Trump renews threat to resume attacks on Iran after U.S. midterms

President Trump told TIME magazine that U.S. military action against Iran could resume after the midterm elections if Tehran and Washington fail to reach a satisfactory agreement, and that he doesn't think "you could ever have peace" with Iran.Mr. Trump told reporters Thursday that Iran might be linked to a co-pilot's attempt to crash a packed plane traveling from Dubai to Israel. The president did not offer any further details and said Iran would be hit "very hard" if it was determined that Tehran was behind the incident. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has welcomed the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq as a "historic victory" and indicated it will continue supporting armed factions in the neighboring state amid concern that Iranian proxy groups could capitalize on the American departure to draw Iraq into the wider regional conflict.Iranian officials and state media said Wednesday that the U.S. had responded to Tehran's recent proposal for a seven-day cease-fire and the phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with a counterproposal, which the government is now considering.

U.S. naval presence builds in the Middle East as ships deploy

Three ships carrying over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines are heading to the Middle East, a U.S. official told the Associated Press on Thursday.

The group includes the recently deployed USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group.

It could mean three carriers are in the region as early as the end of October, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

That would create an unusually high U.S. naval presence of more than 20,000 sailors and Marines and hundreds of aircraft. The USS George H.W. Bush and the USS George Washington are in the area now, along with the USS Boxer amphibious readiness group.

Treasury Department targets shadow banking network used by Iranian regime

The U.S. Treasury Department took "unprecedented action" Thursday targeting a shadow banking network with ties to Russia that the Iranian regime has used to evade sanctions.

The Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said on X that it had proposed a rule that would prohibit transmittals of funds that involved the A7 Network. The network was also sanctioned as a "significant transnational criminal organization."

An alert was also issued to help financial institutions detect and report suspicious activity related to the A7 Network.

The actions are part of "Operation Economic Outcast," a sustained effort by the Trump administration meant to put financial pressure on Tehran. The U.S. Treasury also issued new sanctions affecting Iran's rail and automobile industries.

Houthi rebels, Yemeni government forces clash in residential areas

Iran-backed Houthi rebels clashed with Yemeni government forces overnight into Thursday in residential neighborhoods in eastern Taiz, located about 60 miles from Mokha, which the Houthis seized last month.

A main road linking Taiz and Aden was cut off due to the latest clashes.

Al-Thawra Hospital, located a few kilometers from the clashes, received six bodies and 35 wounded people Thursday, according to hospital manager Abdelrahman al-Sabry.

The official told The Associated Press by phone Thursday the number of dead and wounded was similar to those in early September, when fighting was intense before clashes de-escalated.

Renewed violence in Yemen has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands. The Houthis captured the strategic city of Mokha and a number of Red Sea islands last month, extending their reach to the key maritime waterway of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

It was the Houthis' biggest land grab in years and ended a 2022 ceasefire that largely stopped major fighting in Yemen's 12-year civil war.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said Thursday the rebels targeted a power distribution station in the area of Medina two days earlier. The strike shut down a transformer, but didn't affect the power grid. The Houthis have yet to respond to the claim.

Trump suggests Iran may be linked to attempted FlyDubai crash

President Trump suggested Thursday that Iran may be linked to the attempted hijacking of an Israel-bound FlyDubai plane.

When asked by reporters if he had been briefed about any links between Iran and the co-pilot who attacked his fellow pilot and attempted to crash the plane before being subdued by passengers, Mr. Trump said "we're working on it right now."

"I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes," Mr. Trump said. "But we're working on it right now."

Mr. Trump did not provide further details.

When asked if the co-pilot could have been placed by the IRGC, Mr. Trump said he "could've been, yeah."

In response to a question about potential U.S. retaliation if Tehran was connected to the attack, Mr. Trump said "they'll be hit, very hard, don't worry."

U.N. "deeply concerned" about impact of war on Lebanon's food supplies

The deputy director-general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said Thursday that she was "deeply concerned" about the impact of the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict on agriculture in south Lebanon.

Beth Bechdol said reports estimate that about 22% of Lebanon's agricultural land has been damaged or otherwise affected.

The damage "puts additional pressure on farmers and rural communities that, frankly, were already facing considerable hardships," said the FAO's Beth Bechdol. Bechdol added that she is "very concerned about just general food security levels" in Lebanon.

Hundreds of thousands remain displaced in Lebanon. While violence has decreased since a June ceasefire, Israeli troops remain in a "security zone" within the country and have been carrying out widespread demolitions affecting villages and farmland. Bechdol also expressed concern about potential contamination and soil damage in south Lebanon due to unexploded ordnance and residues from military operations.

