Iran has vowed to respond with “crushing and devastating blows” after US strikes killed five people attending a wedding party in Iran.
Iranian state media reported explosions across southern coastal areas, including Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island. Tehran also said US strikes hit civilian sites in Hormozgan province and a civilian airport in Kerman province.
One of the strikes hit a home in Kuhestak where a wedding ceremony was taking place, killing five people, including a child, and wounding at least 68 others, according to Hormozgan provincial officials.
The US military also struck two Iranian government tankers, Axios reported, marking the first time Tehran’s tankers were hit.
Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles towards Jordan, with its military saying it had targeted a US base near the Gulf of Aqaba.
The US military said it was aware of reports of civilian casualties but stressed that it “never targets civilians”.
Centcom said it concluded its latest barrage against Iranian military targets on Tuesday night. The fresh strikes came after Donald Trump said he wants “total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing”.
Read More
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Iran’s Achilles Heel: Why Trump has his sights on the tiny oil hub Kharg Island
Trump threatens further action as US and Iran exchange strikes for first time in weeks
Key Points
- US says new strikes against Iran targeted 'mine laying capabilities'
- Tehran responds to US strikes with drones and missiles
- US military denies claim of fresh attack on base in Jordan
- Four killed in US strike on wedding ceremony
- Trump warned Iran will be 'wiped out' if it responds to attacks
- US says attacks aimed at preventing new mines in Hormuz
18 commodity vessels transit through Bab el-Mandeb Strait
05:30 , Shweta SharmaAt least 18 commodity vessels transited through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, another major maritime chokepoint in the Middle East, with seven vessels entering and 11 exiting.
This compares with an average of around 24 ships going through Bab el-Mandeb over the past 10 days.
Among the vessels travelling through the strait were two Aframax tankers and one Suezmax tanker.
The United States said it had launched a series of air strikes against Iran on Tuesday, prompting Iranian retaliation, in the most serious escalation of the conflict between the two countries in weeks.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement the US attacks would "tighten the lock" on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that carried about one-fifth of global oil consumption before the conflict.
ICYMI: Trump shares AI video of Kharg Island being 'blown to smithereens'
05:04 , Rachel DobkinUS military struck two Iranian tankers for the first time, report says
04:49 , Shweta SharmaThe US military struck two Iranian government tankers during Tuesday’s attacks on Iran, Axios reported.
A US official said the strikes were carried out under a new “tanker for tanker” policy approved by president Donald Trump in response to Iranian attacks on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the report, the tankers were anchored off Iran’s coast, north of the US naval blockade line.
The missiles hit the engine rooms of the vessels.US officials said around 100 targets were struck on Tuesday, including defence sites, radar systems and anti-ship cruise missile launchers.
It was the first time the US military had targeted Iranian tankers in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping traffic via Strait of Hormuz stays below 10-day average, data shows
04:21 , Shweta SharmaFour commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, down from 10 a day earlier and below the 10-day average of around 13, preliminary shipping data showed on Wednesday.
The four vessels that transited were one very large crude carrier, one Panamax tanker, one Kamsarmax carrier and one intermediate tanker, initial data from shiptracker Kpler showed at 0200 GMT.
Of the four vessels, one was entering the strait and three were leaving.
The figures could change as some ships typically switch off transponders during the voyage.
Seven killed in missile strikes on Iran’s Khuzestan
04:09 , Shweta SharmaSeven people have been killed in US missile strikes on three locations in Iran’s Khuzestan province, the province’s deputy governor for security affairs said, according to the IRNA news agency.
Eight others were wounded in the strikes, IRNA reported.
Bad news for Trump as more Americans admit they regret voting for him
04:02 , Bruce GoldingBuyer's remorse is rising among Americans who voted for US President Donald Trump in 2024 — vividly illustrating the “clear, consistent signs” that his political base is crumbling, according to survey results released Monday.
About one in six Trump voters told pollsters from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst that they wouldn't vote for him again, as the president's overall approval rating fell to a dismal 32 percent.
