What we know on the 18th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

(CNN) — Israel said that it killed Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, in a strike on Tehran, demonstrating Israel’s continued determination to pursue senior figures in the Iranian regime, even those seen as pragmatists like Larijani.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is berating American allies for their reluctance to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed after the United States and Israel attacked it.

Here’s what to know on day 18.

What are the main headlines?

• Israel “eliminates” Larijani: Israel said it killed Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in a Monday night strike on Tehran. Iran has not yet commented. Larijani had emerged as one of the most prominent figures in Iran in recent months, helping to suppress the huge protests that swept the country in January. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military will “continue hunting” Iran’s leadership, suggesting divergence between the war aims of the US and Israel.
• Basij leader killed: Soon after Larijani’s death was announced, the Israeli military said that it had killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force. The Basij operates like a police force for the regime’s military, and it also helped suppress protests earlier this year. The Israeli military said his death marked a “significant blow to the regime’s security command-and-control structures.”
• Targeting Baghdad: The US Embassy and a hotel in Baghdad were targeted by drones early Tuesday, with video appearing to show air defenses engaging a projectile near the embassy. The Majnoon oil field in southern Iraq also came under attack, the spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of Iraq’s armed forces said.
• UAE attacks: The United Arab Emirates temporarily closed its airspace after two separate fires broke out at the Fujairah oil zone and the Shah gas field after drone strikes at both locations. A tanker near Fujairah port was also struck by an “unknown projectile” late Monday – the 21st vessel to report an incident around the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman since the war began, according to the UK’s maritime agency. Later on Tuesday, one person was killed by falling debris from an intercepted missile in Abu Dhabi.
• US troops: A US Navy warship believed to be carrying thousands of Marines and sailors to the Middle East is nearing the Malacca Strait as it makes its way to the region, maritime tracking data showed Tuesday. Officials told CNN the unit was being sent to the Middle East, without revealing exactly where it would be deployed or what it would be used for.
• US intelligence official resigns: Joe Kent, a senior, Trump-appointed US intelligence official appointed, abruptly announced Tuesday he is stepping down from his post, citing misgivings about the administration’s war with Iran. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Kent said in a resignation letter he posted on X.

What’s the latest on diplomacy?

• Diplomacy stalled: Iranian officials have reached out to Trump’s Middle East envoy, trying to reopen a diplomatic channel, but Trump said he didn’t want to negotiate now, two senior White House officials told CNN. Part of the reason is because Trump’s administration is not confident that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, “is actually in charge,” one of the officials said. Iran’s foreign minister denied having any contact with the president’s envoy in recent days, as the White House officials claim.
• “Not NATO’s war”: EU foreign ministers decided against expanding their naval operations around the Strait of Hormuz, even as Trump criticized allies who rebuffed his demands for assistance in reopening the critical waterway. He said he will “soon” announce countries that have agreed to help, while acknowledging many have rejected his overtures. On Monday, a spokesperson for the German chancellor said: “It is not NATO’s war.”
• Patience runs thin: Some American, European and Asian diplomats are growing increasingly frustrated with the Trump administration’s refusal to use traditional diplomatic channels. “If there was more diplomatic engagement on the US side, they might be able to get a more positive outcome,” said one European diplomat.

What’s happening on the ground?

• Trading strikes: Israel, Iran and Hezbollah continued exchanging attacks on Monday. Four were wounded in northern Israel after Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets and drones. Israel said it began a wave of strikes on the Iranian capital Tehran, while the Iranian Red Crescent said early Tuesday that relief workers are trying to reach a Tehran resident trapped under rubble. And Israeli airstrikes targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
• Alarm over Lebanon: The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK said they were “gravely concerned” about growing violence in Lebanon, after Israel said earlier it is expanding “limited” ground operations there. The five governments warned that Israel’s planned invasion “must be averted.” More than 1 million people in Lebanon have been internally displaced and at least 850 people killed since the latest conflict began, according to Lebanese authorities.

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