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Iran Claims Strikes on US Bases as Hormuz Tensions Escalate

Published

3 months ago

July 15, 2026

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said early Wednesday it had launched attacks against US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, marking another escalation in the conflict as the United States continued military operations against Iran and renewed restrictions on Iranian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC said it targeted the US Fifth Fleet’s command-and-control facilities, logistical centres, petroleum installations and military equipment in Bahrain, along with a US base in Kuwait. Iranian state media described the strikes as retaliation for recent American military operations and efforts to control maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement carried by local media, the IRGC warned that if Washington continued trying to restrict regional oil and gas exports by controlling key shipping routes, Iran would seek to disrupt other energy corridors serving US and allied interests. The statement declared that regional energy exports would be “for everyone or for no one,” although it did not specify which routes could be targeted.

Missile warning systems were activated in Bahrain and Kuwait as Iranian projectiles approached. Jordanian authorities said their air defence systems intercepted three incoming Iranian missiles, while Kuwait’s military reported repelling Iranian drone attacks. Iran also claimed it had targeted US military facilities at Jordan’s Azraq Air Base for a second time.

US Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, confirmed that Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones toward neighbouring Gulf countries.

The latest exchange came after the US military carried out a fourth consecutive night of operations against Iranian targets. According to US Central Command, fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels conducted a seven-hour mission targeting Iranian missile and drone sites, naval assets and coastal defence systems.

CENTCOM said the strikes were intended to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian vessels operating in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that normally handles around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas trade.

President Donald Trump also renewed warnings that the United States could expand its campaign if diplomatic efforts fail. In a televised interview with Fox News on Tuesday night, Trump said Washington would eventually target Iran’s energy infrastructure unless Tehran agreed to return to negotiations.

“We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re gonna knock out their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate,” Trump said, adding that energy facilities remained potential targets.

The latest hostilities have cast further doubt over a temporary agreement reached in June after the United States lifted an earlier blockade of Iranian shipping to allow negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Talks have since stalled as military confrontations around the Strait of Hormuz intensified, raising concerns about regional security and the stability of global energy supplies.

News

Iran Says Hormuz Can Reopen Within Seven Days as Oil Exports Come Under Pressure

Published

3 days ago

October 5, 2026

Web Reporter

Iran’s military said it retained full control of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strategic waterway could be fully reopened within seven days if Tehran’s conditions were met and hostile measures against the country were lifted.

The statements came as Iran faced growing economic pressure, with the rial falling to record lows, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad resigning and the United States claiming that Tehran had not loaded any crude onto tankers during September.

Brigadier General Aziz Jafari, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Joint Air Defence Headquarters, said all movements through the Strait remained under the control of the Iranian armed forces despite changes in US tactics.

“All movements (in Hormuz) are under the control of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic,” Jafari said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that Iran had not loaded crude oil onto tankers during September, arguing that the Trump administration was targeting Tehran’s main source of revenue.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged in August that restrictions were disrupting oil exports, saying the country had previously been able to sell oil but was now unable to do so at the same level.

Paknejad’s resignation was officially attributed to family and personal matters. However, his departure came amid speculation about the impact of reduced oil exports on government finances. Before his resignation was announced, Paknejad said in a video carried by Iranian media that revenue from oil already sold would be collected and that the process would continue.

The acting oil minister has pledged to maximise production and maintain exports through new strategies.

Despite pressure on Iranian exports, oil shipments from other parts of the region remained high. Ship-tracking company Kpler estimated crude exports from the region excluding Iran at between 19.5 million and 22.5 million barrels per day during the final week of September, compared with a pre-war regional average of about 18 million barrels per day.

Iran’s currency has also come under severe pressure. The euro rose above 300,000 tomans on the informal market, while the US dollar reached 270,000 tomans, more than double its level of about 135,000 tomans at the beginning of the year. One toman is equal to 10 rials.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported at least one attack each day in the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Aden since October 2.

Araghchi told foreign ambassadors in Tehran that the conflict could not be resolved militarily and called for negotiations based on fairness. He warned that any renewed military confrontation would trigger a stronger Iranian response.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran had received US proposals through intermediaries but rejected what he described as one-sided demands.

He said the Strait would remain closed until Iran’s seven conditions, based on the Islamabad memorandum, were met.

