What to know about the Iran war today:
- Iran claimed new drone strikes Friday against U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, as explosions were heard near a military base hosting U.S. forces in northern Iraq and video showed dramatic drone interceptions.
- The attacks came hours after the U.S. military said it completed a 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran aimed at halting attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, which the Trump administration insists is open despite few ships risking passage.
- The pace at which the U.S. is using some of its most advanced missile interceptors and other weapons in the Middle East is unsustainable and has become a point of tension within the Trump administration, U.S. military and intelligence officials told CBS News Thursday.
48m ago
Trump says “I trust” Xi and Putin when they say they aren’t helping Iran
After posting that he takes Chinese President Xi Jinping “at his word” when he said he wouldn’t sell weapons to Iran, President Trump said he trusts both Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin that they wouldn’t assist Iran.
That’s despite Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying China and Russia, “at different levels,” are “enabling what Iran is doing.”
“Well, I don’t know that they’re enabling,” the president said Friday. “I will tell you that President Xi said he will not partake, and President Putin said the same thing. I think you know, I trust them. They’ve had a long-term relationship, there could be some things they do. But thus far, at least, it has not been major. I don’t think they’d want to have me disappointed.”
2:57 PM
Crossings continue to fall in Strait of Hormuz, but rise in Bab el-Mandeb, data shows
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to a trickle on Thursday, but the number of commercial vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait increased, according to data from intelligence firm Kpler
Only six ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after 15 passed through a day earlier, according to the data. Five used the northern route designated by Iran, as opposed to the U.S.-sanctioned route to the south, Kpler said
Traffic was better in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is the southern exit to the Red Sea that passes by Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthi militia based in Yemen targeted two Saudi-flagged ships in the strait late Wednesday into Thursday after threatening to shut down traffic
Forty-nine vessels traveled through the Bab el-Mandeb on Thursday just below the number of ships that previously traveled through the waterway on an average day. Only 29 transited the strait on Tuesday after the Houthis threatened to target ships, Kpler said
“Several ships that had previously reversed course in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea completed their crossings, while others remain on hold following earlier U turns,” Kpler said on X. “The data points to a cautious but selective return to transit activity as operators continue to assess security conditions.”
On Friday, the Houthis said they were only targeting Saudi vessels
2:05 PM
Oil prices fall back under $100 following sharp rise
The cost of Brent crude, the international benchmark price for oil, fell back under $100 on Friday after a rough rise throughout the week
The cost dipped about 4% as of 2 p.m. ET to about $96. The cost had reached $101 on Thursday, its highest level since May. Costs were still up about 8% this week
The continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to Iranian threats on shipping vessels combined with the Iran-backed Houthis targeting two Saudi-flagged oil tankers in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the southern end of the Red Sea, had caused further panic in the industry. But the Houthis have not targeted any ships since the initial two, possibly bringing some calm back to investors
Prices had fallen from well over $100 into the $70 range after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a memorandum of understanding in June and reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
Americans are currently paying $4.11 per gallon of regular on average nationwide up from $3.16 at this time a year ago
1:36 PM
Netanyahu to meet with Trump next week
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Trump in Washington next week, according to the prime minister’s office
Netanyahu will leave for Washington, D.C., on Monday and meet with the president at the White House on Tuesday, his office said
The prime minister will also attend the funeral for Sen. Lindsey Graham, who he described as “a friend of Israel.” Graham often served as a conduit on behalf of the U.S. to the Israeli government and wider Middle East
Netanyahu last visited the U.S. in February. He met with Mr. Trump at the White House on that visit as well, just days before launching the initial strikes on Iran
12:53 PM
U.S. issues sanctions against notorious Iranian billionaire for enabling regime
The U.S. has issued new sanctions against Babak Zanjani, an infamous Iranian billionaire who is now allegedly helping Iran avoid previous sanctions and fund the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
“Today’s action targets four individuals and nine entities tied to Zanjani’s operations,” Tommy Pigott, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said in a press release. “Zanjani’s re-emergence as a regime-linked financier — despite previously receiving a death sentence in Iran for embezzlement — demonstrates the lengths to which Iranian state-affiliated elites will go to preserve access to the international financial system so that they can enrich themselves, even as they mismanage the Iranian economy.”
