• US President Donald Trump has again threatened to attack Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain “very soon”, repeating a warning he first issued in mid-July.
• Iran’s air defence commander, Brigadier-General Alireza Elhami, says that Iran is “ready for any kind of confrontation” – now or in the future – because “the threat is not over”.
• The head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary security force says that the US must return to the June memorandum of understanding if diplomatic efforts to end the war are to resume.
• The US government has approved a $5 billion sale of bombs, guidance kits, and other equipment to Saudi Arabia, which has been repeatedly attacked during the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.

Trump says US may attack Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain ‘very soon’

US President Donald Trump has once again threatened to attack Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, telling reporters that the US “may hit Pickaxe very soon”.

His remarks today echoed a similar threat he made back in mid-July, when he stated on the Hugh Hewitt Show: “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready … we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon.”

Pickaxe Mountain, known locally as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is located near Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility and hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes.

Excavation at the site began around 2020, with the complex built deep inside the mountain beneath hundreds of meters of solid granite rock.

Western intelligence agencies and non-proliferation analysts suspected that Tehran was building an undeclared uranium enrichment plant inside the mountain to serve as a “strategic hedge” for its nuclear program, while Iran previously claimed the site was strictly a centrifuge manufacturing facility.

Weapons specialists evaluated that the subterranean tunnels were constructed at depths rendering them immune to even the most potent bunker-buster munitions in the American military inventory.

Trump’s economic pressure on Iran cannot achieve war objectives

Giorgio Cafiero, the CEO of Gulf State Analytics, a DC-based geopolitical risk consultancy, says that while the US economic pressure campaign on Tehran is punishing for millions of Iranians, it was not clear how it could help achieve the Trump administration’s objectives in the war.

“The daily economic challenges and the humanitarian crisis in Iran were certainly set to worsen as a consequence of the Trump administration’s campaign,” he told Al Jazeera.

However, when it comes to its effectiveness in achieving war objectives, he said: “I had serious doubts. For many years, Iran had been under intense economic pressure and living under sanctions had been a reality.”

“Over time, the Iranians found many ways to circumvent pressure, and in the context of the current US-Iran crisis, it was very clear that the Islamic Republic had cards to play that could make the US and other countries pay a very steep price for imposing these intensified economic sanctions on Iran,” Cafiero added.

He also noted that China had been Iran’s leading trading partner, helping Tehran to circumvent Western economic pressure.

“And if the Trump administration was not going to challenge China on its Iran relations, I thought it was quite clear that China, as an Asian giant, could help Iran weather the storm,” Cafiero said.

US senator slams Trump over ‘small potatoes’ remark on Iran War

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responds to Donald Trump calling the war on Iran “small potatoes”, saying there is “nothing small” about the 18 US troops killed and hundreds wounded in the conflict.

In a post on X, Schumer wrote, “Tell that to the families of the 18 troops we have lost, the hundreds of wounded servicemembers, and the Americans suffering every single day from record high prices.”

“There’s nothing small about it,” he added.

Vance’s comment on Iran wedding strike fits US pattern

US Vice President JD Vance has expressed skepticism about reports of a deadly US attack on a wedding party in the Iranian town of Kuhestak earlier this week, saying he does not trust Iran’s narrative.

However, he added, “Sometimes, things happen”, as he spoke about the claims.

Analysts say his comments reflect a long history of the US government minimizing or disputing reports of civilian harm in military operations.

US envoy: Sanctions on Turkiye-based entities are not a judgment on the country

US Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack has called on Turkish officials to refrain from reading new US sanctions on three Turkiye-based financial entities “as a judgment upon Turkiye”.

Doing so, he said, “would be a serious error”, noting that Ankara’s own interest lies in a banking system “that is clean, trusted, and beyond the reach of those who would abuse it”.

“The health of the Turkish financial system is not in question; the conduct of one institution was,” Barrack wrote in a post on X, adding that “the relationship between the United States and the Republic of Turkiye is far larger than any one institution or any one day”.

“Washington’s maximum-pressure campaign against the Iranian regime depends upon closing, one by one, the channels through which Tehran launders the proceeds of its activities,” he said. “This designation is aimed at the conduct of one entity, not at a nation, not at a banking system, and not at an ally.”

“Regarding the stability of the region, and the security of the routes and commerce on which both our peoples rely, the United States and Turkiye stand on the same side, as they have through harder trials than this,” he wrote.

Pentagon polygraphs 50 Joint Staff members over Iran war leaks

The New York Times is reporting, citing government officials, that the Trump administration investigators have subjected roughly 50 members of the US military’s Joint Staff to polygraph tests over leaks to journalists, including about how the Iran war has created a shortage of crucial munitions.

