Last UpdateAugust 19, 2026, 9:46 PM EDT
President Donald Trump cautioned that helping Tehran withstand U.S. pressure could carry major consequences as he moves to further isolate the Iranian regime following the expiration of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire this week.
WHAT TO KNOW
- The United Arab Emirates accused Iran of firing two ballistic missiles toward its territory on Wednesday, while Iran denied the claim.
- Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi called President Donald Trump“deluded” for claiming the Strait of Hormuz is “open and operating.”
- Trump says there are no talks with Iranscheduled as of Wednesday.
- President Donald Trump criticized South Korea over the Strait of Hormuz, questioned U.S. military exercises with Seoul and touted ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
- Israel’s strike in Syria was to prevent Turkey from establishing a foothold in the country, former Israel Navy commander Vice Adm. Eliezer “Chiney” Marom said.
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) condemned the Trump administration’s decision to impose sanctions on ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane of Japan and Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal.
- President Donald Trump said that Washington had imposed “draconian sanctions” on Tehran as he criticized Iran for failing to follow through on a deal with the U.S.
- President Donald Trump announced what he called the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country,” threatening sweeping consequences for nations and businesses that provide Iran with an economic lifeline as he seeks to further isolate Tehran.
- Saudi Arabia has urged Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to arrest and prosecute leaders of Iran-backed militias accused of targeting the kingdom since the Iran war began, regional officials said.
- U.S. forces redirected 65 commercial vessels attempting to bypass the blockade of Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said, as the military steps up enforcement in regional waters.
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5 hours ago
PINNED
Trump announces ‘most crushing economic operation’ against Iran
President Donald Trump / Iran
President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced what he called the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country,” threatening sweeping consequences for nations and businesses that provide Iran with an economic lifeline as he seeks to further isolate Tehran.
“No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a Deal than me,” Trump said in a post shared on X.
“TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it. Therefore, today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY!”
“This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” Trump said, claiming Iran’s navy is gone, its air force destroyed, its military factories reduced to rubble, its currency worthless and the country “hanging by a thread.”
Trump also warned that “ANY country” allowing its financial institutions, businesses, airports or government entities to provide “any type of lifeline to Iran” would face “TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences.”
“Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — it all needs to stop NOW,” he said.
“You know who you are,” Trump added, calling the campaign an “ECONOMIC D-DAY” and urging U.S. allies to help “isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat.”
Trump said Iran’s leaders are “on the ropes” and that the measures would “cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide.”
“IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” he said.
Posted by Emma Bussey
4 hours ago
Oil prices hit nearly four-week high on Middle East tensions
Hormuz / Amirhosein Khorgooi / ISNA via AP
Crude oil prices climbed on Wednesday, settling at their highest levels in almost four weeks as investors grew concerned about rising tensions in the Middle East, Reuters reported.
The gains followed the United Arab Emirates’ decision to suspend all financial and economic transactions with Iran and as shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was subdued.
Brent crude futures settled 60 cents, or 0.7%, higher at $91.62 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 89 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $85.83 a barrel.
Both benchmarks finished at their highest levels since July 24.
“Crude futures remain supported by the geopolitical tensions that remain in the Middle East, now with the UAE stating they have cut off all financial ties to Iran due to the latest missile attacks,” Dennis Kissler, senior vice president of trading at BOK Financial, told Reuters.
Posted by Emma Bussey
5 hours ago
Saudi Arabia demands Iraq crack down on Iran-backed militia leaders over attacks
President Donald Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-ZaidiEvan Vucci/Reuters
Saudi Arabia has urged Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to arrest and prosecute leaders of Iran-backed militias accused of targeting the kingdom since the Iran war began, regional officials told Al-Monitor on Wednesday.
This came as Riyadh looks to ease tensions with Baghdad while also pursuing backchannel talks with Tehran, the outlet said.
One official said Saudi Arabia is asking for accountability not only for the fighters who carried out the attacks but also for the militia leaders who ordered them.
