President Donald Trump says the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners. Trump posted Friday that it could be the “beginning of the end” of the long war between them. However, in the Middle East, the shaky ceasefire in the U.S. war with Iran was strained even further. The U.S. said it thwarted attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and retaliated against Iranian military facilities. Hours later, U.S. Central Command said its forces disabled two more Iranian tankers that were trying to breach an American blockade on Iran’s ports.

U.S. forces are guiding commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds have been stuck since the Iran war began. The U.S. military says two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited” through the critical waterway. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates said an Iranian drone sparked a fire at an oil facility in Fujairah, a key pipeline hub used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. The British military also said a cargo ship off the coast of the Emirates was ablaze. The UAE issued its first three missile alerts on Monday since the shaky ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. took hold almost four weeks ago.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he’s “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest proposal in negotiations to end the war. Asked what he sees are the proposal’s shortcomings, Trump said, “They’re asking for things I can’t agree to.” The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of a ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval. While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces a second day of grilling from Democrats on Capitol Hill, with senators getting their first opportunity to confront or praise the Pentagon chief over his handling of the Iran war. Hegseth battled with Democrats — and some Republicans — a day earlier during a nearly six-hour House Armed Services Committee hearing, where he faced sharp questioning over the war’s costs in dollars, lives and the diminishing stockpiles of critical weapons. The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear a similar presentation on the Trump administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which would boost defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion.