Qatar and other regional powers are seeking an off-ramp from the U.S. war. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was in Tehran on Thursday as part of Qatar’s ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict. Pakistan said Thursday that it was also continuing diplomatic efforts with Iran. Meanwhile, an oil tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. Israel continued its attacks on Gaza despite drawing a sharp rebuke from the top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the territory. The country also removed two Dutch diplomats from Gaza ceasefire efforts over what it described as “anti-Israel measures” by the Dutch government.

Back in February, President Donald Trump said he expected the war he'd just launched with Iran to last four weeks to five weeks. Since then, he's made repeated assertions that the war has been won or a deal to resolve it was nearly complete. But there’s no off-ramp in sight as the war reaches the six-month mark. The shape of the war has changed over that time, as have the goals. The United States has had tactical success in meeting goals to degrade Iran’s military capabilities. But some of the other key objectives Trump laid out at the start of the conflict are unfulfilled.

The Kremlin says CIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks in Moscow with his intelligence counterparts, a rare and secretive visit at a time when relations with Washington remain strained over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Ratcliffe did not meet President Vladimir Putin, who was informed of the meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump called the visit “semi-routine.” Peskov stressed that Russia-U.S. relations remain in a “profound crisis.” Russia-U.S. relations sank to Cold War lows after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but appeared to warm after Trump returned to office. Trump promised to end the war swiftly, but those efforts have largely stalled since Putin visited Alaska for a summit a year ago,

Iran and Oman say their top diplomats have met to discuss a phased approach to managing ship traffic through the  Strait of Hormuz. A joint statement released by the countries says their foreign ministers met in Tehran on Tuesday. The critical waterway for oil shipments remains largely shut down nearly six months after the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran. An oil tanker was disabled late on Monday after being struck by an unknown projectile off Oman, underscoring risks to shipping in the strait. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization on Tuesday said the crew is safe and no environmental damage was immediately reported.

Iran is again warning about consequences in response to new U.S. economic sanctions, including for its neighbors. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says Tehran will respond harshly. The measures were announced Monday. Meanwhile, Israeli and Syrian officials have met less than a week after Israeli strikes in Syria. The U.S.-mediated discussions focused on restarting negotiations for a future security agreement. And Israel says it killed a Hamas commander. It's the latest targeted strike in Gaza since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. envoy Jared Kushner last week about making progress on the ceasefire.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announces the U.K. will help Ukraine make its own long-range missiles. On Monday, Burnham said the U.K. will share classified technical information for British components to aid Ukraine in assembling SCALP missiles. This announcement came during Burnham's visit to Kyiv for Ukraine's Independence Day. The SCALP missile, similar to the U.K.'s Storm Shadow, is a high-precision weapon used by several countries. Ukraine is also in talks with France to set up missile assembly lines. While this move won't help Ukraine immediately, it marks a significant step in its defense capabilities. Russia criticized the decision, but Burnham dismissed the comments.