The "endless" Iranian Conflict

Vance: Iran Fight Is Not a 'War'

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday rejected the use of the word "war" to describe the U.S. fighting with Iran and declined to predict whether the six-month-old conflict would be over by November's midterm elections, in which Republicans are trying to hold on to their narrow majorities in Congress.

"I wouldn't call it a war," Vance said after being asked during a White House press briefing about whether the fighting could be wrapped up before voters cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 congressional elections. "Right now, there is no active shooting."

Vance's comments came as Iran fired at U.S. Gulf ally Kuwait on Thursday as it continued to retaliate for rounds of U.S. strikes on Iran earlier in the week.

The vice president said the U.S. had a "responsibility" to carry out this week's strikes because Iran continues the targeting of commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance's description of the fighting comes as President Donald Trump and his administration face questions about the conflict's duration and its political and economic effects ahead of the midterm elections.

The administration maintains it is making progress in applying economic pressure on Iranian hardliners, including the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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Iran losing its Leverage

No, Iran is not winning: In Act IV of the war, it’s losing its leverage in Hormuz

The arc of this six-month conflict has proceeded in four acts.

• Act One began with intensive airstrikes on February 28 and lasted through six weeks of high-intensity military operations.
• Act Two began with the April 7 ceasefire and negotiations, culminating with the June 17 MOU signed by Trump and Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
• Act Three began weeks later when Iran chose once again to target commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to another tit-for-tat military exchange.

Since mid-July, the US has reimposed its military blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran’s oil trade. In parallel, the U.S. military has worked tirelessly to clear shipping lanes and help protect commercial ships transiting the Strait.

The result has been an effective blockade on Iranian oil shipments, with global shipments recovering and energy prices remaining remarkably stable. Bloomberg reported this week that oil flows through the Strait have recovered to 2/3 of pre-war levels.

That means pressure is now compounding on Iran, and not the US. And if Iran loses its ability to hold the Strait hostage, its leverage dissipates rapidly.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Iran’s economy is expected to contract by more than 5% this year, with inflation approaching 70%. The value of Iran’s currency has fallen sharply. Prices for basic goods have soared. An Iranian Labor Ministry official recently estimated that more than one million jobs disappeared during the first three months of the war alone.

• But Act Four seems different. The US military has a clear objective as outlined this week by the commander of CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper. It is enforcing the blockade on Iran and facilitating the movement of commercial traffic.

And that status quo — perhaps for the first time since the war began — now favors Washington, not Tehran.

Analysis by Brett H. McGurk

Russia now helping Iran

Russia Reportedly Resupplying Iran as US-Russia Tensions Persist

Russia is reportedly shipping drone components, ammunition, and explosives to Iran to help Tehran replenish military stockpiles damaged by U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to NBC News.

NBC News reported Tuesday that the shipments are traveling across the Caspian Sea to Iran's Amirabad port, citing a document from a European government that the network said was verified by a Western official.

More than two dozen Russian vessels have reportedly transported the materials, with many of the ships operating under U.S. or European sanctions, according to NBC.

The reported shipments include drone components, small-arms ammunition and TNT, which NBC said is used in Iranian ballistic missile warheads and drones.

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Trump's Iran Strategy : Cause them Economic Pain

Trump shifts Iran strategy to economic pressure, concedes munitions are tight and no direct talks underway

President Trump now says the United States is "low-keying it" with Iran, relying on a naval blockade and economic pain rather than the "massive attack" he once threatened, while acknowledging that key munitions are running short and that no direct negotiations with Tehran are actually taking place.

In a phone interview with Axios reporter Barak Ravid, Trump framed the shift as strategic patience, not retreat. "We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," he said. "We are only semi-negotiating with them." 

Asked about the stalled conflict, now more than five months old, Trump offered a breezy forecast: "It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game."

The remarks amount to a significant course correction. Trump had previously threatened Iran with overwhelming force, repeatedly promised an "imminent" deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and called earlier reports of a munitions shortage "treasonous."

Now he is publicly conceding that high-end weapons stocks are "a little bit tighter" and that Iran is not, in fact, sitting across the table from American negotiators.

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Russia and North Korea more involved in Ukraine War

Russia is firing North Korean missiles at Ukraine, Zelenskyy claims, as more overnight attacks kill 9

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using North Korean ballistic missiles in its attacks, as another night of bombardment killed at least nine civilians and injured dozens of others.

Zelenskyy said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in their attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, where local officials said six people were killed and 19 wounded.

"Every step Russia takes — increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization — all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation," Zelenskyy said on social media.

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The War that goes on and on

Iran Again Refuses to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Unless US Meets Demands

Trump said on Aug. 9 that the United States was only semi-negotiating with Iran after the regime demanded multiple concessions.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that an agreement on the establishment of a new maritime route in the Strait of Hormuz had entered the “final stages.”

However, Araghchi reiterated the regime’s position that the new shipping lanes would not be opened until the United States agreed to Tehran’s demands.

On Aug. 8, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr said the United States would need to comply with multiple demands for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.

The demands included the United States ending its war with Iran, removing the naval blockade, withdrawing military troops, lifting sanctions on the regime, releasing blocked Iranian assets, paying damages caused by the war, and avoiding future threats against Iran.

“I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict (started because, THEY WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON), even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!”wrote Trump.

In response to Tehran’s demands, Trump demanded compensation from Iran for all of the people killed and wounded by the regime’s roadside bombs and conflicts.

Trump added that the families of hundreds of thousands of innocent protesters killed by the regime over the past 50 years, including the 52,000 people he said were killed in the past five months, should receive compensation.

“I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations,” Trump said.

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Detailed analysis from the Atlantic Council and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) suggests that while Iran is far weaker militarily, it still holds leverage through its ability to disrupt global oil trade until a final deal is signed.

More talks begin today on Iran

Trump says Iran talks begin Monday (today) after canceling ‘biggest attack since World War II’

The President says Gulf allies and Iran asked him to give diplomacy more time as negotiators seek to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and revive a June peace framework, though Tehran has not accepted his account or the proposed terms.

President Donald Trump said Aug. 2 that negotiations with Iran would begin the next afternoon after he canceled a massive planned U.S. strike, creating a new but uncertain opening toward an end to the five-month war.

Trump said the original planned operation “would have been by far the biggest attack since World War II” and “disastrous” for Iran.

Reuters reported July 31, citing CBS News sources, that U.S. and Israeli officials had been preparing strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, but Trump did not confirm whether those targets were part of the canceled plan.

Trump said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iran had urged him not to launch the attack. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told him regional governments “would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack, because you don’t know where these attacks lead,” according to the President.

In a Saturday Truth Social announcement, Trump claimed regional governments had reached the “perimeters of a deal” providing for the immediate and complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a guarantee of no nuclear weapons development on the part of Iran. He said Israel had joined his commitment to pursue the agreement and that the attack would remain canceled only if a deal could be completed rapidly.

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Retalitory Strikes continue against Iran

Trump orders expanded strikes on Iran after missile attack shattered trust in peace talks

President Trump has directed the military to prepare a fresh wave of strikes against Iran that could begin within days, a sharp escalation after an Iranian missile attack on American forces in Jordan during active negotiations.

Trump previewed the coming offensive at a Friday cabinet meeting at Camp David, telling his war cabinet the United States is "going big" and accusing Tehran of negotiating in bad faith while simultaneously targeting American troops.

The New York Post reported that the military has drafted multiple options for fresh attacks, including a sustained bombing campaign lasting ten to fourteen days and potential strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure, including electricity serving Tehran.

The order follows a sequence that would test any commander-in-chief's patience. On Wednesday, while Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was engaged in negotiations with Iranian counterparts, Iran launched five missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan. Trump learned of the attack not from his negotiator but from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Iran fired on U.S. troops mid-negotiation, and Trump responded within hours:
The U.S. military hit back the same day. U.S. Central Command struck dozens of targets tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including command centers and missile and drone facilities.

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Can we just wipe Iran out? This has gone on way too long and Iran is ever going to surrender.

Iran continues to disrupt shipping

Tankers Hit Near Hormuz as Iran Warns of Wider Disruption

Two commercial tankers reported separate security incidents near the Strait of Hormuz overnight as Iran warned the United States that continued military pressure could disrupt other strategic shipping routes, raising fresh concerns about global energy supplies and the potential for another escalation in the five-month conflict.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British military-linked maritime security organization, said Saturday it received reports of two incidents near the entrance to the strategic waterway off Oman.

In the first, a tanker about 11 nautical miles northeast of Limah was struck by an "unknown projectile," damaging its engine room and leaving the vessel unable to maneuver. UKMTO said there were no reported injuries or environmental damage.