In June, a U.N.-backed assessment from Lebanese authorities estimated agricultural production losses in south Lebanon this year had reached at least $530 million. The conflict has also "disrupted markets and reduced access" to essentials for food production, including fertilizer, Bechdol said.

This week, UNICEF said four in five households in Lebanon "are struggling to afford basic necessities as conflict compounds years of economic crisis." In April, a UN-backed report said more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon were expected to face acute hunger in the following months due to the latest war.

Iranian-U.K. dual national arrested on terror charges in connection with RAF Fairford incident

British counterterrorism police have arrested an Iranian-United Kingdom dual national in London in connection with the investigation into a security incident at the RAF Fairford air base in England. U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously said there were "strong indications" Iran was involved in the suspicious activity.

The 27-year-old man, who has not been otherwise identified, was arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist attacks, police said.

A second man, a 26-year-old U.K. national, has also been questioned, police said. Two properties have been searched.

"The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry," said senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing Vicki Evans. "As we've made clear, we're looking at all possible angles – including possible foreign state involvement."

Five men were arrested near the base, which has been used by U.S. warplanes carrying out strikes on Iran, on Sunday. On Monday, they were released on bail without any criminal charges, a move that President Donald Trump criticized . They remain out on bail, counterterror police said.

The nature of the incident remains unclear, and police have said no viable explosives or weapons were discovered. Burnham said Wednesday that there were indications Iran was involved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel warned Britain that Iran was planning an attack on an air base weeks before the incident.

New U.S. sanctions target Iran's rail, automotive industries

The Treasury Department is issuing new sanctions targeting Iran's automotive and rail industries as part of the Trump administration's plan to put economic pressure on the country.

The department said these two industries are "some of the last significant elements" of Iran's industrial infrastructure and are deeply intertwined with the IRGC. The sanctions will be conducted through orders targeting Iran's iron, steel, aluminum and copper sectors.

CBS News has learned that the Treasury Department feels the U.S. maritime blockade of Iran has squeezed Tehran's oil revenue enough, allowing them to target other financial sources. This set of sanctions is not expected to be the last.

A press release announcing the sanctions highlights two domestic car producers, which are responsible for more than 90% of the country's domestic auto market, Iran's largest motorcycle manufacturer, and two Iranian railway companies.

The press release also highlighted companies in Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Hong Kong for exporting key automotive parts to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions.

Two China-based steel companies are being targeted for sanctions, due to allegedly acting on behalf of Hong Kong-based Iranian and Dominican businessman Ramin Kashvardoust. CBS News has learned that the Treasury Department sees China as a key jurisdiction for sending auto parts to Iran. The department believes that the rest of the global economy will help shut out China and Iran.

Communication with Syria and Iraq, who receive a lot of Iranian-built cars, has continued amid the economic pressure campaign. CBS News has learned that these conversations will continue, in the hopes of preventing any adverse effects from the sanctions.

Iran's president says U.S. should "get the idea of bringing us to our knees" out of its head

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that the country would continue to defend itself while remaining open to dialogue with the U.S.

"We defend the rights of our society with dignity and pride, and we have never run away from dialogue and will not do so, although the United States has targeted our country three times despite having signed the agreement," Pezeshkian said during a meeting with entrepreneurs and economic figures, according to IRNA , Iran's official news agency.

By "the agreement," Pezeshkian appeared to be referring to the memorandum of understanding signed by himself and President Trump in mid-June. The cease-fire ushered by that agreement fell apart in less than three weeks, as Iran accused the U.S. of violating its terms by keeping its naval blockade in place.

"The enemies thought that with the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the people, commanders, and scientists - the country - would collapse, but our national and internal unity and cohesion increased," Pezeshkian said. "The U.S. should get the idea of bringing us to our knees with terror and martyrdom out of its head."

Iranian official says country has hit long-range targets with ballistic missiles for first time

An adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ali Belali, has said Iran has achieved one of its longstanding objectives during the war with the U.S.: using a long-range ballistic missile to hit a moving target.

"Our strength is that at every stage of the wars that take place, if you examine it, you see that we make progress based on the experience we gain," Belali told Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.

He said Iran had adapted its tactics and capabilities through successive rounds of fighting.

"Right now, for example, in the area of a long-range ballistic missile that can hit a moving target, this has been one of our challenges, which, thank God, has been accomplished in the past few days, and further successes are on the way," he added.

