Ongoing Story
Ongoing coverage of Iran-related conflicts and diplomacy
Ongoing coverage of Iran-related conflicts and diplomacy
The war with Iran has become a war of attrition fought with sanctions, tankers and budgets rather than bombing runs. After the 60-day ultimatum expired and Washington opened what the president called an economic "D-Day" sanctions offensive, Tehran ruled out direct talks and settled in for a stalemate. The Strait of Hormuz remains the pressure point: Trump has claimed the U.S. has "total control" of the waterway, Iran rejected any suggestion it could become U.S. territory, and Iranian forces have now struck another commercial ship transiting it.
The bill is coming due in ways Americans can see. Gas prices hit the highest August level ever recorded, and internal documents show the campaign is draining the Navy's budget even as the USS Washington sails to relieve the USS Lincoln. Dissent has reached the ranks: an Air Force major has been charged after protesting the war in uniform, while the Pentagon's top officer is still hunting for an off-ramp. The confrontation has also turned personal: the Secret Service says it is aware of an Iranian video threatening Barron Trump, and House Republicans are seeking an investigation into an activist who attended the Ayatollah's funeral.
Tehran is trying to convert isolation into regional solidarity. Iran's supreme leader has urged Gulf rulers to confront the "real enemy" instead of one another — an appeal aimed squarely at the governments Washington is leaning on to enforce its sanctions.
The widened conflict keeps generating crises of its own. Netanyahu rejected Trump's 15-point Gaza plan, and the president's own ceasefire envoy has now criticized Israel over its strikes. Syria and Israel have held U.S.-mediated talks in Jordan. In the West Bank the friction is escalating in public view: an Israeli lawmaker smashed a Palestinian memorial during a tour, masked settlers attacked an NBC News crew, and thirteen Americans including United Methodist clergy were denied entry to Israel before a planned visit.
Ukraine has just endured the deadliest strikes of the year. A Russian attack on a Kyiv warehouse killed 38 people, and drones battered the Kyiv region for a second straight day. The EU has released $7 billion for Ukrainian air defenses while Ukrainian strikes reach deep into Russian commerce. Diplomacy runs alongside the shooting: the CIA director made an unannounced trip to Moscow, and Trump has predicted Putin will not attack NATO countries even as Sweden's military moves to seize a Russian-owned estate near a naval base. Amid it all, Ukraine mourned Oleksiy Yukov, the "collector of souls", killed while recovering the war dead.
More than 200,000 people have been displaced as fighting intensifies in Yemen, the International Organization for Migration said, AFP reports through Al Jazeera. Read →
More than 200,000 people have been displaced as fighting intensifies in Yemen, the International Organization for Migration said, AFP reports through Al Jazeera.
Iraq changed its official exchange rate from about 1,300 to 1,500 dinars per dollar, with bank customers paying 1,520, the Associated Press reports. War-related shipping disruption has reduced oil earnings. The weaker currency brings more dinars per export dollar but can raise import costs; the eventual effect on prices remains uncertain. Read →
Iraq changed its official exchange rate from about 1,300 to 1,500 dinars per dollar, with bank customers paying 1,520, the Associated Press reports. War-related shipping disruption has reduced oil earnings. The weaker currency brings more dinars per export dollar but can raise import costs; the eventual effect on prices remains uncertain.
Attacks on Abha and Riyadh’s King Khalid airports killed three residents and injured 36, Saudi aviation officials said, the Associated Press reports. Yemen’s Houthis claimed the strikes, but Saudi officials did not publicly assign responsibility. AP could not independently verify separate coalition claims about intercepting a missile and destroying its launch platform. Read →
Attacks on Abha and Riyadh’s King Khalid airports killed three residents and injured 36, Saudi aviation officials said, the Associated Press reports. Yemen’s Houthis claimed the strikes, but Saudi officials did not publicly assign responsibility. AP could not independently verify separate coalition claims about intercepting a missile and destroying its launch platform.
