TOP STORIES
Iran-Backed Houthis Attack Four Saudi Cities in Expansion of Middle East War, 73 Hurt | Reuters
“Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthis attacked four cities in the south of U.S. ally Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding more than 70 people and setting oil installations ablaze in what appeared to be a major expansion of the six-month-old Middle East war.”
U.S. Attacks 3 Iranian Tankers in Tit-for-Tat Response | Axios
“U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers Saturday after Iran fired ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy warships, U.S. Central Command said.”
Iran’s Oil Dollars Are Drying Up—and Plunging It Deeper Into Crisis | Wall Street Journal
“Iran’s oil export revenue is drying up as a U.S. naval blockade strangles shipments from the Persian Gulf and offshore stockpiles feeding China dwindle, putting more pressure on Tehran’s battered economy. No Iranian crude has crossed the blockade since it was reinstated by the U.S. Navy in mid-July, according to ship tracker Kpler. Iran is still loading small amounts of oil onto tankers, but those barrels remain trapped inside the Gulf.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Time Is No Longer on Iran’s Side in the Battle of the Blockades | Wall Street Journal
“By squeezing the Strait of Hormuz, both the U.S. and Iran expected to outlast their foe, believing time would work in their favor. Now, it looks like the trend is moving against Tehran. . . . If recent history has taught anything about developments inside Iran, it is to be wary of predictions, added [UANI Senior Advisor] Norman Roule, who served as the principal U.S. intelligence community official on Iran matters from 2008 to 2017. ‘Those who believe the regime is too strong, too deeply embedded in Iranian society, or too well protected by pervasive domestic security institutions to fail, should recall how similar judgments were once made about Mubarak, Ben Ali, Ceaușescu, and even the Soviet Union,’ he said. ‘Anyone who claims to know with certainty whether, or when, the Islamic Republic will collapse or that it will endure should first be asked to demonstrate their skills as a prophet by sharing next week’s lottery numbers.’”
Iran’s Hormuz Leverage Wanes as US Economic Squeeze Bites | Reuters
“After years of surviving sanctions, Tehran is now confronting one of the harshest squeezes in the Islamic Republic's history, according to Iranian insiders and regional sources. A U.S. naval blockade and tougher sanctions are curbing oil exports, restricting access to foreign currency and exposing growing strains in the economy. The campaign has led U.S. and regional officials to wager that mounting economic pressure can force Tehran to allow free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of global oil and LNG supplies. . . . [UANI Senior Advisor[ Dennis Ross, a former U.S. negotiator, said Washington may be interpreting Iran's economic distress as evidence of strategic success when the reality is more complicated. Tehran remains determined to demonstrate it can control Hormuz, but appears to be calibrating its use of force while keeping further escalation in reserve.”
“Daniel Roth, Director of the United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Institute—a U.S.-based organization monitoring sanctions against Iran—explained in an interview with The Asia Business Daily, ‘The Shadow Fleet was first detected in 2019 as dozens of ships operating around the Middle East, and it is now believed that several hundred such vessels are active,’ adding, ‘These fleets frequently use forged documents to falsify cargo manifests or sail with their automatic identification systems (AIS) turned off to avoid tracking, earning them nicknames like the ‘Dark Fleet’ or ‘Ghost Armada.’ The Shadow Fleet is thought to have been organized by Iran for the first time around 2019. UANI reports that a complex network has been established, stretching from the Middle East to East Asian waters, to facilitate the smuggling of Iranian crude oil into China—the fleet’s main destination.”
“The naval blockade, Kharg strikes, and dark fleet enforcement address the supply side, not who purchases what Iran still manages to export. Before the latest disruptions, China purchased approximately 80 to 90 percent of Iranian crude exports, primarily through teapot refiners willing to process discounted Iranian oil despite US sanctions. United Against Nuclear Iran estimates Iran generated over $5 billion in revenue available to the IRGC through dark fleet exports after the Islamabad Memorandum was signed.”