He did not say what moving target Iranian ballistic missiles had allegedly hit, but several ships have been struck by unknown projectiles this week in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.K. navy's Maritime Trade Operations center.

Tehran international flights drop 42% after U.S. ban, tracking data shows

Flights to and from Tehran's main international airport have fallen by 42% since the U.S. imposed sanctions that forbid other countries and entities from supporting Iranian airlines a week ago, but some popular routes remain active, according to tracking data up to Wednesday.

On average, 53 daily international flights have operated to and from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport since Sept. 23, when the U.S. measures took effect - part of a wider campaign to increase economic pressure on the Iranian regime.

That is down from a daily average of 91 international flights in and out of Tehran before the sanctions were imposed, according to data from tracking platform FlightRadar24 cited by the AFP.

The U.S. threatened countries and entities that do not comply with its sanctions with expulsion from the U.S. dollar-based global financial system.

Iranian air traffic had already fallen in the wake of the U.S. and Israel launching strikes on the country at the end of February, which temporarily closed Iran's airspace. Since flights resumed, only Iranian carriers have operated services out of Iran.

Since the U.S. ban, flights have completely stopped to Georgia, Oman and Azerbaijan, which previously had regular services to Tehran. On other routes, traffic has been greatly reduced.

No flights have taken off between Iraq and Tehran since September 25 but Iraq's transport ministry said Tuesday that the U.S. had given permission for its national carrier to operate flights between the holy city of Najaf and Iran. They are set to start in October.

Flights to and from China have stayed the same at eight flights per day, on average.

Trump says "Saudi Arabia wouldn't be here right now" if it wasn't for him

President Trump has said the kingdom of Saudi Arabia "wouldn't be here right now" if it wasn't for him, while reiterating the same claim about Israel.

In an interview with TIME magazine published Thursday, the president was asked about his relationship with Saudi Arabia, after CBS News and other outlets reported that he had turned down a request from the kingdom to join Saudi forces in bombing the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

"Good," Mr. Trump said of his ties with Saudi leaders. "I've done a lot for Saudi Arabia. I protect Saudi Arabia. If I weren't president, Saudi Arabia wouldn't be here right now. Neither would Israel. They'd be wiped off the face of the planet."

"I like the crown prince," he added, referring to Mohammed Bin Salman. "My relationship is very good. But remember, if I weren't here, there wouldn't be a Saudi Arabia. There wouldn't be an Israel. There wouldn't be various other countries, also."

Trump acknowledges U.S. has limited supplies of some munitions

President Trump has acknowledged that the U.S. has limited supplies of some munitions, but he called a recent Pentagon report about munitions shortages caused by the Iran war, "mostly fake news."

"Some forms of ammunition are a little bit lower than other forms," the president said in an interview with TIME magazine published Thursday, adding: "We're stocking up at levels we've never done before."

Mr. Trump's comments were published two weeks after the U.S. Department of Defense's inspector general said in a report that "the munitions expenditure on [Operation Epic Fury in Iran] has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply."

Mr. Trump called the report "mostly fake news," and said the cost of restocking U.S. weapons would be, "less than we make in Venezuela for one month."

Iran denies report that Rubio asked its delegation to leave New York after U.N. General Assembly

Iran's Mission to the United Nations in New York said its delegation left the city on Monday evening as scheduled, rejecting reports that it had been asked by the United States to leave.

The mission said the departure had been planned in advance and that the schedule had been communicated to the U.S. Department of State on Sept. 17.

Axios reported Wednesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had asked the delegation on Monday to leave New York after negotiations between the two nations , carried out via mediators, stalled, citing a U.S. official and a second source with knowledge of the matter.

"Having achieved nothing, the State Department has resorted to propagating baseless and worthless news," Iran's mission said in a post on X about the reported request from Rubio.

Emirates airlines suspends codeshare flights with FlyDubai

Emirates has suspended all of its codeshare flights with FlyDubai to Tel Aviv, meaning people who booked to fly to Israel through the Emirates – which always requires a change in Dubai – will no longer be able to board the first leg of their journey.

"Passengers whose final destination is Tel Aviv will not be accepted for travel at the point of origin," said the UAE government-owned airline in a statement Thursday , adding that "customers already en route to Tel Aviv will be accommodated and provided with all possible support to complete their journeys."

FlyDubai flights from Tel Aviv have been suspended amid investigations into the alleged attempt on Wednesday by a FlyDubai co-pilot to crash a plane carrying more than 170 people, most of them Israelis, after stabbing the captain.