UK police arrested a 22-year-old British man in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts in the RAF Fairford investigation, Counter Terrorism Policing and DW report. Six earlier suspects remain on bail. President Trump linked the earlier bomber withdrawal to threats; police have not established the motivation or a causal link to that move, and the arrest is not a conviction. Read →
UK police arrested a 22-year-old British man in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts in the RAF Fairford investigation, Counter Terrorism Policing and DW report. Six earlier suspects remain on bail. President Trump linked the earlier bomber withdrawal to threats; police have not established the motivation or a causal link to that move, and the arrest is not a conviction.
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces say they secured Bab al-Mandab and captured Mokha, BBC News reports. Other government sources place them only on the city’s outskirts, and the Houthis deny losing it. The Houthis claimed retaliatory strikes in Saudi Arabia, which condemned the attacks. Territorial control and the offensive’s outcome remain disputed. Read →
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces say they secured Bab al-Mandab and captured Mokha, BBC News reports. Other government sources place them only on the city’s outskirts, and the Houthis deny losing it. The Houthis claimed retaliatory strikes in Saudi Arabia, which condemned the attacks. Territorial control and the offensive’s outcome remain disputed.
A US official told Al Jazeera that the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group is heading to the Middle East, followed by the Makin Island force carrying more than 2,000 Marines. The official says the buildup expands President Trump’s military options as diplomacy with Iran continues. The report does not establish that a new attack has been ordered. Read →
A US official told Al Jazeera that the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group is heading to the Middle East, followed by the Makin Island force carrying more than 2,000 Marines. The official says the buildup expands President Trump’s military options as diplomacy with Iran continues. The report does not establish that a new attack has been ordered.
Two US officials told AP that Marco Rubio ordered Iran’s UN delegation to leave New York early after indirect talks made little progress. Iran’s delegation denied being ordered out and said its departure followed a schedule given to the State Department on September 17. The accounts conflict over whether Washington changed the departure timing. Read →
Two US officials told AP that Marco Rubio ordered Iran’s UN delegation to leave New York early after indirect talks made little progress. Iran’s delegation denied being ordered out and said its departure followed a schedule given to the State Department on September 17. The accounts conflict over whether Washington changed the departure timing.
BBC reporting from Taiz describes displaced families and wounded civilians as government forces confront a Houthi offensive. Fighting intensified after the Houthis seized Mokha earlier in September, threatening routes linking the city to the coast. The report combines direct observations with accounts from residents and fighters; battlefield claims remain difficult to independently verify. Read →
BBC reporting from Taiz describes displaced families and wounded civilians as government forces confront a Houthi offensive. Fighting intensified after the Houthis seized Mokha earlier in September, threatening routes linking the city to the coast. The report combines direct observations with accounts from residents and fighters; battlefield claims remain difficult to independently verify.
Trump said Monday that US negotiators spoke with Iranian officials through intermediaries, The Guardian reports, after Iran said its UN delegation had no talks planned. He also denied a report that he offered sanctions relief. The statements leave the terms and prospects of negotiations disputed; no agreement was announced. Read →
Trump said Monday that US negotiators spoke with Iranian officials through intermediaries, The Guardian reports, after Iran said its UN delegation had no talks planned. He also denied a report that he offered sanctions relief. The statements leave the terms and prospects of negotiations disputed; no agreement was announced.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the US-Iran war is imposing heavy economic costs on Egypt and its neighbors. In an interview with the Washington Times, he urged de-escalation and appealed to President Trump to help end the conflict. The comments highlight regional economic pressure alongside the war’s military and diplomatic consequences. Read →
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the US-Iran war is imposing heavy economic costs on Egypt and its neighbors. In an interview with the Washington Times, he urged de-escalation and appealed to President Trump to help end the conflict. The comments highlight regional economic pressure alongside the war’s military and diplomatic consequences.
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, while Yemen’s Houthis said they targeted the capital. The confirmation follows air alerts and reports of smoke and disruption near the airport on Saturday. The State Department issued a regional security caution as the confrontation intensified. Read →
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, while Yemen’s Houthis said they targeted the capital. The confirmation follows air alerts and reports of smoke and disruption near the airport on Saturday. The State Department issued a regional security caution as the confrontation intensified.