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Last UpdateOctober 30, 2026, 11:02 AM EDT
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is using a vast and secret network of military agencies to re-arm with drones, explosives and heavy duty machines while cirumventing a U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
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Top military brass presents Trump with post-midterm options for Iran
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth steps away from the podium with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, right, and Adm. Brad Cooper, left, following a press briefing at the Pentagon, Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Washington. Credit: Kevin Wolf/AP Photo
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad Cooper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed President Donald Trump on an array of military options in Iran during a Thursday meeting, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Top military brass met with Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday as the White House weighs resuming military strikes in Iran following the upcoming midterm elections.
“We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump told a crowd at a rally last week, referring to the code name for the February joint Israeli-U.S. bombing on Iran that kicked off the now-months long war in February.
Trump officials have also briefed Arab allies to be prepared for a short but intense campaign following elections, the Journal reported.
Posted by Robert McGreevy
Oil set for fourth monthly gain as Hormuz tanker attack highlights supply risks
Gas prices have ticked up after allegedly Iranian attacks on commerical ships. Credit: Aaron Schwartz/Reuters
Oil prices rose Friday, setting up what will likely be the fourth straight month of price increases as the market reacts to further instability in the transport routes in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures rose to $117.62 a barrel while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures climbed to $113.58. The figures mark nearly a 14% monthly rise for Brent and a 15% increase for WTI.
“The oil market is getting increasingly spooked as we approach the midterms,” Ole Hansen, the head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, told Reuters.
The U.S. military is presenting President Donald Trump with strike options in Iran for after the U.S, midterm elections on Nov. 3, a date which Trump has hinted he may resume bombing campaigns in Iran after.
Meanwhile in the Strait of Hormuz, commercial tankers continue to be targeted and struck with drones and other explosives as Iran attempts to wrestle control of the key waterway from the U.S. amidst an American naval blockade.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Posted by Robert McGreevy
Tanker in Strait of Hormuz hit by explosives attached to small boat, UKMTO says
Vessels are seen near the Strait of Hormuz, from Musandam, Oman, on Aug. 31, 2026. Credit: Reuters.
The Panama-flagged oil tanker Louise 1 caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after a small boat attached two limpet mines to its hull, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) reported.
While there were no injuries or environmental damage reported, the tanker’s engine room did catch fire, temporarily disabling the craft, according to UKMTO.
The incident occurred on 25 nautical miles northeast of the city of Khasab in Oman.
Though nobody has claimed responsibility for the explosion, it fits a pattern of a recent string of attacks on commercial vessels by Iranian actors in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claims it is hitting crafts that violate its restrictions on movement in the Strait.
It is, however, the first successful deployment of limpet mines in the Strait since the start of the war in February.
“The apparent ability of a small craft to approach a transiting tanker, deploy explosive devices and withdraw presents a significant security concern, particularly in the Strait’s congested shipping lanes,” Greece-based maritime risk management group Marisks said in a note on Friday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Posted by Robert McGreevy
