Speaking to reporters today in the Oval Office, President Donald J. Trump spoke about what he called “talks going on with Iran,” as well as the current military buildup in the Middle East, with him stating: “We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones. Biggest and the best. And we have talks going on with Iran. We'll see how it all works out.”

Chances of a potential nuclear deal between Iran and the United States have skyrocketed within the last few hours on Polymarket, following reports that Iran is prepared to shut down or suspend its nuclear program in order to calm tensions in the Middle East, with traders predicting that the chances of a deal before the end of the year are currently 55%.

Polish and NATO fighter jets and early-warning aircraft have been scrambled from bases in Poland and the Baltics, while ground-based air defense systems and radar reconnaissance have been raised to their highest state of readiness, due to activity by Russia’s long-range aviation, which is carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine.

A NATO Airbus A330 Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) is currently airborne over Eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, supporting ongoing Combat Air Patrols (CAP) by F-35A Lightning lls and other NATO Air Forces.

A NATO E-3A “Sentry” Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircraft from Trapani–Birgi Air Base in Italy has joined other NATO Air Forces over Eastern Poland.

President Donald J. Trump today in the Oval Office: “Well, you're going to have - a lot of things are happening. You have Iran, and you have Russia, Ukraine, and you have the Middle East. We have a lot of things going. A lot of problems were here for a long time before I got here. We settled eight wars, and I think we're going to - I think we're doing very well with Ukraine and Russia. For the first time, I'm saying that, you know, we're doing - I think we're going to maybe have some good news.”

U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s negotiated energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine has completely collapsed tonight, with Russia launching a major multi-hour-long drone and missile attack Monday night against several cities and energy infrastructure in and around the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, targeting power plants, substations, and other infrastructure sites throughout Ukraine. In addition, several high-rise residential buildings in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine were struck during the attack, all while drones, cruise and ballistic missile continue to be launched by Russia.

Trilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine were expected to take place Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi, however, it’s possible that tonight’s attack could disrupt the talks organized by the Trump Administration.

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to discuss a nuclear deal on Friday in Istanbul aimed at staving off an imminent U.S. military attack, two officials from the region who are involved in the effort told the Washington Post.

The Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian Foreign Ministers, as well as counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Pakistan, are also expected to attend the meeting, with two regional officials stating that Washington’s Arab and Turkish allies are seeking to limit the scope of the talks to Iran’s nuclear program in order to get Iran to “yes.” “If the talks happen, they will stay focused on Iran’s nuclear program,” said one. “And then we will try to find innovative ways to address Washington’s nonnuclear demands.”

Under the recent integration agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), security elements with the Syrian Ministry of Defense and Interior have entered the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in Northeastern Syria, on the border with Turkey.

Interesting and rare flight today over the Baltic Sea by JAKE27, a U.S. Air Force WC-135R “Constant Phoenix” Airborne Radiological-Detection Aircraft, tasked with the collection of samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear incidents, explosions, and/or weapons, known more commonly as the Nuke Sniffer. The WC-135 flew laps for nearly six hours over the Baltic, possibly searching for nuclear readings from any Russian commercial and naval vessels in the area as well as military sites in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

In the past week or so, a number of Israeli defense and intelligence officials, including Israel Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, have visited Washington, with Zamir briefing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine on Israel's offensive and defensive plans in the event of a renewed war with Iran, according to Axios.

“It's safe to say that nothing came out of that meeting to change his or the President's mind on attacking Iran,” a U.S. official said, referring to Caine and Trump. “It's really the Israelis who want a strike. The President is just not there.” President Trump “really does not want to do it,” a senior official said. Back in June, President Trump believed Iran's nuclear activities posed a “legitimate, imminent threat.” “He does not feel that way here.”

Three of President Trump's advisers all told Axios they think launching a military option now against Iran wouldn't be the right way to go. One of them said that skepticism holds for many in Trump's close orbit, while another said a strike right now would only undermine much of the President's agenda in the Middle East and in the World.

Six Iranian gunboats armed with .50cal machine guns approached the American-flagged, Danish-owned oil tanker M/T STENA IMPERATIVE earlier today near the Strait of Hormuz in a threatening manner, after the vessel departed the United Arab Emirates bound for the Naval Support Activity Bahrain on the Persian Gulf.

According to the Maritime-security firm Vanguard Tech, the Iranian gunboats ordered the oil tanker to halt and prepare for boarding by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In response to the threat, the tanker sped up and was not further perused by the gunboats, later meeting up with a U.S. naval vessel that escorted the tanker the remaining way to Bahrain.

Iran has demanded changes to the venue and format for negotiations with the United States this Friday, potentially putting the talks at risk of collapse, two sources with knowledge of the situation tell Axios.

According to sources, the Iranians want to move the talks from Istanbul, Turkey to Muscat in Oman, and instead of a talks featuring several Arab and Muslim countries, they want to hold them in a bilateral format, only with the Americans.

The U.S. Navy shot down an Iranian drone that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and her Carrier Strike Group earlier today in the Arabian Sea, a U.S. official tells Reuters.

Officials tell Reuters that the Iranian drone shot down earlier today over the Arabian Sea was a Shahed-139 Surveillance Drone, which was downed by an F-35C Lightning ll with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) after approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).