US strikes Iranian launchers near Strait of Hormuz; US denies oil tanker hit mines near Hormuz

Day 178: Iran supreme leader calls for unity among Muslim countries

Day 177: 82 ships redirected under US blockade

Day 176: Iran urges countries not to join US 'illegal' sanctions

Day 175: Trump hints US could sanction Chinese banks over Iran links

Day 174: Middle East War: Iran, Oman propose temporary Hormuz shipping corridor

Iran’s Fars news agency says residents on Iran’s Larak Island have reported hearing an explosion, the cause of which is unknown.

A classified Pentagon assessment has directly warned Trump's war secretary Pete Hegseth that extending the Iran war will leave the US military dangerously weakened — with senior commanders telling him America can no longer afford to fight this conflict without breaking itself, per The Washington Post.

The assessment highlights a growing, dangerous rift between Pentagon leaders and the administration's political timeline. While Washington projects strength publicly, the classified reality is devastating:

• Munitions stockpiles are already critically depleted — there's nothing left to sustain a prolonged campaign.

• Logistics and personnel are stretched to the breaking point by the regional footprint.

• A prolonged war could leave the US completely vulnerable to opportunistic escalation by Russia or China.

Hegseth can demand "overwhelming firepower," but you cannot fight a global war with an empty magazine, the influential daily stated. And the generals are warning him: the magazine is almost empty.

The Strait of Hormuz is facing a fresh escalation after the United States struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island that Washington says were being prepared to deploy rockets carrying sea mines into the strategic waterway

The Aug. 30 strikes mark the first known direct US attack on Iranian forces since late July, raising the risk of renewed confrontation around one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, CNN and Reuters reported.

Iran has reportedly launched a fresh round of ballistic missile attacks against a US military position in Jordan, hours after American forces struck Iranian launchers on Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz, in a potentially major escalation of the US-Iran conflict.

Video circulating online early on Monday (August 31) appears to show multiple air-defence interceptors being launched over Jordan. The reported target is Muwaffaq Salti Air Base near Azraq, east of Amman, a key Jordanian air installation that hosts US forces.

Fars news agency also reported the missile launches from Iran.

Jordan, the US Central Command and Iran had not publicly confirmed the latest reported attack at this time, and details about the number of missiles, interceptions, casualties or damage remained unclear.

A US source told Fox News: “Nearly all incoming missiles have been intercepted at this point."

Jordan's army said Monday it had intercepted eight missiles, shortly after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked US military targets in the Washington-allied kingdom.

"Air defense systems intercepted eight missiles that breached the Kingdom's airspace at dawn today, Monday," read a statement quoting the army's spokesperson.

US President Donald Trump reiterated his stance that Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon", asserting that Tehran would use such a weapon against Israel and could pose a wider threat to the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

Speaking to Fox News on "Sunday Night in America", Trump said, "Iran is a number one leading state sponsor of terror. You've heard that many times, in the whole world. They cannot have a nuclear weapon."

"I have numerous people say, 'Well, did you have to do it?' And then I say, 'Do you think it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?' A nuclear weapon is massive destruction, you know, take what you see and multiply times a hundred," Trump said.

Trump said he had asked people who questioned US action against Iran whether they believed it was acceptable for Tehran to possess a nuclear weapon.

"And everybody says no. I've had people on the other side asking me, or debating me, let's say, on that question. Most people are absolutely fine with it," he said.

Trump claimed that US measures against Iran were having a major impact, saying, "But we're doing a great job. The blockade has been unbelievable. The financial hits that we're giving them, we're hitting them very hard. Nobody's ever been hit like this."

"And they're a failing nation right now. And at the right point, we'll either win, or they'll do something, but, you know, I don't mind winning, just winning that I don't need a signature on a piece of paper," he added.

Trump also claimed that Iran's military capabilities and leadership had been severely damaged.

"Their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their leaders are gone, their, uh, all of their anti-aircraft, I mean, it's all wiped out," he said.

Calling Iranians "tough people" and "smart people", Trump added, "they're very evil."

