Middle East War

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More pressure on Iran. And more strain on US forces.

The US is planning measures against Iran that have “never been seen,” including further economic isolation and a continued blockade aimed at preventing goods from moving in or out of Iranian ports, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday. He said more announcements are expected next week. Meanwhile, the US is sending another carrier group to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln amid reports of low morale and deteriorating living conditions aboard the ship, which is carrying more than 5,000 US service members. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the reports were “completely misrepresented,” though he did not specify his concerns with the reporting. However, multiple families have raised concerns about sailors’ mental health after more than 200 days without a port call during operations against Iran.

The USS Abraham Lincoln at the Naval Base in Guam in 2025. (Valerie Lynn Maigue/US Navy)

+ Read more: Sailor rescued after going overboard from USS Abraham Lincoln following reported mental health episode

+ Video: Military reporter shuts down Hegseth’s denial of sailors jumping overboard (2:00)

+ Interactive: How traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is adapting to war

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Trump turns to ‘economic warfare’

President Trump announced on social media Wednesday what he described as a “crushing economic operation” against Iran, threatening “economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale.” He offered few details about what the operation would involve but warned of economic consequences for any country whose financial institutions, businesses, airports or government entities provide “any type of lifeline to Iran.” Despite ramping up the pressure, Trump also said Wednesday that the situation with Iran is “so good” right now — days after halting all US talks with Tehran. ps:As I've said many times, he talks out of both sides of his mouth!!!!!

+ Analysis: Trump has a new plan to crush Iran’s economy. But will he stay the course?

+ Meanwhile: More than 750 US service members wounded since start of Iran War, Pentagon database shows

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🇸🇾 Syrian foreign minister: Israeli bombing unjustified

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Tom Nicholson, Antonio Masiello, and Ula Muhammed/Anadolu via Getty Images Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani made it clear to Israel that his government wasn't working with Turkey to amass a military presence at a Syrian airbase — but Israel attacked the site anyway, he tells Axios' Barak Ravid. The Tuesday morning strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase has heightened tensions among three close U.S. partners in the region, just as the Trump administration is trying to prevent further escalation. 🇹🇷 Al-Shaibani tells Axios: "[T]here was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site." President Trump told Axios in a phone call yesterday that he'd been briefed on the Israeli strike, but declined to comment on it. "I can't talk about it," he said. 💥 Israel dropped at least eight bombs at the base in northern Syria, about 45 miles from the Turkish border. The strike damaged the runways, which had recently been rebuilt. There were no casualties. Keep reading.

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Trump warns of ‘economic D-Day’ against Iran, but Tehran is well acquainted with sanctions Nearing the six-month mark of the Iran war and facing diminishing stockpiles of key weapons, the Trump administration is touting a crushing financial campaign against a country that has so far withstood nearly five decades of punishing American sanctions. Read more.

Why this matters: With sparse details, President Donald Trump announced this week that the U.S. would be imposing an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on Iran, aiming to force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers. The president is refocusing America’s might on bringing Iran to its knees through an accelerated sanctions campaign against one of the most economically penalized countries in the world.   Iranian officials and analysts have accused the Republican president of flip-flopping with his latest pivot to economic pressure against Iran. Trump has long derided past leaders who used sanctions to limit Iran’s ability to pay for its military and nuclear development. In a post last week on X, Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, wrote that Washington’s pattern of retreating to sanctions when it doesn’t want to pursue diplomacy has proven to be futile.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Iranian families struggle to afford the basics as US ratchets up economic warfare US aircraft carrier arrives in Middle East, relieving long-deployed USS Lincoln A quiet channel between ICE and Iran shaped deportation flights, newly released emails show

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Iran warns of a harsh response as US announces new sanctions and other Middle East news

Iran warned that new U.S. sanctions on Tehran announced Monday would not bring peace to the region. Meanwhile, Israeli and Syrian officials met less than a week after Israeli strikes in Syria. And Israel said it killed a Hamas commander in Gaza. Read More.

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Exclusive: US Patriot missile stocks in Europe are ‘beyond critical’ due to Iran war, officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military is experiencing a “beyond critical” shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe largely driven by President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, a U.S. defense official in Europe and a NATO official told The Associated Press, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in NATO countries to a potential Russian attack.

https://apnews.com/article/patriot-missiles-iran-war-russia-ukraine-trump-09c7d8030a2e11fbd8ee3f7176b3f2d4?

