US Forces Blast 3 Iranian Oil Tankers In Response To IRGC Missile Launch
US forces destroyed three oil tankers belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) after the hard-line military entity fired missiles at US Navy vessels, the Pentagon said on September 5.
A statement by US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces struck the three crude oil carriers after the IRGC launched ballistic missiles toward two US warships patrolling regional waters.
CENTCOM said that a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded "multiple unprovoked" IRGC attacks and that no American personnel were injured.
It did not specify what US assets were used in the strike on the IRGC vessels but said its forces "permanently disabled" the tankers in three locations -- off the coast of Kharg Island, near the port city of Jask, and in the Gulf of Oman.
The statement said the vessel hit in the Gulf of Oman, the unladen crude oil carrier M/T Kylo, was struck in multiple critical locations to render it inoperable after the crew was directed to abandon ship.
A CENTCOM video posted online showed explosions and fireballs after what it said were the strikes on the three Iranian vessels.
“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost -- taking out three of yours,” CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in the statement.
Earlier, Iranian media had reported explosions near Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub in the Persian Gulf.
The Tasnim news agency, which is closely affiliated with the IRGC, reported that an Iranian tanker had been struck by four US projectiles in the Kharg Island anchorage area, while other Iranian outlets also reported a strike on a tanker.
The activity comes amid military exchanges that resumed after US strikes on Iran on August 30, prompting retaliatory Iranian attacks on US targets in the Middle East.
This blog entry has been updated.
At Least 10 Killed In Fuel Tanker Accident In Western Iran
At least 10 people were killed when a fuel tanker exploded on a highway in western Iran as a result of a traffic accident, state media reported on September 5.
The tanker was traveling on the Hamedan-Sanandaj Highway and was involved in an accident due to a technical fault in the braking system, state media reported, citing the governor of Sanandaj.
Six people were also injured in the incident, the governor said.
Authorities said they had launched an investigation into the accident, which highlights concerns about road safety and the transportation of materials in the mountainous region of western Iran amid the US war with Iran.
There was no immediate information as to whether the incident was directly related to the war.
With reporting by Reuters
Iranian Currency Sinks Further As Economic Pressure Mounts
Iran's currency fell further on the open market on September 5, with the US dollar reaching 228,000 tomans -- equivalent to 2.28 million rials -- as the country grapples with soaring inflation and mounting economic pressure from US sanctions and restrictions on its oil exports.
The latest slide came just a day after Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati denied that the country was facing a serious shortage of foreign currency for imports. He attributed much of the pressure on the rial to increased “precautionary” and speculative demand as well as capital flight.
The dollar crossed the 200,000-toman mark in late August and has continued to rise despite attempts by Iranian officials to reassure markets.
Hemmati said earlier this week that Iran had “enough” foreign currency and that the central bank was prepared to inject up to $2 billion into the market if necessary. But his comments have failed to halt the continued rise in exchange rates.
The Iranian currency's decline comes amid mounting pressure on Iran’s economy from years of US sanctions, the war, and a US naval blockade that has sharply curtailed Iranian oil exports, a major source of foreign currency.
The currency crisis threatens to further drive up the cost of everyday goods. Iran’s official statistics agency put year-on-year inflation in August -- before the latest fall in the rial -- at 89 percent, while food and beverage prices had risen by more than 127 percent over the previous year.
A group of Iranian lawmakers warned in a letter to the heads of the country’s three branches of government on August 31 that persistent volatility in currency, gold, and coin markets had “increased uncertainty among the public and economic actors.”
The rial is Iran’s official currency, but Iranians commonly quote prices in tomans, with one toman equal to 10 rials.
Report: More Than 60 Killed As Fighting Escalates In Yemen
Fighting between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed more than 60 people, including civilians, on September 5, AFP reported, citing medical and military sources.
The renewed clashes in southwestern Yemen came a day after 129 people were killed in some of the deadliest fighting in years, according to an AFP tally.
Three Yemeni military sources said 26 government troops were killed in several hours of fighting, while Houthi medical and military sources reported 31 rebel fighters dead. A medical source in government-held Taiz said a missile strike killed six civilians traveling by bus and wounded seven others. A government official blamed the Houthis for the strike.
The Houthis have seized positions near Taiz as they seek to cut off the government-held port of Mokha and advance toward areas bordering the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait. Saudi Arabia carried out three air strikes on recently captured Houthi positions, a military official told AFP.
The renewed fighting follows the collapse in July of a fragile truce that had largely held since 2022.
Yemen descended into civil war in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, ousting the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government.
The latest escalation began in July after the Houthis welcomed an Iranian plane in Sanaa, setting off a spate of attacks. They later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and launched attacks targeting Saudi ships, airports, and oil facilities.
With reporting by AFP
US State Department Approves $5B Sale Of Bombs, Equipment To Saudis
The US State Department announced the approval of a $5 billion sale of bombs, guidance kits, and other hardware to Persian Gulf ally Saudi Arabia, which has often been the target of attacks by Iran and Tehran-allied Houthi rebels during the US-Israeli war with Iran.
"The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia's airborne defense capability to counter current and future regional threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and improve interoperability with systems operated by US forces and other Gulf region partners," the State Department said in a statement.
