According to Axios, citing senior U.S. officials, U.S. President Donald J. Trump met with his National Security Team today to discuss how to move forward with Iran. Per the report, discussions also included the possibility of resuming combat operations against Iran, something that has been reported before. Key officials, including but not limited to, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, and CIA director John Ratcliffe are all expected to join the meeting.

Citing two U.S. officials, Axios is also reporting that U.S. President Donald J. Trump is mulling conducting limited strikes against Iran in an effort to coerce them to accede to nuclear talks. Per one U.S. official, “he will tune them up a bit,” while another official said “I think we all know where this is going.”

Per the report, one option on the table is to strike 25% of the targets the U.S. has marked out but hasn’t hit yet.

According to CBS, citing U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity, Pakistan, a key mediator in the ongoing but stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations, allowed Iran to reposition key aircraft on their bases, likely to avoid losing them to U.S. airstrikes. Per the report, both Pakistan and Afghanistan allowed them to do this. Iran sent one of its ISR aircraft, a converted RC-130 “Saba,” and other aircraft, both military and civilian, to Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Force Base in the early days of the war.

According to the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has indeed been conducting strikes against Iran. Per the report, these strikes included the those on Iran’s refinery on Lavan Island soon after the announcement of the nominal ceasefire. Additionally, the U.S. was reportedly not only aware of their involvement, but ‘quietly welcomed’ the UAE and potentially other Gulf nations in joining offensive actions against Iran. To date, the UAE has been inundated by disproportionately more Iranian missiles and drones than any of their Gulf neighbors and has consistently said that they reserve the right to deter Iranian attacks by any means possible.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted South Korean Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back in Washington at the Pentagon today. Per a Department of War release on the meeting, areas of discussion included increased burden-sharing with South Korea and other Indo-Pacific allies and the upcoming Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue, set to take place later this week.

U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby was also present at today’s meeting at the Pentagon with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and South Korean Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back.

The incarceration of Hong Kong media personality and politician Jimmy Lai and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan will be among the topics U.S. President Donald J. Trump will discuss during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week in Beijing, China.

Kellie Meyer of NewsNation spoke with U.S. President Donald J. Trump on the potential for U.S. action against Iran before his visit to China this week and President Trump declined to comment on the matter, saying “I’m not going to talk to you about that, obviously.”

This comes amidst reports from Axios that the administration is mulling a limited strike campaign against 25% of identified Iranian targets that have not been struck yet, in an effort to coerce Iranian decision-makers into negotiating on their nuclear program.

According to a release from the Japanese Joint Staff, fighter jets of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force’s Southwestern Air Defense Force were scrambled to deal with a suspected intrusion in Japanese airspace by what was likely Chinese aircraft.

Japan has been the recipient of both naval and aerial coercion from both Russia and China this year. Such events, oftentimes joint Sino-Russian efforts follow the Japanese prime minister’s past comments showing solidarity with Taiwan and increasing moves by the Japanese to expand their force posture in the local region in response to Chinese coercive measures in the region.

New reporting from CBS News indicates that the United States and Ukraine are working towards mutually agreeable terms on a new defense deal that would allow Ukraine to export defense and military technology to the U.S. in addition to entering into agreements with American companies to manufacture drones. This builds on the assistance that Ukraine has provided to the U.S. and allies during Operation Epic Fury.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that since the commencement of the U.S. naval blockade of Iran 30 days ago, CENTCOM has redirected 65 commercial vessels in addition to disabling 4.

In a notable announcement, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced that he plans to hold some level of talks with Cuban decision-makers at a yet unspecified time and date.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) conducted an armed infiltration against Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island that ended in the injury of one member of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces.
More to come.

According to reports from a number of news outlets, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) attack against Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island was an attempt to target U.S. forces and satellite infrastructure on the Island. In the engagement, Kuwaiti forces captured four IRGC members, which included two Guard naval captains, a Guard naval lieutenant, and a Guard army lieutenant.

Following the foiled IRGC attack against Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island, similar to wording from the United Arab Emirates following the resumption of Iranian strikes on the Gulf nation, Kuwait has said that “the State of Kuwait reserves its full and inherent right to self-defense in accordance with Article (51) of the United Nations Charter, and to take such measures as it deems appropriate to defend its sovereignty and protect its people and residents on its territories, in accordance with international law.”