As U.S. President Donald Trump set the 7th as a new deadline for talks with Iran, the war against Iran stands at a crossroads between escalation and truce. Even as U.S.Iran cease-fire talks proceed, the Iranian leadership continues its threats by issuing hard-line statements and carrying out airstrikes against neighboring countries.

The U.S. online outlet Axios reported on the 5th (local time), citing four U.S., Israeli, and regional sources, that the United States and Iran are conducting cease-fire talks through mediators including Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan. Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy of President Donald Trump, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are also said to be holding separate negotiations via text messages.

The proposal centers on a two-stage plan: a potential 45-day cease-fire in the first phase, followed in the second by an agreement on a permanent end to the war.

However, it remains uncertain whether cease-fire talks will be achieved. Axios, citing a source, reported, “The chances of reaching a partial agreement within the next 48 hours are slim.” Two sources said Iran would not fully concede on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and on how to handle highly enriched uranium. Iranian officials also reportedly told mediators that they do not want to be drawn into a truce situation in which the United States and Israel could strike again at any time, as in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

The Israeli outlet Haaretz reported, citing Israeli political sources, that Israeli authorities assess there is a high likelihood that the United States and Iran will fail to reach an agreement and that the cease-fire talks will collapse. Israel and the United States have reportedly finalized targets inside Iran to strike if Iran does not meet the negotiation deadline set by President Trump.

In contrast to the behind-the-scenes talks, the Iranian leadership signaled open resistance. Khatam al-Anbiya, which serves as the integrated command for Iran military operations, said in a spokesman statement on the 6th, “If attacks on civilian targets are repeated, our next-stage strikes and retaliatory operations will be far more destructive and extensive.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy wrote on X the same day, “The Strait of Hormuz will never return to its previous state,” adding, “We are finalizing operational preparations for the plan of the Iranian authorities for a new order in the Persian Gulf.” The ‘new order in the Persian Gulf’ mentioned by the Guards appears to refer to an earlier plan announced by Iranian authorities to impose tolls on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, wrote on X the same day, “Your (President Trump) reckless actions are driving every American household into a living hell,” adding, “Because you stubbornly seek to follow the orders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, our entire region will burn.”

Iran signaled it would continue a hard-line response by bombing Israel and striking energy facilities in Gulf states such as Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An Iranian missile hit a residential building in Haifa in northern Israel, killing two people, with two others missing. Around 20 locations in central Israel also came under continued Iranian cluster-munitions attacks.

According to Kuwaiti authorities, drone attacks believed to be carried out by Iran caused significant damage to two power-generation units and a seawater desalination facility. The UAE also said that after it intercepted Iranian drones, debris fell, sparking a fire at a petrochemical plant and halting production at the plant. A petrochemical complex in Bahrain was also attacked by Iran that day.