What to know about the Iran war today:
o The White House backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday after Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie introduced articles of impeachment against the Pentagon chief, with Attorney General Todd Blanche telling reporters that Hegseth was "doing a phenomenal job."

o New details were revealed about the Iran war's price tag for the U.S., with the military's inspector general estimating the conflict had cost $33.4 billion up to mid-June. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the war could cost roughly $2 billion more per month for as long as it goes on.

o A senior Iranian official on Monday rejected what he called President Trump's "mixed signals" on openness to talks to end the war between the two nations, insisting "the stakes have changed" and ruling out any dialogue "until Iran's conditions are met."

3:18 AM
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran-backed Houthis of targeting holy city of Mecca
Saudi Arabia accused Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Wednesday of targeting the holy city of Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world.

Saudi Arabia's military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said its air defense forces intercepted and destroyed a drone Tuesday evening before it entered the airspace over Mecca. The security of the holy city is "a red line," he said, adding that Saudi forces will not hesitate to act against "hostile and terrorist behavior."

The Houthis swiftly rejected the claim that Saudi forces had shot down a drone from the rebels heading towards Mecca, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year.

"The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone," Hazem al-Assad from the Houthis' politburo wrote on X.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned "in the strongest possible terms the dastardly and heinous" attack on Mecca.

"The people of Pakistan are saddened and perturbed by this outrageous act," he said on X. The Houthis have denied attacking Islam's holy city.

3:08 AM
South Korea will discuss possible Strait of Hormuz deployment with U.S.
South Korea's top diplomat is set to meet his U.S. counterpart in Washington this week, officials said Wednesday, where they will discuss a possible deployment to the Strait of Hormuz.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is due to depart on Thursday for a trip where he is expected to discuss trade with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as the possibility to deploy South Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz.

In August, President Trump announced he would scale back military exercises with the Asian nation, saying the country had declined to join the U.S. military efforts in Iran.

1:59 AM
Yemen's Houthis say they shot down Saudi fighter jet
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Wednesday said they shot down a Saudi fighter jet, claiming a locally made munition was used to target the warplane.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah's aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilisations in the airspace of Marib province, using a locally made air-to-air missile," a spokesman for the Houthis said on social media, while accusing Saudi Arabia of launching 450 strikes.

1:35 AM
Oil price remains close to $108 per barrel
Oil prices stabilized early Wednesday after rising on Tuesday as tensions dragged on between the U.S. and Iran, and as Saudi Arabia's crucial East-West oil pipeline closure added pressure on global oil supply.

Brent crude, the international standard for the price of oil, was 0.5% lower at $108.18 a barrel, but still well above the around $72 per barrel level before the start of the war in late February.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 0.8% to $104.94 a barrel.

11:59 PM
Coast Guard, FBI boarded Texas-bound commercial oil tanker to investigate cyberattack
Coast Guard personnel and FBI agents boarded a Texas-bound commercial oil tanker last month before it could arrive at a port after determining the ship's network may have been compromised by a foreign actor as it was crossing the Atlantic, the Coast Guard said Tuesday.

On Aug. 21, a specialized team of Coast Guard law-enforcement personnel, a vessel inspector, Coast Guard Cyber Protection Team members and FBI Cyber Action Team operators boarded an inbound foreign-flagged commercial vessel, the Coast Guard said. The team examined both the vessel's operational technology and information-technology systems, working with the crew and the ship's corporate operators to oust the threat.

"Currently, there are no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts," the Coast Guard said Tuesday.

The U.S. has so far not attributed the potential breach to a specific actor, but Iranian state media amplified the story in the weeks following the breach.

10:40 PM
House votes for 3rd time to limit Trump's power to strike Iran
The House for a third time voted to block President Trump from taking further military action against Iran, with seven Republicans breaking with the president.

The Tuesday evening vote ended in a 220-204 tally, marking a symbolic rebuke of the president over the largely unpopular war.

It's unclear whether the Senate plans to take up the measure in its last two scheduled weeks of session before the November elections. A war powers resolution that cleared the House in July has yet to see any movement in the Senate. Both chambers adopted another resolution in June, though the White House has argued against its validity.

Tuesday's resolution drew more GOP support than the previous two efforts to limit Mr. Trump's war powers in June and July.