Riyadh wants those commanders to “be held accountable,” the official said.
The request came after joint Saudi and U.S. strikes on Iran-backed militia headquarters across Iraq in July.
The strikes were carried out in retaliation for attacks on Saudi Arabia’s critical energy infrastructure.
Posted by Emma Bussey
8 hours ago
US forces redirected 65 vessels under Iranian port blockade: CENTCOM
U.S. forces have redirected 65 commercial vessels attempting to bypass the blockade of Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday, as the military steps up enforcement in regional waters.
In a post on X, CENTCOM shared an image of a U.S. sailor in the combat information center on board the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones “enforcing the U.S. blockade against Iran.”
As of Aug. 19, U.S. forces have redirected 65 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two to “ensure compliance,” the command said.
Posted by Emma Bussey
8 hours ago
Shakira, Jonas Brothers festival, Christina Aguilera Abu Dhabi concert canceled amid Iran war
Shakira / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images
Christina Aguilera’s Abu Dhabi concert and the OFFLIMITS music festival, headlined by Shakira, have been canceled amid the ongoing war involving Iran, according to reports.
The OFFLIMITS festival, which had been scheduled for November and was also set to feature the Jonas Brothers, announced its cancellation and said ticket holders would receive refunds.
“We look forward to bringing the OFFLIMITS community together again in 2027,” a message on the festival’s website said.
Ticketmaster also announced the cancellation of Aguilera’s Sept. 25 concert in Abu Dhabi, according to Emirati media. No new date was provided.
The cancellations come amid escalating tensions between the UAE and Iran.
The UAE announced Aug. 18 that it was suspending all trade and financial dealings with Iran after reporting what it said was an Iranian missile attack targeting Emirati ships.
Posted by Emma Bussey
9 hours ago
Trump blasts South Korea over Hormuz snub, touts ‘well-behaved’ Kim in push to curb drills
President Donald Trump / Kim Jong Un / Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized South Korea over the Strait of Hormuz, questioned U.S. military exercises with Seoul and touted ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
His remarks came after he announced on Truth Social on Monday that the U.S. would curb drills with South Korea, just as U.S. and South Korean soldiers began the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises.
“I didn’t like the fact that we’re doing these massive military exercises, really against North Korea.” Trump told reporters at a technology roundtable at the White House.
“It was, you know, an exercise against North Korea when I’m friendly with him,” he said of Kim Jong Un.
Trump also criticized South Korea for declining to help the U.S. secure the Strait of Hormuz.
“I was not happy when South Korea said, no, they’re not interested in helping us with the Hormuz Strait.
“And yet they get 60% of their oil from the Hormuz Strait. I said, would you like to help us?
“He said, no, thank you.” Trump added, referring to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s response.
“I felt that to do a massive war exercise. I thought that was very insulting to somebody that, frankly, has been, during my term at least, very well behaved,” he said of Jong Un.
Posted by Emma Bussey
9 hours ago
Trump warns Iran of ‘draconian sanctions’ after Tehran fails to deliver on US deal
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington had imposed “draconian sanctions” on Tehran as he criticized Iran for failing to follow through on a deal with the U.S.
“Well, we have things that we could sanction,” Trump told reporters at a White House tech roundtable.
“We have very draconian sanctions, and we’ll see what happens.
“Right now, the Strait is open. A lot of boats are coming through. People aren’t reporting that. And that may slow down a little bit at some point.
President Donald Trump / Evan Vucci / AP
“But right now a lot of boats are coming through,” he added before describing how the naval blockade had been “extremely effective.”
“Except for a couple of little pauses where we opened it purposely at, with the deal. “But the deal didn’t turn out to be what they said. You know, when they tell us one thing and they do another.
“But the blockade has been 100% successful. No boats have gotten into Iran, but they are getting in for other places. But we’ll see. We’re going to see what happens.”
“It’ll either be extremely good and oil prices are going to drop like Iraq, or will continue to do exactly what we’re doing,” Trump added.