Iranian Regime ‘Running Out of Options’ | Jewish News Syndicate
“Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told JNS that Israeli and American assessments already anticipate an Iranian response to the mounting economic pressure campaign. ‘I don’t believe Israel or the United States assess that Iran won’t retaliate for the mounting economic pressure it faces. It’s a form of economic strangulation, so it can be assumed and priced in that Iran will flail in the form of rockets, drones and missiles,’ Brodsky said.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran to Raise Petrol Prices as US War Triggers Shortages | Financial Times
“Iran is raising some petrol prices as the government struggles to tackle a fuel shortage worsened by the war and the US naval blockade, a potentially unpopular move that risks exacerbating already severe inflation.”
How Billions in Iranian Money Passes Through U.S. Banks | Wall Street Journal
“As the Trump administration tightens its economic squeeze on Iran, it faces a surprising weak link in its campaign to cut off the regime from the global financial system: America’s own banks. Billions of dollars of Iranian funds are flowing through clearing accounts at American banks each year, Western officials and researchers say, despite sanctions that prohibit anyone subject to U.S. law from taking part in almost all financial activity linked to Tehran. Iran accesses the accounts through foreign partners that maintain relationships with U.S. banks, part of a more than century-old system called correspondent banking that helps tie the global financial system together, while also providing Tehran with plenty of ways to secretly infiltrate it.”
“The Trump administration announced Friday that it has imposed sanctions on a Turkish financial institution as part of its latest effort to sever ‘critical financial lifelines’ for the Iranian government. The actions against Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi come after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week launched ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ . . . The Treasury Department accused the Turkish bank and its entities of being established to enable Iran’s efforts to transfer oil revenues from China to Turkey, where they could then be converted to cash and gold. It also said the institution ‘knowingly offered’ banking services to Iranian financial entities, including those already sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022 for funneling Tehran’s oil sales.”
UK Publishes Legislation for Tougher Sanctions on Iran over Nuclear Programme | Reuters
“Britain on Tuesday published legislation to introduce tougher sanctions on Iran, expanding trade restrictions and powers to target ships as part of what it described as a wider effort to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme and other hostile activities. The government said the measures would restrict Iran’s access to the British financial system, broaden trade bans to include more goods, technology and services, and prohibit Iranian aircraft from landing in Britain unless exemptions apply.”
EU Backs More Economic Pressure on Iran, Says Ready for Further Measures | Iran International
“The European Union supports additional economic pressure on Iran and is prepared to take further measures to protect its security and interests, including freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, an EU spokesperson told Iran International.”
For Sale: £36M London Penthouses ‘Owned’ by Iran’s Supreme Leader | Times of London
“Two luxury flats linked to Iran’s supreme leader and which overlook Kensington Palace have been put on the market. The penthouse suites, which were bought for £36 million, are being offered for sale after an Iranian banker accused of being a frontman for Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was placed under sanctions.”
Huawei Heads to Trial in US over Its Business Dealings in Iran | Reuters
“Eight years after U.S. prosecutors secretly charged China's Huawei Technologies with defrauding HSBC and other banks over its business with Iran, the case is finally heading for trial. Huawei also faces charges for conspiring to steal trade secrets from five U.S. technology companies, and is accused of lying about its dealings in North Korea and supplying surveillance equipment to Iran to track protesters during 2009 anti-government demonstrations in Tehran.”
Iran Rial Hits Fresh Record Low at 2.25 Million to Dollar | Iran International
“Iran's rial fell to a new record low of about 2.25 million to the US dollar on Saturday, extending a sharp decline in recent weeks. The currency was trading at about 2.2 million per dollar earlier this week and has weakened roughly 12.5% since crossing 2 million for the first time in late August.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
Why the US and Iran Keep Escalating | Financial Times
“For weeks, mediators had hoped to create a pathway for the warring parties to return to a shortlived June memorandum of understanding intended to open the strait and resume talks on a final settlement to the war. But after that diplomatic effort dragged on, the Trump administration told them that it would not return to the MoU, according to people familiar with the talks. Instead, it is now pushing for a more comprehensive agreement that will cover not only the strait but Tehran’s nuclear programme, one diplomat briefed said.”