Iran scrambles to sustain trade as US threatens to sanction countries that refuse to break ties

Iran’s economy, already strained by high inflation, years of Western sanctions and a war that has sharply reduced oil revenue, is poised for more instability as the Trump administration tries to coerce other countries into ending all financial dealings with the Islamic Republic. Read More.

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🇮🇷 U.S. strengthens Hormuz hand

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images Today marks six months of the Iran War, which began Feb. 28. Axios' Barak Ravid reports the U.S. is improving its position in the waterway at the center of the quagmire: The Strait of Hormuz has been Iran's most powerful card since the start of the war in late February. U.S. officials say that over the past six months, the American military has steadily eroded Iran's leverage over the crucial waterway. Why it matters: What began six months ago with the goal of degrading Iran's missile capabilities and destroying what remained of its nuclear program has evolved into an open-ended fight over the world's most important energy chokepoint. U.S. officials say they've turned the tide in the strait and believe it could be a watershed moment in the war, bringing gradual relief to the world economy and a better deal with Iran. "The Iranian response is very mild," President Trump told Axios in a phone interview yesterday. "They don't want us to go back at them. That's the whole ball game. The rest doesn't matter." 🚢 Zoom out: The number of ships crossing the strait — and the amount of oil exported through it — remain far below prewar levels. But Iran has lost much of its control over the strait, U.S. officials said. Iran is still firing at ships. But its ability to target them accurately is limited. More than 200 mine-like objects have been swept from the main lane of the strait. U.S. officials say only 11 of them were actual mines and just a few were properly deployed. In recent weeks, traffic through the southern channel has grown to 20 to 30 tankers every night, carrying an average of 9 million to 10 million barrels, per U.S. officials. That's roughly half the prewar volume. 🛢️ Yes, but: Oil experts and tanker trackers are skeptical that the actual figures are that high. U.S. officials say they're undercounting. Periodic reports of oil tankers being struck by projectiles also raise questions about the safety of commercial shipping through the strait, despite U.S. assurances. Trump told Axios: "That sucker is open."

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Six months on, the Iran war has changed the Middle East, but not in the way its architects had hoped When they attacked Iran on Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel hoped to topple its clerical leadership and replace it with a pro-Western government. But the Islamic Republic survived the assassination of its top leaders and weeks of heavy bombing, and found a potent form of leverage in the Strait of Hormuz. Read more.

Why this matters: Iran is now determined to exert permanent control over the strait, to use it to ward off future attacks and secure other concessions, while giving no ground on its disputed nuclear program. Meanwhile Gulf Arab nations saw worrying gaps open up in the American security umbrella they have relied on for decades — and some are looking at alternatives. Israel has once again thrashed its enemies without defeating them, and is at risk of a generational rupture with the U.S., its closest ally.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump used to say he saw a quick end to his Iran war. Six months later, he claims he’s in no hurry More Mideast developments Republicans face a midterm verdict as Iran war drags on months longer than Trump promised Exclusive: US Patriot missile stocks in Europe are ‘beyond critical’ due to Iran war, officials say

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US strikes Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in first military action in weeks

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in their first military action in a month on Sunday, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Vowing to retaliate for what it called a deadly attack, Iran later said it had launched missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-strait-hormuz-strike-united-states-6b098da673ac3161a266ee459d5eff44?

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U.S. strikes Iranian mine launchers

Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Ali Saeedi/Getty Images The U.S. military struck Iranian military targets to prevent the deployment of sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official told Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: This is the first known U.S. strike in Iran since late July. Iran retaliated with limited attacks on both the UAE and Jordan. Oil surged 3% after the exchange of fire. Threat level: President Trump posted an apparent AI video overnight that he said showed Iran's crucial Kharg Island oil terminal being "blown to smithereens." Seizing or destroying Kharg, the heart of Iran's oil industry, has been one of his regular threats during the war. The U.S. military last week finished clearing all mines from the strait's main shipping lane. Trump said then that Iran was notified that any ship or boat placing new mines would be "immediately and systematically destroyed." Keep reading.

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Iran war economic impact: Consumers struggle as investors prosper As the U.S. and Israel relentlessly bombed Iran in the opening days of war, the most dramatic predictions of the conflict’s toll were unsparing: surging oil prices, worldwide recession and economic catastrophe. But six months into the conflict, the direst predictions haven’t come true even if no corner of the world’s economy has been untouched. Read more.