Three new Republicans voted yes — Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn of Iowa — in addition to the four who supported the prior resolutions: Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

5:30 PM / September 15, 2026
Photos show widespread damage at U.S. positions caused by Iranian attacks
New photos obtained exclusively by CBS News reveal for the first time the widespread damage and destruction of buildings and vehicles at multiple U.S. positions across the Middle East, as a result of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

The images were sent to CBS News by active service members on condition of anonymity because of rigid media restrictions within the military.

"This is major damage to our bases that hasn't been communicated to the American public," one deployed service member told CBS News. "We're standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face."

One photo, taken at Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia, shows a direct hit on the back half of a Boeing E-3 Sentry four-engine aircraft, its tail severed from the charred fuselage that also supported a rotating radar that is essential for collecting midair intelligence.

Other photos taken from the base show hollowed-out buildings and barracks whose shells ironically stand next to unaffected cement "T-wall" structures, which were once regarded as critical fortifications against grenade and mortar attacks but proved critically ineffective against an aerial assault.

3:32 PM / September 15, 2026
Iran war could cost $2 billion per month, Congressional Budget Office estimates
The war with Iran could cost approximately $2 billion to $3 billion per month for as long as it continues, according to a report released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday. The report estimates those costs could rise when there are tit-for-tat exchanges of fire with Iran.

The office estimated the war between Feb. 28 and Aug. 1 has directly cost the U.S. about $38 billion, a figure that does not include repairing U.S. bases in the region damaged during the conflict. The CBO noted that replacing munitions used in the war accounts for most of the total cost.

In particular, the CBO said the large expenditure of interceptor missiles used to defend against incoming missiles leaves behind a "reduced inventory of interceptors for several years."

3:13 PM / September 15, 2026
Attorney general disagrees with calling Iran conflict a war
Attorney General Todd Blanche said he didn't agree with calling the conflict between Iran and the U.S. a war.

"I disagree with that characterization, as does most of Congress," Blanche said in response to a reporter's question about the war during a White House press briefing Tuesday.

The attorney general said Congress had determined that President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hadn't done anything wrong in their handling of the war. In June, during a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, Congress passed a measure that was largely a symbolic rebuke of how the administration had been conducting the war.

2:40 PM / September 15, 2026
Attorney general says Hegseth "doing a phenomenal job"
Attorney General Todd Blanche said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was "doing a phenomenal job" after articles of impeachment against him were introduced in the House, in part because Congress didn't provide authorization for the war.

The nation's top law enforcement official made the comment when he was asked about the impeachment effort during a White House press briefing on Tuesday.

"Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job, and the secretary of war doesn't just go off and do things, so he follows the law," Blanche told reporters.

"The DOJ plays a role in that, and we play an active role in making sure the laws are complied with," Blanche said.

1:30 PM / September 15, 2026
GOP congressman introduces articles of impeachment against Hegseth
A Republican congressman from Kentucky introduced articles of impeachment Tuesday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in part because of the Iran war.

"By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable," Rep. Thomas Massie said in a statement.

Massie said he would force a vote in the House on Hegseth's impeachment.

An effort to rebuke President Trump over the war passed the Republican-controlled House and Senate in June. The Trump administration at the time argued that the U.S. wasn't engaged in hostilities with Iran.

Massie has been in the House since 2012, but lost his primary bid earlier this year to a challenger who was endorsed by Mr. Trump.

11:59 AM / September 15, 2026
Platform backed by Iran's government encourages people to report Iranians living abroad
Iran's Fars news agency has highlighted a government-backed initiative presented as a public reporting and intelligence platform for identifying Iranians living abroad who Iranian authorities accuse of acting against the country's national interests.

In its report, Fars portrays the initiative, called Alaj, as a response to Iranians abroad who allegedly supported attacks on Iran, celebrated Israeli strikes, advocated for further sanctions or military action, or circulated what it describes as false information during the conflict.

The report argues that such activity on social media should no longer be treated as having no legal consequences.

According to the Fars report, Alaj describes its mission as protecting Iran's national security and the interests of the Iranian people against what it calls "anti-national," terrorist and separatist groups, as well as supporters of sanctions and military intervention.