Passengers were able to subdue the attacker, believed to be an Omani national, and the plane made a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Passenger Ron Levi told CBS News on Wednesday "it was the most frightening experience we've ever had in our lives."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the co-pilot underwent "Islamist radical indoctrination," but he told CBS News on Wednesday that it was "too early to say whether there was Iranian collusion here. I think we'll find out, won't take a long time."

Netanyahu says Israel warned U.K. of Iran base plot

Israel warned Britain that Iran was planning an attack on an air base weeks before five men were arrested on Sunday near a base in England used by the U.S. forces to launch strikes on Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as he denounced the U.K. government for pressuring his own administration over the treatment of Palestinians.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday there were "strong indications" that Iran was involved in suspicious activity near the RAF Fairford air base, which led to the arrests on Sunday. The release on bail of the five men the following day, without any criminal charges, was criticized by President Trump.

Netanyahu, speaking to Fox News late Wednesday, said Israel had given Britain information about a plot shortly before Burnham's government, on Sept. 8, joined 11 other nations in announcing sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

"You want to hear how absurd things are there, and how far the anti-Israel propaganda has gone?" Netanyahu told the U.S. network's conservative host Sean Hannity. "We gave the Brits the intel that there was going to be an attack, and it's an Iranian-sponsored attack. And pretty much the next day, they slapped sanctions on us."

President Trump earlier spoke of a possible Iranian role in the incident near the British base, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that it " clearly involved" a foreign actor, without offering any evidence.

The nature of the incident remains unclear, and police have said no viable explosives or weapons were discovered. The men, who arrived in a rural village near the base in the dead of night in three vehicles, had large plastic drums, many appearing empty from aerial video, and a quantity of gasoline.

According to British media, one of the five men called the police himself about an hour before they were reported by a resident. Police said Monday that the men could have been, "either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state."

Since taking office in late July, Burnham has taken a tougher stance on Israel, saying his predecessor did not do enough.

Trump says he doesn't think "you could ever have peace" with Iran

President Trump has told TIME magazine the United States could resume its military campaign against Iran after the midterm elections if Tehran and Washington fail to reach a satisfactory agreement, and that he doesn't think "you could ever have peace" with Iran.

In an interview published Thursday, Mr. Trump said he had initially expected the war to last six to eight weeks, but that he decided to continue the campaign after what he described as the destruction of Iran's nuclear capabilities, saying he didn't want "to have [the regime] come back in some different form."

The president said the U.S. had destroyed Iran's navy, air force and radar systems, and that "they have no money."

He also told the magazine he had rejected Iran's latest peace proposal partly because they only offered to open "some aspects of" the Strait of Hormuz. "It's just not good enough, nearly," he said.

Mr. Trump said U.S. military action against Iran - which has largely halted in recent weeks - could resume and continue if necessary, arguing that "by annihilating Iran, we've created peace in the world."

"With Iran, I don't think you could ever have peace," he added.

Asked if he would order new strikes on Iran after the U.S. midterm elections, he said it was "possible," and added: "We have a lot of weapons," renewing a threat he issued over the weekend.

Iraqi leader sets June 30 deadline for pro-Iran factions to disarm

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Thursday confirmed June 30, 2027, as the new deadline for armed factions in the country - many of which are backed by Iran - to turn over their weapons to the state, following the end of the U.S.-led coalition's mission in the country. Iraq had previously set Sept. 30 this year as the deadline for the groups' disarmament, hoping for it to coincide with the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country.

That previous deadline, according to al-Zaidi, is now a starting point.

"October 1 is considered a serious beginning to address the issue of weapons outside state control ... according to a clear roadmap and agreed timelines extending no later than June 30, 2027," he said in a statement. He had told The New York Times last week that the groups should be disbanded by June 2027.

The Iraqi government believes the withdrawal of coalition forces will deprive the armed factions, including Shiite Muslim groups considered proxies of Iranian power , of the excuse they have used to retain their arsenal.

But many fear the pullout could boost the factions instead, and draw the country deeper into the Iran war.

"The majority of Iraqis doubt the ability of the security and military apparatus to maintain security in the country, whether regarding the prevention of external aggressions and attacks or internal movements by armed groups operating outside state control of the government," journalist and regional political analyst Saman Noah told CBS News on Wednesday.

That is "especially true given that experience has proven the government's inability to subject these [Iran-backed] groups to state decision-making, control their behavior or hold their members accountable," he said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has long worked directly and openly with some of the Iraqi factions, welcomed the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq as a "historic victory" and vowed to "continue to stand alongside the peoples of the region who seek justice and oppose oppression."

