Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived this morning in the Iranian capital of Tehran, ahead of renewed peace talks this upcoming weekend with the United States in Islamabad.

Video footage shows an F-4 Phantom II with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force allegedly flying earlier today over Northern Iran, after escorting the aircraft carrying Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi into the capital of Tehran.

As peace talks continue in hopes of ending the recent Iran War, military planning for a possible Pentagon-led operation in Cuba is quietly ramping up, in case President Donald J. Trump gives an order to intervene there, sources familiar with the order have told USA TODAY.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has posted a video of a U.S. warship making a broadcast on marine VHF channel 16 to ships about the blockade of Iran:

"The U.S. has announced a formal blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas. This is a legal action. All vessels are advised to immediately return to port if leaving and discontinue transit to Iran if that is your next port of call. Do not attempt to breach the blockade. Vessels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure transiting to or from an Iranian port. Turn around or prepare to be boarded. If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force. The whole of the United States Navy is ready to force compliance. Out."

Following recent comments against The Vatican and Pope Leo XIV by a number of Republican leaders, including both President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson; Bishop James Massa, the Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Doctrine, has issued a rare statement defending the Pope, during which he stated: “When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ.”

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson decided to give his opinion today on the recent back-and-forth statements between Pope Leo XIV and members of the Trump Administration over the Iran War, attempting to justify the war under the “Just War Doctrine” in Christian Theology.

In addition to at least one F-4E Phantom II, an Iranian MiG-29B was also pictured flying over Tehran today during the arrival of Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who arrived Wednesday in Iran prior to continued peace talks this upcoming weekend in Islamabad.

The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds, two of the nation’s most elite flight teams, united Tuesday to perform an extremely rare formation flyover in “Super Delta” over Pensacola Beach, Florida.

In a post earlier this morning on TruthSocial, U.S. President Donald J. Trump said that China has agreed not to send weapons to Iran, following reports that China was preparing to send Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems (MANPADS) to Iran via a third-party nation. President Trump also highlighted his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping early next month, saying, “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there.”

The U.S. Army has officially named the new MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (LRAA), the production version of Bell’s winning V-280 tiltrotor jet, Cheyenne II. The V-280 first flew in 2017 during demonstrations for the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift program and its production version, the MV-75 Cheyenne II, is set to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk.

According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), yesterday, an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel sailing from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas attempted to evade the U.S. blockade of vessels going to and from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz and the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) redirected the vessel, causing it to head back to Iran. Per the release, 10 vessels have now been turned around since the blockade began.

According to a release from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), earlier today, at the direction of SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations earlier today in the Eastern Pacific. Per the release, the vessel was operating in known narco-trafficking routes and was engaged in trafficking. 3 narcotics-terrorists were killed in the strike.

According to U.S President Donald J. Trump, the leaders of Lebanon and Israel are set to speak tomorrow. The president made the announcement on his Truth Social app. This comes amidst the ongoing Israel-Lebanon negotiations centered around the disarmament of Lebanese Hezbollah and the end of the conflict in Southern Lebanon.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has announced that after talks today with President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, following rare direct negotiations this week between the two countries, they have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire beginning Thursday at 5:00PM Eastern Time. Presidency Trump adds that he has instructed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, to “work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE.”

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has stated that following today’s announced ceasefire, he will be inviting the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, to the White House for the “first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983.”

Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), suffered a fire earlier this week that injured three sailors, according to the U.S. Navy. The Eisenhower is nearing the end of its planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, that began January 8th, 2025.

Vessel traffic as seen via MarineTraffic in the Strait of Hormuz and entrance to the Gulf of Oman over the last 36 hours shows traffic through the strait is still significantly lower than normal levels, as the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iran continues.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that since its start over 72 hours ago, 14 vessels have turned around to comply with the blockade at the direction of American forces, as they continue the ongoing blockade against coastal areas and ports in Iran.