On Thursday, the ninth day of the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. is ready to restart combat operations against the Islamic Republic if a deal is not reached, reiterating threats to destroy Iranian civilian infrastructure.
“We are reloading with more power than ever before, and better intelligence,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing. “We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation, and on your energy industry. We’d rather not have to do it.”
The Washington Post, citing unnamed officials, reported Wednesday that the Pentagon will deploy to the Middle East another 6,000 troops aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and several warships escorting it, in addition to 4,200 other servicemembers who are expected to arrive in the region near the end of April.
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday afternoon rejected a war powers resolution on the Iran War, 47–52. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) joined Democrats to support the resolution, while Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) voted against it. The vote marks the fourth time this year that the Senate has voted to cede its war powers to the executive branch.
Pakistan’s army chief arrived in Tehran on Thursday to meet with Iranian officials, in a bid to extend the ceasefire. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday that no date has been set yet for a new round of direct U.S.–Iran talks.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported Thursday that Iran has serious doubts about U.S. good faith ahead of the potential talks, saying Washington must first honor existing commitments and drop what Tehran describes as excessive demands before negotiations can be productive. Tasnim says that, despite reports of a possible meeting this weekend, Iran has told Pakistani intermediaries that, absent a more agreeable framework, further talks would be “unproductive.”
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday that the U.S. is widening its naval blockade of Iranian ports beyond the Middle East to also include the Indo-Pacific region. Gen. Dan Caine said U.S. forces “will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran.” The Pentagon released its first map of the blockade line, drawn where the Gulf of Oman meets the Arabian Sea.
Tanker Trackers reported on Thursday morning that Iran has so far shipped out at least nine million barrels of oil from floating storage in the Gulf of Oman since the U.S. blockade took effect on Monday.
Tasnim News Agency reported that Iran’s Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Nabih Berri, the Lebanese speaker of parliament and leader of the Amal Movement, Thursday that Tehran views a ceasefire in Lebanon as equally important as one in Iran itself. Ghalibaf reportedly said Iran has been pressing for a permanent ceasefire across all conflict zones, including during recent Pakistani-mediated talks with the U.S. in Islamabad.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held a phone call Thursday to discuss a ceasefire to the Israeli incursion into Lebanon. Aoun reportedly rejected Trump’s push to hold direct talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a Truth Social Post after the call, Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire to begin at 5 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday.
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“I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE,” Trump wrote.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported on Thursday that Israeli strikes destroyed the Qasmiyeh Bridge, the last bridge remaining linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country. Haaretz reported Wednesday that Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed 172 children, targeting entire families in their homes. The Israeli military expanded its evacuation orders on Thursday, ordering all residents south of the Zahrani River to flee their homes immediately.
Gas prices remained elevated on Thursday, with AAA reporting the national average price of gas at $4.09 per gallon.
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