“There are no takebacks in electoral politics, but around 15 percent of Trump voters now tell us they might or would vote differently or not vote at all if they had it to do over again”, the poll's co-director, Alexander Theodoridis, said in a prepared statement.
“This is hardly a mass exodus from the Trump tent, but is enough that it certainly could’ve been decisive against Trump in what was a relatively close 2024 election”, Theodoridis added. “More notably, though, there are now clear, consistent signs of an erosion trend“.
Read on...
Bad news for Trump as more Americans admit they regret voting for him
Iran says US attacked a wedding party, killing four
04:01 , Shweta SharmaThe Iranian Red Crescent said four people, including a young child, have been killed in a US attack after shrapnel struck a home where a wedding celebration was taking place in Sirik in southern Iran.
The US had resumed strikes against Iran following "recent attempted attacks" by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Centcom said.
Iran retaliated by launching attacks at US military bases in Iraq and Jordan, according to local state media and the Jordanian Armed Forces. Attacks were also reported in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said the “brutal” attack hit a residence in the city of Kuhestak early on Wednesday.
Reza Shahidiyan, governor of Sirik county, later told state broadcaster IRIB that 63 others were wounded, including 50 women and children. All the injured were taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Minab and were in “stable condition”, he said.
Trump insists US has 'almost total control' of Hormuz
02:51 , Rachel DobkinDonald Trump has insisted that the US has “almost total control” of the Strait of Hormuz.
“I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing”, the US president said of Iran on Truth Social earlier Wednesday morning. “They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”
Maritime traffic in the vital oil waterway has remained muted during the war, with just five ships passing through in the last 24 hours, according to the Hormuz Strait Monitor.
Watch: Trump weighs in on Pete Hegseth 2028 run reports
02:03 , Rachel DobkinAnalysis: Experts warn that Trump’s AI fakery in Iran will destroy public trust: ‘Breaking our shared reality’
01:01 , Andrew FeinbergThe footage is convincing. Shot as though from the open door of a military helicopter, it shows oil storage tanks and refinery infrastructure erupting in sequence, smoke stacking into a night sky — the camera juddering the way real gun-camera video shakes.
The caption read "Kharg Island being blown to smithereens." It was signed, as the president signs his official posts, "President DJT."
There was just one problem — it was completely fake, an AI-generated fantasy put forward as part of the running show of slop that characterizes US President Donald Trump’s output on the social media site he owns.
Yet the fact remained that Trump had posted the image at a time when the US was conducting airstrikes in Iran, the first in weeks. He has teased strikes on that Iranian petroleum export facility on multiple times despite warnings that it could touch off a spiraling escalation that would cripple global oil markets and the world economy.
The imagery was so realistic — if not a bit too clean-looking — the Pentagon was forced to almost immediately explain that the president’s post was not a depiction of reality, as other images posted by Trump and his cabinet secretaries of actual air strikes have been.
Read on...
Trump’s AI fakery in Iran war may prove the ultimate betrayal of Americans’ trust
Latest wave of US strikes against Iran targeted 'mine laying capabilities': CENTCOM
Wednesday 2 September 2026 00:22 , Rachel DobkinThe latest wave of US strikes against Iran has concluded with American forces targeting “mine laying capabilities” and other military assets, according to US Central Command.
“US forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites”, CENTCOM wrote on X.
CENTCOM warned that “more than 50,000 US service members are currently operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to continue executing operations directed by the Commander in Chief”.
Trump nominates new Navy secretary in latest Pentagon shake up
Wednesday 2 September 2026 00:17 , Rachel DobkinDonald Trump has nominated Hung Cao to be the new secretary of the US Navy.
“We need Patriots like Hung leading our Navy and Marine Corps, and I can think of no one better than him to make sure our Great Navy and Marine Corps remain the FIERCEST and BEST Force the World has ever seen”, the US president wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
Cao has been serving as the acting Navy secretary after John Phelan was ousted in April. Phelan reportedly clashed with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on a couple of issues.
Cao will still need to be confirmed by the Senate.
Also this week, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned following reported tension with Hegseth.
Read more...
