Two Days of US Strikes Were Among Heaviest Yet

The US-Iran conflict remained in a sort of limbo on Friday—"caught somewhere between war and peace," as the Washington Post puts it. The US has stopped a barrage of airstrikes, but not before a two-day deluge on Tuesday and Wednesday that was one of heaviest since the war began, reports the New York Times. The US struck over 170 targets across the country, according to the Pentagon. The hits ranged from air defenses and drone and missile depots, to military speedboats near the Strait of Hormuz, and even a railway bridge hundreds of miles away, which officials said was part of Iran's military supply network. Iran's Health Ministry reported at least 14 dead and 78 wounded in five provinces.

In the meantime, negotiations between the two sides continue. In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump wrote that Iran "has asked us to continue 'talks," and that the US has agreed to do so. But, he added, "the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!" US officials and analysts described this week's strikes as a clear step-up, signaling Iran's critical infrastructure could be at risk if tensions keep rising. The escalation followed what Washington says were Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels. As multiple sites reported on Thursday, one big problem is that the US and Iran have vastly different understandings of the loosely written memorandum of understanding that led to the ceasefire.

"It is so vague that everyone interpreted it differently," Yoel Guzansky of Tel Aviv University tells the Post. "Now it is a negotiation under fire, with both sides trying to pressure the other."