In July, the U.S. and Saudi militaries launched airstrikes on Iranian-backed groups in Iraq after they allegedly targeted American forces in the region.

UAE president told Netanyahu he expected FlyDubai pilot to be transferred from Saudi Arabia for questioning

A senior Israeli official told CBS News' Dov Lieber on Thursday that United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally told Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that he expected Saudi authorities to transfer the co-pilot of the FlyDubai flight who stabbed his colleague mid-air to the UAE for questioning.

According to Israeli officials, the FlyDubai jet was about two hours into its flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when the co-pilot, who has not been identified but is believed to be of Omani nationality, stabbed the captain and tried to crash the jet with dozens of mostly Israeli passengers onboard.

Israeli officials and passengers have said the captain, an Indian national, was able to fight off his co-pilot and unlock the cockpit door. Witnesses recounted how a group of passengers and crew members then stormed the cockpit and subdued the co-pilot.

Netanyahu told CBS News on Wednesday that he assumed the co-pilot would be "moved very quickly to Dubai," adding that Israeli authorities would "join the interrogation and find out what happened there exactly."

Iranian Revolutionary Guard hails departure of U.S. forces from Iraq as "historic victory"

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has welcomed the departure of U.S. forces from Iraq, calling it a "historic victory" and a result of the Iraqi people's resistance and determination to preserve their independence.

The IRGC "congratulates the proud people of Iraq, the united Islamic Resistance Front and the revolutionary fighters of the Islamic world on this historic victory," the IRGC said in a statement.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced the end of its two-decade deployment in Iraq on Wednesday, declaring "the successful conclusion" of its 12-year Operation Inherent Resolve mission against the ISIS terror group in the country.

The withdrawal was agreed to by U.S. and Iraqi authorities in 2024, and both governments voiced confidence Wednesday in the Iraqi security forces' ability to maintain security and control over extremist groups on their own going forward.

The IRGC, however, framed it as the result of Iraqi resistance and accused Washington of causing insecurity, terrorism and instability across the region during two decades of military intervention. It said the Iraq withdrawal should be followed by an end to all U.S. and Israeli military involvement in the region.

"America must leave the region and leave the management of security to the peoples themselves," the IRGC said.

U.S. calls Iran's "letter" to Americans an "act of desperation"

The U.S. says Iran is desperate and continued to show it with what Iran's military called a "letter to the American people. "

A spokesperson for Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, read from the letter at a news conference Tuesday, saying the only way for the war with Iran to end is for Washington to admit defeat and for U.S. forces to leave the region.

But a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News Wednesday night that "the IRGC's desperate effort to lie to the American people does not change the hard facts about the Iranian regime's record of maliciousness both in Iran and abroad.

"Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism, continues to choose terror over prosperity, and ordinary Iranians pay the price."

The spokesperson said that "despite these latest lies coming from the regime, the facts remain: U.S. operations have significantly destroyed the regime's defense industrial base, navy, and air force and shattered Iran's missiles, missile launchers, every day vessels from around the world transit through the Strait of Hormuz under the guard of American forces, bringing energy to the world despite Iran's reckless disregard for freedom of navigation and international commerce.

"This false letter, the Iranian regime's latest act of desperation, is nothing more than a smoke screen, and the world sees it for what it is."

Olivia Gazis contributed to this report.

Rubio told Iranian delegation to leave U.S. a day early, sources say

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told an Iranian delegation to depart the U.S. a day earlier than planned, a U.S. official and diplomatic source told CBS News.

The U.S. order to leave was given Monday following technical talks between U.S. and Iranian officials, the sources said.

The delegation, led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, came to New York last week for the United Nations General Assembly and held indirect talks with the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Araghchi had previously told CBS News he was already scheduled to depart on Tuesday.

The U.S. has not expelled all Iranian diplomats who are assigned to the U.N. and are based on U.S. soil.

Trump says he has a decision to make on Iran: "We blow them up or make a deal"

Asked by reporters Wednesday how he plans to deal with Iranian officials he has repeatedly described as "crazy," President Trump offered: "Maybe you blow them up."

"We have to make that decision: We blow them up or make a deal," the president said. "But the time is coming. It's going to end very soon, one way or another."

Mr. Trump's plans for Iran remain unclear. He has said repeatedly in recent weeks that he is weighing whether to escalate the war or cut a deal with Iran.

High-profile Saudi music festival postponed

A music festival in Saudi Arabia announced in an email to ticket holders Wednesday it was being postponed, becoming the latest entertainment event to be nixed amid the ongoing Middle East war.

