Responsible Statecraft

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed to all vessel traffic, with Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority blaming illegal US military movements, as the US launched a third wave of strikes on Iranian targets. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, injuring three in Kuwait. US Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch pro-Israel voice, died at 71. Israel mourned Graham as 'one of its greatest friends,' and Prime Minister Netanyahu is considering attending the funeral. In Gaza, the IDF killed two Hamas operatives advancing attacks on troops, while heavy airstrikes hit Gaza City. The former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, died at 74.

The funeral procession for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began in Tehran on July 6, drawing massive crowds and calls for revenge. Hamas reportedly plans to dissolve its Gaza government to allow a technocratic panel, while the IDF struck a Hezbollah cell in southern Lebanon. Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected a claim by US Vice President Vance that Trump is Israel's only friend, asserting many nations seek ties. Dozens of Israeli activists were detained attempting to breach the Syrian border.

An IDF reservist was killed and another soldier injured in an operational accident in southern Lebanon, while a Defense Ministry contractor died in a building collapse in Gaza. The IRGC Navy warned against unauthorized transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and US-mediated Israel-Lebanon talks faced frustration from both Jerusalem and Beirut over the IDF withdrawal plan. President Trump claimed he stopped Turkish President Erdogan from joining the war on Iran’s side and hinted at a potential F-35 sale.

Prime Minister Netanyahu finished his final testimony in his corruption trial after 98 sessions, while the IDF struck two armed Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon and dismantled four Hamas rocket launchers in Gaza. Defense Minister Katz declared Israel would not withdraw from Lebanon even under U.S. pressure, as U.S. Secretary of State Rubio toured Gulf states to reassure allies on the Iran deal. The IAEA backed U.S. claims on inspections, but Iran’s deputy FM reiterated access to nuclear sites requires a final agreement.

The first round of US-Iran talks in Switzerland concluded with a 60-day roadmap toward a final deal, though tensions persist over Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon. An explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG terminal injured 54 and left 18 missing, shaking global energy markets. The IDF killed two Hamas operatives in Gaza, including a senior engineering officer, and shot dead two Palestinians hurling Molotov cocktails at a West Bank settlement.

Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly defied the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, insisting Israeli forces will maintain a permanent security zone in southern Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. The IDF reported multiple Hezbollah attacks on troops in south Lebanon, including rockets, anti-tank missiles, and mortars, with no Israeli injuries. The US-Iran deal, signed electronically on Saturday and set for formal signing Friday in Geneva, has drawn mixed reactions internationally and on Capitol Hill, while oil prices fell and stock markets rose on hopes of normalized energy supplies.

Israel has publicly rejected the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, with Defense Minister Israel Katz declaring the IDF will remain indefinitely in security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. The deal, set for formal signing on Friday in Switzerland, includes a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. International reactions have been largely positive, but Israel faces isolation as tensions with Washington escalate.

Israel and Iran announced a mutual halt to direct attacks on June 8 after US President Trump warned Prime Minister Netanyahu that Israel would be 'on its own' if it continued strikes. The IDF intercepted a Houthi drone over Eilat and continued operations in southern Lebanon, where strikes killed at least 14 people. The ICC suspended its chief prosecutor over sexual misconduct allegations.

Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain, killing one and wounding 63 at Kuwait’s airport, while the US struck Iran’s Qeshm Island in self-defense. President Trump confirmed calling Netanyahu ‘f***ing crazy’ over Lebanon fighting. Hezbollah continued rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel, and the IDF struck targets in southern Lebanon, killing a Lebanese soldier. The fourth round of Israel-Lebanon talks continued in Washington.

Clashes continued in southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered partial ceasefire, with Hezbollah launching rocket and drone attacks and the IDF striking targets in the south. The fourth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington, while Israel’s defense minister threatened to treat Beirut’s Dahiya suburb like northern Israeli towns. The IDF acknowledged inadvertently damaging a hospital in Tyre. In Gaza, the IDF killed five operatives planning imminent attacks. Iran’s leadership deliberated a US peace deal, and Netanyahu vowed the Iranian regime would fall.

Hezbollah fired multiple rocket salvos at northern Israel overnight, with one projectile striking a shopping center in Kiryat Shmona and causing damage but no injuries. The IDF intercepted several rockets and issued new evacuation warnings for seven villages in southern Lebanon, while Israeli airstrikes and drone strikes continued across the south. The US-Iran deal remains unresolved after a White House Situation Room meeting ended without a decision, and Iran denied any final understanding has been reached.

Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed IDF troops of the 36th Division crossed the Litani River and advanced to strategic points in southern Lebanon, while the IDF struck Hezbollah targets across the south and in the Bekaa Valley. The US and Iran reached a tentative 60-day ceasefire memorandum of understanding, pending President Trump's approval, though both sides publicly disputed its contents. In Gaza, Netanyahu ordered the IDF to expand control to 70% of the Strip, violating the October ceasefire, and the IDF eliminated the deputy commander of Hamas's Gaza City Brigade. The UN added Israel to its sexual-violence-in-conflict blacklist, drawing sharp Israeli condemnation.

Israel confirmed the killing of Hamas's new military chief Mohammed Odeh in a Gaza strike, while intensifying airstrikes in Lebanon that killed at least 31 people. Hezbollah launched over 15 drones at Israel and threatened to topple the Lebanese government. US-Iran negotiations continued with Secretary of State Rubio saying a deal could take 'a few days,' even as Iran condemned recent US strikes as a ceasefire violation.

An IDF soldier was killed by Hezbollah mortar fire in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah launched rockets at the Galilee, as President Trump warned that the “decimation” of Iran’s military “will continue” and said his patience with Tehran is running out. Trump and Xi Jinping discussed reopening the Strait of Hormuz but reached no firm deal. CENTCOM’s commander told Congress that Iran’s military is severely degraded but still able to strike. Netanyahu said Israel now holds 60% of Gaza territory, and a new activist flotilla departed Turkey for Gaza.

President Trump declared the US will “finish the job” against Iran “peacefully or otherwise,” as Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at IDF troops in southern Lebanon. Reports reveal Saudi Arabia conducted covert retaliatory strikes on Iran in late March, while Iran sets five preconditions for resuming nuclear talks with Washington.

US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest ceasefire response as ‘totally unacceptable,’ while an IDF reservist was killed by a Hezbollah explosive drone near the Lebanon border. Prime Minister Netanyahu said the war with Iran is ‘not over’ until enriched uranium is removed, and the UK and France are hosting a multinational defense ministers’ meeting on securing the Strait of Hormuz.

The IDF confirmed it killed Hezbollah Radwan Force commander Ahmed Ali Balout in a precise strike on Beirut’s Dahieh suburb, while Hezbollah launched rockets and explosive drones at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. Iran is reviewing a US proposal to end the war, and President Trump paused the Hormuz escort operation after Saudi Arabia denied airspace access. In Gaza, the son of Hamas’s chief negotiator was killed in an IDF strike.

President Trump told Iran to 'just give up' and vowed to maintain the naval blockade until a nuclear deal is reached, as Brent crude surged past $117 per barrel and the UAE confirmed its exit from OPEC effective May 1. The IDF intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters near Crete, while Hezbollah continued loitering-glider attacks on Israeli armor in southern Lebanon and the IDF struck over 30 Hezbollah sites. In London, police declared the stabbing of two Jewish men a terrorist incident, with an Iran-linked group claiming responsibility.