Zanjani was sentenced to death for allegedly embezzling millions from the National Iranian Oil Company, but that sentence was commuted in 2024 and he emerged as a major backer of the regime last year, according to the U.S. Treasury Department
“The Iranian regime continues to pay a steep economic price for its reckless behavior, with the rial plunging to another record low and inflation up massively,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, Treasury will continue cutting off economic access for corrupt Iranian regime elites, along with their financiers and facilitators.”
The sanctions target Zanjani’s Dot One conglomerate, which the U.S. says is involved in everything from telecommunications and transportation to airlines and digital assets, like cryptocurrency
12:21 PM
EU sanctions Iranian judges, leading cyber group figure
The European Union has announced sanctions on five Iranian judges, as well as a leading cyber group figure, for human rights offenses
“While the world’s attention is on the war in the Middle East, we can’t lose sight of Iran’s repression against its own people,” the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said in a post Friday on X
In a statement, the European Council said it was including five judges “of Iran regional Revolutionary courts who have presided over trials targeting religious minorities and political dissidents … on the basis of vaguely defined national security and religious charges.”
“They have imposed death sentences and long prison sentences, flogging, fines or supplementary punishments on political dissidents and human rights activists,” the bulletin added
The council said it was also targeting an Iranian hacker and computer engineer called Nima Salehi, “the founder and a leading figure within the ‘Ashiyane’ cyber group,” which “cooperates closely with the EU-listed Cyber Police (FATA) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and is responsible for intensive cyber-attacks on both domestic opponents and reformists and foreign institutions, thereby assisting the regime’s crackdown against the opposition.”
11:50 AM
Trump says he doesn’t believe China and Russia are giving weapons to Iran
President Trump said Friday that he does not believe Russia or China are providing weapons to Iran
In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said that while he was in Beijing in May, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he would not “under any circumstances” provide weapons to Iran, including arms from Chinese companies
“Considering our relationship, I take him at his word and, besides, l am doing him very big favors, also,” the president wrote
Mr. Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin also said he would not sell weapons to Iran
“He understands that I do not sell Weapons to Ukraine, but to NATO Countries. They pay full price, and how those Weapons are distributed, I have no idea,” the president said
“Therefore, two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating,” Mr. Trump wrote, adding: “If they did, it would be very bad for them — Certainly not in their best interests.”
CBS News has reported that Russia and China have both supported Iran during the war, which was launched jointly by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28
Multiplence to Iran about U.S. military positions in the Middle East.
Analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency, which is the Defense Department’s military intelligence arm, assessed soon after the start of the war that China was considering providing Iran with advanced radar systems, multipleechnology would help Tehran better detect and track incoming threats, such as low-flying drones and cruise missiles
U.S. intelligence assessments also indicated that China had previously provided Tehran with satellite imagery, which the theocratic Islamic regime used during the war, two U.S. officials familiar with the matter said in April
The Financial Times reported in April that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had used a spy satellite it purchased from Earth Eye Co., a Chinese company, to target U.S. military bases in the Middle East
11:14 AM
Houthis say they aren’t seeking to close Bab el-Mandeb Strait: Blockade “only affects the Saudi side”
A spokesman for the Houthi rebels in Yemen said Friday that the Iranian-backed group was not seeking to block all traffic through the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, just Saudi traffic. The group declared a maritime blockade earlier this week of Saudi Arabia, a long-time foe of both the Houthis and Iran
“There is no closure of Bab el-Mandab as some are suggesting,” said Mohammed Abdusalam, a top Houthi negotiator, in a post on X, adding that the group’s actions – which have included attacking two vessels this week – were “limited to a maritime blockade that only affects the Saudi side.”
Like the nearby Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb is a key transit point for global energy supply. On Wednesday, the Houthis said they had struck two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.
On Thursday, President Trump warned that if they did it again, both Iran and the Houthis would face “major military punishment.”
Two super tankers carrying Saudi oil did pass through the waterway Thursday, having previously turned away from the Bab el-Mandeb, after changing their listed public details to declare them as owned and operated by China.