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) rejected a claim by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as "absolutely false" that US strikes targeting its forces involved in laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz amounted to an "act of aggression."

In a post on X, CENTCOM said the US forces had taken "limited, precise action" against IRGC minelaying forces that posed an "imminent threat" in the strategically important waterway.

"Claim: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed in a recent statement that strikes by US forces to prevent the IRGC from placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz were an 'act of aggression.' This claim is absolutely false," CENTCOM said.

The US military command said the action was aimed at protecting civilian mariners, commercial shipping and the movement of global trade through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Fact: US forces took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz. In essence, Iran created the threat, and the U.S. military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce," CENTCOM said.

Iranian state television said on Monday, citing a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), that a supertanker caught fire and came to a complete stop after striking two naval mines in the southern Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC said the tanker had been attempting to pass through the waterway illegally. It did not identify the vessel or provide details about its crew.

The Guards warned that other vessels violating its security rules would face the same fate, adding that compliance with its regulations governing passage through the Strait of Hormuz was mandatory.

Iran on Monday condemned renewed US attacks on its island of Larak and justified strikes by Iranian forces on bases in Jordan as "legitimate defence".

In a statement, the foreign ministry said Iran "strongly condemned the American military aggression on Larak", adding that Iranian forces responded "in accordance with the inherent right of legitimate defence

The US Army reportedly fired between 96 and 128 PAC-3 MSE interceptors in a single night over Jordan, potentially costing between $380 million and $640 million, to counter 32 Iranian ballistic missiles. That puts the estimated cost at around $4 million per interceptor. OSINT reports suggest that only about 900 Patriot interceptors may remain in the US stockpile.

A fully loaded Patriot battery can carry roughly 72 to 96 PAC-3 MSE interceptors. Two batteries, along with reloads, could therefore account for several hundred rounds available in the country. A single night of heavy use could consume a significant portion of the available defensive stockpile.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) previously estimated that fewer than 1,000 Patriot interceptors remained after heavy expenditure during the war. Each PAC-3 MSE takes years to manufacture, while production is expected to reach around 2,000 units a year by 2030.

If Iran continues launching missiles at this scale, Washington could face difficult choices: spend millions of dollars defending its bases, risk depleting its Patriot interceptor stocks, or scale back its military presence in the region.

The UAE Ministry of Defence said the country’s air forces had dealt with a drone over the UAE’s territorial waters that was coming from Iran.

The ministry said the Armed Forces remained on full alert and were ready to respond to all threats.

It added that air defence systems continued to monitor and track the country’s airspace around the clock.

The ministry also urged the public to rely on official sources for news and to avoid rumours and false or misleading information.

Oil operations and development projects on Iran’s Kharg Island continued without interruption, National Iranian Oil Company Chief Executive Hamid Bovard said on Monday.

“None of the ongoing work on Kharg has stopped, and operational activities and development projects in the region are continuing,” Bovard said.

He dismissed US President Donald Trump’s recent social media posts as “ridiculous” and described conditions on the island as calm.

The UAE has strongly condemned what it described as an aggressive Iranian drone attack on the country, saying the aircraft was dealt with by air defence systems over UAE territorial waters and that the incident represented a serious escalation and a clear violation of its sovereignty.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack posed a direct threat to the UAE’s security and stability, as well as to the safety of citizens and residents.

In a statement, the ministry said such attacks constituted an unacceptable violation and a direct threat to the country’s security, stability and territorial integrity, in breach of the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter.

The UAE stressed that it would not compromise on protecting its security and sovereignty under any circumstances and said it reserved its full and legitimate right to respond to the attack in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, national security and territorial integrity, as well as the safety of citizens, residents and visitors, in accordance with international law.

The UAE has strongly condemned the missile attacks targeting Jordan, describing them as a flagrant violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty and a threat to its security and stability.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attacks represented a serious infringement of Jordan’s sovereignty.

The ministry expressed the UAE’s full solidarity with Jordan and reaffirmed its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding the kingdom’s security and stability.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of tricking Washington into going to war with the Islamic republic, calling him a "serpent".

