What to know about the Iran war today:
- Monday marks 60 days since the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that called for a wider deal to be reached between the two countries within that period. However, after various flare-ups and promises of an imminent accord, there do not appear to be any concrete plans to end the conflict.
- Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed over the weekend, with no transits tracked through the waterway on Sunday, according to data from tracking firm Kpler reported by Reuters. Reopening the strait has been one of the focal points of the past 60 days but despite periods of progress, transiting the waterway remains a rarity.
- Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and negotiator on Middle East affairs, met with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday to discuss the latest U.S.-backed peace deal. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the agreement.
Iran’s army chief announces $30,000 bounty for U.S. service members
Iran’s army chief announced on Sunday a reward equivalent to around $30,000 for the capture or killing of U.S. military personnel.
Speaking at a ceremony in Tehran on Sunday, Major General Amir Hatami said any Iranian who captured or killed a U.S. military service member would receive the reward of around 5 billion Iranian tomans. For any Iranian woman who captures or kills an American service member, Hatami said the reward would be doubled.
Hatami also issued fresh warnings about Iran’s determination to control the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “sacred” geopolitical asset for the Islamic republic. He said Tehran would use its full capabilities to protect the waterway and described control of the strait as an important lever in bringing the war to an end.
Shipping in Strait of Hormuz continues to slow
Transit in the Strait of Hormuz slowed this weekend, according to data by tracking firm Kpler reported by Reuters.
Only five commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and none on Sunday, according to Kpler, compared to 31 the prior weekend.
At least one ship entered using the Iranian route, and a small tanker laden with Iranian fuel oil exited, data showed.
Some ships may pass with their transponders off, meaning they may not be detectable, but transits are still a long way from the 130 ships that traversed the strait every day before the war started.
60-day memorandum of understanding period expires Monday
Monday marks 60 days since the U.S. and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding that called for negotiations to reach a wider deal to end the war between the two countries and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
However, that 60-day period expires Monday amid a stalemate between the two countries and a deal seemingly nowhere in sight. Over the past two months, talks between the two sides broke down, despite President Trump repeatedly saying a deal was imminent, leading to multiple flare-ups and escalations in the fighting and a constant exchange of threats.
On July 8, Mr. Trump declared that the memorandum of understanding was “over.”
Jared Kushner met with Hamas leaders in Egypt to discuss Gaza peace road map
Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and negotiator on Middle East affairs, met with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday to discuss the latest U.S.-backed peace deal that seeks the group’s disarmament and a road map for the transfer of power to a new government, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting.
The meeting was aimed at translating the plan negotiated by Mr. Trump’s international Board of Peace into concrete, verifiable steps, the source told CBS News, including maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, beginning to transfer all governing responsibilities to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, ensuring Hamas has no future governing role in Gaza, facilitating Israeli withdrawals and deploying an international stabilizing force to the region, among other things.
The rare meeting in Egypt with Hamas’ Khalil al-Hayya was also confirmed to the Associated Press by a regional official and a Hamas official, both speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
CENTCOM chief praises USS Abraham Lincoln crew after visit
Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, praised the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln after he visited the cruiser on Saturday.
In a statement shared on social media, Cooper said his time aboard the Lincoln was “awe-inspiring.”
“I wish every American could see the crew in action,” he said. “You would beam with absolute pride when witnessing their camaraderie, teamwork and resilience.”
The Lincoln, which has about 5,000 service members, arrived in the Middle East in January and has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran. It deployed in November 2025 to the Pacific before it moved to the Middle East. It has spent a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days. U.S. military vessels are normally deployed for about six months.
In the last few weeks, reports have emerged of mental health concerns among the crew and supply issues on board.
Cooper acknowledged the concerns in his statement, but said the Lincoln has among the lowest numbers of cases related to mental health of all the U.S. Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers.
“This doesn’t mean that all is perfect,” he said. “Find any of the nearly 4 million Navy veterans in America today and they will likely tell you that service at sea for long periods of time isn’t for everyone. It is uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways.”
Cooper applauded the actions of Lincoln’s leadership for “stepping up and making mental health and crew resilience a leadership priority.”
The USS George Washington aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln.
Asked Friday if he thought the Lincoln’s deployment was too long, President Trump said it was “not nearly long enough.”
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Rep. Don Bacon says Trump was “setting maybe false expectations” in initial days of Iran war
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Rep. Don Bacon says Trump was “setting maybe false expectations” in initial days of Iran war
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