Now, US marines are now being sent to the Middle East.

Let’s look at this through President Trump’s lens first:

At this point, it’s hard to see a real off-ramp unless the regime itself collapses.

TLDR:
^ A Marine expeditionary unit is heading from Okinawa to the Middle East.
^ The force includes the USS Tripoli and about 2,200-2,500 Marines.
^ This comes after nearly two weeks of war with Iran.

Move. US officials said Friday that a Marine air-ground task force will deploy from Okinawa, Japan, to the Middle East on Navy ships led by the USS Tripoli.

Meaning. These units can do amphibious landings, but they also handle evacuations, embassy support, and crisis response. So no, this does not by itself confirm a ground invasion.

TLDR:
^ Putin floated a deal to move Iran's uranium to Russia.
^ Trump turned it down.
^ The stockpile is 450 kg (992 pounds) at 60% enrichment.
^ That's enough for more than 10 bombs if it's pushed to weapons grade.
^ US and Israel still see securing it as one of the big war goals.

Call. In a phone call on Monday, Putin raised several ideas for ending the war between the US and Iran. One of them was moving Iran's enriched uranium to Russia.

Stockpile. The material in question is 450 kg (992 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%, which could be turned into weapons grade within weeks and is enough for more than 10 nuclear bombs.

History. Russia has handled Iranian uranium before under the 2015 nuclear deal, which is why this idea keeps coming back. It also came up during US-Iran talks last May, before the US and Israel hit Iran's nuclear facilities in June.

Problem. Iran had already rejected the transfer idea in the last round of talks before the war and wanted dilution done inside Iran under IAEA supervision. So even if Trump had liked the plan, it's still not clear Iran would go for it now.

Next. The US and Israel have also talked about sending special forces into Iran later to secure the stockpile. Pete Hegseth said Friday that the US has "a range of options."

TLDR:
^ Trump said US forces hit Kharg Island on Friday night.
^ That's where about 90% of Iran's oil exports move.
^ He said the US bombed military targets, not the oil terminal itself.
^ The bigger risk now is even more pressure on oil markets and shipping.

Strike. President Trump said US forces attacked Kharg Island, an island in the Persian Gulf that sits about 24 km (15 miles) off Iran's mainland. He called it Iran's "crown jewel" and said military targets there were destroyed.

Why. Kharg matters because it is the core of Iran's oil economy. Roughly 90% of the country's oil exports move through facilities on the island, so even limited damage there would be a massive hit.

Limits. Trump also said he chose not to target the island's oil infrastructure, at least for now. But he warned that could change if Iran interferes with ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

Risk. Pentagon officials said Friday would be the heaviest day yet for US strikes in the region, with more attacks aimed at Iranian missiles, drones, mine laying, and threats to commercial shipping. They also said Iran still has the ability to hit friendly forces and merchant vessels.

TLDR:
^ Cuba says it's now talking directly with the Trump administration.
^ The timing is telling, since people are reportedly protesting due to fuel shortages.
^ President Díaz-Canel called it an early-stage process with no deal yet.
^ Havana says political change is off the table.

Pressure. Cuban President Díaz-Canel said Friday that his government is in talks with Trump administration officials while the island tries to manage a worsening energy crunch and a much broader economic squeeze.

Limits. He said the talks are about seeing whether both sides are willing to take concrete steps. However, another Cuban official made clear that changes to Cuba's political system are not up for negotiation.

Trigger. The pressure got worse after the US moved to choke off Cuba’s external oil supply, including shipments from Venezuela and Mexico.

Trump. Trump has said a deal with Havana would be easy to make, and he put Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the center of the talks. That matters because Rubio has long pushed for regime change in Cuba..