Iran Attacks Kurdish Iranian Opposition Group in Iraq—Analysis | Jerusalem Post
“Iran attacked a Kurdish Iranian opposition group in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq on Monday. ‘Iran launched a drone attack on one of the bases of an Iranian Kurdish party in Sulaimani [Sulimaniyeh] province’s Surdash subdistrict early Monday, setting part of the base on fire, according to the group,’ Kurdistan Region-based news channel Rudaw Media Network reported.”
Iran Vows to Respond to US Strikes, Says US Energy Companies’ Facilities Are ‘Exposed’ | Reuters
“Iran threatened on Monday to retaliate against any new U.S. attacks on its assets, warning that the energy production chain in the region was ‘sprawling, accessible and exposed’ and that U.S. oil and gas companies there shared that exposure.”
Iran Announces New Persian Gulf ‘Exclusion Zone,’ Threatens Sanctions on Vessels | IranWire
“Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, announced the Islamic Republic’s decision to establish a new exclusion zone across portions of the Persian Gulf. According to Rezaei, this zone will extend from the U.S. Navy blockade line and encompass both the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. . . . Rezaei stated that the precise boundaries of the zone would be formally declared in the coming days, adding that any vessel entering the perimeter would be placed on the Islamic Republic’s sanctions list. Rezaei further described the Strait of Hormuz as ‘completely closed,’ dismissing statements by U.S. President Donald Trump that the waterway remains open as a ‘great lie.’”
Hormuz Traffic Slows After Iran Threatens Retaliation for US Attacks | Reuters
“Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed at the start of this week, after Iran threatened on Monday to retaliate for any new U.S. attacks. The number of commodity vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz totalled seven on Monday, compared with eight on the previous day, Kpler data showed on Tuesday.”
CENTCOM Diverts 94 Commercial Vessels in Renewed Maritime Blockade of Iran | IranWire
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces have diverted 94 commercial vessels during the latest phase of the maritime blockade against Iran. According to a CENTCOM statement released on the evening of Monday, September 7, U.S. forces disabled three ships and boarded and inspected two others during this period.”
U.S. Military Reviewing Deadly Strike on Iranian Wedding | Axios
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is conducting an internal review of a civilian casualty incident at a wedding during the strikes in Iran on Tuesday, U.S. officials say. . . . While it still hasn’t been confirmed that the incident was caused by the U.S. strike, it is one of the more significant civilian casualty incidents since the war began six months ago.”
Deadly Iran Wedding Strike Likely Due to U.S. Bomb Missing a Nearby Target | Washington Post
“The Pentagon is investigating the high likelihood that an explosion in southern Iran that destroyed a home hosting a wedding celebration was caused by a U.S. bomb that missed a nearby target, a person familiar with the operation said.”
The Risky Mission to De-Mine the Strait of Hormuz | Financial Times
“As the US exchanged tit-for-tat strikes with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz in recent months, it was also engaged in a much more covert operation within the waters of the narrow, strategically crucial channel. Mostly at night, it sent Navy Seal divers, robot boats and specialised underwater craft into the perilous strait for a four-month mine-clearance mission, said people familiar with the operation. The fraught process of explosive device disposal was carried out underwater and in darkness in an attempt to eliminate a crucial factor deterring ships from carrying vital cargoes through the strait since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February.”
“Iran state media on Monday said a ballistic missile with improved capabilities was demonstrating a new doctrine: Tehran ‘will take action against any threat, even before it is carried out.’ . . . It described the missile as having greater range and accuracy and a half-ton warhead. The missile was unveiled last year, when it was described as having at least a 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) range.”
Trump Says US May Hit Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain Soon | Reuters
“U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the United States may hit Iran's Pickaxe Mountain very soon. Pickaxe Mountain, located near Iran's heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a heavily fortified site that hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes.”