Army Secretary resigns after reportedly clashing with Hegseth
Watch: Trump says he is reviewing US position on Falkland Islands
Tuesday 1 September 2026 23:52 , Rachel DobkinUS military denies claim of fresh attack on base in Jordan
Tuesday 1 September 2026 22:44 , Rachel DobkinUS Central Command has denied a claim by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard of a fresh attack on a base in Jordan.
The IRGC said it launched a ballistic missile attack at the US base, Al Jazeera and the West Asia News Agency reported.
But a U.S. official later told The Independent that the reporting was false.
Bessent says US likely to announce Iran bank sanctions this week
Tuesday 1 September 2026 22:00 , Daniel KeaneTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday the US is likely to announce sanctions on a bank this week as part of its economic campaign against Iran.
"We are probably going to announce a bank sanction this week, and we will announce one the week after. We are speaking to our allies here, who have all come forward, and we have had a great show of support," Bessent said.
Bessent told Reuters on Sunday the Treasury was likely to unveil weekly new secondary sanctions aimed at increasing economic pressure on Iran, with an initial focus on banks.
He said the next step may be cutting off an institution entirely from the dollar-based financial system.
Alarm sirens activated in Jordan, state TV says
Tuesday 1 September 2026 21:31 , Harriette BoucherAlarm sirens have been activated in Jordan's Mafraq and Aqaba governorates, state TV has reported.
It comes as Iran launched attacks against US interests and bases in the region in retaliation to its strikes on Iran.
Four killed in US strike on wedding ceremony
Tuesday 1 September 2026 21:05 , Harriette BoucherAt least four people have been killed in a US strike on a home hosting a wedding ceremony in southern Iran.
Another 35 people have been injured in the attack, Iranian state TV reported.
Ahmad Nafisi, Hormozgan Province’s deputy governor, told Iranian state television that the attack hit a “residential area” in the coastal city of Bandar Kuhestak, near Sirik.
Iran ‘being held together by duct tape and spit’
Tuesday 1 September 2026 20:57 , Harriette BoucherIranian airport and fishmeal factory targeted in US attacks
Tuesday 1 September 2026 20:44 , Harriette BoucherJiroft Airport in southeastern Iran has been attacked by the US, according to state TV.
A projectile reportedly struck an area outside the airport’s runway and caused no casualties or damage to infrastructure.
Iranian state television also reported that strikes hit a fishmeal factory on Qeshm Island and several civilian sites in Hormozgan province.
It said a fishing pier and a ports and maritime organisation tower in Sirik were among the locations struck.
Explosions have been reported in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Jask, and Sirik, near the city of Ahvaz, and Asaluyeh.
Announcing the renewed strikes on Iran, the US Central Command said its military was targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets.
Iran may target 'Americans throughout the world', says US
Tuesday 1 September 2026 20:40 , Harriette BoucherAmericans “throughout the world” have been warned that they could be targeted by Iran following the US’s fresh wave of strikes.
The US embassy in Iran issued a statement on Tuesday, saying Americans in the Middle East need to “exercise heightened vigilance”.
“Due to tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation.
“Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.
“US diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted. Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including US businesses and other institutions.”
Tehran responds to US strikes with drones and missiles
Tuesday 1 September 2026 20:20 , Harriette BoucherIran has said it is firing drones and missiles in response to US strikes, local media reported.
IRGC spokesperson Sardar Mohebi earlier warned that “severe punishment awaits the aggressors, and America will regret its new attacks.”
It also comes after Donald Trump threatened Iran against retaliating, saying it would hit with “harder and higher level” strikes.
He told Fox News that Iran would be “wiped out” if it responded.
Iran will be 'wiped out' if it responds to attacks
Tuesday 1 September 2026 20:16 , Harriette BoucherDonald Trump said Iran would be “wiped out” if it retaliated to strikes the US unleashed along the Strait of Hormuz today.
“This is a very big hit today. If it goes a third time, they’re going to be totally wiped out as a country,” he said.
“I think an agreement with them isn't worth the paper it's written on.
“We gave them a lot of chances.”
