Iranian official threatens US economic interests
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei has warned that Tehran would retaliate against US economic interests if the US continued with the blockade of Iranian ports.
“If the blockade continues, we will target US economic interests 100 percent, with intensity and force,” Rezaei told Lebanon’s Al-Manar television.
He claimed that Iran had “broken the maritime blockade” during the ceasefire and exported almost 80 million barrels of oil.
Rezaei added that Iran was preparing a list of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after mediators asked Tehran to set them out.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2026 06:40
White House says Trump keeps ‘all options’ open for Iran
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has claimed that Donald Trump “continues to retain all options on the table” for the Iran war.
“We’ve had Operation Epic Fury to destroy their military. Now we have Operation Economic Outcast to destroy their economy,” she told Fox News.
“No negotiations are happening right now, and this will continue until the president feels that maybe they come to the table in a meaningful way,” she added.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2026 06:00
US military says it helped 1,500 vessels cross Hormuz
The US military commanders have claimed that American forces have cleared sea mines from the Strait of Hormuz that had been laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Bottom line: today, international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the US military’s Central Command.
He claimed that US forces have in recent months helped 1,500 commercial vessels carrying nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil to transit the strait.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2026 05:20
Oil prices fell this morning and are on track to snap a two-week winning streak, despite settling higher in the previous session following a report that president Donald Trump is not interested in returning to previous deal terms with Iran.
Brent crude futures were down 25 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to $89.45 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 22 cents, also 0.3 per cent, to $83.31.
Both benchmarks were poised to end the week lower, with Brent down 5.3 per cent and WTI falling 4.3 per cent.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2026 04:40
US Patriot missile stocks are ‘beyond critical’ in Europe
The U.S. military is reportedly experiencing a “beyond critical” shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe, largely driven by president Donald Trump’s war with Iran.
Citing a US defence official in Europe and a Nato official, The Associated Press reported that the most concerning shortfall involves Patriot missile interceptors, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in Nato countries to a potential Russian attack.
The Naato official confirmed the low inventories of Patriots missile interceptors, which can shoot down Russia’s high-speed ballistic missiles, among American and Nato forces in Europe. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 August 2026 04:00
Iran denies reports it is targeting Trump’s son
Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei said a report about a potential plot to assassinate US president Donald Trump’s youngest son is a lie.
In an `interview broadcast by Lebanon’s Al Manar TV on Thursday. The U.S. Secret Service said on Tuesday that it was aware of a video broadcast by Iranian state television discussing a potential plot to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump’s youngest son Barron Trump
Joe Middleton28 August 2026 03:00
Analysis: What has the US gained and lost after six months?
Dr Andreas Krieg, senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, told The Independent: “On the US side, Washington has inflicted substantial damage on Iranian military infrastructure, missile capabilities, command networks and the wider architecture supporting Iran’s regional power. It has also demonstrated that it can penetrate Iranian airspace and impose costs almost at will.
“But for more than $38 billion and roughly 750 casualties, the political return is much less impressive. Iran has not surrendered its core positions, the Strait has not returned to predictable commercial normality, and Washington is increasingly reliant on sanctions, naval enforcement and economic pressure because further large-scale strikes offer diminishing political returns.
He added: “The greatest American loss is strategic freedom of manoeuvre. The conflict is consuming naval assets, air defence, ISR, logistics, interceptors and political attention at precisely the moment Washington wants to concentrate resources on Asia. The US has won most of the battles, but it it cannot win the war.”
Joe Middleton28 August 2026 02:00
Iran facing ‘full-scale economic war,’ but will win, says Tehran
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said the country is in “a full-scale economic war.”
Speaking to the state’s IRNA news agency, Ghalibaf assured the public that in spite of the country’s financial spiral, Iran “will defeat the enemy in this field as well.”
Iran is facing extreme pressures on its domestic economy after the US announced a barrage of unilateral sanctions against the state on Monday.
Joe Middleton28 August 2026 01:00
The latest: Trump sends new warship to Middle East
Senior US Navy officials told CNN that the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier would be deployed for at least seven months. It is expected to relieve the George Washington, USNI reported.
James Reynolds28 August 2026 00:00
US has no ongoing negotiations with Iran, says White House
The United States and Iran are not currently in talks to end the war as Washington focuses on pressuring Tehran economically, but all options remain “on the table,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.
“What President Trump’s number one goal has been and will always be is to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. Period. And so we’ve had Operation Epic Fury to destroy their military. Now we have Operation Economic Outcast to destroy their economy,” Leavitt told the “Fox & Friends” program.
“No negotiations are happening right now, and this will continue until the president feels that maybe they come to the table in a meaningful way. We have not seen that yet,” she said. “He of course continues to retain all options on the table, and the naval blockade continues to be in effect as well.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 27 (Reuters)
James Reynolds27 August 2026 23:00