It says alleged acts of "betrayal" can carry legal consequences, including the seizure of assets, suspension of consular services and restrictions on financial and media access.

The platform seeks to encourage members of the public to submit information about alleged offenders through the Alaj website and dedicated channels on Iran's Bale and Eitaa messaging platforms. The report said the identities of people submitting reports and other public sources will be kept confidential and encrypted.

11:21 AM / September 15, 2026
Houthis say Saudi Arabia carried out over 350 airstrikes on Yemen in recent days
A spokesperson for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia of continuing its "aggressive raids" against Yemen, saying Saudi forces had carried out more than 350 airstrikes in a matter of days, targeting public and private property and causing civilian casualties.

"We hold the Saudi regime responsible for its continued violation of Yemen's sovereignty and its targeting of people and their property," Houthi spokesperson and chief negotiator Mohammed Abdel Salam said on social media.

He warned that the escalation would not achieve Saudi Arabia's objectives, arguing that Riyadh had already tried the military option and "achieved nothing but failure."

"The return to a failed option reflects an aggressive mentality that does not believe in dialogue or peace," he said.

10:13 AM / September 15, 2026
Iraq says it's still trying to figure out who launched drone attack that took Saudi oil pipeline offline
Iraqi authorities are still working to determine what group or individuals launched a drone attack on Saudi Arabia last week, from Iraq, that took the kingdom's vital East-West Crude Oil Pipeline offline — likely for weeks.

Saudi Arabia blamed Iran-backed militias in Iraq for the attack.

Iraq does not allow attacks against countries in the region from its territory and investigations to identify those responsible for launching the attack drones at Saudi Arabia are ongoing, the head of the Iraqi government's Security Media Cell, Lieutenant General Saad Maan, said Tuesday in a statement conveyed by public broadcaster INA.

Maan said an intelligence committee had identified the drone launch platform inside Iraqi territory that was used in the attack, but the investigation, using intelligence and technical capabilities as well as forensic evidence including fingerprints and other details, was still underway to identify the perpetrators.

Iraq has adopted "a new vision and a new approach" to ensure no one can "drag Iraq into what we do not want," he said, without offering any further detail.

Iran backs a number of Shiite Muslim militias in Iraq, as well as its larger proxy groups Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

9:20 AM / September 15, 2026
Human Rights Watch says Houthi attacks on ships likely constitute war crimes
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels' latest attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden most likely amount to war crimes in at least three cases, the New York-based Human Rights Watch organization said Tuesday.

The attacks on ships followed the Houthis' announcement on July 20 that they would blockade Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports in response to what the group claimed was a Saudi sea and air blockade of their territory in Yemen.

The attacks targeted at least two Saudi-flagged vessels, a Tanzania-flagged vessel and a Dominica-flagged vessel, all with links to Saudi Arabia.

Under international law, attacks on civilians or civilian objects committed recklessly or with deliberate intent can constitute war crimes.

"The Houthis are once again putting seafarers' lives at deadly risk through their attacks on commercial ships, this time as part of their hostilities with the Saudi-led coalition," said Niku Jafarnia, a Yemen and Bahrain researcher at HRW, in the group's statement. "Whatever the geopolitics, attacks on civilian crews carried out deliberately or recklessly are war crimes."

8:53 AM / September 15, 2026
Reuters says U.N. Security Council to hold meeting on Houthi threat to Bab el-Mandeb Strait
The United Nations Security Council will hold a meeting Tuesday on the situation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Reuters news agency said Tuesday, citing two unnamed French diplomats.

There was no immediate confirmation of a meeting specifically on the strait from the U.N., but the Security Council's website listed a 3 p.m. Eastern Tuesday meeting on the "situation in the Middle East."

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is the southern gateway to the Red Sea — a shipping lane that has become vital to energy giant Saudi Arabia's ability to export its gas and oil to international markets as the nearby Strait of Hormuz remains severely impeded by the U.S.-Iran war.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have seized control of virtually all of the country's coastline along the Bab el-Mandeb, declared a blockade of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports, and launched attacks on Saudi-owned vessels in the area.

