July 24, 2026 — Escalation in Iran war nears 2-week mark

Get the latest updates on the war with Iran here.

• Latest from Washington: President Donald Trump says the US and Iran remain in talks and that he believes Tehran is “getting more serious.” Earlier Friday, he met with top advisers and Cabinet officials to discuss a potential escalation if negotiations are not fruitful, a source told CNN.

• Days of renewed strikes: A US bombing campaign against Iran has continued for 13 consecutive nights after their ceasefire agreement crumbled earlier this month. Trump has said Washington’s exit strategy for the conflict could come either diplomatically or militarily.

• Tensions at sea: The US military says it disabled a tanker that tried to bypass its blockade on Iranian ports. And Saudi Arabia said it launched strikes against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels after the militant group attacked another Saudi vessel in the Red Sea.

US Central Command did not announce it was launching strikes on Iran on Friday, after pummeling the country daily for almost two weeks.

For the past 13 nights, CENTCOM has posted on X it was carrying out strikes on military targets in Iran. There was no such announcement in the hours of Friday Eastern Time. CENTCOM is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, which runs on Eastern Time.

It is not clear if that was because CENTCOM did not take military action against Iran on Friday.

CNN has reached out to CENTCOM for comment.

President Donald Trump made a stark pivot from making jokes to touching on the war in Iran during remarks at the White House Correspondents’ dinner on Friday.

“It’s all going extremely well. Don’t believe the fake news,” Trump said about the status of the war.

He went on to say that the US has “hit Iran very hard” and that it no longer has Navy and Air Force capabilities.

“They have very few drones left, despite what you see,” he said.

Trump also added that he thinks Iran would “love to make a deal” but that he doesn’t “think they’re ready to.”

“I don’t think it’s time yet, but I’m willing to listen,” the president said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the US next week, President Donald Trump confirmed in his speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Friday.

The Israeli leader’s office earlier said in a statement Netanyahu will meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday.

Netanyahu’s office said the visit comes at the invitation of Trump. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

Netanyahu’s seventh visit to the US to meet Trump comes after two weeks of daily American strikes on Iran and Trump threatening to strike bridges and power plants for every vessel Iran attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.

Netanyahu has long been skeptical of Iran’s intentions behind nuclear negotiations and has favored renewed strikes on Iran.

During his visit to the US, Netanyahu will also attend the funeral of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, whom Netanyahu has called “one of [Israel’s] greatest friends.”

This post has been updated with additional information.

Saudi Arabia warned of “potential danger” in the Yanbu area, home to a major Red Sea port capable of shipping millions of barrels of oil daily.

The Saudi Civil Defense issued instructions for people to take shelter early Saturday local time on X.

Several minutes later, it appeared to rescind the notice and said “the danger has passed” but advised people to avoid gathering or filming.

The warnings did not specify the nature or source of the potential danger.

US forces disabled a tanker in the Gulf of Oman today after the crew attempted to get through the US naval blockade at least four times prior, a US military official told CNN.

The crew was repeatedly warned but didn’t comply, and US forces on scene disabled the ship after firing into its engine room, the official said. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran.

This marks the time US forces have disabled a commercial ship since the US reimposed its blockade earlier this month. US Central Command previously said it has redirected 12 commercial vessels since resuming the blockade.

Saudi Arabia carried out strikes against what it said were Houthi targets in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah after a Saudi vessel was attacked in the Red Sea on Friday.

In a statement, Saudi Arabia’s Coalition Joint Forces Command described the strikes as a “proportionate military response.”

“If the Houthi militia continues its hostile actions, they will be met with a response without leniency,” the statement continued.

The coalition spokesperson, Staff Major General Turki al-Malki, called the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea a “cowardly and reckless act.”

Al-Malki said that the port at Hodeidah was not targeted in the strikes.

Earlier, the Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah television reported that a worker at a telecommunications building in Hodeidah was injured in the Saudi strike.

President Donald Trump spoke to reporters at the White House this afternoon, providing some insight into his view of the war with Iran and developments in the region.

Here are the key lines you need to know:

• The US is actively negotiating with Iran, Trump stressed, though he added that it’s possible the military continues its bombing campaign or escalates it. The president claimed “there’s a lot of” exit strategies still available.

• Those comments came after Trump met with top advisers and Cabinet officials Friday to discuss a potential escalation of the war, according to a source familiar with the matter.

• Iran seems to be getting “more serious” in ongoing talks, the president said. “I think they are being by far the most serious that we’ve seen. But that doesn’t mean we get there.”

• Meanwhile on the US-Saudi nuclear deal, Trump said Friday that he and his energy secretary hadn’t discussed it when asked if he’d authorized Chris Wright to sign the pact. Trump upended the long-negotiated deal after being blindsided by the Energy Department’s announcement this week, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Thursday.

CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Logan Schiciano, Alejandra Jaramillo and Adam Cancryn contributed to the report.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he and his energy secretary hadn’t discussed the US-Saudi nuclear deal when asked if he’d authorized Chris Wright to sign it.

“We didn’t talk about it, but it was always understood — and Chris knew and Saudi Arabia knew — that if they didn’t join the Abraham Accords… I’m not going to do the deal,” Trump told reporters as his energy secretary stood behind him in the Oval Office.

CNN reported Thursday night that Trump upended the long-negotiated nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia after being blindsided by the Energy Department’s announcement of the agreement on Wednesday, and as criticism grew from conservative allies about the original terms of the deal.

Earlier in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump quickly changed the topic when asked if his energy secretary had jumped the gun on announcing the deal.

“No, nobody got out ahead,” he said. “I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords, which has been very successful.”

The morning after the deal’s announcement, Trump added the requirement that Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords as a way of normalizing relations with Israel, surprising his own nuclear negotiators.

“They and others didn’t want to do it because of the problem that they had with Iran,” Trump said Friday of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations. “You don’t have that problem anymore, you don’t have a great power there anymore.”

The president added that the condition was “very important for the future of the Middle East.”

“At some point, they’ll join,” Trump said.

A Saudi vessel sustained minor damage to its hull after an attack in the Red Sea on Friday, the official press agency of Saudi Arabia reported, citing the kingdom’s transport authority.

The crew’s safety was confirmed and the vessel continued to its destination, the agency reported.

Soon after the attack was reported, Houthi affiliate al-Masirah TV said that Saudi airstrikes hit the major port city of Hodeidah in Yemen. A worker at a telecommunications building in Hodeidah was injured in the strikes, al-Masirah reported.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have previously announced a blockade of Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.

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