Posted by Emma Bussey
9 hours ago
Israel struck Syria to block Turkish foothold, former IDF Navy chief says
Syria Map / AP Photo
Israel’s strike in Syria on Tuesday was to prevent Turkey from establishing a foothold in the country, former Israel Navy commander Vice Adm. Eliezer “Chiney” Marom said Wednesday.
The Jerusalem Post, citing Marom’s interview with 103FM, also claimed that the U.S. “knew about” the strike while adding that Iran’s presence in Syria had also already been significantly reduced.
“The Iranians are hardly there anymore, and that’s very good for us,” he said. “We don’t want the Turks to enter this gap that has been created and establish a position in Syria.
“They intended to send a delegation to prepare the airport that was attacked for Turkish activity. This incident illustrates that Israel will not allow the Turks to control Syria. This is a very important move, and it also carries a great danger of regional escalation,” he said.
“There are enough brakes here to prevent this from happening,” he said of the possibility of escalation.
“First, Turkey is a member of NATO, so there is a very significant restraint on it. Second, Turkey will want to join the European Union at some point. Third, the Turkish economy is not at its best, and therefore I don’t currently see Erdogan making a decision and going to war against Israel.”
Marom also said the nuclear material found in Syria was “not something that should concern us very much.”
“As far as I know, these are minerals mined from the ground in Syria, and as long as they are not enriched, they are not dangerous. It’s like sand or anything else.”
Posted by Emma Bussey
10 hours ago
ICC fires back after Trump administration sanctions top court officials
ICC / Alex Gottschalk / DeFodi Images via Getty Images
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday condemned the Trump administration’s decision to impose sanctions on ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane of Japan and Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal.
The court described the sanctions, announced Tuesday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as a “flagrant attack” on the independence of the judicial institution, stressing that it operates under a mandate granted by its member states around the world.
“As previously stated, the Court remains undeterred and stands firmly behind its personnel and behind victims of unimaginable atrocities,” the ICC said in a statement.
The EU also said in a statement shared on X that it “deeply regrets the decision by the United States to impose sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) President Judge Tomoko Akane and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye.”
Posted by Emma Bussey
10 hours ago
US agencies warn of ‘active threat’ to critical infrastructure amid Iran-linked cyber fears
Hackers / Donato Fasano / Getty Images
U.S. agencies warned Wednesday of an “active threat” targeting Siemens S7 series programmable logic controllers used across critical infrastructure, including water and wastewater systems, energy, manufacturing, chemical facilities, and food and agriculture.
The alert, issued by the NSA, FBI, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and CISA, comes amid a recent wave of cyber incidents affecting local water systems in several states, some of which cybersecurity experts suspect are linked to Iran.
The U.S. agencies said in a release that attackers are targeting internet-exposed or poorly protected Siemens systems and warned that successful hacks could threaten equipment and expose sensitive data.
According to the agencies, hackers are also using AI to generate scripts, reducing the time needed to develop tools capable of compromising industrial controllers
Posted by Emma Bussey
11 hours ago
American woman handed 5-year prison sentence in Iran after returning to US
U.S. citizen Dena Karari has been sentenced in absentia to five years in prison in Iran on national security charges, her lawyer, Jared Genser, said Wednesday in a post on X.
Genser said Karari had been “subjected to a 19-month coercive exit ban from Iran and was just convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, in absentia, for crimes against the Iranian regime.”
Karari, 53, had traveled to Iran to see family but was prevented from leaving after authorities seized her American and Iranian passports, Genser previously said.
Her legal team said a Revolutionary Court in Zahedan convicted Karari under Article 610 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code on charges of conspiracy and collusion to commit crimes against national security, according to a statement.
The legal team said the verdict was dated Aug. 16 and that Karari’s lawyer, Masoud Ahmadian, learned of the ruling Wednesday.
Genser had also credited President Donald Trump with securing Karari’s release from Iran in July.
