Iran has rejected a U.S. cease-fire offer that was passed along through Iraqi go-betweens, according to officials cited by The New York Times, as President Trump met with senior advisers on July 24 to decide whether to step up the military campaign now in its third week. (The New York Times)

A cease-fire is an agreement to stop fighting, usually to allow for peace talks. With Iran saying no, the most visible path to ending the conflict is closed for now.

The fighting began with Iran attacking commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz starting July 6. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow strip of water between Iran and Oman. About a fifth of all the oil the world uses every day passes through it. Think of it as a highway with just a few lanes — if someone blocks the highway, the traffic stops, and the price of oil jumps. The White House formally blamed Iran for the attacks in a statement issued July 23. (White House SAP)

U.S. forces carried out their 13th straight night of strikes against Iranian military targets on July 23 at 9 p.m. ET, according to a CENTCOM press release. (CENTCOM) No new strike announcement has been published for July 24 or 25, though NPR reported 13 straight nights of operations as of July 24. (NPR) The strikes have increasingly hit what's called dual-use infrastructure — things like bridges and water treatment plants that serve both civilians and the military. Trump publicly threatened to strike more bridges inside Iran on July 22. (The New York Times)

Trump told Axios in an interview published July 23 that he was "close" to a decision on a "massive attack" and was seriously considering restarting major combat operations. (Axios) He said the same thing the next day to NPR: "I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before." (NPR) On Truth Social, Trump announced a "massive Armada" heading toward Iran, "moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose."

The Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the conflict. Trump warned on Truth Social: "If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER." The disruption has already shaken oil markets badly enough that Trump temporarily lifted sanctions on oil already in transit to soften the economic blow. Sanctions are government-imposed penalties that block trade with a specific country. (Al Jazeera) Iran claimed it struck two oil tankers on July 13, according to CNN. (CNN)

In Congress, some lawmakers want to pull U.S. forces out of the conflict. A resolution called H. Con. Res. 89 would direct the removal of U.S. armed forces from hostilities in Iran. The White House issued a formal statement opposing it on July 23. (White House SAP) Trump had notified Congress on July 13 that limited military action had resumed, which he is required to do under the War Powers Act — a law that says the president must tell Congress within 48 hours of sending forces into combat and must get their approval for longer-term military action. (CNN)

The fighting has now spread beyond Iran and the United States. Yemen's Houthi rebels — an armed group backed by Iran that controls part of Yemen — claimed a missile attack on the southern Saudi city of Jizan on July 25. (The Hindu; i24NEWS) The Saudi-led coalition struck back at Houthi military targets after Red Sea shipping attacks, according to Gulf News. (Gulf News) DW reported that Houthis had struck several Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, prompting the Saudi response. The Houthis vowed retaliation against what they called a "dangerous escalation" by Saudi Arabia after strikes on Hodeida. (DW)

Al Jazeera reported on July 23 that Iranian missile forces have shown "deadly precision" amid the fighting. That detail will matter a lot as the Pentagon weighs how to protect its forces and whether to expand ground or naval operations. (Al Jazeera)

The conflict started on July 7, when Trump declared the previous truce with Iran effectively over. (Britannica) The White House posted a video of Trump giving an update on retaliatory strikes on July 8. (White House) CENTCOM confirmed a third round of strikes in a single week by July 11. (CENTCOM)

The broader context here is that pressure is building on several fronts at once. The Iraqi-mediated cease-fire offer was the last publicly known diplomatic channel, and its rejection coincides with the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which threaten Saudi infrastructure separately from what Iran is doing in the Gulf. The White House's opposition to the congressional withdrawal resolution signals it wants to keep its military options open. If Trump goes ahead with the "massive attack" he described to Axios and NPR, the campaign would shift from nightly targeted strikes to something much larger, with consequences for oil shipping, regional energy security, and whatever power Congress still has under the War Powers Act to rein in the president.