“President Donald Trump on Friday said the conflict in Iran is ‘small potatoes’ as he defended Vice President JD Vance for asserting that months of on-and-off attacks in the Middle East are not a ‘war.’”
US Energy Chief Says Navy to Defend Hormuz Until Iran Backs Down | Bloomberg
“US Navy escorts that are helping tankers cross the Strait of Hormuz are essential to sustaining crude flows through the waterway, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday, suggesting they won’t end anytime soon.”
Chris Wright Says US Is in a ‘Conflict’ with Iran | Politico
“Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Sunday said the U.S. remains in a ‘conflict’ with Iran but stopped short of labeling it a war despite strikes launched as recently as Saturday night.”
Iran Warns South Korea Against Military Deployment in Strait of Hormuz | IranWire
“Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, warned South Korea against potential involvement in military operations in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, stating that such action would carry ‘serious consequences’ for Seoul.”
DIPLOMACY
Trump Administration Drafting Post-War Middle East Plan | Axios
“The Trump administration is working on a post-war strategy focused on a regional effort to contain Iran and expand normalization of relations between Israel and its neighbors, according to two U.S. officials and two other sources with knowledge of the issue. . . . Three main elements have been raised as possible parts of the strategy, according to the sources: Creating a regional alignment among U.S. allies to contain Iran, with the U.S. as a guarantor. Making a concerted effort to bring the regional fallout from the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks closer to a conclusion by securing the next phase of Trump's Gaza plan, reaching a security agreement between Israel and Syria, and implementing the Israel-Lebanon agreement. Expanding the Abraham Accords and reaching a Saudi-Israeli normalization agreement.”
“Oman has quietly rejected Iran’s request to jointly charge service fees on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, The Post has learned—averting a clash with President Trump, who has threatened to rain down bombs on the US ally. A high-ranking regional official said that Muscat declined to consent to charging fees—even on a voluntary basis—for environmental and security services, contrary to a statement last week from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Deal With Oman Just Days Away | Bloomberg
“Iran said a deal with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is imminent, a move that could tighten Tehran’s control over the waterway and raise questions over how the US would respond.”
US Envoy Reassures Ankara After Sanctions on Turkish Bank over Alleged Iran Ties | i24 News
“US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack sought to reassure Ankara on Saturday after the Treasury sanctioned a Turkish bank over its alleged cooperation with Iran, stressing that the measure was not directed at Turkey, its financial system or the US ally more broadly.
PROXY WARS
“Iran is reportedly preparing for a broad, coordinated attack against Israel on several fronts simultaneously, Israeli assessments indicate, in a scenario resembling a future October 7-style assault but designed from the outset to bring together all components of the Iranian axis. According to the alleged assessments, Iran is seeking to combine its own forces with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq in a single campaign.”
US-Backed Effort to Disarm Iraq’s Iran-Linked Militias Hits Setback, Experts Say | Fox News
“The Trump administration’s push to compel the new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to dismantle pro-Iran terrorist militias is moving forward—even with some setbacks. As Mideast experts are taking a wait-and-see approach tinged with mild optimism, a senior Iraqi official announced in late August that Baghdad will not treat Sept. 30 as a deadline to disarm the pro-Iran groups known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also called the Popular Mobilization Forces.”
NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Grossi: IAEA Is Completely Blind on Iran Nuke Program | Jerusalem Post
“The International Atomic Energy Agency is completely blind regarding Iran’s nuclear program and has been since at least June 2025, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said on Monday. ‘As stated in the report, [the] agency has neither received information from Iran regarding the status of its declared nuclear material or facilities nor had access to any of those facilities to conduct in-field verification activities,’ he told the Board of Governors.”
US and Allies Push IAEA Board to Report Iran to UN Security Council, Diplomats Say | Reuters
“The United States, Britain, France and Germany are seeking a resolution by the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board next week reporting Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in 20 years, according to diplomats and the proposed text seen by Reuters. If passed, the resolution would follow up on one adopted on June 12 of last year declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for not fully cooperating with an investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites.”