Posted by Emma Bussey
12 hours ago
Iran conflict is nearing ‘endgame’ as Trump refuses to extend ceasefire: Ret colonel
Ret. Col. Mike Jernigan stated on “America Reports” that Iran is intentionally prolonging the conflict while remaining “wary” of further U.S. military action.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
13 hours ago
Trump intensifies pressure on Iran as Strait of Hormuz standoff escalates
Fox News contributor Dan Hoffman joined Fox News to discuss the rising standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, Russia’s military support to Iran and reports of President Donald Trump pushing for another meeting with Kim Jong Un.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
13 hours ago
Putin providing ‘direct’ military aid to Iran: Report
Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported the latest on conflict in the Middle East from Tel Aviv on Wednesday, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin was providing “direct” aid to Iran.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
14 hours ago
Iran loses key economic lifeline in Middle East that Trump’s sanctions couldn’t reach amid deadlock
The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran after accusing Tehran of firing ballistic missiles toward maritime traffic.
The action severs one of the Islamic Republic’s most important commercial and financial links and threatens to close off an economic route President Donald Trump’s sanctions have struggled to reach. It also further deepens Iran’s isolation amid its standoff with the U.S.
The UAE supplied 31% of Iran’s imports, valued at roughly $21 billion, in 2024, and was the destination for 13% of its exports, according to World Trade Organization trade data.
Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former Treasury official, said the UAE is one of Tehran’s two key economic lifelines.
“The UAE and China are Iran’s two economic bloodlines. If UAE is serious about its economic embargo against Iran, then it’ll close the one the U.S. Navy couldn’t touch,” Malek wrote on X.
Maleki said Dubai has become Tehran’s gateway to global commerce, with third-country goods routed through the emirate to Iran. “Most of what Iran calls ‘imports from the UAE’ was never Emirati. Dubai has been basically Iran’s window to the world economy,” he said.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said the measures would remain in place “until further notice,” citing a regional escalation that it said undermined peace and security.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Morgan Phillips.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
15 hours ago
Rick Scott urges Trump to follow through on threat to ‘bomb and destroy’ Iranian targets
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., says President Donald Trump should follow through on his threats to “bomb and destroy” Iran’s infrastructure.
Scott made the comments during a Tuesday appearance on News Nation, arguing a resumption of full-scale war against Iran is the only way to achieve U.S. objectives.
“I think he’s going to have to,” Scott said when asked about the possibility.
“I mean, here’s a president that doesn’t like war. None of us do. Here’s a president that doesn’t want to put troops in harm’s way. None of us do,” he said. “And so, he’s given diplomacy a chance. Iran has walked away from it.”
“At some point, he will not have a choice but to do more to destroy their ability to produce weapons. But they are not going to have a useful weapon while President Trump’s president,” he added.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
15 hours ago
OPINION: Iran war forces America to confront the strategic cost of deterring China
This is an excerpt from an opinion article by Robert Maginnis, a retired U.S. Army infantry officer, senior fellow for National Security at the Family Research Council.
The most strategically revealing military move in the Iran war this week isn’t another strike on Tehran. It is an American aircraft carrier leaving the Pacific. USS George Washington is heading toward the Middle East to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln, whose overall deployment has exceeded 260 days, including more than 240 uninterrupted days at sea. The move could leave the Pacific without a U.S. carrier for an unknown period.
That does not mean China is preparing to attack Taiwan. It means the United States is making a real strategic tradeoff: a carrier reinforcing the Middle East cannot simultaneously deter in the Western Pacific. America has global reach, but its forces are not infinite, and geography still imposes choices.
The same point was visible in Adm. Brad Cooper’s just-completed 10-day trip through six Middle Eastern countries. CENTCOM says more than 50,000 American service members are now operating across the region. Iran is consuming ships, aircraft, munitions, logistics and command attention at the same time Washington says the Indo-Pacific must remain a priority.
That is the strategic dilemma. The question is no longer simply whether the United States has enough military power to continue operations against Iran. We do. The harder question is whether we are allocating that power in a way that matches our declared priorities.
The 2026 National Defense Strategy is unusually clear on this point. It calls for a strong denial defense along the First Island Chain and places deterring China among the Pentagon’s top priorities, expecting allies to shoulder more responsibility elsewhere. Whatever one thinks of that approach, it is strategy because it makes choices.
Now events are testing whether Washington is prepared to live by those choices.
This is not the familiar debate over whether America can “fight two wars.” That phrase is too crude. The United States remains capable of fighting in more than one theater. The real problem is deterrence: Can we sustain a demanding conflict in the Middle East while keeping enough ready combat power elsewhere to persuade China that this is not its moment to attack Taiwan?
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
16 hours ago
Iranian parliament speaker remains defiant on Strait of Hormuz
The speaker of Iran’s parliament vowed that Tehran will continue to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz until the U.S. agrees to steep demands.
Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed the U.S. agreed to a whole host of concessions under the now-expired Memorandum of Understanding.
“Until America implements its commitments under the Memorandum of Understanding, including lifting the blockade and the release of frozen assets, lifting the oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and other conditions that America has agreed to, the strait will not be reopened,” Ghalibaf said.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
16 hours ago
Turkey accuses Netanyahu of pursuing ‘expansionist’ policies after Israeli strike on Syrian airbase
The Turkish government publicly denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegedly pursuing “expansionist and destabilizing policies” after Israel launched airstrikes on a Syrian airbase this week.
Netanyahu’s office took responsibility for the Tuesday morning strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase the next day, saying Syria was on the verge of breaching a security agreement by allowing Turkish troops to deploy from the base, which is near Aleppo.
“Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security,” Netanyahu’s office said Tuesday night. “Syria chose to ignore these warnings. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo.”
On Wednesday, Turkey called these allegations from Israel “untenable,” arguing that they are intended to legitimize Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“The imputations voiced stem from Netanyahu’s intent to pursue expansionist and destabilizing policies in the region ahead of the elections in Israel,” Turkey’s government said in a social media post.
“Türkiye, like the vast majority of the international community, stands for the consolidation of lasting peace in our region. The sole path to this objective lies in Netanyahu’s abandonment of his aggressive and coercive policies and in his respect for international law,” it continued.
“Türkiye will resolutely continue to cooperate with the Syrian Government on a legitimate basis for the establishment of peace, stability, and prosperity in Syria, and will never allow the destabilization of Syria,” the statement concluded.
The strike on the Syrian airbase, which caused damage but no casualties, also drew criticism from U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, despite a senior Israeli official telling Fox News that “highly sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States in advance” of the attack.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ James Cirrone.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
17 hours ago
Iran’s gutted ranks leave loyalists filling critical posts — with one glaring problem
Iran is rebuilding the upper ranks of its military and security establishment after months of wartime losses by turning largely to familiar veterans — figures whose careers in some cases stretch back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War and previous domestic crackdowns.
The appointments follow the deaths of several senior Iranian commanders in U.S.-Israeli strikes since the war began Feb. 28, The National reported Aug. 11.
For Washington, the stakes go beyond who fills the vacancies. The reshuffle puts veteran hardliners atop institutions that shape Iran’s military operations, national-security policy and internal security at a time of renewed confrontation with the United States.
The appointments do not prove that Tehran has run out of younger commanders or that loyalty was the sole criterion, but the reliance on figures whose careers stretch back decades is raising a broader question for U.S. policymakers: whether wartime losses have left Iran increasingly dependent on a smaller circle of trusted ideologues — potentially narrowing the room for compromise even as Washington tries to pressure Tehran back toward a deal.
Former American prisoner Morad Tahbaz, who was detained in Iran in 2018 and freed in a U.S.-Iran prisoner exchange in September 2023, told Fox News Digital that he views the latest appointments as evidence of Tehran’s continued dependence on longtime loyalists.