"In Hebrew, Netanyahu openly crows that he suckered the US Administration into a war on Iran on behalf of Israel. Netanyahu explicitly laughs about how he 'influenced' America through 1,000 hours of airtime on US networks," Araghchi said in a post on X.

"In English, he praises POTUS' leadership. Serpent," he added.

Iranian authorities have seized a bulk carrier after they said it dumped oil and sludge into the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported on Monday.

"Following the publication of images of the discharge of oil into the sea... expert and clean-up teams were dispatched to the site and seized the ship causing the pollution," the deputy head of the Ports and Maritime Department of the southern Hormozgan province, Esmaeil Makizadeh, told the official IRNA news agency.

"The seized ship was a bulk carrier carrying sugar and had dumped a mixture of burnt oil, bilge water and industrial sludge directly into the sea," he added, without specifying the vessel's flag or the nationalities of its crew.

He said the waste has since been cleaned from the water and the ship has been referred to the judiciary.

Iran remained committed to reaching an agreement despite accusing the United States of failing to honour its commitments, President Masoud Pezeshkian told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bishkek on Monday, state media reported.

“We remain committed to the obligations we accepted under the agreements, but the American side has not fulfilled its commitments,” Pezeshkian said during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

“We are still working to achieve an agreement and understanding,” he added. “We believe that continuing the war serves neither our interests nor those of the region or humanity.”

Pezeshkian said India had considerable capacity to help strengthen regional peace and stability.

The US attack on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz killed two people and wounded several others, Iranian state media reported on Monday.

"During the attack on Larak Island late Sunday, two people were martyred and several others were injured. The injured in the incident are receiving medical services and their treatment is ongoing," said the official IRNA news agency, quoting Hossein Amir Teymouri, governor of nearby Qeshm Island, without specifying whether the victims were soldiers or civilians. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday continuing the war with the United States was not in his country's interest, following a fresh military flare-up between the two countries.

"We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region," Pezeshkian said during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan.

"We believe that the solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation, and all capacities must be used to prevent the spread of insecurity and conflict," he added, according to a statement from the Iranian presidency.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has strongly condemned the Iranian aggression against the United Arab Emirates involving a drone, which was intercepted by air defence systems over the UAE’s territorial waters.

In a statement issued today, Albudaiwi stressed that GCC countries stand united alongside the UAE in confronting anything that threatens its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Jordan on Monday condemned an Iranian drone attack that targeted the United Arab Emirates, which was intercepted by air defence systems over Emirati territorial waters.

The Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs described the attack as a flagrant violation of UAE sovereignty and a threat to its security, stability and territorial integrity. The ministry called it a serious escalation and a blatant breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.

In a statement carried by Jordan News Agency, the ministry affirmed Jordan's absolute solidarity with the UAE and its full support for any measures it takes to protect its sovereignty, security and the safety of its citizens and residents.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday expressed Kuwait's strong condemnation and denunciation of the Iranian attack on the sisterly UAE using a drone in a blatant violation of its sovereignty and a threat to the security and stability of the region. In a statement, the Ministry reiterated Kuwait's full solidarity with the sisterly United Arab Emirates, affirming its support and backing for all measures it takes to safeguard its autonomy and protect its security and territorial integrity.

India's economy grew at a faster pace than expected in the April to June quarter, official data showed on Monday, quelling fears that the Iran war would derail growth in Asia's third-largest economy.

Gross domestic product rose 7.8 per cent in the three months through June from the same period a year earlier, helped by a robust services sector, according to data from the statistics ministry.

While this was down from a revised 8.6 per cent recorded in the previous quarter, it was still above market expectations of 7.3 percent growth.

"Growth was led by services, but a key upside surprise came from manufacturing, which grew 9.2 per cent," Teresa John of Nirmal Bang Institutional Equities told AFP.