Why this matters: A major turnaround has unfolded since the market bottomed in late March. The Dow has gained nearly 19%, the S&P is up almost 22% and the Nasdaq has surged 27%. If those gains survive the waning months of 2026, all three indexes would post their fourth consecutive year of gains.   The war’s most obvious economic consequence has been its impact on oil. With tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a crawl, the price of Brent crude climbed from a prewar close of about $72 a barrel to as high as nearly $120. Although oil prices have eased, they are still up about 20% from before the war. Oil’s price affects everything from crayons to cosmetics, but it hits anyone on the move especially hard.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US plans to sanction another bank in effort to clamp down on Iran transactions, Bessent tells AP United Arab Emirates says it has intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters WATCH: USS Abraham Lincoln sails past Singapore en route to Thailand

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United Arab Emirates intercepts an Iranian drone, and other news from the Middle East

An Iranian drone was intercepted early Monday over the United Arab Emirates' territorial waters, the Defense Ministry said. The attack followed an exchange of fire between Iran and the United States over the weekend, which was the first significant military action in the war for more than a month. Read More.

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US military completes latest strikes against Iran, while Trump vows more for Tehran’s retaliation

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military hit targets in Iran on Tuesday and Tehran fired missiles and drones at various sites across the region in response as hostilities flare once again in an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. One U.S. strike hit a home hosting a wedding, killing five people and wounding dozens, local officials said.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-strikes-ad84a64884aedbbd1e5914182bb3cd8d?

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💥 "Tanker for tanker" strikes begin

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Getty Images

The U.S. military attacked two Iranian government tankers as part of yesterday's round of strikes, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: This is the first time the U.S. military has struck Iranian tankers in retaliation for Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz — rather than to prevent them from violating the naval blockade. A U.S. official said the move was part of a new "tanker for tanker" policy approved by President Trump to further deter Iranian attacks on tankers that move through the strait. Keep reading.

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Iran fires on Gulf neighbors after US military strikes Iranian military targets Iran launched fresh attacks on U.S. allies in the Gulf early Wednesday. An Iranian drone attack sparked a blaze in Kuwait City, while Bahrain intercepted incoming drones. The attacks followed a night of American bombardment that included a deadly strike on a wedding party. Read more.

What to know: The latest violence has ended a monthlong lull in fighting between the U.S. and Iran and raised new questions about how to end a war that has led to a spike in oil prices, roiled the global economy and is posing increasing political problems for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Republican Party ahead of November midterm elections.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Sirens sound in Kuwait City as tension escalates The USS Abraham Lincoln docks near Thai beach city of Pattaya after its Middle East deployment Justice Department seizes more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency donations for Hamas

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Iran Strikes Escalate

Iran's foreign ministry accused the US of a war crime yesterday after shrapnel from a US missile hit a home hosting a wedding in Kuhestak, east of the Strait of Hormuz. The attack reportedly killed four people and wounded over 60 (see aftermath via YouTube, warning—sensitive). US Central Command said it struck Iranian military targets along the country’s southern coast Tuesday to counter Tehran’s attacks on commercial ships and US forces. The attacks resulted in 14 other fatalities. Iran responded by targeting US military bases in Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait. Most of the missiles and drones were intercepted, and no casualties were reported as of this writing. The exchange ended a monthslong pause in military action, during which the US sought to isolate Iran through economic sanctions.  Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand yesterday for a port call after 286 days at sea (see previous write-up). The roughly 5,000-person crew will remain there until Sunday, then return to San Diego.

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👀 Witkoff meets powerful UAE official

Vessels sit near the Strait of Hormuz along the coast of Oman this week. Photo: Reuters White House envoy Steve Witkoff met last weekend with the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates to discuss next steps on Iran, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Witkoff met with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan (TBZ) on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. Why it matters: The talks, which weren't announced by the White House and haven't been reported until now, took place amid the Trump administration's push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while choking Iran economically. The UAE has been the key partner in the U.S.-led operation to reopen and guide oil tankers through the strait. Keep reading.

