President Trump announced Thursday, he's canceling planned US military strikes on Iran tonight, claiming that progress has been made in the ongoing peace negotiations with the Persian nation. Iranian state-affiliated media however deny the claim, reportedly saying "no text for a preliminary memorandum of understanding with the United States has been approved."

"Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening," Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday. "Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others. The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly."

Trump's announcement comes after U.S. launched "self-defense strikes" overnight, against multiple Iranian targets on Wednesday (June 10), starting at 2115 UTC (5:15 p.m. ET) Wednesday, following President Donald Trump's order to pressure Tehran into signing a peace deal. In retaliation, Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones at U.S. military assets in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain, marking the second consecutive day of exchanged fire that has severely strained an April ceasefire.

CENTCOM confirmed the strikes targeted military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across southern Iran, including areas near Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Minab.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the attacks were intended to "negotiate with bombs" by degrading Iranian capabilities and forcing a diplomatic breakthrough after negotiations stalled. The U.S. military described the operation as a response to "unwarranted and continued aggression," specifically citing the recent downing of a U.S. attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have struck 18 U.S. military targets, including air bases in Kuwait (Ali Al-Salem, Ahmed Al-Jaber) and Bahrain (Sheikh Isa), as well as a command center in Jordan. While Jordan claim intercepting all incoming missiles without casualties, Bahrain experienced falling shrapnel that caused minor injuries and property damage, and Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace** due to the threat. Iran also declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all vessels.

The escalation occurs amidst failed efforts to finalize a peace agreement, with Trump threatening to "bomb the shit out of them" if a deal is not signed immediately. Iran's foreign ministry condemned the U.S. strikes on civilian water infrastructure as a "calculated war crime," declaring the existing ceasefire "practically meaningless." Concurrently, the U.S. has intensified a naval blockade, recently striking oil tankers accused of violating restrictions, which has contributed to rising global oil prices.

Trump had earlier on Thursday threatened to conduct more devasting airstrikes on Iran, which he has now called of. Though both Iranian and Israeli sources deny any knowledge of a US-Iran agreement cited by the president.

Negotiations reportedly continued late into Wednesday night in Tehran as Qatari envoy Ali Al-Thawadi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi worked to bridge the remaining gaps between the U.S. and Iran. And both parties believed on Wednesday that they had reached an agreed-upon text that the U.S. would also accept, pending approval by Iran's supreme leader.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced Monday, the four-person crew for the Artemis III mission at an event in Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The crew, expected to launch in 2027, consists of Commander Randy Bresnik, Pilot Luca Parmitano (European Space Agency), and Mission Specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas, with Bob Hines named as backup.

Isaacman described the mission as the beginning of a new era, likening it to the start of Earth’s first "Starfleet" and emphasizing that the mission is designed to take calculated risks to ensure future lunar safety.

"You carry the fire of exploration from generations past, the confidence of this agency, and the support of this nation, and the dreams of millions who will be cheering you on, knowing that what others believe to be impossible happens to be what we do best here at NASA," Isaacman said during the proceedings.

Unlike the lunar flyby of Artemis II, Artemis III will remain in low Earth orbit for about two weeks to test critical systems before the first lunar landing attempt in 2028. The primary goal is to practice rendezvous and docking procedures with two commercially developed lunar landers: SpaceX’s Starship HLS and Blue Origin’s Mark 2. This mission profile mirrors the Apollo 9 flight, serving as a necessary test of the spacecraft and life support systems in Earth orbit before proceeding to the Moon.

NASA is targeting mid- to late 2027 for Artemis 3, which will fly a very different mission that will last longer than Artemis 2 while remaining much closer to home. The ultimate goal of the Artemis program is to return astronauts to the surface of the moon, where NASA intends to establish a permanent base.

Artemis 3 will be a significant stepping stone toward that endeavor, but won't fly beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). If all goes according to plan the four newly assigned astronauts of Artemis 3 will rendezvous and dock the Orion spacecraft with Starship HLS or Mark 2, and lay the groundwork for future Artemis missions to the moon. Ultimately, the mission will allow NASA to test out much of the most cutting-edge hardware in the American spaceflight portfolio.

"Artemis 3 will be an extraordinary demonstration of what is possible when the greatest aerospace companies across the United States, alongside our European partners come together to showcase the technological might and ambition of the free world," Isaacman said during the event. "This seems like the beginning of the future that we imagined as children. This seems like the very beginning of Earth's first Starfleet to me"

Artemis 3's Orion crew capsule will launch on NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into LEO, where it will rendezvous with the Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander (which will launch on one of the company's New Glenn rockets) and SpaceX's Starship.

NASA’s Artemis program manager Jeremy Parsons highlighted the complexity of coordinating multiple launch pads and vehicles. However, Blue Origin executives expressed confidence in their timeline despite a recent New Glenn rocket explosion that damaged their launch pad. SpaceX continues to test its Starship vehicle.

"Artemis 3 is an incredibly exciting, complicated, and highly coordinated multi-launch campaign. It's going to happen in a short period of time with three of the world's most powerful rockets," Parsons said during Tuesday's event.

The goal will be to practice docking maneuvers and operations between the vehicles. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin were awarded contracts through NASA's Human Landing System (HLS) program, but each has faced developmental delays that have prompted NASA's willingness to fly Artemis 3 with either or both landers, depending on their availability.

Bresnik, a retired Marine colonel and Space Shuttle veteran, has previously served as ISS commander and will lead the mission.

Parmitano an Italian astronaut and ESA pilot, is a veteran of two ISS expeditions and previously survived a life-threatening water leak incident during a spacewalk.

Rubio, a physician and Army veteran, he holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut at 371 days.

Douglas, a test engineer and Coast Guard commander, this will be his first spaceflight after serving as backup for Artemis II.

Hines, selected as a backup astronaut for Artemis 3, joined NASA's 2017 astronaut class after serving 23 years in the United State Air Force as a fighter pilot and instructor. Hines previously flew to space aboard the SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station in 2022 where he logged 170 days in space.

During Tuesday's ceremony, the three NASA astronauts of the Artemis 2 crew including commander Reid Wiseman passed the (literal) Artemis baton to the new crew.

"I know all of us are very touched by the thoughtful symbolism of the passing of the baton, but I think now, after your mission, you're passing us something far greater," Bresnik said. "The world watched your mission, and over the course of those 10 days, we saw how you inspired people worldwide. You saw how something was ignited within people. It was ignited within all of us by watching your mission."

"We, the Artemis 3 crew, are honored to be able to carry this torch forward, to be able to execute our mission, to make that flame burn brighter and pass that flame on to the next crew," Bresnik added.

Somne of the prep work is already underway for Artemis 3. Elements of the mission's SLS rocket are already taking shape at NASA centers and commercial partner facilities. The main stage propellant tank arrived at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida in April, and the final segments of the launch vehicle's solid rocket boosters recently departed Northrop Grumman's manufacturing facility on a train ride to KSC for stacking and SLS integration. Orion is also at KSC, undergoing final assembly and testing inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building.

A 30-year-old Sudanese national was charged with attempted murder, possession of a bladed article, and threats to kill following a brutal knife attack on Kinnaird Avenue, North Belfast, on Monday. The suspect, who claimed asylum upon arriving by bus from Dublin on February 10, 2023, was granted leave to remain in the UK in September 2023 until 2028.

The victim, a man in his 40s, suffered serious injuries to his face, neck, eye, and back; he remains in serious condition in the hospital. Bystanders intervened to save the victim, with one neighbor using a hurling stick to strike the attacker, an act police described as "heroic."

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher confirmed the suspect is not known to local police, not in national security databases, and the attack is not believed to be terror-related, though investigations are ongoing.

The suspect traveled from Sudan to Paris, then Paris to Dublin, and finally took a bus to Belfast on February 10, 2023, immediately claiming asylum under the Common Travel Area rules.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack and urged calm, with Starmer calling the scenes "sickening" and having "no tolerance" for such violence.

The incident has ignited a fierce debate on immigration, with anti-open-borders groups and parties like Reform UK and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) blaming uncontrolled immigration for public safety issues. DUP leader Gavin Robinson** called for an end to uncontrolled immigration and the suspect's deportation if convicted.

Protests erupted across Belfast and the UK, with demonstrators setting fire to a bus in Belfast and clashing with far-left counter-protesters in London and Southampton. Security services have heightened alerts, and food delivery services paused operations in affected areas due to safety fears.