"We know we said we'd see you at Soundstorm this year, so this isn't the update we wanted to share. With regret, Soundstorm '26 will be postponed," read the email from the organizers of MDLBEAST Soundstorm festival.

The announcement to cancel the December festival comes a month after an upcoming UAE concert by singer Christina Aguilera and a separate Abu Dhabi festival featuring Shakira were both canceled.

Bruno Mars, DJ Khaled and Cardi B are among the most popular international artists to have performed during past iterations of the Soundstorm festival in the Saudi capital. The lineup for this year's festival had not yet been announced.

Bahrain joins U.S.-led joint drone task force

Bahrain, a regular target of attacks by Iran in the wake of the Israeli- and U.S.-launched war, has joined the U.S.-led multinational drone task force, U.S. Central Command said Wednesday .

"We're excited to welcome Bahrain to Task Force Falcon Strike after the kingdom affirmed its commitment to join CENTCOM in building the world's first multinational attack drone unit," Central Command Cmdr. Adam Cooper said in a statement. "Bahrain is a steadfast partner in strengthening regional security and stability."

Task Force Falcon Strike was launched in August to advance one-way drone development in the Middle East. At the time of the launch , the U.S. said it and other regional partners would "employ one-way attack drones consisting of unmanned systems from above, on, and below the sea."

It is unclear whether other countries have joined the unit prior to Bahrain.

Bahrain has come under fire from Iran regularly since the war began. On the first day of the war, Iran targeted the headquarters for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. While no one was killed, the base suffered severe damage.

Iran also targeted Bahrain's Sheikh Isa Air Base, which houses U.S. troops, and several civilian buildings throughout March and April. The attacks have gradually declined in recent months.

Egypt's president says Suez Canal revenue down $20 billion

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi says the Suez Canal has lost a cumulative $20 billion in revenue since the Hamas-led attack on Israel unleashed the war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, and because of maritime navigation disruptions from the Middle East conflict.

During a televised meeting on Tuesday with Cabinet members, top military leaders and local governors, el-Sissi blamed the government's tight budget and little spending on education and health on the volatile geopolitical situation that led to increases in food and energy prices.

"Does that affect us? Of course it does affect us severely," el-Sissi said.

Traffic was significantly disrupted after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels began targeting vessels heading to Israel through the Suez Canal after the start of the war in Gaza. Since then, traffic has remained between 60% and 70% below prewar levels, according to a July report by the Oxford Economics research firm.

Oil and fuel exports near prewar level with alternate routes, data firm says

Alternate export routes and a U.S.-protected route through the Strait of Hormuz have helped restore oil and fuel exports from the Gulf to near prewar levels, according to figures from data firm Kpler.

Exports through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal — along with a pipeline to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman and a U.S.-protected route that guides tankers at night — have been a key workaround after the threat of Iranian attacks disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Kpler said during a Tuesday podcast.

About 21.8 million barrels per day of crude and fuel products made from crude are being shipped weekly, on average, compared to the prewar baseline of 23.3 million barrels per day, Kpler said.

"We are getting closer to the norm, we are not at pre-conflict levels, but we are getting close to there," said Matt Smith, Kpler's director of commodity research.

Still, the workarounds are time consuming and expensive.

U.K. believes Iran "played a part" in incident near RAF Fairford base used by U.S. forces, prime minister says

The British government believes Iran "played a part" in the incident over the weekend at the RAF Fairford air base in England, which has been used by U.S. warplanes carrying out strikes on Iran, U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday.

Burnham's remarks to the BBC were the first confirmation by the British government of its assessment of the incident, which saw five men — all British nationals in their mid-20s — arrested near RAF Fairford early Sunday morning on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. They were all released on bail the following day , however, even though the police had the right to hold them for up to 14 days under U.K. counterterrorism laws.

Their quick release drew criticism from President Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. But it also prompted questions in the U.K. as to whether the authorities had overreacted.

Lebanon president meets with U.S. senators about restoring sovereignty

Top Lebanese officials, including President Nawaf Salam and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi, met with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday to discuss reclaiming land from the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

"The discussion focused on the government's efforts to restore Lebanon's sovereignty and extend state authority across its entire territory, as well as progress on reforms and economic recovery," Raggi said in a statement .

Sens. Jim Risch, Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Coons and Tim Kaine met with the Lebanese leaders.

Hezbollah has grown in power and political influence in Lebanon since the 1990s and consistently launched operations against Israel. The group launched strikes into Israel in March in the wake of Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran.