10:32 AM
Drones downed over Erbil, northern Iraq, Kurdish forces confirm
Kurdish forces said the U.S.-led coalition in the area shot down five drones Friday over Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region, which has been repeatedly attacked since hostilities between the U.S. and Iran resumed in early July
An AFP news agency journalist reported earlier seeing drones over Erbil before air defenses were activated, resulting in explosions and visible smoke near the city’s airport, which hosts U.S. forces and a U.S. consulate
A clip posted on X by Kurdish broadcaster Rudaw showed a drone flying through the sky before being struck and falling to the ground in a trail of fire
Kurdish counterterrorism forces told AFP that “the coalition forces downed five explosive-laden drones over Erbil between 9:32 and 9:45 a.m.” local time on Friday
No casualties were reported, the officials told the news agency
Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Feb. 28, Iran and its proxy groups in Iraq have repeatedly targeted U.S. forces based in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq, as well as in other countries across the Middle East
Pro-Iran groups in Iraq have not claimed any new attacks targeting U.S. interests in the country since the renewal of hostilities, however
Iran has also been accused of targeting exiled Iranian Kurdish rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan during the war
CBS/AFP
10:07 AM
Jordan’s military says 7 Iranian missiles and 6 drones intercepted
Jordan’s military intercepted seven missiles and six drones launched by Iran on Friday, it said, as Tehran pressed its attacks on U.S. allies across the Middle East
The military said the interceptions by air defense systems and air force planes “resulted in no casualties or material damage.”
Having largely ignored Jordan for months, Iran is now hitting the kingdom with daily strikes, appearing to test air defenses to see which projectiles get through
Three U.S. soldiers were killed Friday and Saturday by an Iranian missile attack on an air base in southern Jordan
CBS/AFP
8:58 AM
U.S. strikes on Iran have killed 59 and wounded 666 in past month, says Iranian health ministry
The last month of U.S. strikes on Iran have killed 59 people and wounded 666, the Iranian health ministry said Friday
The figures related to casualties registered between June 27 and July 24 the ministry’s spokesperson
In a post on X, he wrote that of the 59 killed, six were women and three were minors.
The U.S. military has struck Iranian positions for 13 consecutive nights
In total, Iranian officials have reported over 3,500 fatalities caused by U.S. and Israeli attacks during the 21-week war
8:24 AM
Spokesman blames data error as Pentagon website continues listing incorrect casualty toll for U.S. forces
An official U.S. Department of Defense website still showed incorrect figures for the number of American forces killed and wounded during the war in Iran on Friday, with an official blaming a “temporary data disruption” for the error
Earlier this week, the Pentagon had updated the death toll to 18 U.S. service members, with 482 others wounded in action, but at some point Thursday, the figures changed to 14 troops killed in action and 420 wounded. The New York Times first reported the change, citing four military officials as giving “conflicting explanations” for the discrepancy
18 U.S. service members have been killed in the region since the U.S. and Israel launched their joint war against Iran on Feb. 28
17 of those fatalities were troops serving in Operation Epic Fury, the campaign against Iran, while one – a soldier killed over the <a href="https://todaytrendnews7.com/polymarket-promo-code-tsnews-get-50-prediction-bonus-for-mlb-this-weekend/” title=”Polymarket Promo Code TSNEWS: Get $50 Prediction Bonus for MLB This Weekend”>weekend during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq – was technically serving under Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing campaign against ISIS in the region
“Our Pentagon Press Office gave the New York Times a courtesy off-the-record phone call explaining in detail that the site errors on the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) were due to a temporary data disruption,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a post on X, calling the Post’s article “one of the worst instances of the Fake News media manufacturing lies out of thin air.”
He said the “site anomalies are currently being resolved.”