News

SpaceX crew reaches International Space Station in record US transit

Published

6 days ago

October 2, 2026

Web Reporter

Four astronauts arrived at the International Space Station on Thursday after an eight-hour journey from Earth, completing the fastest crewed trip to the orbiting laboratory by a US spacecraft.

The astronauts launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule after a three-week delay caused by repairs to a leaking fuel system. Thick clouds threatened to postpone the launch again, but weather conditions improved enough for the mission to proceed from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The short journey was possible partly because of the station’s position at the time of launch. Although the astronauts are scheduled to spend about six months aboard the space station, their trip there was the quickest recorded by SpaceX or any US space programme, including NASA.

Commander Jessica Watkins became the first Black woman to lead a crew into orbit. The geologist previously worked with NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover programme and spent an extended period aboard the space station in 2022.

“Thanks for an amazing ride,” Watkins told mission control after the launch.

The other members of the crew are NASA astronaut Luke Delaney, a retired Marine, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, a Royal Canadian Air Force colonel, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, a former submariner. All three are making their first journey into space.

The crew will replace four astronauts who have been living aboard the International Space Station since February.

The mission is SpaceX’s 13th crewed flight for NASA, excluding its crewed test flight in 2020. The astronauts have embraced the Crew-13 designation, with the mission patch featuring a reference to Apollo 13, the 1970 lunar mission that ended with its crew safely returning to Earth after a serious in-flight emergency.

The number 13 featured repeatedly during Thursday’s launch preparations. The astronauts travelled to the launch pad in black Tesla vehicles with licence plates reading “Lucky 13”. They also carried a small crocheted golden dragon called Lucky, which wore a four-leaf clover.

Watkins later joked from orbit that the crew had brought some extra luck with them, describing the four astronauts as among the “luckiest humans on or off planet Earth.”

Kutryk’s mission carries a particularly personal milestone. His wife, Heather, is expected to give birth to their third child in late November, making him the fourth man to become a father while in orbit.

The Canadian Space Agency has said it will support Kutryk and his family during the birth. NASA has previously helped astronauts remain connected with family members during major events on Earth.

SpaceX also conducted multiple launches on Thursday. Hours after the crew mission, the company launched a Falcon rocket from California carrying more than 100 small satellites. Another Falcon launch from Florida was scheduled later in the day with a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite.

The launches came during a busy week for SpaceX, following the first orbital flight of its Starship vehicle.

News

Trump, Vance begin midterm campaign push as Republicans confront economic concerns

Published

6 days ago

October 2, 2026

Web Reporter

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance took to the campaign trail on Thursday, opening an intensive effort to support Republican candidates ahead of the Nov. 3 US midterm elections.

Trump travelled to Texas and Oklahoma, while Vance campaigned in Florida. Their appearances were held in areas that have traditionally been strong for Republicans, as the party seeks to energise its base amid concerns about the economy and rising living costs.

Trump described his schedule as a 32-day campaign blitz. Speaking at a truck manufacturing facility in Denton, Texas, he said he remained committed to helping Republican candidates and dismissed suggestions that he was not fully engaged in the campaign.

The president also promoted Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for the US Senate against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. Trump said Republicans needed Paxton in Washington and used his appearance in Texas to support the candidate.

Trump later travelled to Oklahoma, where he campaigned alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei. His rally in Durant took place on the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, making it one of the relatively few visits by a sitting US president to a tribal nation.

Vance, meanwhile, appeared in Lakeland, Florida, to support Republican Rep. Byron Donalds in his campaign for governor. He also campaigned in Texas earlier in the week for Republican congressional candidate Eric Flores.

The campaign appearances came as new polling showed dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s handling of the economy. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 17% of US adults approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, while 26% approved of his handling of the economy overall, a new low in the survey. The poll was conducted Sept. 24-28 among 2,140 adults and had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

Trump has continued to argue that inflation and high prices were inherited from the Biden administration and that his policies are reducing costs. The AP-NORC poll found that 65% of adults attributed persistently high costs mainly to Trump’s policies, including tariffs and the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Democratic National Committee officials criticised the Republican campaign effort, arguing that economic pressures and the Iran conflict were weighing on voters.

Republican officials are planning an extensive campaign schedule for Trump, with additional appearances expected in Alabama, Ohio and Nebraska. Party strategists have also said his rallies in strongly Republican areas can help mobilise supporters beyond the states he visits.

The midterm elections will determine control of Congress, while voters across the country will also decide numerous state and local races.