Trump considering new strikes to stop Strait of Hormuz attacks as president threatens to ‘smack’ Tehran
Tuesday 1 September 2026 20:00 , Daniel KeaneDonald Trump is considering a new wave of strikes against Iran amid growing concern that Tehran has rebuilt its military capacity, as both sides traded direct fire for the first time in a month.
Three US officials told Axios that the president is weighing limited strikes in the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to stop Tehran from reconstituting its radar and missile capabilities used to attack ships.
One of the officials framed the plan as “mow[ing] the lawn” to reduce the risk of Iranian attacks on traffic in the waterway, following a recent missile launch targeting an American F-35 fighter jet providing cover to ships.
Read our full story below.
Trump considering new wave of strikes to stop Strait of Hormuz attacks
US says attacks aimed at preventing new mines in Hormuz
Tuesday 1 September 2026 19:40 , Harriette BoucherDonald Trumps has said that its recent attacks on Iranian targets were aimed at preventing sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The strikes are large and powerful, and in retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait, which currently has no mines (They have been completely removed or detonated!),” Donald Trump said on Tuesday.
US Central Command said Sunday’s attacks were also focused on preventing IRGC forces from placing new mines in the strait.
“US forces took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz.
“In essence, Iran created the threat and the U.S. military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce.”
It reiterated on Tuesday that the fresh strikes were in retaliation to Iranian aggression against shipping in the strait, as well as attacks against American troops in the Middle East.
Hormuz will soon be a 'worthless piece of water', says Bessent
Tuesday 1 September 2026 19:20 , Daniel KeaneThe Strait of Hormuz will soon be a “worthless piece of water” as it is bypassed by other oil pipelines, the US Treasury Secretary has claimed as he threatened imminent new sanctions on Iran.
Speaking at a meeting of G20 ministers in the US on Tuesday, Scott Bessent said the crucial waterway would be “bypassed in two years” after it was shut by Iran in response to US-Israeli strikes in February.
The closure of Hormuz has caused chaos in global energy markets, sending oil prices soaring and contributing to rising inflation.
“In two years, the Strait of Hormuz will be like a worthless piece of water,” Mr Bessent said.
'Severe punishments' await US after fresh strikes, IRGC warns
Tuesday 1 September 2026 19:01 , Harriette BoucherIran has issued a warning to the US, saying it will regret its fresh attacks on Tuesday.
IRGC spokesperson Sardar Mohebi said: “Severe punishment awaits the aggressors, and America will regret its new attacks.”
It comes after Donald Trump told Iran not to hit back to its current strikes, saying any retaliation would be met with attacks at a “harder and higher level”.
Trumps tells Iran to not retaliate to his 'large and powerful' strikes
Tuesday 1 September 2026 18:33 , Harriette BoucherDonald Trump has told Iran not to retaliate to his “large and powerful” strikes along the Strait of Hormuz, which are ongoing.
He warned that “they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level” if Iran strikes back, adding that “it will not be the biggest attack of them all.
“That is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!”
The US president wrote: “The United States is, as we speak, striking Iranian Targets near the Strait of Hormuz.
“The strikes are large and powerful, and in retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait, which currently has no mines (They have been completely removed or detonated!), and the Iranians shooting eight missiles, all successfully knocked down, at our Military Base in Jordan.”
Explosions heard in several cities near the Strait of Hormuz
Tuesday 1 September 2026 18:25 , Harriette BoucherSeveral explosions have been heard along the Strait of Hormuz after the US announced it had initiated strikes on Iran.
Local media has reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Jask, and Sirik in southern Iran, which are all along the waterway.
US Central Command said its military was targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets.
Trump launches fresh strikes on Iran
Tuesday 1 September 2026 18:02 , Harriette BoucherDonald Trump’s military has launched fresh strikes on Iran on Tuesday afternoon.
It says the strikes follows attempted attacks on shipping and US service members in the Middle East.
Centcom said: “The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region.”
The US president said more strikes might be necessary after it fired rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Watch: Trump says Iran is a 'failed nation' as strikes resume
Tuesday 1 September 2026 18:00 , James ReynoldsIs it safe to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi? Latest advice after Iranian missile strikes
Tuesday 1 September 2026 17:00 , James ReynoldsHolidaymakers may be feeling a sense of uncertainty over travel to the Middle East after another wave of strikes in the region.
