A fragile calm settled over Iran and U.S. premises across the Gulf on July 10, as regional mediators sought to revive diplomatic efforts following the highest tensions between Washington and Tehran since their recent deal.
The relative lull came after a second day of tit-for-tat strikes on July 9, with Iranian officials saying that U.S. attacks killed 17 people.
The United States has deliberately alternated between conducting limited strikes and pausing military operations in an effort to avoid further escalation and create space for diplomacy, a U.S. official told CNN on July 10.
The official added that Washington continues to maintain a list of potential targets as leverage should negotiations fail.
Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict were continuing behind the scenes, according to the official. Multiple U.S. officials also told CNN that while preparations remain in place for possible additional military action if necessary, the current priority is to allow diplomacy to take the lead.
Meanwhile, the U.S. media reported that Israel shared intelligence with the U.S. this week about a new and “specific” plan by Iran to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Washington has monitored “a steady drumbeat” of intelligence about possible plans to assassinate Trump, “but the warning from Israel was new and concerned a specific plot,” CNN reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The Wall Street Journal, also citing unidentified sources, said the intelligence described a “fresh” plot.
Trump used his old Air Force One plane to leave Türkiye, where the NATO summit took place, sending his new Qatari-gifted jet on ahead to Britain, where he switched planes for the journey to Washington.
The switch from the new jet on its maiden foreign trip sparked speculation it was because its security features were lacking.