A short time later, the master of another tanker about 21 nautical miles northeast of Khasab reported seeing a large splash and explosion near the vessel. No damage or injuries were reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately claimed it struck two oil tankers traveling under what it said was U.S. military escort after they allegedly used an unauthorized route.

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Trump keeps warning Iran

Trump Warns of Strong Military Action if Iran Diplomacy Fails

President Trump announced the U.S. is in very deep talks with Iran while warning that strong military action remains on the table if negotiations fail to produce results.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States is engaged in "very deep talks" with Iran, while warning that "strong military action" remains on the table if diplomatic efforts fail to produce results. The comments came as U.S. forces observed a pause in strikes against Iranian targets.

Trump addressed reporters during a press availability, emphasizing that military pressure had forced Tehran to the negotiating table. "The only reason they want to meet is because we've been hitting them very hard," the president said. "They understand now that we are serious."

The remarks coincide with a fragile diplomatic pause in the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict that began in late February. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz confirmed that the administration had halted strikes to give diplomacy more time, though he stressed that military readiness remained intact.

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It seems as if negotiations have been going on forever.

Art of the Deal

Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Refineries Deep Inside Russia

Vladimir Putin admitted that Russia is experiencing “problems” in its war with Ukraine

Kyiv’s drone strikes destroyed more oil depots on Sunday

He made what appeared to be a rare admission of setbacks, commenting on the latest round of Ukraine’s retaliatory strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure.

The air attacks have intensified with fighting along the front line having largely reached a stalemate, and Russia reportedly suffering 30,000 casualties a month.

“Yes, we see the problems, we are aware of them and are responding to them, but we will certainly ensure the security of both the country and our citizens, as well as the inviolability of Russia’s borders,” Putin said at the congress of United Russia, his ruling party.

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Trump Warns Tehran

Trump’s Brutal Threat to Iran Over Blockade: ‘You Won’t Even Make It Back to Your F–king Country’

President Trump issued a blistering warning to Iran on Sunday as Vice President JD Vance joined negotiators in Switzerland.

The president threatened severe consequences if Tehran closes the Strait of Hormuz or fails to rein in its terrorist proxies.

Trump’s sharpest warning was aimed directly at Iran’s diplomats in Switzerland.

“You won’t even make it back to your f–king country,” Trump told Iran’s

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Trump and Iran sign the MOU with terms to end the War

Here’s What’s in the US–Iran Deal

The deal kicks off a 60-day period of negotiations before both sides reach a final agreement

• Tehran Will Begin Selling Oil
• Iran Won’t Pursue Nuclear Weapons
• Reopening of Strait Will Boost Global Economy
• Unfreezing Assets and Sanctions Relief
• United States and its regional partners in the Middle East developing a plan to create a $300 billion reconstruction and economic development fund for Iran
• US Forces to Remain in Region

Read the Details of the MOU

Ceasefire in Ukraine discussed on Trump's birthday

Birthday calls turned into peace talks

President Donald Trump spent part of his 80th birthday on the phone with two of the biggest names in the Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That alone is news.

In a world where most leaders act like a quick call is some great diplomatic sacrifice, Trump was reportedly pressing both sides on the same issue: stopping the bloodshed. According to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, Trump told Putin that ending the conflict in Ukraine was vital and said he was ready to help. The conversation lasted 55 minutes, which is longer than many modern politicians can stay focused on one problem, let alone a war.

Moscow says Trump wants the fighting to stop.

Ushakov said Trump stressed that a ceasefire was important and that he was prepared to work with European partners and Kyiv, including talks at the G7 summit in France.

Reuters reported that Trump also said a quick resolution could open the door to a better U.S.-Russia relationship. That is not exactly the usual Washington script, where peace tends to get buried under talking points, filters, and three layers of staff approval.

If the reports are accurate, Trump is once again trying to force the conversation back toward results instead of endless speeches about how “concerned” everyone is while the war keeps grinding on.

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Trump warns Benjamin Netanyahu

President Donald Trump delivered a pointed warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Urging caution as tensions between Israel and Iran continue to simmer despite signs that both sides may be stepping back from the brink of a wider conflict.

According to comments Trump made to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, the president directly cautioned Netanyahu against further escalation, warning that Israel could find itself increasingly isolated if military operations continue to expand.

“I said, ‘Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,’” Trump told Ravid.