It reported that the investigators asked military officers and civilian employees on the Joint Staff last month if they disclosed information about reportedly diminished US munitions stocks.

In a statement to the newspaper, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that the department “does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly”.

LNG tankers assembling to transit Hormuz Strait under US forces protection

TankerTrackers, a maritime tracking service, has said that it has tagged at least 17 crude oil and gas ship-to-ship transfers, which took place on Friday in the Gulf of Oman.

That’s at least 24 million barrels of crude exchanged, the service reported in a post on X, in what it called a “busy day”.

“In addition, we spotted at least 7.25 million barrels, along with two more LNG tankers, assembling to transit the [Strait of Hormuz] into the [Gulf of Oman] under the protection of US CENTCOM,” the service said.

The critical Strait of Hormuz remains shut for traffic, with navigation tightly under Iran’s control. The US has also maintained a naval blockade against Tehran’s ports.

The tracking service said it also “identified many more oil-laden tankers waiting for a dance partner in those waters. It appears that the dance floor itself is the limitation. It’s getting quite crowded and port services are kept busy around the clock to ensure smooth and safe transfers.”

US congressman warns country risks ‘endless war’ in Iran if conflict continues past midterms

US Congressman Ro Khanna has warned that the US risks getting pulled into “another endless war” if the conflict in Iran isn’t brought to an end before the midterm elections, pointing to high food and petrol prices as creating public pressure to act.

In a video posted on X, Khanna said: “There are the political incentives to bring this war to an end. Food prices are high. Gas prices are high. The American people are demanding that the war end before they cast their votes in November.”

He said the political pressure to end the war will fade the longer it drags on, which is why he’s building what he called an “unconventional coalition” – including outreach to former Republican Congressman Thomas Massie and others across the aisle – to push for a resolution.

He also appealed directly to Trump’s Republican base: “If you believe that we need to be for America First, if you voted for Trump on the promise of no new wars, then please, let us work together to bring a ceasefire to the war in Iran, to have diplomacy, negotiation, and prevent America from getting into another forever war in the Middle East.”

US midterms could be a pivotal moment

As the United States and Iran exchanged attacks this week, one date was increasingly looming over the conflict.

The US midterm elections on November 3 could prove a pivotal moment in the war, as senior advisers to President Trump seek to prevent the conflict from returning to all-out war before the polls when Republicans will be defending narrow majorities in both houses of Congress.

The push for restraint comes as Washington turns to economic pressure on Iran instead of military force. Vice President JD Vance has meanwhile sought to downplay the war as rising fuel prices and public opposition in the US threaten to become political liabilities for Republicans before the vote.

That leaves the coming two months as a particularly tricky period to navigate. Washington will want to avoid an all-out war while ratcheting up economic pressure, but Iran has its own calculations and could respond militarily anyway, potentially forcing the US into an escalation it would rather avoid before Americans go to the polls.

Western powers draft UN nuclear watchdog resolution to refer Iran to Security Council

The US, Britain, France and Germany have drafted a resolution for possible consideration by the Board of Governors of the UN nuclear watchdog that seeks to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for failure to comply with its nuclear non-proliferation obligations, diplomats have told The Associated Press news agency.

Under those obligations, which are part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is legally bound to declare all nuclear material and activities and allow inspectors of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify that none of it is being diverted from peaceful uses, according to the AP report.

The draft resolution requests IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to transmit this resolution and the previously adopted resolutions to all Members of the Agency and to the Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the IAEA Statute.

Diplomats said that the resolution is still under negotiation and has not yet been formally submitted to the board. The text of the draft resolution may therefore still change, as board members still have the opportunity to suggest amendments.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was introduced on July 1, 1968, in response to the revelation that the Israelis secretly were in the possession of three nuclear warheads since the six-day war of June 1967.

Menachem Begin at the UNGA said in that same year: "One must make sure that no enemy has a reactor."

The Israelis did not join the NPT because signing it would have forced them to acknowledge their undeclared nuclear weapons program and subject its nuclear facilities to international inspection.

Iran signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) on July 1, 1968, and later ratified it on March 5, 1970.

In 1979, when Khomeini came to power, he ordered the Shah's nuclear energy program to end, as Khomeini found the program un-Islamic. But he reversed his decision under pressure of the IRG amid the war with Iraq.