It will also "support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally," the department said.
The State Department said it has notified the Congress of the proposed sale, which still must be approved by US lawmakers. Some supporters of Israel could oppose the deal, seeing it as strengthening a potential Arab enemy of Tel Aviv.
With reporting by AFP
Trump Calls Iran War 'Small Potatoes' And 'Not A Big Thing'
US President Donald Trump on September 4 said the war with Iran was "small potatoes" for the United States, in the second remark in two days by his administration appearing to play down the conflict.
A day earlier, Vice President JD Vance said that "I wouldn't call it a war" despite the recent upsurge in tit-for-tat attacks by Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz.
"A lot of people don't call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, using a phrase generally referring to something that is insignificant or of little significance .
"It's not a big thing. We did Venezuela, and we did this," added Trump.
Asked by reporters how he could label the conflict "small potatoes" when 18 service members had died, Trump compared the Iran fight to the years-long US wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan.
"I don't think it matters what you call it. What matters is the fact we have had tremendous success. We've stopped Iran from having a nuclear weapon," he said.
According to opinion polls, the war has become increasingly unpopular with Americans after six months of conflict and ahead of the November midterm elections.
With reporting by AFP
UN 'Appalled' by Iran's Draft Bill Restricting Contact With Foreigners
A UN fact-finding mission has called on Iran to immediately withdraw a draft bill that could criminalize or restrict interactions between Iranians and foreign individuals and organizations.
Known as the Countering Foreign Influence bill, UN experts say the draft law is meant to regulate interactions between Iranians and foreign actors.
The UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran called on Tehran to "immediately withdraw" the draft that could criminalize or restrict contacts with foreign individuals or organizations, warning that its adoption could undermine fundamental freedoms.
The UN mission said it was "appalled" by the proposed legislation, adding that its adoption could represent a "dangerous escalation of the repression of fundamental freedoms and the isolation of Iranians from the international community."
The mission says the bill's provision would cover activities, including academic cooperation, publishing, contact with foreign media, participation in international conferences, and certain commercial and financial transactions.
If adopted into a law, the mission said, journalists, academics, activists, and others could face up to 30 years in prison for communicating with foreign entities. It also criticized the bill as "broad and vaguely worded," saying it would require Iranians to declare and register activities involving foreign agents or foreign nationals.
Sara Hossain, chair of the three-member mission, said: "We are appalled at the steps by the government of Iran to subject everyday Iranians to blanket criminalization for any contact with the outside world."
The UN's special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Mai Sato, endorsed the mission's call to withdraw the bill. She noted that legislation enacted last year already criminalized certain contacts with foreign media, information sharing and use of satellite communications equipment, with penalties reaching the death penalty in some cases.
US Offers $10 Million Reward For Information On IRGC Cyber Operations Chief
The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Amir Yaryab, a senior official in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC) who leads its Cyber Operations Command.
According to the agency’s announcement, Yaryab also directs multiple components of the IRGC-CEC, including Shahid Hemmat and Shahid Shushtari. The State Department says these groups have conducted cyber and cyber-enabled information operations targeting critical infrastructure sectors in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, including defense, news, shipping, travel, energy, and financial and telecommunications systems.
The announcement says Yaryab also oversees and controls operations conducted by IRGC-CEC-affiliated groups including CyberAv3ngers, Dadeh Afzar Arman (DAA), and Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik (MASN). According to the State Department, these groups have used malware to target civilian infrastructure worldwide.
The Rewards for Justice program said it is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, participates in malicious cyber activities against US critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
Netanyahu Says Iran Regime Change Is 'Central Task' And 'Within Reach'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said overthrowing the Iranian leadership was "the central task" still facing his country six months after the start of the war and that the goal is "within reach."
"This regime is currently teetering. It is weaker than ever. It is fighting for its survival," Netanyahu said at an event with Israeli military chiefs on September 3.
"I am convinced that we can remove this threat once and for all -- that is, to overthrow this regime. That is the central task that still lies ahead of us, but it is close. It is not impossible. It is within reach," he said.
"We faced the threat of annihilation by a regime that aspires to eradicate us and wants to arm itself with nuclear bombs to destroy us. We have pushed back this threat and other threats as well," he said.
The prime minister added that the Tehran regime's weakness is the main reason Iran is no longer launching attacks on Israel.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during the first day of US-Israel air strikes on Iran on February 28. Dozens of other regime and military leaders have been killed in attacks since then.
US President Donald Trump has said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is the main goal of the war, although he has recently pointed to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a key objective.
With reporting by AFP and dpa
Vance Says US Probing Iran's Claims Of Wedding Party Attack, But He's 'Skeptical'
US Vice President JD Vance said that the United States is investigating Iranian claims that an air strike hit a wedding party, but that he is "skeptical" of reports coming out of Tehran.
"We're investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know," Vance told reporters at the White House on September 3. "I know that we're investigating, I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what's happened in the conflict thus far. So I'm extremely skeptical of this."
"If we do make mistakes, again, this is a big difference between us and Iran, when our military makes mistakes, they learn from them to try to get better from them," he added.
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