U.S. Energy Secretary Says Iran Nuclear Deal ‘May Not’ Happen Anytime Soon | Washington Post
“U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that a nuclear agreement with Iran might not be achievable anytime soon and that U.S. military action was still needed to deal with the threat from Tehran. ‘There may not be a nuclear agreement,’ Wright said on ABC’s ‘This Week.’ ‘It may be simply destroying their capabilities to do it.’ A deal ‘may await a next administration in Iran,’ Wright said. ‘We simply don’t know.’”
Danger Remains Real Despite Israeli Wins Against Iranian Nukes, Sources Tell ‘Post’ | Jerusalem Post
“Despite Israeli wins against Iran's nuclear program in June 2025 and early 2026, multiple sources have told The Jerusalem Post that the potential future danger from that program remains real, even though there is nothing imminent. The Post has learned that the positives are that Iran is currently not operating centrifuges to enrich uranium, that its 60% and 20% enriched uranium is not yet easily accessible, and that the vast majority of the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities were made inoperable by the two major rounds of strikes. . . . On the other hand, a sizable volume of centrifuges survived deep underground. . . . Separately, multiple sources have cautioned that Tehran could develop a clandestine digging strategy to extract its 60% and 20% enriched uranium from under rubble and underground in a way that circumvents US and other surveillance.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Small-Scale Protests Break Out in Iran over Cost of Living | Jerusalem Post
“Small-scale protests by retired telecommunications workers, retired teachers, and job-seekers have been taking place in Tehran and several other cities as Iran faces a worsening economic crisis, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported.”
Iran Has Executed Nearly 190 Afghans Since 2024 | Afghanistan International
“The execution of Afghan citizens in Iran has risen sharply in recent years. Human rights groups say Iran has executed at least 23 Afghan nationals since the start of 2026. According to figures compiled by rights organisations, Iran has executed nearly 190 Afghan citizens over roughly the past three years, including 80 in 2024, 84 in 2025 and 23 so far this year.”
Fiancée of Slain Protester, Father of Another Die by Suicide in Iran | Iran International
“The 25-year-old fiancée of a protester killed in Iran’s January crackdown and the father of another slain demonstrator have died by suicide within days of each other, sources familiar with the cases told Iran International. Aida Heydari, whose fiancé Abolfazl Soleimani Alamouti was killed on January 9, died on September 3, about eight months after his death. The couple had planned to marry this month, according to the family. . . . Danial Karimi, the father of 19-year-old Amir-Mohammad Karimi, also died by suicide on September 6. His son, a former member of Iran’s national junior taekwondo team, was shot dead during protests in Marvdasht on January 9.”
Starlink Next Door Could Loosen Iran’s Grip on Internet | Iran International
“Starlink terminals becoming available in newly legal markets on Iran’s doorstep could make the Islamic Republic’s internet shutdowns harder to enforce, potentially lowering the cost of equipment that has become an increasingly important route around government blackouts. Within six weeks, two of Iran’s neighbors have opened their markets to the satellite internet service. Iraq authorized Starlink on July 17. The United Arab Emirates granted it a 10-year general license on Aug. 28, and public sales began on Sept. 3.”
“Two members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who claimed asylum in Australia have confirmed their pivotal refusal to sing the national anthem during the Women’s Asian Cup in March was a protest against Tehran.”
TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION
Iran Intensifies Overseas Plots Against Dissidents, Israeli Official Says | Iran International
“Tehran has intensified efforts to target Iranian government opponents and journalists abroad, as well as Israelis overseas, an official at Israel’s National Security Council told Iran International.”
Canada Vows Action Against Transnational Repression After Iran Threats | Iran International
“Canada says its security and intelligence agencies are using a full range of tools to counter foreign interference and transnational repression after a senior Iranian military spokesman threatened Persian-language journalists abroad.”