US congressman questions Trump’s ‘Iran is failed state’ claim

US Representative Ted Lieu has questioned the Trump administration’s claims that “Iran is a failed state”, asking: “Then how does Iran keep launching drones and missiles at our bases and our allies?”

Speaking with US broadcaster MS Now, Lieu said: “How come the average price of gas is $4.12 across America?”

“The White House is clearly not telling the truth,” he added. “They need to come clean to the American people. How are we going to exit this endless war in Iran instead of trading strikes back and forth?”

UK and allies face ‘more dangerous world’, new chancellor cautions

New UK Chancellor John Healey is warning of a tough upcoming budget amid the economic fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran, the Financial Times has reported.

“What’s happening in the Middle East is hitting inflation, it’s hitting growth, it’s hitting borrowing costs,” Healey told the newspaper. “It’s part of a more dangerous world that is more uncertain, and it’s one of the challenges we have to meet in this country.”

British economists have called for more tax increases to bolster fiscal room, following sweeping hikes last year under Healey’s predecessor, Rachel Reeves.

Healey pledged that he and Prime Minister Andy Burnham would find “a buffer” against economic uncertainty.

Missile hits Iranian oil tanker off Kharg Island

An Iranian oil tanker off Kharg Island has been struck by a missile, Iran’s Student News Network reports.

No casualties have been reported.

Kharg Island is crucial to Iran’s oil industry, accounting for 90 percent of its crude oil exports. Trump has previously threatened to seize the territory.

Iranian oil tanker off Kharg Island hit by four US missiles, Iran media reports

The Iranian oil tanker off Kharg Island has been struck by missiles, according to Iran’s Student News Network (SNN).

Iranian news outlet Khabar Fouri is now reporting that the tanker was struck by four US missiles and is being evacuated.

Kharg Island processes about 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports.

Flu vaccines to become available in Iran in late September, reports country’s food and drug administration

The Iranian Food and Drug Administration has said that the influenza vaccine will be available at the end of this month, the country’s Fars news agency reports.

Iran has faced numerous challenges in sourcing the vaccine because of US sanctions, difficulties in transferring funds and disrupted supply routes affected by Washington’s naval blockade of the country.

Iran has learned to produce most of its medication needs domestically following decades of US sanctions. US-Israeli attacks targeted one of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies in March.

Iranian judiciary chief says justice must not depend on a country’s power

Iran’s judiciary chief has urged fellow BRICS members to condemn attacks on Tehran’s sovereignty and pursue legal action against those responsible for carrying out alleged war crimes against Iran.

“Today, more than ever, we need justice; justice that is not selective, does not sacrifice the rule of law for political considerations, and does not measure the rights of nations according to their level of power,” Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said.

He added that Iranians had paid a heavy price to ensure the country’s independence.

Senior Iranian official says US sanctions won’t ‘render country ineffective’

Iran’s first vice president says the US has “resorted to economic warfare” after failing to achieve its goals militarily.

“The foundation of the enemy’s new fronts is economic; we can successfully counter this by leveraging valuable experiences, such as those gained through the Headquarters for Countering Sanctions,” Mohammad Reza Aref said.

“Sanctions come at a cost and slow our momentum, but they cannot render the country ineffective. One of the benefits of sanctions has been the shift from assembly-based industry to localisation, effectively curbing foreign purchases made in dollars,” he added.

Tehran mayor says continuing resistance should not stop Iran from addressing internal problems

The mayor of Tehran says the entire country could “erode from within” if it ignores internal problems.

“Resistance does not mean that we should ignore internal problems,” Alireza Zakani said, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

“Alongside standing against the enemy, we must reform the country from within and move toward building strength.”

Zakani added that Tehran should not determine its policy solely based on its relationship with the US.

Witnesses recount ‘chaos’ after deadly attack on Sirik wedding party

A clear picture of what happened in Sirik emerged, as agencies were able to speak with the residents who witnessed the attack and the chaos over there in the city of Kuhestak.

At first, according to witnesses, a telecommunications tower was hit, and there was a wedding venue close to that telecommunications tower that was hit right after.

According to witnesses, the telecommunications tower was hit by a missile, and shortly after that, the wedding house was hit by a drone.

They say there was chaos. At first, there were no ambulances because many people attended the wedding, and one of the witnesses described how he had to pull a child out from the rubble.

So far, according to the locals; the wedding house was deliberately targeted and local authorities also say that. But what remains unclear is whether that wedding house was intended to be a target. The US denies these claims.

".. the wedding house was hit by a drone."

The US had deployed to the Middle East kamikaze drones, called LUCAS, which is a 'counterfeit' of the Iranian HESA Shahed 136 kamikaze drone.

