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CNN, citing a U.S. official: Tonight’s strikes on Iran were designed to send a message, not derail ongoing negotiations.

NEW: Two U.S. officials told CNN the U.S. Apache helicopter was brought down by an Iranian drone.

Very interesting.

Israeli officials tell CNN that Israel is preparing a significant response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack.

Iran launched multiple drones toward the Strait of Hormuz; at least 4 were shot down by U.S. aircraft, U.S. official tells CNN. The drones are believed to have targeted commercial vessels or U.S. forces in the area.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to CNN:

Most Lebanese are tired of wars. Christians, Druze, Sunnis and even Shias say they've had enough since 1969 and want to live in peace.

"They deserve not to see their homes destroyed every few years. This is my commitment to the Lebanese people, not the people of Naim Kassem."

Aoun said both the Lebanese and Israeli peoples have a "huge opportunity" for peace and that Israel's military strategy is short-term.

Bill Pulte still lacks a security clearance for highly classified intel despite being named Acting DNI earlier this week.

-CNN.

Senior Iranian official Mohsen Rezaee to CNN:

Khamenei will not meet Trump. Mr. Trump has brought the negotiations to a standstill

Senior Iranian official to CNN: A potential U.S.-Iran deal hinges on Washington releasing $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Failure to reach an agreement risks renewed escalation and wider regional conflict.

Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, military advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, to CNN:

Talks are deadlocked. A Trump–Supreme Leader meeting "will not happen." The U.S. must unfreeze $24 billion in Iranian assets to reach a deal. If war and blockade continue, Iran will drag it into the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and Mediterranean.

"The cost of negotiating is much less for America than the cost of fighting with us."

Azerbaijan quietly hosted several dozen Israeli special forces, Mossad operatives, and intelligence units at multiple locations during the Iran conflict, according to CNN. The deployment focused on intelligence gathering and drone operations. Azerbaijan is now the fourth country reported to have allowed Israeli troops to operate from its soil against Iran.

Claims that Joe Rogan is being considered for a role at 60 Minutes are false, a CBS News spokesperson tells CNN and journalist Emily Jashinsky.

Contributed by @AZ_Intel_ .

Former national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to one count of illegally retaining classified documents and will pay more than $2 million in fines. Bolton stored diary entries from his time in the White House at home and shared over a thousand pages of sensitive material with family members via personal email, according to CNN.

U.S. President Donald Trump is soon expected to nominate Todd Blanche to be attorney general, source tells CNN.

Satellite imagery obtained by CNN shows Iran has reopened 50 of 69 tunnel entrances at 18 underground missile facilities struck by the U.S. and Israel during recent fighting. Heavy equipment has been observed at multiple sites, indicating active repair operations are underway. Experts cited by CNN cautioned that even with reduced production capacity, missile launches could still continue if launchers and crews remain operational.

Under a potential agreement, Iran would commit to not pursuing a nuclear weapon, pause new enrichment, and enter negotiations on dismantling its stockpile of highly enriched uranium - CNN.

Details on the stockpile removal and the duration of the enrichment freeze would be decided in subsequent rounds of talks.

Bystander shot outside the White House has died, CNN reports.

Contributed by @AZ_Intel_.

Iran has resumed drone production and is rebuilding its military industrial base ahead of U.S. intelligence projections. - CNN

Tina Peters, the Republican former election clerk imprisoned for crimes tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, will receive clemency from Colorado Governor Jared Polis (Democrat) and soon be released from custody, Polis told CNN.

Senate rejected a bill to require congressional approval for military action against Iran. Seventh time this year. Failed 50-49. - CNN

A Russian cargo ship believed to be carrying two nuclear reactors, possibly bound for North Korea, sank under unexplained circumstances off the coast of Spain, according to a CNN investigation.

Trump increasingly open to resuming combat operations in Iran as talks stall. A decision before his China trip is unlikely. - CNN