HOSTAGES
“Kamran Hekmati, a Jewish Iranian American citizen who had been held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, was released on Saturday, Iranian sources reported on Monday. However, a travel ban remains in effect, preventing him from leaving Iran and returning to his home in the United States. Iranian authorities have not yet officially announced his release. Hekmati was arrested in July 2025 and imprisoned after a Tehran court convicted him over a visit to Israel 13 years earlier, when he traveled there to attend his son’s bar mitzvah celebration. According to his family and organizations assisting with the case, the trial lasted about 10 minutes and was conducted without a lawyer or witnesses present.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran’s Basij Tightens Grip as Domestic Pressures Grow | Alhurra
“The new commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary security force is overhauling the organization to root out opponents of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei within the regime, expanding a network of grassroots informants to head off potential protests, Iranian opposition sources told MBN. Faced with rising internal pressures stemming from Iran’s war with the United States, Hossein Taeb began reorganizing the Basij within weeks of returning as its commander.”
Iran’s Former President Proposes Referendum on Ending War | Telegraph
“Iran’s former president has called for a referendum on whether to continue fighting the US. At the weekend, Hassan Rouhani called for an end to the war if a ceasefire was in line with the will of the majority of the Iranian people. . . . He added: ‘We say to the people: our plan is to fight the world’s big powers for another 20 years. If the people say they accept it, very good, let’s continue. But if the people do not accept it and show us another way, do we not want to accept that?’”
“The editor-in-chief of Iran’s hardline Kayhan newspaper called on Iran’s judicial and security authorities to investigate former presidents Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Khatami over their recent remarks about ending the war. Hossein Shariatmadari accused them of substituting war for what he called Iran’s defense and portraying surrender to the United States and Israel as an ‘honorable peace.’”
Iran Confirms Detention of Cleric Who Called for Replacing Islamic Republic | Iran International
“Iran's judiciary confirmed on Tuesday that hardline cleric Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi, who has called for replacing the Islamic Republic with a more hardline ‘Islamic government,’ is in detention. . . . Kharrazi, 65, heads an organization called Hezbollah of Iran and is tied by marriage to the Khamenei family. His sister is married to Masoud Khamenei, a brother of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.”
Debate Grows over Whether Iran Is Burning Its Strongest Card in Hormuz | Iran International
“A debate is widening in Tehran over whether Iran is exhausting one of its most powerful weapons against the United States, with growing warnings that the Strait of Hormuz could lose its effectiveness the longer restrictions continue.”
Alamolhoda Seeking Presidency of Iran’s Assembly of Experts—Report | Iran International
“Senior hardline cleric Ahmad Alamolhoda is seeking support to become president of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body responsible for selecting and overseeing the supreme leader, a Tehran-based outlet reported citing informed sources. . . . Alamolhoda is one of the Islamic Republic’s most prominent hardline clerics and has for years used his influential Friday prayer platform in Mashhad to advocate some of the establishment’s most uncompromising positions on social and political issues. . . . Alamolhoda’s positions have included fierce opposition to challenges to compulsory hijab. In 2024, he likened defiance of the Islamic dress code to collaboration with Iran’s enemies, and the previous year suggested that religious hardliners might need to intervene themselves as women increasingly rejected mandatory hijab.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
Lawler Disagrees with Trump on Iran War: ‘It Is Certainly Not Small Potatoes’ | The Hill
“Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) on Sunday broke with President Trump regarding the commander in chief’s recent statement about the Iran war where he downplayed the conflict. ‘Any time you are at war or in a military escalation, it is certainly not small potatoes. It is serious. I think we all recognize that,’ Lawler [said] . . .”
GULF STATES & IRAN
UAE Says Its Energy Exports Will Not Be ‘Held Hostage’ by Iran War | Reuters
“The United Arab Emirates is building alternative routes for its energy exports and trade to ensure they are not ‘held hostage’ by the ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on Monday. . . . While acknowledging that relations with Iran could eventually recover, Gargash warned that rebuilding trust after the attacks could take decades. He also criticised Gulf Arab states for failing to mount a coordinated response to Iran, saying they had been unable to translate shared concerns into a unified strategy.”