Qatar's government warned Tuesday that a wider closure of the Bab el-Mandeb would be "catastrophic for the entire world," noting the impact on global energy prices already inflicted due to restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

8:21 AM / September 15, 2026
Kuwait condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, voices "absolute solidarity"
Kuwait's government on Tuesday condemned the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen for attacking Saudi Arabian cities with missiles and drones, calling it a "flagrant violation of the Kingdom's sovereignty and a breach of international law and international humanitarian law."

In a statement, Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs voiced "condemnation and strong denunciation of the Houthi militia's attacks on civilian facilities and civilians," which it said had resulted in "injuries to a number of civilians and material damage to a number of residential homes and vehicles."

The ministry said Kuwait remained in "absolute solidarity" with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi officials earlier said Houthi attacks the previous day on the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif wounded 13 civilians and damaged seven houses and two vehicles.

The Houthis have engaged in renewed fighting with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces since the group declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis acknowledged attacking Khamis Mushait, claiming the strike had targeted a Saudi military base there.

7:16 AM / September 15, 2026
Qatar warns closure of Bab el-Mandeb Strait would be "catastrophic for the entire world"
Qatar on Tuesday warned against closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, after a months-long blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and recent Houthi gains on the Red Sea coast.

"The world is suffering enough with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, so we cannot also afford to add the Bab el-Mandeb into that equation," Qatar foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al Hashmi told reporters.

He said a closure of the southern entrance to the Red Sea would be "catastrophic for the entire world. And we are already seeing the consequences ... so Qatar is pushing for diplomacy, dialogue."

6:54 AM / September 15, 2026
23 people evacuated from oil tanker in Gulf of Oman, maritime agency says
Oman's Maritime Security Center (MSC) said Tuesday that the country's navy had evacuated 23 people from an oil tanker that caught on fire in the Gulf of Oman, just east of the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Panama-flagged vessel was being towed toward an Omani port when a fire broke out in its engine room, according to the MSC statement, which did not provide any more details.

Iran has repeatedly attacked tankers in the region, accusing them of attempting to transit the strait via a U.S.-designated shipping lane close to Oman's coast in violation of its demand for all vessels to coordinate with the Iranian military.

6:30 AM / September 15, 2026
Saudi Arabia vows to continue fighting Iran-backed Houthis
Saudi Arabia vowed Tuesday to respond "firmly" to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels after accusing the Iran-backed group of wounding 13 people with a ballistic missile and drone attack.

The Saudi government said Tuesday that Houthi attacks the previous day on the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif wounded 13 civilians and damaged seven houses and two vehicles.

The Houthis have engaged in renewed fighting with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces since the impoverished nation's civil war reignited in July, when the group declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

A Houthi strike in western Yemen on Monday killed eight government soldiers, according to two military sources speaking to AFP. The group also claimed a new large-scale attack using "dozens of ballistic missiles and drones" against the King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait, in southern Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis seized control of virtually all of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait last week, shipping lanes that have become vital to Saudi energy shipments as the wider U.S.-Iran war disrupts traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis and other Iran-backed groups have also targeted oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the world's leading crude exporter.

5:04 AM / September 15, 2026
Iran's security head insists no talks with U.S. despite Trump being "open" to the idea
The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council insisted Monday that there would be no negotiations to end the war with the U.S. until Tehran's conditions are met, dismissing a comment by President Trump earlier in the day, who said he was open to the "concept" of talks.

"Don't get distracted by the U.S. president's mixed signals — from 'no negotiations' to 'we're ready to talk,'" Mohsen Rezaee said in a social media post Monday evening.

"The stakes around oil and the straits have changed," he added, appearing to refer to Iran's claimed control over vital shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz and its influence, through its Houthi allies in Yemen, over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

"No talks until Iran's conditions are met. Period!" he said. Iran's government has called repeatedly for the U.S. to return to the principles of the memorandum of understanding signed by Mr. Trump and his Iranian counterpart in mid-June. Iran accused the U.S. of violating the agreement soon after it was signed by leaving in place the military blockade of Iran's ports and associated vessels, and the agreement - and the ceasefire it put in place - fell apart by early July.

Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post earlier Monday that Iran wanted to "make a deal, quickly and badly," adding that he would "determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage - The concept of which we are open to."

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Posted by Temmy
Wed, September 16, 2026 9:47am