The United States is fully prepared to launch a new wave of massive military strikes against Iran, but has deliberately limited its operations to give a chance to behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
The situation in the Middle East remains extremely dynamic and evolving rapidly, senior US officials told CNN
According to sources in the administration of President Donald Trump, the Pentagon has developed and maintains an up-to-date list of Iranian targets, which is being used as a means of geopolitical pressure. The US is deliberately alternating intense attacks with tactical pauses, with the aim of creating diplomatic space for negotiations through mediators and avoiding a full-scale regional war. However, the military forces, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, remain on alert for immediate action.
The collapse of the ceasefire and the escalation in the Gulf
Tensions have escalated sharply over the past 24 hours after the temporary ceasefire agreed in April practically collapsed. The renewed clashes were triggered by Iranian attacks on merchant ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which prompted Washington to respond with heavy air strikes.
The US military said it had hit between 80 and 170 military targets along Iran's southern coast and inland, including air defense systems, radar stations and bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Tehran, in turn, responded with missile and drone attacks on US military facilities in neighboring Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
“Blind” talks in Doha
Along with the rattling of weapons, technical and diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran continue at a low level through the mediation of Qatar and Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held emergency talks with regional partners in an attempt to prevent further escalation, even as Iranian leaders have officially described the US actions as "war crimes".
The diplomatic process has been further complicated by the fact that Iran is in a delicate domestic political period. The country has just completed large-scale mourning processions for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to appear in public.
The White House has stressed that if Iran does not end its blockade of international shipping and agree to a lasting agreement, the US will not hesitate to resume massive bombing.