Friday morning, however, the incorrect data was still displayed on the Defense Department website
7:41 AM
Video appears to show drone interceptions near U.S. base in northern Iraq
Video appears to show at least one drone being intercepted Friday near a U.S. base in northern Iraq, as a series of explosions were heard in the area
A clip posted on X by Kurdish broadcaster Rudaw shows a drone buzzing through the sky before it is struck and falls to the ground in a ball of flames
A series of explosions was heard near Erbil airport, which hosts American forces at Erbil Air Base as well as an American consulate
It is the same base where the Pentagon said U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton was killed on Sunday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian attack drone
An AFP news agency journalist said the explosions were heard after air defenses were activated. They also reported seeing drones flying above the city and smoke near the airport
7:06 AM
Iran’s IRGC warns civilians in Middle East to stay away from U.S. forces
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Friday warned civilians in the Middle East to stay away from U.S. bases
“We warn the general public in countries where American soldiers are stationed to immediately stay out of a radius of 500 meters [yards] from the places where American soldiers are hiding, in order to be safe,” the IRGC said in a statement
The warning came after several Persian Gulf states and Jordan reported ongoing Iranian missile and drone attacks, with interceptions also being reported near a major U.S. base in Erbil, northern Iraq
6:41 AM
U.S. strikes Revolutionary Guard base in northern Iran
The United States has struck an Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ (IRGC) base in the northern province of Gilan, according to a statement from the local governor’s office
The U.S. struck the IRGC’s Seyyed al-Shuhada naval headquarters in Zibanekar on Friday morning, according to the statement
Ali Bagheri, deputy governor for the province, told state media that the strike “damaged some of the equipment in the complex.”
6:41 AM
Explosions heard near U.S. base in Iraq as Iran says it attacked American facilities in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait
Iran’s military said on Friday it carried out drone strikes against several American military facilities and bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait in retaliation for the latest U.S. attacks, while explosions were heard near an American base in northern Iraq
“This morning, the fuel tanks, large equipment warehouses and silos and the barracks of the U.S. terrorist army forces at the Isa Air Base in Bahrain were targeted by Arash kamikaze drones,” the army said in a statement carried by state TV. Bahrain’s interior ministry said on Friday that air raid sirens were sounding
The Iranian army also claimed drone attacks against Jordan, targeting “aircraft hangars, a
Jordan has not reported any strikes in the last few hours
In a separate statement, the Iranian army said it had launched drones at U.S. equipment warehouses in Camp Udairi and the site of American military personnel in Camp Doha and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, said it had targeted the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, claiming to have destroyed an ammunition depot and inflicted casualties among U.S. personnel
In northern Iraq, a series of explosions were heard near a military base hosting U.S. forces. The same base where Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton died over the weekend in a “controlled detonation” of an Iranian attack drone
Tehran argues that any facility or base in the Middle East that the U.S. military uses for strikes on Iran is considered a legitimate target for retaliation
CBS/AFP
6:41 AM
Iran says U.S. strike kills at least 4
An overnight U.S. attack on Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan killed at least four people and injured several others, Iranian state media reported Friday
“Following the missile attack by the terrorist U.S. enemy on areas around the city of Ahvaz, four of our compatriots were martyred and five others were injured,” Valiollah Hayati, deputy governor of the province, was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency
AFP
6:41 AM
U.S. military strikes Iran for 13th consecutive night
The U.S. military completed its 13th straight night of strikes on Thursday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement
In a social media post accompanied by a video of airstrikes, CENTCOM said it targeted Iranian drone sites, command centers and other targets “to further diminish the threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” which it insisted was “open for transit” despite the minimal traffic passing through
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported that U.S missile strikes struck Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Omidiyeh, Qeshm, and Andimeshk.
6:41 AM
Rapid pace of interceptor and precision-guided weapons use worries Trump administration
The rapid pace at which the U.S. is expending some of its most advanced air-defense interceptors and precision-guided weapons in the Middle East is a point of great tension inside the Trump administration as President Trump’s war with Iran ratchets up again military and intelligence officials familiar with internal assessments. And it’s raising broader concerns about America’s readiness for a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific.
The dwindling stockpiles of defensive interceptors and long-range missiles have become a pressure point for top military and civilian leaders who are weighing the demands of the war with Iran against maintaining readiness to deter other adversaries, including China.
The U.S. officials, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic, said the U.S. cannot sustain the rate at which it expended precision munitions early in the campaign against Iran
Read more here
6:41 AM
Trump says U.S. will use Iranian money to pay for damage to ships
President Trump wrote on Truth Social that “any and all damages” to ships struck by Iran “will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls.”
Mr. Trump did not specify the exactre currently frozen due to U.S. sanctions. The two countries had previously discussed unfreezing those assets if Iran implements the terms of a deal with the United States
“These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do,” the president wrote