IRGC says it killed two suspects planning to carry out attacks

The IRGC’s ground forces say that during a joint operation, two people were killed who were part of a group that had intended to “carry out terrorist acts on predetermined targets” in Sistan and Baluchestan province, state broadcaster IRIB reports.

According to a statement by the IRGC Ground Forces Quds Headquarters, the team was allegedly affiliated with the US and Israel and had intended to carry out “terrorist acts in the province in conjunction with the American war, but by the grace of God Almighty, they were hit before any terrorist act could be carried out”.

“The Quds Headquarters warns the mercenaries of the infamous Zionist regime [Israel] and the terrorist regime of America that the security of the people of Sistan and Baluchestan province is our red line and we will not allow any mercenaries to enter or move in the region and will deal with them severely,” the statement added.

Iran likely to escalate conflict in coming weeks in bid to harm Trump’s midterm results

Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says he believes Iran will escalate the conflict in the “coming eight weeks or so”.

“In fact, there was a report published in The New York Times that said as much, citing US intelligence officials who believe that the Iranians are going to play more offence than defence,” Elmasry said. “They’re not going to be as willing to sit back and let the United States dictate the pace and intensity of the conflict.”

He explained that the reason is that the Iranians feel like they can “exploit [US President] Donald Trump at a time of relative weakness”.

“They know that the US economy cannot afford further hits, that the Republicans, if they’re going to perform well at the midterm elections, cannot afford further instability … Based on that logic, they are more likely to escalate right now and hit Donald Trump where it hurts,” he added.

US faces record-high petrol prices for Labor Day weekend

Petrol prices in the US are likely to top $4 per gallon as the war on Iran continues to raise energy costs.

Data from Gas Buddy predicted a cost of $4.03 on Labor Day, far higher than the previous record of $3.83 per gallon set in 2012.

Labor Day, slated for Monday, is the official federal holiday celebrating the US labor movement. Many people travel during the long weekend.

The national average petrol price hovered at about $4.13 per gallon on Thursday, up nearly a dollar from last year’s average, according to Gas Buddy.

Analysts told Reuters the $4 mark is the “pain point” for US consumers.

As the US-Iran conflict entered a seventh month, rising energy costs have become a key concern for the administration of US President Donald Trump ahead of the November midterm elections.

Iran has withstood US attacks despite Washington’s military edge, says senior Iranian military official

The deputy chief of the Iranian Army for Coordination Affairs says the country “should take pride in having stood firm against an enemy armed with every type of technology”.

Habibollah Sayyari described the war as one of will and endurance, in remarks reported in Iranian media.

“When an enemy fails to achieve its pre-determined objectives in war, it signifies defeat,” Sayyari said on Saturday.

About Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, following Trump’s threat to attack it

Known in Iran as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, it is roughly 220km (140 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, in Isfahan province and just 2km (1.2 miles) from the Natanz enrichment plant.

US intelligence reports indicate that the facility has been excavated deep inside the mountain, beneath hundreds of meters of solid granite rock, to protect it from powerful bombs designed to penetrate bunkers.

The main chambers are thought to lie at least 100 meters (330ft) underground.

Some Western analysts have speculated that the mountain was intended to house an undeclared enrichment plant, a hedge against attacks on Iran’s known facilities.

The Institute for Science and International Security, which tracks the site by satellite, has assessed that it is still under construction and not yet operational.

However, Iran has always maintained that it is developing a civilian nuclear power program only and does not have plans to build a nuclear weapon.

US military says it hit three Iranian oil carriers after its warships were attacked

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has released a statement saying its forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers today.

The statement comes after earlier Iranian media reports said an Iranian oil tanker was hit by US missiles off Kharg Island.

CENTCOM said its attack on Iranian oil carries came after the IRGC fired ballistic missiles towards two US warships “patrolling regional waters”.

“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost – taking out three of yours,” CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper said in a statement.

Continuing its statement, US Central Command named the Iranian oil carriers it says it targeted as M/T Downy, M/T Stark 1 and M/T Kylo (also known as the “Noxen”).

CENTCOM said its attacks on M/T Downy – off the coast of Kharg Island – and M/T Stark 1 – near Iran’s southern town of Jask – “permanently disabled” the vessels.

It said the M/T Kylo was “completely destroyed” in the Gulf of Oman after being struck “in multiple critical locations”. The statement said the vessel’s crew had first been “directed to abandon ship”.

CENTCOM claimed the three oil carriers are “part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies”.