Egypt on Monday condemned renewed Iranian attacks on the UAE and Jordan.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates, Egypt expressed deep concern over the continued attacks, saying they pose a direct threat to the security and safety of sisterly countries and their peoples and risk widening the confrontation and undermining prospects for restoring regional stability.

Egypt reiterated its full solidarity with the UAE and Jordan, stressing the need to respect states' sovereignty and territorial integrity and to safeguard the security of navigation and freedom of movement for vessels in maritime corridors and straits in accordance with international law.

The State of Qatar has strongly condemned renewed Iranian attacks targeting Jordan with missiles and the United Arab Emirates with a drone.

In a statement carried by the Qatar News Agency on Monday, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attacks were a serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries, as well as a breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.

The statement warned that the Islamic Republic of Iran's continued attacks represented a dangerous escalation that could complicate de-escalation efforts and undermine diplomatic and political initiatives aimed at restoring security and stability.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States will hit back against Iranian attacks on US targets in the Middle East, as the war flared after a prolonged pause, according to Fox News.

"We're going to hit them hard," Trump said, according to a Fox News reporter who said he talked to Trump briefly. "There will be a response," Trump said after Iranian attacks which were themselves a response to American strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Sri Lanka's inflation hit a 38-month high of 8.0 per cent as prices of food and other essentials rose across the board, the government's statistics office said on Monday.

The annual inflation rate in August compared with 7.3 per cent last month and 1.2 per cent a year ago, according to the Department of Census and Statistics.

"This month's inflation was mainly driven by increases in the price index for transport, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels," the department said.

Sri Lanka has hiked fuel prices by about half since the Middle East war triggered a surge in global energy prices in the import-dependent nation.

The island recorded deflation of 0.3 per cent in July 2025, and prices have risen steadily since then.

Sri Lanka has warned that any prolonged conflict in the Middle East could threaten its fragile economic recovery from the meltdown of 2022, when the country ran out of foreign exchange to finance essential imports.

The US military on Monday denied Iran's claim that an oil tanker trying pass through the southern stretch of the Strait of Hormuz hit mines, caught fire and came to a halt.

"No ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command said on X. "This is yet another IRGC attempt to intimidate regional commercial shipping through disinformation," it added, referring to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Wall Street stocks dipped early Monday as oil prices rose on renewed US-Iran fighting while markets monitored talks among G20 finance ministers in North Carolina.

Oil prices were up more than two percent after the two sides traded fire for the first time in over a month.

About 10 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.5 per cent at 53,288.76.

The broad-based S&P 500 fell 0.4 per cent to 7,680.51, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index also dropped 0.4 per cent to 26,296.17.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asked Greece on Monday for support to help implement a ceasefire agreement with Israel and end Israeli attacks on his country, hours after Greece and Israel announced a multibillion arms deal.

The June 26 accord, brokered by the United States, says both sides must cease hostilities and allow the Lebanese army to restore control over the entire country.

Beirut wants Israel to withdraw from all territory it has occupied in southern Lebanon. Israel first wants Lebanese militant group Hezbollah evacuated from the sector.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed on Monday to persist with economic pressure on Iran, saying a turning point could be near as G20 finance leaders opened talks clouded by war and trade tensions.

"We are going to continue exerting pressure, and we've had very good discussions here already," Bessent told reporters before starting meetings with Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors.

He said a turning point in this US pressure campaign could come "within weeks or months," adding that Iran's economy need not collapse in the Middle East war to achieve this.

Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Yamahi, Speaker of the Arab Parliament, has strongly condemned the Iranian aggression against the United Arab Emirates involving a drone that was intercepted by air defence systems over the UAE’s territorial waters.

He stressed that the repeated attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the UAE’s sovereignty and a direct threat to its security and stability.

Nabil Fahmy, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, has strongly condemned the renewed Iranian aggression against the United Arab Emirates involving a drone that was intercepted by air defence systems over the UAE’s territorial waters.

He expressed his categorical rejection of these acts, which constitute a violation of the UAE’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a breach of international law and the UN Charter.