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US strikes 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying warships were targeted with ballistic missiles

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after Navy warships were targeted with ballistic missiles, the American military said Saturday, warning that it would “if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.” Experts called it a dangerous escalation after Iran’s previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-war-oil-tankers-b3650799901c56a6deeca962cbaa4109?

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Iran war's energy bill: $100B and rising

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The war with Iran has now cost U.S. consumers $100 billion in higher energy prices, Axios' Ben Berkowitz writes from a real-time Brown University estimate. The bill is rising another $1 million about every two minutes. 🤑 By the numbers: The Iran War Energy Cost Tracker from Brown's Watson School says higher gasoline and diesel prices have cost the average U.S. household more than $760 since the war began Feb. 28. (Latest numbers.) Most of that is gas, though the diesel burden is rising faster lately. Stunning stat: The average national price of a gallon of regular gas was $4.15 today, per AAA. That's nearly a dollar higher than last year, and well above the previous Labor Day weekend record of $3.82 from 2012. ☢️ President Trump insists Americans are willing to pay higher prices to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Yet voters consistently say inflation is the most important issue. Go deeper.

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💥 Inside the mission to de-mine the Strait of Hormuz

A U.S. Navy Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) drone boat navigates during a NATO exercise off the coast of Poland in June. Photo: Omar Marques/Getty Images The U.S. military has covertly engaged in a risky four-month operation to de-mine the Strait of Hormuz with Navy SEAL divers, robot boats and specialized underwater craft, the Financial Times reports. Navy divers — working in small teams on inflatable craft — located Iranian mines with the help of sonar arrays towed by robot boats and submersibles, allowing them to see objects in the ocean at high resolution. Bill Hamblet, a retired U.S. Navy captain who often operated in the Gulf, told the FT that it's "usually followed up by a navy diver who's got to get in the water and approach the mine, and then put a charge on it and destroy it." Keep reading (gift link).

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Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia ignite fires at oil facilities and wound 73 people, officials say The attacks early Tuesday hit “civilian and economic facilities,” Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, said. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strikes, saying they were in response to recent Saudi attacks on the rebels across Yemen. Read more.

Why this matters: The flare-up delivered a new jolt to a region already mired in conflict,  bringing more uncertainty for the global economy. The fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis threatens to squeeze shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical route off the Arabian Peninsula for oil and global trade. It also comes at a time when the Iran war has nearly halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that moved about one-fifth of the world’s oil before the war.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of a strike on a prison in northern Yemen, killing 7, including a child  Houthi strikes hit Saudi Arabia, plus other key Mideast news  WATCH: Israeli strike hits close to a reporter live on air An Iranian port city feels the pain of Washington’s tightening economic measures  Iran increases gasoline price for its heaviest consumers as economy struggles  The Iranian school struck in the war’s earliest attacks is now a memorial for children

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US military says it destroyed 5 more Iranian oil tankers after missile attacks on Navy warship

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to the latest attacks on its warships and Tehran hit back at American targets in Jordan, the latest burst of back-and-forth strikes that have lurched the sides back toward open hostilities in a more than 6-month-old war.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-tanker-navy-warship-dfc9a1d9c9a5b8bc7b47fcc004025e65?

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US military says it destroyed 5 more Iranian oil tankers after missile attacks on its warship In response, Tehran hit back at American targets in Jordan. It’s the latest burst of back-and-forth strikes that have lurched the sides back toward open hostilities. Jordan’s military said its air defense systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles. It said it has no reports of casualties. Read more.

What to know: The latest U.S. strikes are part of a dual economic and military approach by President Donald Trump as he struggles to bring an end to the more than 6-month-old war. The Trump administration on Tuesday also imposed sanctions on additional elements of Iran’s aviation industry, in its new push to isolate Tehran from its remaining trading partners.    Both the U.S. and Iran are seeking to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, where about one-fifth of the world’s oil passed before the war began. Rising energy prices are posing political problems for Trump and his Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Oil rises past $100 a barrel  WATCH: US strikes destroy Iranian tankers Iran is forging a new ring of proxies to threaten US allies in the Gulf, officials say  Families grieve in the ruins of an Iranian school where a US strike killed dozens of children  US hits remaining parts of Iran’s aviation sector with sanctions in latest move to isolate Tehran Yemen’s Houthi rebels say Saudi-backed forces launched airstrikes, and other key Mideast news  UAE warned Netanyahu of major Hamas operation days before Oct. 7 attack, news report says