Iran launched strikes targeting US military bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates following US attacks on Larak Island on Sunday.
Here’s the latest advice from the FCDO on travel to the UAE:
Is it safe to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi? Latest advice after missile strikes
The latest: Trump mocked over AI video of fake strikes after president threatens to ‘smack’ Tehran
Tuesday 1 September 2026 16:30 , James ReynoldsIran has rubbished Donald Trump’s threats against one of its key islands after the US president threatened to hit the Islamic Republic “hard” following Iranian missile strikes on US military bases.
Hamid Bovard, the chief executive of the National Iranian Oil Company, said operations on Kharg Island, a vital trade hub holding some 90 per cent of Iranian oil exports, had not stopped, after Trump posted an AI video on social media claiming it was “being blown to smithereens”.
“Trump’s tweets are laughable and conditions in Kharg are calm and appropriate,” he said in response to the Truth Social post.
A US official also told Reuters that the US did not target Kharg Island in overnight strikes.
The latest escalation in tensions came as both sides exchanged fire for the first time in a month, with Iran attacking US bases in Jordan and the UAE in response to US attacks on Larak island.
Retired Army general warns the US is 'much weaker than we were even before 9/11'
Tuesday 1 September 2026 16:00 , James ReynoldsRetired US Army Major General Randy Manner has warned that the US is “much weaker than we were even before 9/11”.
Manner spoke out against US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for reportedly purging top Pentagon officials.
“Quite frankly, the secretary of defense has got to go,” Manner told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
Manner’s comments come as Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned following reported tensions with Hegseth.
Read more on the US military’s waning stockpiles:
US military loses 25% of its key drone fleet in Iran war: report
Exhausted and suicidal? How US sailors are really coping after six months at sea
Tuesday 1 September 2026 15:30 , James ReynoldsAs Trump reveals that another warship is soon to be deployed to the conflict with Iran, reports have emerged of exhausted crews, deteriorating conditions and plummeting morale aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Chris Terrill, who has spent months embedded on missions, explains what it takes to sustain the human spirit at sea – and how the Royal Navy does it differently:
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Exhausted and suicidal? How US sailors are really coping after six months at sea
Watch: Trump says he is reviewing US position on Falkland Islands
Tuesday 1 September 2026 15:00 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump said on Monday he was reviewing the United States' position on the Falkland Islands, the remote British-ruled archipelago in the South Atlantic.
"I always review every position. That's just one of many," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the islands' sovereignty.
Trump has been critical of Britain over its perceived lack of direct support for Washington in the unpopular war with Iran.
UK households will suffer £2,400 hit from Iran war, analysis shows
Tuesday 1 September 2026 14:30 , James ReynoldsThe US-Iran war is set to deal a severe financial blow to UK families, cutting into average household spending power by £2,400 over the next two years.
According to new analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), a combination of surging inflation and sluggish wage growth is estimated to knock £1,100 off average real household incomes in 2026, followed by an additional £1,300 loss in 2027.
In total, the think tank calculates that the Middle East conflict will wipe a staggering £70.4 billion off the UK’s real disposable income.
UK households will suffer £2,400 hit from Iran war, analysis shows
Oil prices rise and stocks waver as Middle East violence flares, adding to uncertainty
Tuesday 1 September 2026 14:00 , James ReynoldsOil prices climbed further and Asian shares were mixed Tuesday as recurring violence in the Iran war after more than a month with no significant fighting heightened uncertainty over the future of the conflict.
Shares in online fast-fashion retailer Shein fell as much as 10% after they began trading in Hong Kong on Tuesday. By midday they were 5% lower.
Brent crude gained 0.8% to $91.23 per barrel. It gained 2.7% on Monday after the U.S. attacked rocket launchers on an Iranian island on Sunday, saying they were preparing to launch mines into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by launching missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan, all of which were intercepted.
All the latest:
Oil prices rise and stocks waver as Middle East violence flares, adding to uncertainty