The remarks offer a rare glimpse into the private discussions between the two longtime allies as the Middle East remains on edge following another round of missile exchanges and retaliatory strikes.

The latest tensions were triggered after Israel carried out attacks on Hezbollah targets in Beirut over the weekend. The strikes were followed by waves of Iranian missile attacks against Israel. Iran has repeatedly warned that additional Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon could trigger a return to full-scale conflict.

The warning from Trump comes after a period of reported friction between the two leaders.

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Iran War Live

The US military has launched strikes against Iran in response to the Iranian forces downing a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, risking military escalation with Tehran, even as American President Donald Trump is seeking a deal to end the war.

Several Iranian air defence and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz were targeted in the strikes, following which Tehran has pledged to leave no "attack or threat unanswered". Explosions were heard in Jask and Bandar Abbas in Iran, and also on Qeshm Island.

Iran in return, fired at least four ballistic missiles at US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan

Was the Red Line crossed? YES

'Shot down': Trump confirms Iran attacked U.S. helicopter, says U.S. 'must, of necessity, respond'

'We can't let them, and I know the president's not gonna let them get away with this'

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the American helicopter that crashed Monday near the Strait of Hormuz was "shot down" by Iran. "I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said on Truth Social.

"There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Doocy added, "A couple days ago, he was in the Oval Office and was asked if a red line for restarting a hot war against Iran would be U.S. troops being killed. And he said that would be a good reason to resume military operations."

"There were no U.S. troops killed here, but it seems like Iran was trying really, really hard to kill U.S. troops because they did shoot down an Apache helicopter."

See the video...

U.S. Central Command said in a statement its “forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET yesterday at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.”

A brand new AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopter costs between $33 million and $35 million for the bare airframe, but typical acquisition deals range from $52 million to $100 million per unit once weapons systems, spare parts, and training packages are factored in.

Peace deal with Iran

Trump holds firm: no sanctions relief or unfrozen assets for Iran until a deal is done

President Donald Trump told NBC News' "Meet the Press" that the United States will not unfreeze Iranian assets or lift sanctions until a peace deal with Tehran is fully completed, rejecting Iran's demand that $24 billion in frozen funds be released as a precondition for any agreement.

The position draws a hard line at a moment when U.S. and Iranian forces are still exchanging fire, Gulf allies are absorbing missile strikes on residential areas, and Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues to choke roughly a fifth of global oil traffic.

Asked whether sanctions relief or asset releases would come before or after a deal, Trump was blunt. "Comes after," he said in the interview. Pressed on whether Iran could earn goodwill concessions ahead of a formal agreement, Trump replied:

"Yeah. If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking. Yeah."

That framing puts the burden squarely on Tehran, and it stands in sharp contrast to the Iranian position laid out just days earlier by Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader. Rezaei told CNN that a peace deal to end the three-month-old conflict hinged on the release of $24 billion in Iranian assets frozen by the United States.

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So, it looks like Iran can play games forever.

We were snookered by Iran?

Iran Has Nuclear Bomb(s)

"IRAN - NUCLEAR BOMB WAS ACHIEVED SOON AFTER TRUMP PULLED OUT OF THE JCPOA OR POSSIBLY BEFORE

Iran has a nuclear weapon. Or it is close enough to one that the distinction has stopped mattering. - The USA, Israel, and the Gulf States are stuck in a box.

The evidence has been accumulating for years. The institutional gatekeepers chose not to connect the dots. And the United States and Israel launched two rounds of military strikes, in June 2025 and again in February 2026, built on a lie of convenient omission: that they were preventing Iran from getting the bomb, when the more honest framing is that they were reacting to a program that had already crossed the threshold they claimed to be guarding.

Before the June 2025 strikes, the IAEA estimated Iran had accumulated 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent U-235. If further enriched to weapons-grade, this is enough material for approximately ten nuclear weapons according to the agency’s own standards.

In May 2025, the IAEA also determined that three undeclared sites were part of a structured weaponization program. At Lavisan-Shian, the agency assessed that undeclared uranium metal was used in 2003 to produce neutron initiators for scaled implosion tests. Neutron initiators are the triggers of nuclear weapons. This was not civilian infrastructure.

The 2026 National Defense Strategy stated the June 2025 strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. This was a lie dressed as a policy document. A leaked DIA report found that the sites were damaged but not destroyed, and Iran’s nuclear program was delayed by only a few months."

Read this opinion by Adam Coleman...