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Vessel struck by unknown projectile while transiting Strait of Hormuz: UKMTO<\/p>\n
A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in a verified warning late Saturday.<\/p>\n
UKMTO said the condition of the crew, the extent of any damage and the possible environmental impact were not immediately known.<\/p>\n
The maritime security agency said authorities were investigating the incident and advised vessels traveling through the strategic waterway to exercise caution and report suspicious activity.<\/p>\n
The warning was reported at 11 p.m. UTC Saturday and issued early Sunday UTC. UKMTO did not identify the vessel or say who may have fired the projectile.<\/p>\n
Posted by Jasmine Baehr<\/p>\n
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1 hour agoIsraeli ambassador says Judea and Samaria \u2018always will be Israel\u2019<\/p>\n
Israeli Ambassador<\/a> to the U.S. Michael Leiter defended Israel\u2019s ties to Judea and Samaria in an interview with Mark Levin, arguing the territory is central to Jewish history and Israel\u2019s security.<\/p>\n \u201cJews were born in Judea,\u201d Leiter said in an interview on Fox News’ \u201cLife, Liberty & Levin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can contest the wisdom of this community here, this community there, but to claim that Jews are colonizers or occupiers of foreign territory when Jews are in Judea, that\u2019s where Jews come from.\u201d<\/p>\n Leiter was responding to criticism from the British government over Israeli policy in the West Bank, which Israelis commonly refer to by the biblical names Judea and Samaria.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always been Israel and always will be Israel,\u201d Leiter said, while adding that violence by either Palestinians or Israelis must be addressed and that \u201cgratuitous violence is never acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n Posted by Jasmine Baehr<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 3 hours agoIranian blogger sentenced to death for \u2018insulting supreme leader\u2019: report<\/p>\n A 33-year-old Iranian blogger has been sentenced to death over accusations that she insulted Iran\u2019s supreme leader and acted against national security, according to a report from the New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Soda Ebrahimi Shamsabadi was charged with \u201ccorruption on earth\u201d and accused of \u201cmedia and propaganda activities against national security\u201d and working \u201con behalf of hostile governments,\u201d the Post reported.<\/p>\n The outlet, citing Iran International, said Shamsabadi was also punished for photographing the site of a missile strike and sending the image to a Persian-language media organization outside Iran.<\/p>\n Shamsabadi has been held in Bandar Abbas Prison since March and spent 20 days in solitary confinement, according to the report. Her final Instagram post before her detention read, \u201cIf one day I leave this world, just know one thing \u2014 I chose the path I believed in.\u201d<\/p>\n Her case comes amid a surge in executions in Iran. The Post reported that at least 29 people arrested during January protests have been executed since March, citing Norway-based Iran Human Rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n Posted by Jasmine Baehr<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 4 hours agoIranian president says country \u2018won\u2019t surrender\u2019 as he accuses US of targeting civilians<\/p>\n Iranian President<\/a> Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that his country \u201cwon\u2019t surrender,\u201d accusing the United States of waging war on civilian infrastructure and restricting access to basic necessities.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Americans are warriors, let them face our valiant military forces,\u201d Pezeshkian wrote on X. \u201cWhy wage war on civilian infrastructure, food supplies, and livelihoods?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf they’re human, why deny people access to water, food, and medicine?\u201d he continued. \u201cOur people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender.\u201d<\/p>\n Pezeshkian has repeatedly argued that U.S. military and economic pressure is aimed at forcing the Iranian public into submission, while rejecting what he describes as attacks on civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n Posted by Jasmine Baehr<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 5 hours agoUSS George Washington launches night operations as destroyers guard carrier from Iranian attacks<\/p>\n U.S. fighter jets launched one after another from the USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea Saturday night as guided-missile destroyers formed a defensive shield around the aircraft carrier amid heightened Iranian attacks.<\/p>\n Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst<\/a> reported from the flight deck as nighttime operations unfolded, with some details withheld in real time for security reasons.<\/p>\n The USS Shoup is one of four guided-missile destroyers helping protect the carrier, Yingst reported. The warship, crewed by just over 300 sailors, carries a range of weapons including Tomahawk missiles and helps coordinate defenses across the strike group.<\/p>\n \u201cMy ship is in charge of coordinating defense amongst the various other units,\u201d an officer aboard the Shoup said, including allocating missiles or aircraft to identify and respond to potential threats.<\/p>\n \u201cThe crew is ready and equipped to respond as quickly as necessary,\u201d the officer added.<\/p>\n Yingst said Iran has ramped up attacks on U.S. warships over the past week and a half and targeted the George Washington last weekend, keeping sailors and pilots on alert as operations continue.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is one after another here in the Arabian Sea,\u201d Yingst said as another jet prepared to launch. \u201cThings are changing very rapidly here.\u201d<\/p>\n Posted by Jasmine Baehr<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 7 hours agoRetired general says Houthi advance shows resilience despite diminished Iranian support<\/p>\n Iran-backed Houthi forces<\/a> remain capable of mounting a significant advance along Yemen\u2019s Red Sea coast despite Tehran\u2019s diminished ability to support its proxy, retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James \u201cSpider\u201d Marks said Saturday.