President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used the 25th anniversary memorial ceremony of the September 11 attacks at the Pentagon to defend the ongoing U.S. military conflict with Iran, framing it as a continuation of the war on terror and citing Iran as the "number one sponsor of terror."
Brent crude oil prices surged to near $100 per barrel after Saudi Arabia reported attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi militants on energy facilities, causing temporary operational disruptions. Additional strikes were reported at Iran's Kharg Island export hub, raising fears of supply disruptions in the Middle East.
Iran's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has approved legislation that would impose formal transit fees on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route. The move comes despite international maritime law provisions that prohibit such charges for transit passage through international straits.
Two US Air Force KC-135 aerial refueling tankers have departed Bulgaria's Bezmer Airbase approximately one month after their deployment, which was approved by parliament on July 22 and sparked protests from Iranian officials and local residents concerned about potential retaliatory attacks.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Mohsen Rezaei, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and close ally of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Rezaei replaces Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr and has recently emphasized Iran's strategic control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi forces launched multiple waves of missile and drone attacks on the government-held port city of Mokha (al-Makha) on the Red Sea coast, killing at least 7-11 people and injuring 30-35 others. The Houthis also claimed attacks on Saudi Arabia's Jazan Aramco oil refinery, raising fears of renewed civil war and threats to strategic shipping routes.
Iran and Oman have reached an understanding on coordinates for a new 'middle corridor' shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, with officials from both countries and the US indicating a deal to reopen the strategic waterway could be announced within days. Iran says reopening depends on the US ending its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran has threatened to strike Gulf energy infrastructure if the US launches new attacks on its territory, even as Washington prepares to announce a temporary agreement with Iran and Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz following Trump's ultimatum that Iran would be 'hit very hard' if the waterway remains closed.
Iran has rejected an Omani proposal, backed by Gulf states, to establish joint regional management of the Strait of Hormuz with voluntary shipping fees modeled on the Strait of Malacca. The rejection jeopardizes diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington.
Iran and Oman announced plans to establish a joint working group to examine charging fees for maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared no country would be allowed to impose tolls on the strategic waterway.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with Iranian officials in Switzerland to negotiate a permanent end to the war between the U.S., Israel and Hezbollah that began in late February 2026, while Lebanon discusses deconfliction mechanisms and northern Israeli communities remain largely deserted.
Vice President JD Vance issued a sharp rebuke to Israeli critics of President Trump's controversial agreement with Iran, warning that the United States is Israel's only powerful ally remaining and emphasizing that two-thirds of Israel's defense weapons are funded by U.S. taxpayers. Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei approved the deal while claiming Trump acted out of 'desperation.'
