Fourteen vessels have turned around in three days rather than test a US naval blockade on Iranian-linked ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said.

US lawmakers questioned a top military officer over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to fire Army Chief of Staff General Randy George earlier this month, saying the Pentagon chief had given no explanation for the move.

Israel and Lebanon met for their first high-level talks in more than 30 years in what the Israeli ambassador to the US called a “victory for sanity,” even as officials played down hopes for an end to the war with Hezbollah.

The US and Iran are looking to arrange a second round of peace talks in the coming days as a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz worsens a global energy crisis and complicates diplomatic prospects.

Lebanon began negotiations with Israel in Washington on Tuesday, in an effort to pause a war with Hezbollah that’s wreaking havoc in the country.

Pope Leo XIV challenged the Trump administration’s argument that God is on the side of the US in the conflict with Iran, the latest in a series of rebukes even as the Vatican and the White House denied any rift following reports of a contentious meeting in January.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said NATO was moving from an “unhealthy co-dependence” between Europe and the US and was becoming a “transatlantic alliance grounded in true partnership,” after President Donald Trump criticized the bloc over the Iran war.

President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization poses an ethical quandary for the US military, whose officers would carry out his orders — and could be in jeopardy if they do anything later deemed illegal.

Even as Donald Trump pushes for talks to end the war against Iran, the US has ordered thousands of troops to the region, fueling fears that the president is gearing up for exactly the sort of risky ground invasion that he once campaigned against.

The Pentagon wants to shift roughly $1.5 billion in previously approved funding to buy critical missile interceptors from Lockheed Martin Corp. and RTX Corp., according to the acting comptroller — weapons that are in short supply as the war in Iran consumes vast amounts of the munitions.

The Pentagon has agreed with major defense contractors on a series of framework agreements meant to accelerate production of key missile systems that have seen heavy use during the initial phases of the US and Israeli war against Iran.

US officials said the White House is sending more than 2,000 additional Marines to the Middle East as it weighs a plan to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub, a ground operation that would carry huge risks for President Donald Trump.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran, including 10 Reaper strike drones hit by enemy fire and a half-dozen other planes badly damaged in attacks or accidents.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran, including 10 Reaper strike drones hit by enemy fire and a half-dozen other planes badly damaged in attacks or accidents.

The Pentagon has asked for an additional $200 billion from Congress to pay for the war against Iran, a person familiar with the matter said, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that the campaign was ahead of schedule and disputed that the US was getting embroiled in a quagmire.

The US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier is retreating from the Red Sea after a fire broke out in its laundry room, scuttling plans for the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered vessel to project power in the war with Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US has “no shortage” of munitions to carry out its campaign in Iran, seeking to rebut concerns that the US military is burning through interceptors and other missiles at an unsustainable rate.

The US has a massive stock of easy-to-produce, air-dropped precision bombs — as President Donald Trump implied in a social media post this week — but has been using costly and less-numerous standoff weapons in its attacks on Iran, sapping supplies meant for more formidable enemies.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US and Israel are on the cusp of taking complete control of Iran’s airspace as he laid out plans to step up attacks deeper in the country as its defenses are destroyed.

The Pentagon’s top strategy official acknowledged that the US operations against Iran are outside the scope of the Trump administration’s plans to have allies and partners pick up more of the burden for collective security.