The United States has temporarily halted its attacks on Iran in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries and allow diplomacy to take over.
Despite a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, the two countries traded airstrikes in the past two days. An American official stated that the U.S. military is ready to resume fighting if needed, indicating that the pause in attacks is not a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Meanwhile, Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried on Friday at the Imam Reza shrine in the city of Mashhad, following a week-long funeral procession attended by tens of thousands of Iranians. Khamenei's successor, his son, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make a public appearance since his death.
The U.S. had received intelligence from Israel that Iran planned to assassinate President Trump, but the warning was reportedly new and concerned a specific plot. This development has raised questions about the motivations behind the Israeli report, with some speculating that it may have been an effort to influence Trump's decision-making on military action against Iran.
Washington has long warned that Iran may try to assassinate Trump in retaliation for a 2020 drone strike that killed a top Iranian official. The warning from Israel has added to the already heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that his country will remain in southern Lebanon "as long as necessary to ensure the security of our communities in the north." Netanyahu emphasized the importance of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which he claimed would pose an existential threat to Israel and the Western world.
U.S. President Trump spoke with Netanyahu, updating him on the U.S. moves in the Gulf and discussing continued coordination between the countries in various sectors.
Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried in a private ceremony attended by his family at the Imam Reza shrine in the city of Mashhad. Khamenei's successor, his son, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared in public since his death.
Despite the cessation of attacks, the U.S. military is maintaining a target list as leverage and has prepared for potential strikes if needed. Fighter jets aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are armed and practicing drills, remaining ready for any potential action.
