Former U.S. diplomat Joey Hood said the escalating U.S. pressure on Iran could come at an economic cost, especially during the peak winter heating fuel season, with increased uncertainty in market supply if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. Hood also responded to comments from Iranian parliamentary speaker Hassan Gashgavi, who stated Tehran remains committed to fulfilling the memorandum of understanding while accusing Washington of attempting to escalate the situation. Hood said this reminded him of a saying by the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu: "When you surround an enemy, you must leave him an escape route, otherwise he will fight to the death until the very last moment" (i.e., "Leave an opening when besieging an army, do not press a desperate enemy"). He said, "What we lack now is an escape route." Hood stated that he doesn't believe Trump currently sees such a way out. "Trump certainly doesn't know what an exit strategy is, but I believe mediators can find one," he said. "They need to come up with some innovative, bold, and unconventional solutions."

Russian Presidential Aide Dmitriev: (Regarding the US Special Envoy's visit to Moscow) An important peace mediation visit.

German startup Isar: Our unmanned space rocket successfully entered orbit after launch in Norway.

Official footage shows that Isar's unmanned space rocket has been launched from its base in Norway.

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Presidential Envoy Joshua Witkov, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has concluded.

[Iranian Revolutionary Guard: Strikes on 3 US-Linked Ships and 3 Oil Tankers] On the evening of the 5th local time, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy stated in a statement that "US forces, out of desperation due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, attacked three Iranian oil tankers, causing damage." In response, the IRGC Navy struck three oil tankers and three ships linked to the United States in the Strait of Hormuz. The Revolutionary Guard Navy warned that all ships in the Persian Gulf should avoid navigating illegal waterways, otherwise they will become targets. As of now, the US has not confirmed this.