Unclear whether US attack on Iranian oil carriers signals ‘broader escalation’

Experts are watching for any signs that [the US-claimed attack on Iranian oil carriers] could be part of a broader escalation. At the moment, we haven’t seen any signaling to suggest that is the case.

They want to see confirmation from Washington as to whether this was an isolated strike against Iranian oil infrastructure by American forces or if this could be potentially signaling further escalation.

The whole strait is a strategic area and oil tankers can be highly strategic

There is no sign from the IRGC and from Tehran.

Basically, Kharg Island is a central artery for Iran’s exports. The other two vessels were targeted in important, strategic places for Iran. The whole strait is a strategic area and oil tankers can be highly strategic.

According to the CENTCOM statement, these vessels belonged to shadow fleets. Washington says that Iran tries to bypass sanctions and the US naval blockade by shutting down the [digital] network of Iranian vessels, which then pass through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a shadow fleet. This is how they export to China, according to US claims.

The Americans are starting to intensify economic pressure by reducing Iran’s oil exports. So far, what we know is limited. We will wait and see what the Iranian officials say.

Satellite imagery appears to confirm US claim that it struck the Iranian supertanker Downy

Satellite imagery analyzed by TankerTrackers.com appears to confirm that the National Iranian Tanker Company’s (NITC) VLCC supertanker Downy, which US Central Command said it attacked earlier on Saturday, has been hit, according to a post on X.

The vessel was in ballast, carrying no oil cargo, the type of ship the tracking group said US Central Command typically targets in retaliation for Iranian attacks on tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

TankerTrackers said imagery showed a burst of tugboat activity and AIS movements beginning around 04:45 UTC, concentrated near the vessel’s port-quarter, suggesting the engine room was struck, “most likely by a US Hellfire missile.” It said thermal imaging showed no signs of fire or smoke, though firefighting efforts may have already concluded before the image was captured.

The group also cited sources reporting that another NITC tanker, the Stark1, another tanker US Central Command said on Saturday it had hit, was struck overnight off the coast of Kuh-e Mobarak, Iran, also without cargo.

It said two other NITC tankers, Sinopa and Hawk, were struck days earlier off Jask in the Gulf of Oman while carrying some oil cargo, a deviation, it said, from the usual strike pattern.

Probe shows missile that hit wedding in Iran was manufactured by US, Iranian judicial official alleges

An examination of fragments from a missile that struck a wedding in Iran shows that the munition was manufactured by a US defence company, an Iranian judicial official says.

The wedding was taking place in the southern Iranian city of Sirik when it was struck by a missile on Tuesday, killing four people, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

Mojtaba Ghahramani, chief justice of Iran’s Hormozgan province, alleged that the missile was manufactured by Raytheon in comments reported by the Fars news agency on Saturday.

Ghahramani said that an identification code on the bomb was entered into a US defence database, which found that the number was exclusively assigned to Raytheon.

US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that Washington was investigating the strike

Raytheon has not responded to Ghahramani’s allegations.

Bahraini, Egyptian FMs discuss Hormuz disruption

Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, has spoken by phone with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, about bilateral ties and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Bahrain’s national news agency.

They discussed the impact of disruption to shipping on international trade and “emphasised the importance of intensifying regional efforts to support security and stability in the region,” said the agency.

US Embassy in Bahrain urges US citizens to ‘exercise heightened vigilance’

The US embassy in Bahrain has issued a security alert urging Americans there and throughout the region to “exercise heightened vigilance”.

“The US Embassy reminds American citizens that Iran has previously targeted civilian infrastructure in Bahrain, including hotels in Manama,” said the alert shared earlier today.

US citizens in the region should prepare for “potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions”, the embassy added.

All debris removed from refineries at Iran’s South Pars gas field months after strikes, Iranian official says

An official at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) says all of the debris caused by Israeli strikes on refineries at the country’s South Pars gas field has been removed, Iran’s Fars news agency has reported.

“At each refinery, there were nearly 4,000 tonnes of debris, including destroyed, melted and shattered metal structures and equipment. Collecting and clearing this debris was an extremely difficult operation,” Farrokh Alikhani, deputy for integrated affairs at the NIOC, said.

Alikhani added that efforts to restore production capacity were under way.

South Pars is Iran’s half of the world’s largest natural gas field, which it shares with Qatar.

Israel struck Iran’s share in March, causing a major fire and clouds of smoke so large that the sun appeared to be blocked in Tehran, causing it to look like night time in the city throughout the day.

Iranian state media reports crew of targeted tankers brought to shore by lifeboat

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB has reported more details on US attacks targeting Iranian oil carriers.