In a statement issued today, Fahmy expressed the Arab League’s full solidarity with the UAE and support for all measures it takes to protect its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, affirming that the UAE’s security is an integral part of the Arab national security system.

The Muslim Council of Elders strongly condemned the Iranian attack on the United Arab Emirates, affirming that this act of aggression constitutes a blatant violation of the UAE’s sovereignty, security, and stability, and poses a direct threat to the safety of its citizens and residents.

The council also condemned the Iranian missile attacks targeting the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, reaffirming its categorical rejection of all forms of aggression against the sovereignty of states and the integrity of their territories.

The Muslim Council of Elders reiterated its position that attacks against neighboring countries, the intimidation of innocent civilians, and actions that endanger civilian lives are strictly prohibited under Islamic law and are also criminalised under international law. Such acts are fundamentally inconsistent with the teachings of Islam, universal humanitarian and moral values, and international conventions and legal norms.

US President Donald Trump will meet oil refining executives on Tuesday as he tries to tame gas prices sent spiraling by the Iran war ahead of midterm elections in November, the White House said.

The talks at the White House also come days after Trump announced a deal for a huge US stake in the oil reserves of Venezuela, whose leader Nicolas Maduro was toppled by US forces in January.

Republicans fear voters will punish them in November's crucial US midterm elections after high fuel prices dramatically raised the cost of living for ordinary Americans.

US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to hit Iran "hard" after the two foes traded fire for the first time in weeks, as his Treasury secretary vowed to keep up a pressure campaign aimed at hobbling Tehran's economy.

After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran keeping the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed and the US persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

President Donald Trump has vowed a forceful US response after Iran launched ballistic missiles at American military positions in Jordan, reigniting direct hostilities with Tehran following a month-long lull and raising fresh fears of a wider regional escalation.

The Iranian attack came hours after US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, near the Strait of Hormuz, on Sunday. The US Central Command said the launchers were being prepared by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategic waterway.

Speaking amid tensions from Iranian missile strikes on US air assets in Jordan, US President Donald Trump snapped at the question about nuking Iran and emphasised that conventional forces have already crushed Iran militarily.

He repeated: "They're totally defeated militarily — so I defeat them and now I should use a nuclear weapon on top of them? What a stupid question." As Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps prepares intensified strikes and officials warn of major responses, Trump vowed a strong conventional reply while noting minimal US munitions use so far.

President Donald Trump said the resumed US strikes against Iran were “very limited,” while leaving open the possibility of further military action after a renewed exchange of fire between Washington and Tehran.

Trump called Iran a “failed nation” and said its military capabilities had been severely weakened. But he signalled that the US could strike again if it judged Iran to be threatening regional security or shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

“That doesn’t mean we won’t smack them,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens.”

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, ending an 18-month tenure after months of reported friction with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The White House confirmed the departure Monday but gave no reason, and it was initially unclear whether Trump had accepted the resignation. Driscoll, an Iraq war veteran and longtime friend of Vice President JD Vance, had served as the Army’s civilian chief since February 2025.

The departure comes as the Pentagon confronts a fresh US-Iran military flare-up, adding to leadership churn during a sensitive period for the force.

Multiple reports said tensions centered on control of Army policy, the modernisation agenda and Hegseth’s removal of senior officers. Hegseth reportedly pushed to remove advisers and reshape promotion decisions, moves Driscoll at times resisted.

His exit follows other high-profile Pentagon departures under Hegseth, intensifying scrutiny of civilian oversight and institutional stability within the US military. A successor has not been announced.

Iran’s most potent wartime lever may be weakening. Bloomberg reported, citing Goldman Sachs, that oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered to roughly two-thirds of their pre-war level. That is a significant reversal from the collapse in traffic earlier in the conflict, when Tehran’s threats, attacks and minelaying activity turned the waterway into the centre of the global energy shock.

Reuters reported on Aug. 31 that shipments through Hormuz have recovered to around 15 million to 16 million barrels per day, though they remain below pre-war volumes. The recovery has come despite continuing military risk and renewed exchanges of fire between Washington and Tehran.

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