be decided."
7:53 AM EDT
IDF says it killed 220 Hezbollah fighters in recent weeks
The Israel Defense Forces said in a Thursday statement that it had killed more than 220 Hezbollah fighters and commanders over the past few weeks.
The IDF said 85 Hezbollah fighters were killed in the past week.
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on May 7, 2026.