live Vance Says US Probing Iran's Claims Of Wedding Party Attack, But He's 'Skeptical'

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow’s position on the war in the Middle East, in their first meeting since the conflict broke out in February.

Russia has supplied Iran with satellite images and other intelligence, helping Tehran target US facilities in the Persian Gulf in recent months, according to reports. The two allies have also expanded military and economic ties in recent years.

“We appreciate and thank you for your positions at every stage, both during the period when the fighting and acts of aggression were taking place and under normal circumstances, when the United States was imposing sanctions on us, both at the United Nations and in international forums,” Pezeshkian told Putin at a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan on September 1.

Pezeshkian described Iran’s relationship with Russia as “strategic” and said Tehran and Moscow can work together to resist what he called US “unilateralism.”

The meeting came after a new flareup in the six-month war. The United States said it attacked Iranian rocket launchers on a small island in the Strait of Hormuz on August 30, prompting Tehran to retaliate by hitting US military targets in Jordan.

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The United States has launched strikes on targets in Iran, the US military said, following what it described as attempted Iranian attacks on commercial shipping and American forces in the region.

"Today at 12 p.m. ET, US forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X on September 1.

CENTCOM said the strikes followed recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US service members.

The US military did not immediately provide details on the targets struck or the scale of the operation.

Shortly before CENTCOM's announcement, Iranian media reported that explosions had been heard in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik as well as on Qeshm Island.

The European Union said on August 31 that it would continue to work closely with the United States, other G7 partners, and international allies to maintain pressure on Iran and contribute to de-escalation and regional stability.

The statement was issued in connection with the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bankers being held in Asheville, North Carolina, on August 31 and September 1.

"The EU welcomes efforts at ensuring that Iran ceases its destabilizing activities and engages in peace negotiations with good faith, also through additional economic pressure, including through the US-led Operation Economic Outcast,” the EU said. It added that it remained ready to take further measures, where necessary, to safeguard its security and interests.

The statement drew a sharp response from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei, who criticized the EU's support for additional economic pressure on Iran.

In a statement posted on X later on August 31, Baqaei accused the European Union of surrendering its sovereignty, laws, regulations, values and ethics to US pressure. He questioned how the EU could support what he described as "the most predatory and unlawful unilateral coercive measures" against Iran.

Baqaei said the EU's endorsement of what he called "America's unlawful economic war" constituted a "grave violation of international law and said EU member states should be held accountable for the consequences of their contribution to what he described as a wrongful act.

He did not specify what consequences he had in mind.

Baqaei also argued that the EU's position was inconsistent with its own rules. He pointed to the EU's Blocking Statute, under which the bloc does not recognize the extraterritorial application of laws adopted by third countries and regards such effects as contrary to international law.

He contrasted the EU's current position with its 1996 adoption of the Blocking Statute, which was designed to protect European operators from the extraterritorial effects of certain US sanctions.

Baqaei concluded by accusing the EU of taking contradictory positions by supporting US economic pressure on Iran while simultaneously calling for de-escalation and regional stability.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said on September 1 that Tehran would "immediately reciprocate" if the United States returns to its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Pezeshkian accused Washington of violating its commitments under the agreement.

"But I am stating clearly that if the US returns to its commitments in the aforementioned memorandum of understanding, the Islamic republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate," he said, according to Iranian state media.

Pezeshkian's remarks came after Iran's Supreme National Security Council outlined six conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month. The conditions, announced by council secretary Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, include an end to the war and attacks against Iran and its regional allies, the lifting of the US naval blockade and withdrawal of US forces from around Iran, full compensation for war damages, the lifting of sanctions, and the unconditional release of frozen Iranian assets.

The remarks also come amid renewed military tensions between Iran and the United States. On August 30, US forces struck two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran subsequently launched missiles at US forces in Jordan.

The MOU, signed by US President Donald Trump and Pezeshkian on June 18 with Pakistan acting as mediator, called for an immediate and permanent end to military operations and established a framework for further negotiations. It also included provisions concerning the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions, Iranian assets, and US military forces in the region.

US President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is in "extremely good shape" and claimed an average of 30 ships a night are passing through the waterway with the assistance of the US Navy.

"We have the Strait of Hormuz in extremely good shape. You know, we're taking over," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on August 31.

"Many, many ships got through last night, as you know, with the Navy's assistance, and we've been averaging 30 ships a night," he said.

"That's a lot, and a lot of oil is coming out. That's why you haven’t seen the price of oil go like they thought it might have to go," he added.

Trump also described Iran as a "failed nation" and claimed that its inflation rate had reached 350 percent, that its currency was no longer functioning and that the government was struggling to pay its soldiers.

"They're a failed nation. They've got 350 percent inflation. They have no currency. They're not paying their soldiers. Their leaders are largely dead. Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their surveillance equipment is almost entirely gone," Trump said.

He added that Iran’s leadership structure was unclear, saying: "I don't really think they know who their leader is."

Trump nevertheless warned that further US military action against Iran remained possible.

"That doesn't mean we won't smack them. We'll see what happens," he said.

Trump's comments came amid a renewed escalation between the United States and Iran. On August 30, US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to US officials.