<\/p>\n Marks said the Houthis have demonstrated \u201can immense amount of resilience\u201d after years of fighting and retain weapons stockpiles and an ability to maintain and manufacture capabilities locally.<\/p>\n \u201cThe support from the IRGC in Iran \u2026 has been diminished considerably, obviously, as a result of Epic Fury,\u201d Marks told Fox News. \u201cBut the stockpiles that the Houthis have and their ability to locally maintain and manufacture and get some capabilities together has not been diminished.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA push by the Houthis really should not surprise us,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The assessment comes after Houthi forces seized the strategic Yemeni port city of Mocha and pushed toward positions along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening a critical shipping route connecting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.<\/p>\n Marks said Saudi Arabia faces the dual challenge of targeting deeply embedded Houthi forces while hardening its own infrastructure against future attacks.<\/p>\n He also pointed to the U.S. military presence near the Bab el-Mandeb and additional carrier capacity heading to the region, saying Washington would have greater ability to provide support if needed.<\/p>\n Posted by Jasmine Baehr<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 7 hours agoUSS George Washington on high alert as Iran-backed Houthis threaten Red Sea shipping route<\/p>\n Sailors aboard the USS George Washington are on high alert in the Arabian Sea as Iran-backed Houthi forces advance along Yemen\u2019s coast toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical gateway to the Red Sea.<\/p>\n Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst<\/a> reported Saturday from aboard the aircraft carrier, where more than 5,000 sailors are supporting Operation Epic Fury amid continuing threats from Iran and its regional allies.<\/p>\n \u201cThe U.S. Navy remains on alert here aboard the USS George Washington,\u201d Yingst said, noting that American warships in the region remain under threat from Iran.<\/p>\n Yingst also visited the guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup, one of several ships helping protect the carrier. The destroyer carries Tomahawk missiles and helps coordinate the strike group\u2019s defenses against incoming threats.<\/p>\n \u201cThe crew is ready and equipped to respond as quickly as necessary,\u201d a Navy officer aboard the Shoup said. \u201cWe stand ready to continue to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n The heightened posture comes as Houthi forces have pushed toward positions near the Bab el-Mandeb, threatening another major global shipping chokepoint as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted.<\/p>\n Posted by Jasmine Baehr<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 8 hours agoIran\u2019s rial reportedly hits record low as fuel shortages, strikes deepen wartime economic pain<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s currency has plunged to a record low as fuel shortages and rising prices squeeze households and trigger strikes among transportation workers across the country, according to The Jerusalem Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Iranian rial fell to roughly 2.3 million per U.S. dollar, the outlet reported, citing The Wall Street Journal, as the economic fallout from the war and the U.S. naval blockade weighs on Iran\u2019s ability to import fuel and other goods.<\/p>\n Tehran this week doubled gasoline prices for drivers who exceed 110 liters per month after cutting monthly subsidies, according to the report.<\/p>\n The shortages have hit taxi, delivery and truck drivers particularly hard.About 120 taxi drivers in Kerman said fuel cuts were leaving them unable to work for roughly a third of each month, while drivers for Iranian ride-share and delivery giant Snapp have staged strikes in multiple cities, the report said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve all stopped; no one is working,\u201d one driver said in footage verified by Storyful.Truckers near the Iraqi border have also gone on strike, while drivers in Bandar Abbas have warned they could follow.<\/p>\n \u201cThe issue is that we can no longer bear these pressures,\u201d truckers at the port said in a statement, according to the report.<\/p>\n Posted by Jasmine Baehr<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 9 hours agoIran-Oman understanding stops short of reopening Strait of Hormuz: Reuters<\/p>\n An understanding between Iran<\/a> and Oman does not call for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but instead lays out a framework under which the strategic waterway could eventually reopen, according to Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reuters, citing an Iranian source who spoke to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, reported Saturday that any reopening would depend entirely on the United States meeting Tehran\u2019s conditions.<\/p>\n The source said the arrangement would also represent a step toward Iran exercising sovereignty over the strait.<\/p>\n The report comes as Iranian officials continue to insist that Washington must meet Tehran\u2019s demands before negotiations can resume, while U.S. forces maintain a blockade of Iranian ports.<\/p>\n U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday that American forces have redirected 100 commercial vessels over the past 60 days as part of the blockade and that \u201cZERO ships have passed through the blockade without U.S. forces allowing.\u201d<\/p>\n Posted by Jasmine Baehr<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 10 hours agoIran’s president says ‘we are not at war with Saudi Arabia’: report<\/p>\n Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian<\/a> insisted Saturday that his country is not at war with Saudi Arabia following an attack on a key oil pipeline, a report said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not at war with Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have their own issues,\u201d Pezeshkian told India Today TV on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, according to Iran International.