The broadcaster said one tanker was attacked earlier today near Kharg Island, and that a fire that broke out on the ship had been extinguished.

IRIB reported that two other tankers – one carrying an oil shipment – were attacked near the southern town of Jask. It said the crew of those two ships had been brought to shore via lifeboat.

IRIB said the attack on the tanker near Kharg Island caused no fatalities, while its report on the other two tanker attacks did not mention any casualties.

Earlier, the US military claimed it had struck three Iranian oil carriers – one near Kharg Island, one near Jask and one in the Gulf of Oman. It claimed all three carriers were “destroyed”.

US defence secretary says ‘Iran’s oil tanker fleet is defenseless’

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the US military has the capability to target Iran’s entire fleet of oil tankers, after the US military earlier claimed to have struck three Iranian carriers following attacks on US warships.

“It’s simple: if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot” at the US navy, Hegseth said in a post on X

“Iran’s oil tanker fleet is defenseless – Iran has no navy or air force,” he continued. “Our planes, ships & subs can strike them all”.

UKMTO reports several merchant vessels hit by ‘disabling fire’ in northern Gulf, Gulf of Oman

Several merchant vessels have come under disabling fire in “the Northern Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman”, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency says, as part of ongoing military activity in the region.

UKMTO said in an advisory issued today that it could not yet confirm whether the incident had caused casualties or environmental damage. The agency, which cited military authorities as its source, said relevant investigations remain ongoing.

Share UKMTO reports several merchant vessels hit by ‘disabling fire’ in northern Gulf, Gulf of Oman on social media.

Qatari, Emirati ministers speak about regional de-escalation efforts

Qatar’s Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi has held a call with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan al-Nahyan, to review the two countries’ bilateral relations and the latest regional developments, according to the Qatari foreign ministry.

During the call, the two officials focused on “diplomatic efforts and joint coordination to de-escalate tensions and enhance security and stability in the region,” said the ministry.

Iran’s military warns strikes on US military vessels could intensify

A spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified command of Iran’s armed forces, has warned that if the US continues its naval blockade and “harassment of Iranian ships”, then Iran will carry out more severe and potentially expanded strikes targeting US military vessels.

The statement, carried by Iranian broadcaster IRIB, comes after the US claimed to hit three Iranian oil carriers earlier today.

US strikes on Iran oil tankers may lead to ‘nightmare scenario’

Tehran’s leadership believes a policy of restraint has not served its interests, and that escalation is now the preferred path, according to Ali Akbar Dareini, a researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies in Tehran.

Tehran is calculating that US President Donald Trump “may prefer a larger-scale war with high intensity after the midterm elections, but now prefers a lower-scale war”, what Dareini called “a hybrid war,” comprising “limited military attacks, sanctions, [and] naval blockade”.

He said that Trump has grown visibly frustrated that Iran retains control of the Strait of Hormuz. “Trump is very clearly upset that Iran remains in control of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, pointing to Trump’s recent claim that “the United States has decimated Iranian radars.”

Despite that, “not only has nothing changed, Iran continues to remain in firm control of the Strait of Hormuz. This has made Trump upset and that is actually a reaction.”

Dareini said that the US strikes on three oil tankers mean “tensions are escalating and we are getting closer and closer to a nightmare scenario that many, including Iran, had tried to avoid”.

While avoiding full-on war rhetoric, US wants ‘room to continue strikes’ as it deems necessary

This conflict is in a very strange phase. In terms of strategies, it seems that both countries are, in a way, meeting in the middle.

US President Trump on Friday referred to this [the Iran conflict] as “small potatoes”. He seems to be deliberately trying to make a distinction between full-scale war and what he’s described as an intermittent military conflict.

So the strategy, at least from the US side, appears to be to create enough room so that strikes can continue when the US finds them to be necessary, such as when Iran crosses a red line

Just last week, Trump said he did not have a timeline for the conflict. This can be very hard to reconcile for people who remember Trump saying at the start of the conflict that it could be over in just four to five weeks. It is now past the six-month mark.

Iran state TV says sounds heard in Jask, Qeshm due to action against vessels in Strait of Hormuz

Sounds heard in Iran’s southern coastal areas of Jask and Qeshm were the result of authorities “penalizing violating vessels” in the Strait of Hormuz, and no explosions occurred in those regions, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB is reporting.

‘Iran cannot tolerate this naval blockade’

Ali Akbar Dareini, an analyst at the Center for Strategic Studies in Tehran, says the US attacks on Iranian oil tankers are a “big issue” that Iran cannot afford to let “go unanswered”.