Iran subsequently said it had launched missiles and drones at US military bases in Jordan in retaliation. US officials said most of the incoming missiles were intercepted and that there was no significant impact.

The exchange marked the first known direct US-Iranian military confrontation in several weeks and came amid continuing tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil transit route.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO) reported that a tanker was struck by three unknown projectiles while completing an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to UKMTO Warning 124-26, the incident occurred approximately 17 nautical miles (31 km) east of Khasab, Oman, on August 31.

UKMTO said the tanker reported being struck by three unknown projectiles. The agency reported no casualties or environmental impact and said authorities were investigating. It advised vessels operating in the area to transit with caution and report suspicious activity.

Separately, UKMTO said on August 31 that it had received a report of an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Indian Ocean. The agency provided no further details and said relevant investigations were ongoing.

The incidents come amid a renewed escalation between the United States and Iran and heightened security concerns around the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan -- the three signees of the Mecca Joint Defensive Agreement --agreed to create a secretariat in Saudi ⁠Arabia that will be headed by a Pakistani secretary-general ⁠for the first three ‌years.

The person to hold that role was not announced after the three country's representatives met in Istanbul on August 31.

Officials said the secretariat will be responsible for managing day-to-day communications, organizing joint maneuvers, sharing intelligence, and monitoring threats to regional security.

Termed the Mecca Accord, the agreement was signed by the three countries on August 7 amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

One clause of the agreement explicitly provides for collective defense, stating that “any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all.”

The members have insisted that the grouping is not aimed at any one country. Sunni Muslim-led Saudi Arabia has been targeted by Iran with retaliatory missile and drone launches following the start of the US-Israeli war with Shi'ite majority Iran.

Masoud Alfak, a Riyadh-based analyst, described the agreement as a "major development in the region's security architecture."

The war in the Middle East has "created a new regional security environment, and I believe this new environment is one of the main reasons for forming this alliance," Alfak told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

"These countries believe they face common threats, and they think this partnership can serve as a deterrent," said Alfak, adding that he believed the "primary objective is to promote regional security and stability rather than seeking confrontation or joining wars."

Members have said that other countries, including Egypt and Bangladesh, could eventually join the grouping.

President Donald Trump said US forces would hit Iran "hard" after the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) launched missiles at two US bases in Jordan, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed to intensify economic pressure on Tehran.

"We're going to hit them hard," a Fox News reporter quoted Trump as saying on August 31. "There will be a response."

Trump said US air defenses had intercepted all Iranian missiles that could have caused damage after the IRGC claimed it had launched ballistic missiles at ‌the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan, causing "heavy damage."

The IRGC often exaggerates claims, and reports of attacks cannot immediately be verified.

The attack on Jordan came after US forces struck missile launchers on the Iranian island of Larak, the first publicly reported direct US attack on Iranian military positions in more than a month.

Fox News also quoted Trump as saying the tough economic measures taken against Tehran were having a major impact on Iran's economy, which is on the verge of collapse following years of Western sanctions and now a US blockade of its ports.

Bessent said the latest exchange of ‌fire between the US and Iran showed that Tehran was "lashing out" because the new sanctions were causing major disruptions to its economy.

"They're taking it very seriously...they're in shock at the state of their economy," Bessent told reporters at a meeting of 20 finance ministers and central bankers in the US state of North Carolina.

"I would think that they are lashing out kinetically because they are losing economically," he said, using a term referring to military action.

"We are going to continue exerting pressure, and we've had very good discussions here already," Bessent added.

He said the next "weeks or months" could see a turning point in the US pressure campaign, adding that Iran's economy may not need to suffer a total collapse to achieve US goals.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters at the meeting that "we all need to work on this."

"The US has a view on how to enhance sanctions. We're going to discuss with them whether we can help on that front," he said.

With reporting by Reuters and AF

The US military has denied a claim by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that an oil tanker struck two naval mines, caught fire, and was brought to a halt while attempting to pass through a route in the southern Strait of Hormuz.

"No ships have encountered mines in the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X on August 31.

"This is yet another attempt by the [IRGC] to create fear among commercial vessels in the region through the dissemination of disinformation," CENTCOM said.

The IRGC said earlier on August 31 that a "supertanker" had struck two naval mines while attempting to use what Iran described as an unauthorized route in the south of the strait. It said the vessel caught fire and was brought to a complete stop.

The claim could not be independently verified.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil shipments. Iran has said the waterway is closed, while the United States has said it is working to secure shipping and maintain freedom of navigation through the strait.

Recent US military operations have included strikes on Iranian assets on Larak Island that Washington said were preparing to deploy sea mines.

Iranians have reacted with a mix of grief, sarcasm, and political recrimination after the US-based Educational Testing Service (ETS) confirmed it has suspended the TOEFL and GRE exams in Iran, cutting off a pathway to foreign study for thousands of students who had spent months, in some cases years, preparing for the tests.

ETS told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in a written statement that it had "paused administration of the TOEFL and GRE tests in Iran effective immediately," citing the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and its suspension of General License G, which since 2014 had authorized US educational providers to offer certain services, including standardized testing, to people in Iran despite broader US sanctions.

The suspension is part of a sweeping package of new sanctions the administration of US President Donald Trump rolled out on August 24 under what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called an "economic onslaught" against Iran's financial networks worldwide.

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