As part of a trilateral agreement signed between the U.S., Israel and Lebanon in late June, official Lebanese forces were supposed to progressively take over security from Israel, which invaded southern Lebanon in response to the strikes from Hezbollah. Israel, however, has resisted, saying it needs Hezbollah to completely disarm beforehand.

Iran-backed Iraqi militias say they do not plan to disarm as U.S. leaves

Iraqi armed factions backed by Tehran said Wednesday they were "not bound by any timeline or agreement" to surrender their weapons to the state, as the government seeks to disarm them under mounting U.S. pressure.

A military spokesman for Kataeb Hezbollah, Jaafar al-Husseini, said at an event to celebrate the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces that the factions had been in talks on "regulating" their weapons but "have not yet received a response from the Iraqi government."

"Based on this, the Islamic Resistance declares that it is not bound by any timetable or agreement that any governmental or political party has spoken of or may speak of," al-Husseini said.

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday it had officially pulled out of Iraq after 12 years fighting the Islamic State. The U.S. and Iraqi government had agreed to a pullout by Sept. 30 and began the process over recent months.

The militias in Iraq have launched attacks on other Gulf countries in the wake of the U.S. and Israeli launching war on Iran in February. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia launched joint strikes on those militias in late July.

3 tankers hit Tuesday in Strait of Hormuz, U.K. naval agency says

A British maritime agency said Wednesday that unknown projectiles struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day. A crude oil tanker and two other vessels had each "been struck by an unknown projectile," the U.K. navy's Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO) said.

It had earlier described one of the vessels as an LNG tanker, before later describing it as a tanker.

The Strait of Hormuz is at the center of the war between Iran and the United States.

Around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the strategic shipping lane before the war. But since the conflict broke out, Tehran has been attempting to block the passage of commercial ships, firing on vessels it accuses of unauthorized crossings.

Washington has responded with a counterblockade of Iranian ports in an effort to prevent Tehran from exporting its oil.

"Do something," begs Iranian woman sentenced to death over protests

An Iranian woman sentenced to death over protests earlier this year has begged the international community to save her life and those of others facing the death penalty, according to an audio message she sent from prison that was shared Wednesday by rights groups.

The plea by Mahboubeh Shahbani, 33, from a prison in the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad, came after authorities executed two more men on charges linked to the major anti-regime protests in January.

Rights groups accuse Iran of ramping up executions of high-profile prisoners in a bid to intimidate the population and ensure there is no repeat of the protests, which preceded the U.S. and Israel launching their joint war against the Islamic republic on Feb. 28.

Iran more than doubled its use of executions in 2025 , Amnesty International said earlier this year.

"The sentence handed down to me shows that many others are in danger of execution," Shahbani said in a telephone call from the phone for prisoners in Mashhad's Vakilabad prison.

"I am not worried about myself. I am worried for the others whose sentences have been upheld," she said in the call, an audio recording of which was shared by Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the U.S.-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the message.

"I call on everyone - the public, the U.N., human rights organizations. Not just for me but for all the others whose sentences have been upheld and who have spent months sleeping in fear and stress at night," she said. "I call on them to do something."

According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Shahbani was convicted of carrying out actions "to strengthen Israel, the U.S., and individuals affiliated with opposition groups" in the protests.

IHR said she had merely used her motorcycle to transport injured protesters.

Persian Gulf security depends on cooperation between regional countries, Iran says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said lasting security in the Persian Gulf and its waterways depends primarily on cooperation among, and is the responsibility of regional countries, in a message marking World Maritime Day.

"The Strait of Hormuz, as one of the most important maritime passages, has a special position in the security and economy of the region and the world," Pezeshkian said, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

"Our approach to this strategic waterway is responsible and based on maintaining the security, stability and interests of the countries of the region," he said. "We believe that lasting security in the Persian Gulf and its waterways depends, more than anything else, on the cooperation, responsibility and role of the countries of the region."

Iran has repeatedly targeted U.S. regional allies around the Gulf since the war began in late February, as well as commercial vessels it accuses of attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz without its permission.

Iranian security agency uncovers alleged Israeli false-flag plan, according to media reports

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency claimed Wednesday that Iranian security agencies had received intelligence suggesting Israeli plans to orchestrate a false-flag "mass-casualty incident" to blame on the Islamic Republic.

Fars, which is linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said intelligence obtained by an Iranian security agency pointed to a scenario it said had been proposed by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad to the prime minister's office involving an operation against aircraft or airports in the region.

The report claimed the plan was to "create a mass-casualty incident and provide the grounds for attributing responsibility for it to Iran."