“They keep rotating the same old people, most of whom are fairly inept but are loyal to the Khamenei father and son,” Tahbaz told Fox News Digital.
The reshuffle spans Iran’s conventional military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, its naval arm, the Basij paramilitary force and the country’s highest national-security council.
Iran’s state-run IRNA reported Aug. 10 that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed Ali Abdollahi chief of staff of the Armed Forces, Kioumars Heydari his deputy, Ahmad Vahidi commander of the IRGC, Mostafa Izadi deputy IRGC commander, Ali Ozmaei commander of the IRGC Navy and Hossein Taeb head of the Basij.
The previous day, former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei, 71, was named secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Khamenei’s representative on the powerful body. Reuters reported Aug. 10 that the SNSC coordinates Iran’s security and foreign policy and that Rezaei replaced Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, who had been appointed secretary in late March following the death of his predecessor, Ali Larijani.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Efrat Lachter.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
17 hours ago
Iran should not be considered a ‘rational actor,’ expert says
Middle East Institute associate fellow Nazee Moinian warned that the U.S. should negotiate with Iran as if it were a “rational actor” on Wednesday.
Moinian urged President Donald Trump’s administration to ramp up the economic pressure on Iran in order to force its leaders to offer concessions.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
18 hours ago
Trump admin sanctions sitting president of the International Criminal Court for ‘abuses of power’
The Trump administration has sanctioned two top International Criminal Court officials, escalating its campaign to dismantle a body that has investigated alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and issued arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials over the war in Gaza.
In announcing the sanctions against ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and the ICC’s senior trial lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the court “corrupt and fatally politicized.”
“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” Rubio said in a statement, adding that the ICC “has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate.”
The sanctions against Akane and Seye freeze assets they hold in U.S. jurisdictions and largely cut them off from transactions with Americans or the U.S. financial system.
“Our whole of government campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the ICC to national sovereignty will be sweeping and we expect more countries to join our campaign by ending their funding and participation in this politicized and unaccountable court,” Rubio said. “The ICC’s ability to target American nationals and those of other non-States Parties must end.”
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February 2025 created the sanctions framework.
The Trump administration argues that the ICC lacks the power to investigate soldiers, military commanders and political leaders from countries that are not parties to the court, including the U.S. and Israel.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ James Cirrone
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
18 hours ago
UAE suspends trade with Iran after missile attacks as Iran claims false flag
The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade with Iran on Wednesday after it says Tehran launched two missiles toward its territory.
Iran denied the accusation and claimed the attack was a false flag.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said there had been “numerous” alleged false flag attacks amid “ongoing evils of the US and the Zionist regime against regional peace and security.”
The UAE detected one missile falling inside of its territorial waters while the other fell outside.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
18 hours ago
Pentagon says US ready to defeat ‘any threat’ as Iran war drives munitions demand
The U.S. military has the firepower to defeat any threat, a top Pentagon official said Tuesday and as Washington focuses on replenishing weapons stockpiles amid the Iran war and expanding America’s arsenal.
“President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, Chairman Caine have all stated clearly, we are ready,” Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey said on “Special Report”.
“The U.S. military can defeat any threat at the time and place of our choosing, and I think that remains true today,” Duffey added.
Duffey’s comments come amid increased scrutiny of U.S. weapons inventories as conflicts abroad, including the war with Iran, increase demand for missiles and other munitions.
“President Trump, Secretary Hegseth are committed to rebuilding the military, revitalizing the defense industrial base, so that now and for the future we will have the weapons that we need,” he said.
Duffey said the administration nevertheless wants to accelerate production and build larger reserves.
“We would always like to have more weapons than we have right now, which is why we are so focused on engaging with our industrial partners, entering these deals, and ensuring that we ramp the production of these key missiles as quickly as possible.”
“We’re making up for lost time. The Biden administration did not deliver. They did not focus on developing the industrial base that we need in order to ensure that we have munitions for the foreseeable future,” he added.
Fox News’ Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