<\/p>\n \u201cI have repeatedly said that all the countries of the region should sit down together and establish peace and security in the region,\u201d Pezeshkian reportedly added. \u201cThere is no logic or reason for us to be at war or in conflict with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n However, President Donald Trump said he suspects Iran is behind Friday’s attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline. Iran supports Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have been clashing with Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 11 hours agoChina, Russia have a \u2018vested interest\u2019 in seeing US get \u2018bogged down\u2019 in Middle East, expert says<\/p>\n Former NAVY Seal and author Jack Carr told Fox News\u2019 \u201cSaturday in America\u201d that adversaries like China and Russia \u201chave a vested interest in seeing us continue to get bogged down in the Middle East.\u201d\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Carr made the comment after The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Iran obtained high-resolution satellite images from China of a U.S. military base in Jordan prior to an attack there in July that left three U.S. troops dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey are learning lessons. Russia, North Korea, China are all learning lessons from what we’re doing in Iran right now,\u201d Carr said. \u201cHave we learn to use our military effectively and efficiently? What do we take from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, applying those lessons going forward here? There’s a direct line between how we left Afghanistan, of course, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo now this is a very critical point right here. Can we get that political outcome that we want, all the things that we wanted in February in talks with Iran?\u201d he added. \u201cCan we get those through the application of military force? Or are we going to get bogged down again, which allows China and Russia specifically more freedom of movement to achieve their geopolitical goals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 11 hours agoChina\u2019s Xi pushes BRICS alliance to take peacemaking role in Middle East: report<\/p>\n Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the BRICS alliance Saturday to act as peacemakers in the Middle East, according to a report from Reuters.\u00a0<\/p>\n The war involving Iran “does not serve the common interests of the international community,\u201d Xi reportedly said.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n The remarks come after Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Friday <\/a>that Tehran is seeking to strengthen coordination and expand cooperation with China as regional tensions continue to rise.\u00a0<\/p>\n Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iranian and Chinese leaders want their strategic partnership to advance the national interests of both countries, according to remarks carried by Iranian state television.\u00a0<\/p>\n The BRICS alliance<\/a> was established in 2006 by founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China, and has since expanded to include nations such as Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Fox News Digital’s Brittany Miller and Kyra Colah contributed to this post.\u00a0<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 12 hours agoIranian official vows \u2018no negotiations\u2019 with US until Tehran\u2019s demands are met<\/p>\n An Iranian official declared Saturday that Iran will not return to the negotiating table with the U.S. until all of its terms are met.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as the American side does not accept all of Iran’s conditions, dialogue and negotiation are of no use,\u201d Ebrahim Azizi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament\u2019s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, wrote on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNo negotiations. Until Iran\u2019s terms are met, talks are futile,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Azizi did not elaborate on Iran\u2019s conditions, but last month, Mohammad Baqer Zulqader, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, outlined six demands from Iran<\/a> before the Strait of Hormuz can reopen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Zulqader said the U.S. must stop threatening Iran and insulting what he described as the country’s sanctities, end military action against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Yemen and Iraq, and lift the naval blockade.\u00a0<\/p>\n His remaining demands called for U.S. sea and air forces to withdraw from Iran, compensation for damages from two wars, the removal of sanctions against Iran and the unconditional release of frozen Iranian assets.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fox News Digital\u2019s Brittany Miller contributed to this post.\u00a0<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 12 hours agoUS military blockade of Iranian ports hits milestone, CENTCOM says<\/p>\n U.S. Central Command announced Saturday that the ongoing military blockade of Iranian ports<\/a> has redirected 100 ships.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCENTCOM forces have redirected 100 commercial vessels over the past 60 days since America resumed the steel wall blockade against Iran,\u201d it wrote on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cZERO ships have passed through the blockade without U.S. forces allowing,\u201d CENTCOM added. \u201cAmerican service members remain laser focused on this mission.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 13 hours agoPakistan condemns drone attacks on Saudi Arabia oil pipeline<\/p>\n Pakistan, a key mediator between the U.S. and Iran during Operation Epic Fury,<\/a> said Saturday that it \u201cstrongly condemns\u201d the drone attacks that targeted the Saudi Arabia East-West oil pipeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n The country\u2019s foreign ministry issued a statement saying the \u201creprehensible drone attacks\u201d caused damage to the pipeline and \u201cinjuries to civilians.