“Does it make Iran surrender? No, it compels Iran. It incentivized Iran to lash out and retaliate” more harshly, Dareini said.

He said the US naval blockade, coupled with sanctions, is inflicting severe pain on Iran, but added the latter has plans to counter it.

“Iran cannot tolerate this naval blockade to continue, so Iran is already making preparations to break the siege,” Dareini added. “At the same time, Iran definitely has its own plans to make sure that oil prices will shoot up over $100 per barrel.”

Iran condemns US attacks on its commercial vessels as ‘war crime’

Iran has strongly condemned what it called an “aggressive” US attack on Iranian commercial vessels, describing the action as illegal and a war crime.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the aggressive US action of attacking Iranian commercial vessels,” the ministry said in a statement.

It added that the attacks were a continuation of US military aggression and part of a broader maritime blockade and “economic war” on Iran, calling them a violation of the UN Charter and a threat to international peace, security and commercial shipping.

Iran vowed to “firmly defend its sovereignty and national interests” against what it termed state-sponsored terrorism and US aggression, including the continued blockade and “harassment of commercial ships”.

The ministry warned that responsibility for the consequences of continued US “aggressive and interventionist actions” in the region would lie with Washington and its allies and partners.

Under international humanitarian law (IHL) and the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, enemy merchant vessels (like oil tankers) are generally protected from direct attack. However, they lose this protection and can become lawful military objectives if they make an "effective contribution to military action." The latter is not the case.

Senior Iranian lawmaker to Al Jazeera: ‘we are in an existential war with America’

A senior Iranian lawmaker has confirmed that Iran had targeted US warships with ballistic missiles.

“Yes, yes, we fully confirm this. We are in an existential war with America,” Hassan Ghashghavi, an MP and spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Commission, said.

“Naturally, they have acted militarily in violation of all international laws,” he said, adding that “because America is far from us, it does not see this war as existential.”

Asked about Iran’s shift in the rules of engagement, Ghashghavi said “this blockade should never have existed,” pointing to the now-defunct memorandum of understanding. “Four days ago, the president of our country said at the Bishkek summit that we were ready to return [to negotiations], but US officials do not pay attention to these matters and instead are escalating and tightening the blockade.”

Ghashghavi rejected a warning from US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that any Iranian attack on US ships would be met with the destruction of Iran’s oil tanker fleet, which Hegseth described as “defenseless”, after strikes on Iran’s naval and air forces.

“Would any rational person accept the claim that Iran’s naval and air forces have been eliminated?” Ghashghavi said, citing recent Iranian missile and drone attacks.

IRGC navy says it attacked tankers using ‘unauthorised routes’ in Hormuz

The IRGC navy says its forces have attacked three oil tankers travelling through “unauthorised” routes in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three US-affiliated vessels “in other areas”.

In a statement carried by Iranian broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC navy warned all vessels in the Gulf or near the Strait of Hormuz to not be “deceived” by the US military and to “refrain from any suspicious movement aimed at transiting unauthorised waterways”.

“Otherwise, you will be targeted,” it said.

US could face economic costs from pressure campaign on Iran

The United States could face economic costs from its escalating pressure campaign against Iran, particularly heading into winter demand for heating fuel, with added uncertainty over whether markets can be supplied if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted, according to Joey Hood, a former US diplomat.

“It is possible that there will be a cost, an economic cost, to the United States, especially as we move towards winter,” Hood said.

Hood also reacted to comments from Iranian parliamentary spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi. He said Tehran remains committed to its memorandum of understanding while accusing Washington of seeking escalation, saying they reminded him of “something mentioned by the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu… when you have an enemy surrounded, you must give them an opportunity to withdraw; otherwise, they will resist as though their lives depend on it. They will resist to the end”.

“This is what is missing: an exit route,” he said.

Hood said he did not believe Trump currently sees such an off-ramp. “Donald Trump certainly does not know of an exit route, but I believe mediators can create one,” he said. “They need to offer something innovative and bold, something different.”

Egypt’s FM urges halt to escalation, discusses Hormuz with Omani counterpart

Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, has told his Omani counterpart, Badr Al-Busaidi, that halting the ongoing escalation and avoiding actions that could widen the confrontation or further threaten regional security should be the priority, said the Egyptian foreign ministry.

Abdelatty said political and diplomatic efforts offered the best route to address the roots of the crisis. He stressed the need to create conditions for a return to negotiations between Washington and Tehran, building on the memorandum of understanding reached through the Islamabad framework as a basis for resolving outstanding issues through dialogue.

