Iran

Wall Street Journal -  President Trump is discussing with his advisers what the U.S. role in Iran will be after the conflict ends, according to the White House. Trump said the campaign is going “very well.” U.S. forces sunk an Iranian ship in the Indian Ocean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. That reflects Washington’s determination to destroy Tehran’s navy and safeguard the flow of oil through the Persian Gulf. Some European leaders have begun to openly challenging Trump over Iran. 

CNN - Iranian intelligence has sent word to the United States it could be prepared to open talks on how to end the war, according to people familiar with the indirect messages, but US officials say there are no negotiations underway and that potential “off-ramps” are unlikely to materialize in the near term.

The Hill - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth touted a U.S. Navy submarine sinking an Iranian warship in international waters Wednesday, with the Pentagon releasing a video of the incident. It’s the first such sinking of an adversary’s ship since World War II. Hegseth said the strikes against Iran have also killed the Iranian leader who led the plot to assassinate Trump in 2024, though he didn't identify the individual. A man was charged with murder-for-hire after the Iranian official allegedly tasked him with killing Trump while he was running for president.

Bloomberg - Iran vowed to escalate its retaliation against US strikes and avenge the US sinking of an Iranian warship as the conflict entered its sixth day. Arab states across the Persian Gulf reported interceptions of Iranian missiles and drones. Oil extended gains after China was said to have told its largest refiners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline, and Iran said it struck a US oil tanker. 

NPR - A panel of clerics in Iran is deciding who will replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by an airstrike at the start of the war. There are four frontrunners under consideration. The leading contender is Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah. According to NPR's Jackie Northam, Mojtaba would be seen as a status quo option, but analysts tell her Iran’s current system cannot sustain itself. They say that Iran, which has been weakened by war, protests and a battered economy, needs to transform to have legitimacy. 

 China is sending envoy Zhai Jun to the Middle East to help mediate in the conflict, NPR’s Jennifer Pak says. The foreign ministry didn’t say specifically where he would visit. Pak says there are two reasons China is stepping in: economic interests in the region and a diplomatic opportunity to act as a peace seeker. China has not extended any military assistance to Iran so far. Pak says other countries may question whether it is strategically worthwhile to partner with China if it isn’t providing security protection in the war.