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPakistan has been and will continue to make earnest efforts for achieving lasting peace and stability in the region,\u201d it added.\u00a0<\/p>\n President Donald Trump said Saturday that he suspects Iran was responsible for the attack on the Saudi pipeline.<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 14 hours agoIraq closes border crossings with Iran following Saudi pipeline attack: report<\/p>\n Iraq shut down two border crossings into Iran on Saturday after officials in a province bordering Iran determined that the attack against a Saudi oil pipeline<\/a> was launched from that area, a report said.<\/p>\n Iraq\u2019s state-run news agency reported that Iraqi officials were at the border, investigating previous \u201cviolations and infractions\u201d at the crossings, according to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said earlier Saturday that he’d ordered an investigation into the operations command of Maysan province and dismissed the province’s commander. His office later said the provincial police chief was also dismissed.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia shut down the major, cross-country East-West oil pipeline on Friday, saying it was a \u201cprecautionary measure.”<\/p>\n The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on several drones that came from Iraq and, in a statement, said the kingdom would not retaliate to give the Iraqi government \u201can opportunity to take the necessary measures.\u201d<\/p>\n Authorities determined that attacks targeting Saudi Arabia were launched from a site in Maysan province, the AP reported.<\/p>\n The Associated Press contributed to this post.\u00a0<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 15 hours agoUS Marines train on flight deck of USS Portland<\/p>\n U.S. Central Command released new images Saturday showing U.S. Marines training on the flight deck of the USS Portland, an amphibious transport dock ship, as it sailed in the Arabian Sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n American military assets remained stationed around the Middle East Saturday as CENTCOM is enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n CENTCOM said earlier this month that \u201cmore than 50,000 U.S. 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 15 hours agoBahrain calls Saudi pipeline attack a \u2018blatant violation of international law\u2019<\/p>\n Bahrain said Saturday that the targeting of Saudi Arabia\u2019s East-West oil pipeline<\/a> is an \u201cattack on vital civilian infrastructure affecting the security of energy supplies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kingdom of Bahrain strongly condemned the targeting of the East-West oil pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by drones launched from Iraqi territory, which resulted in injuries and property damage,\u201d the Bahrain News Agency said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack as a blatant violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of good neighborliness, as well as an attack on vital civilian infrastructure affecting the security of energy supplies,\u201d it added.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Bahrain News Agency cited the foreign ministry as calling \u201con the international community to assume its responsibilities in confronting such attacks that seek to undermine energy security and destabilize regional security and stability.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 16 hours agoTrump touts US military \u2018dominance,\u2019 says Strait of Hormuz cleared of mines<\/p>\n President Donald Trump said Saturday that the world is seeing how powerful the U.S. military is during the war with Iran.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is seeing the dominance of the American military equipment all over the planet. And you see it now with Iran. We took over the Hormuz Strait. We cleared out all the mines,\u201d Trump said while visiting Ireland.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEven I said, \u2018well, how come they’re not shooting down our minesweepers?\u2019 \u2018Sir, these minesweepers are underwater. They work underwater at all times,\u2019\u201d Trump continued. \u201cI say, \u2018why do you do that?\u2019 \u2018Well, generally speaking, when there’s mines, there’s a lot of hostility outside.\u2019 You know, I said \u2018that makes sense, right\u2019? In other words, if there are mines in some water way, generally speaking, when you see there are mines or people shooting at you. So if you’re underwater, they don’t know you’re there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut we knocked out and we took out every mine. There’s no mines in there, no nothing,\u201d the president added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 17 hours agoUS targets senior al-Qaeda leaders in Iran with rewards of up to $10M<\/p>\n The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program on Friday announced rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to several senior al-Qaeda leaders the U.S. says are based in Iran.<\/p>\n The announcement, released on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,<\/a> names Sayf al-Adl, Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi and Yasin al-Suri among those sought.<\/p>\n “These individuals are senior leaders within al-Qaida, which utilizes Iran as a safe haven to execute violent attacks against the United States and its allies,” the Rewards for Justice program said in a post on X.<\/p>\n The agency said anyone with information on the men can submit tips through its secure reporting channels and may be eligible for monetary rewards and relocation assistance.<\/p>\n The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to increase pressure on Iran through military operations, sanctions and efforts to target the country’s financial and energy networks.<\/p>\n Yesterday’s Fox News Digital live blog<\/a> offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.<\/p>\n Posted by Brittany Miller<\/p>\n Share <\/p>\n 17 hours agoTrump suspects Iran behind Saudi pipeline attack, says Houthis \u2018don\u2019t want to fight with us\u2019<\/p>\n President Donald Trump said Saturday that he believes Iran is behind attacks that forced the closure of Saudi Arabia\u2019s East-West oil pipeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n