The ministers also discussed developments in the Strait of Hormuz and their potential impact on regional security and the global economy. Both stressed the need to safeguard maritime navigation and keep trade and energy supplies flowing through the strategically important waterway, the ministry said.

Vessels ‘punished’ daily in Hormuz last month: IRGC Navy official

Iran’s Fars news agency cites a deputy political officer in the IRGC Navy as saying naval forces “punished” between two and five “offending” vessels in the Strait of Hormuz every night during the 10 days leading up to August 30.

US attacks have not “caused the slightest disruption” to Iranian control of the area, the official added.

US sanctions campaign against Iran is a slow-burn strategy

The Trump administration’s sanctions campaign against Iran is designed to build pressure over months, even as US officials have at times framed it as an immediate lever, according to former US diplomat Joey Hood.

“The Treasury secretary talked about economic sanctions as if they will happen and bear fruit within a single day, but that’s not the case,” Hood said. “What he described is sanctions that will take time over the next few months to become effective.”

Hood said US diplomats are approaching companies and governments to warn them of consequences of dealing with Iran, a process that takes time before Washington moves towards enforcement. “There will be some time needed to implement sanctions before Washington takes any action,” he said.

He contrasted that timeline with the immediacy of military action in the Gulf. “What doesn’t take time is opening fire on oil tankers in the Gulf right now, which only takes a few minutes,” Hood said, describing the US approach as “a mix of long-term sanctions on Iran’s financial, monetary and material side”, paired with military measures “aimed at weakening Iran economically”.

Iran says several ballistic missiles fired at US aircraft carrier, Navy destroyer

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said that it has launched “several ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier and a US Navy destroyer, which were harassing Iranian ships and participating in a naval blockade”, in a statement.

Tasnim news agency reported that the IRGC claimed that these two warships, “after sustaining damage and fearing further attacks, were forced to flee the conflict zone”.

The IRGC also referred to an earlier US CENTCOM statement, where commander Brad Cooper said, “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost – taking out three of yours.”

The IRGC added: “If the United States continues its hostile and aggressive actions, the US regime should expect a significant response from the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We are stronger than ever.”

Turkish, Iranian foreign ministers discuss negotiations with US

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, discussed regional developments by phone, the Anadolu agency reports.

The two ministers discussed “comprehensively” the latest developments in the ongoing negotiations with the US, the agency reported, quoting sources.

Iran lifts ban on using ‘non-native’ social media platforms for official information

Abbas Pazuki, a senior official in Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref’s office, has said that following the supreme leader’s approval, the country is lifting the ban on using non-native, or Western, social media platforms “for official information dissemination”.

In a statement to Iranian media, Pazuki said he wondered why the ban was there in the first place.

“Years ago, they had made a strange decision; they had issued a circular stating that no government agency or body had the right to provide information on non-native messaging platforms! What was the result? People, young people, and the media were reading news and rumors on international platforms, but government agencies were absent from the very places where people were present and were responding on another platform!” he wrote, according to the ISNA news agency.

“We had officially cleared the field for rumours and psychological operations by the media on the other side, and we had suffered greatly from this,” he added.

“Finally, with the courageous decision of the headquarters, the lock was broken: the ban on using non-native messengers for official information of the apparatuses was lifted with the full consensus of all members of the headquarters,” Pazuki said.

Access to the internet remains heavily restricted for the majority of Iranians.

‘Retreat is not an option’ for either side in US-Iran war: Middle East expert

The United States military strikes on three Iranian crude oil tankers and Iran’s attempted ballistic missile attacks on US warships mark an escalation in the six-month long conflict, according the director of the Middle East Studies Program at George Washington University, Sina Azodi.

Sina Azodi said that neither side will “cave in” because it “will not look good on them, so the only option is to escalate.”

He said unless there’s a political settlement, he believes the war will continue.

“There’s going to be more clashes between the Iranians and the Americans. There can be miscalculations. There can be more civilian casualties, especially on Iranians,” he said.

“The [US] Secretary of Defense can send more troops to the region, but I don’t think the Iranians are going to back down. They’re going to resist that blockade and impose further costs on the United States.”

He said the goal of both the US and Iran is to force the other to back down.

“The winner is going to be the one that can accept more costs and punishment,” Sina Azodi said.

That punishment, he said, includes ensuring global oil and energy prices remain high.

“I think that by continuing the war all the way to the [US] midterm elections, the Iranians can politically defeat [President] Donald Trump at home and create more headache for him domestically. It’s all about who can endure more pain and punishment,” he said.