Fars reported separately on the FlyDubai incident Wednesday that saw a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted for an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a violent cockpit altercation, which some reports suggested could have started as an attempted hijacking by one crew member. The Iranian news agency did not link the FlyDubai incident to the purported intelligence about a possible Israeli false-flag operation.

U.S. withdrawal from Iraq celebrated by Iran-backed militias

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that it has completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group.

The withdrawal, agreed on two years ago, comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war between the United States and Iran that has also sometimes spilled over into Iraq, with Iran-backed militias firing on U.S. troops and the U.S. striking the groups' strongholds.

The withdrawal was celebrated by Iran-backed groups but raised concerns among some other Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region.

"The expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty," Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, said in a statement.

U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a small presence of hundreds of troops in the semiautonomous northern Kurdish region. Bases there have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran-backed Iraqi militias also have coordinated with Yemen's Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia.

Iran reportedly received a formal response from the U.S. on cease-fire proposal

Iranian authorities said on Wednesday they received the formal U.S. response to their proposal to end the Middle East war, state media reported, days after President Trump publicly rejected the plan.

"At today's cabinet meeting, the American side's proposal was presented to President Masoud Pezeshkian by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi," government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told the official IRNA news agency.

Pakistan vows to help defend Saudi Arabia from Iran-backed Houthis

Pakistan will use "whatever means are available" to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the country's defense minister said Tuesday, offering one of Islamabad's clearest indications yet that it could become directly involved in the widening regional conflict.

Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declined to say whether Pakistani forces had already participated in airstrikes. He said, however, that Pakistan's military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

"I'm not going into detail, but obviously when I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they'll be available to Saudi Arabia also. I think that's a categoric statement," Asif told reporters during a visit to Rome when asked whether Pakistan had been involved in airstrikes against Iranian operators in Yemen.

Iran reportedly received U.S. feedback on proposed cease-fire plan, will discuss on Wednesday

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi received feedback from the U.S. on the proposed plan for a seven-day cease-fire, which would be aimed at building trust between the two sides, according to an official quoted by the Reuters news agency.

Iran proposed a seven-day plan for a cease-fire and the phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz last week, contingent on the U.S. meeting conditions laid out in the mid-June memorandum of understanding that fell apart after several weeks. President Trump has publicly rejected the Iranian proposal.

According to the Reuters report, the disagreement between the two sides is currently over the sequencing of the plan, and Araghchi will discuss it in Tehran on Wednesday.

Trump "trapped in a quagmire" when it comes to war, Iran security chief says

President Trump is stuck when it comes to deciding between further war and negotiations, according to Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran's influential Supreme National Security Council.

"We stated our conditions, but Trump is incapable of decision-making," Rezaei said Tuesday during a meeting with Azerbaijan's deputy prime minister, Shahin Mustafayev. "Trump is trapped in a quagmire where he can neither negotiate nor fight."

Multiple Iranian officials have said they are waiting for a response on the proposal made during last week's U.N. General Assembly, however, Mr. Trump already dismissed the plan on Saturday.

"Our plan, which became known as the seven-point plan, was conveyed to the Americans through the Qatari intermediary," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in New York on Monday. "Despite the things that the American president and others said, I said that we are waiting for an official response from America through the intermediary."

Rezaei singled out the strict sanctions on airlines that went into place last week, calling them an "air blockade," as a sign of "desperation."

U.S. sanctions businesses that allegedly supplied equipment to Iranian military

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions Tuesday on 10 individuals and companies accused of helping Iran's military logistics agency acquire weapons and electronics.

The targets include people based in Iran, Beijing, Hong Kong and Pakistan.

The sanctions are part of a Trump administration initiative called Operation Economic Outcast, aimed at pressuring Iran by isolating its government and economy.

"Treasury will not tolerate any support to the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran's enablers," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

Iran's military says the only way war will end is if U.S. admits defeat

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps said that the only way for the war in Iran to end is for Washington to admit defeat and leave.

IRGC spokesperson Gen. Hossein Mohebbi delivered the message at a news conference Tuesday in Tehran, reading from what he called a "letter to the American people."

The message was apparently meant for the U.S. public just weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections for the U.S. Senate and Congress — a vote in which President Trump's Republican Party faces fierce headwinds as it looks to maintain control of Congress.

Later, in remarks to The Associated Press, Mohebbi urged Americans to reconsider their leadership and take to the streets and protest the president's policies to denounce what he called the U.S. government's warmongering policies.

He accused the United States of using Iran's nuclear program as a ruse to "plunder Iran's wealth" and to turn the country "back into a colony."