• Cost of war:The war with Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far but experts told CNN the bill is likely much higher. He testified before Congress on Tuesday to seek additional war funding
• More attacks:The US military said late Tuesday it conducted more strikes on Iranian “military targets” in an 11th night of strikes. Iran said it had launched a counterassault
• Global oil crisis:US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is “not serious about talks” and warned of creating a “dangerous precedent” in allowing Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, two tankers carrying Saudi oil turned back after Houthi threats in the Red Sea
• Trump’s warning:President Donald Trump said the US will probably soon hit the area of Pickaxe Mountain — a fortified underground facility believed to be connected to Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran said any attack on its nuclear facilities would expand the war in the region
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The White House and South Lawn are seen in Washington, DC. on Tuesday.
The Trump administration has agreed to sign off on a broad civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported late Tuesday
CNN reportedover the weekend that the White House had tentatively agreed to allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium without enacting international safeguards intended to prevent nuclear weapons development, according toe deal was awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature
The New York Times, citing unnamed US officials, said the agreement would be announced Wednesday while the Wall Street Journal said Trump had now formally approved the deal
Any deal to give Saudi Arabia nuclear technology could prove controversial, both domestically and within the wider Middle East region. Israel, widely believed to have undeclared nuclear weapons, has long been wary of Saudi Arabia accessing nuclear technology. Iran, the main regional rival to Saudi Arabia, has a stockpile of near-bomb grade uranium and has vowed to cling to its nuclear program even after months of US bombardment, claiming it’s for civilian purposes
Uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing are the two main pathways to create the core material necessary to build nuclear weapons. Most countries whose civilian nuclear reactors require enriched uranium don’t produce it domestically — they instead purchase the material from vendors like the US or Russia and receive it in sealed shipments under strict international supervision
Twonium enrichment provision includes stipulations imposed by the US, but details of potential limitations are unclear
Known as the “123 agreement”, the deal will also not provide the final word on whether Saudi Arabia gets sensitive technology and material
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has previously threatened to build his own nuclear weapons should Iran acquire the bomb
Former Vice President Mike Pence joins CNN’s “The Situation Room” to discuss the conflict in the Middle East and recent reporting on Iran’s potential nuclear capabilities
Pence said that while he understands President Donald Trump’s desire to reach a ceasefire, he does not see the Iranians having an interest in a “peaceful solution” or in reopening the Strait of Hormuz
Pence tells CNN’s Wolf Blitzer he believes “Trump was right to take the fight to Iran”
2:40• Source:
CNN
Pence tells CNN’s Wolf Blitzer he believes “Trump was right to take the fight to Iran”
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Video released by CENTCOM shows US forces conducting the latest round of strikes against targets in Iran.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed Tehran is “not serious about talks” as the US and Iran traded an eleventh night of strikes on Tuesday into Wednesday
It follows US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s testimony before lawmakers as the Trump administration seeks tens of billions of additional dollars to fund the war
Here are the latest headlines:
- Cost of war:The war with Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but the bill is likely much higher, experts told CNN. He and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, testified before Congress to seek additional funding for the war.
- Hormuz concerns:Hours later, Rubio warned of creating a “dangerous precedent” in allowing Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz, which was fully open for free and safe passage before the US and Israel attacked Iran in February.
- Global oil supply:Disruption to another critical waterway is raising the risk of the Middle East’s two key energy chokepoints coming under pressure at the same time, a shipping analytics firm warned. The Iranian-backed Houthis threatened to blockade Saudi-linked shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It’s already having an impact as two tankers carrying Saudi crude reversed course in the Red Sea after the Houthis declaration.
- Widening conflict:The US military said it completed the 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Tuesday night. Air defenses were activated in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and explosions were reported in several Iranian cities, according to state media. Iran said it launched a counterassault early Wednesday local time,and Kuwait reported its air defenses were engaging hostile drone attacks.
- Trump’s warning:President Donald Trump said Tuesday the US will “pretty soon” hit the area of Pickaxe Mountain — a fortified underground facility believed to be connected to Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran said any attack on its nuclear facilities would be treated as an expansion of the war in the region.
- Killed in action:The US Defense Department has identified a US soldier whom it believes was killed in Jordan as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad. The soldier was previously listed as missing by US Central Command.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers an opening statement during the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday, July 22.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is “not serious about talks” during his opening remarks at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday in Manila, Philippines
Rubio said that “the problem we’re having right now (with Iran) is that they’re not serious about talks. If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what is necessary to protect our interest and also the interests of our allies.”
The “fundamental principle of freedom of navigation” is at stake, Rubio said
“If that is threatened, then I think the global economy is threatened, and the rules which have underpinned 150 years of international trade and commerce are also threatened,” he said
For context:The Strait of Hormuz was fully open for free and safe passage before the US and Israel attacked Iran in February at the start of the conflict. Iran sees control of the waterway as its most valuable point of leverage in negotiations and, in recent weeks, has repeatedly fired on vessels it said had not liaised with Iranian authorities before transiting
“You, sir, are the failure”: Democratic senator slams Hegseth and Iran strategy
0:47• Source:
CNN
“You, sir, are the failure”: Democratic senator slams Hegseth and Iran strategy
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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine testified before a key Senate panel for the first time since the US-Iran conflict re-escalated this month
They were seeking tens of billions of additional dollars to fund the war
Here’s what to know:
- On funding:Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the war has cost the United States $37.5 billion –but the bill is likely much higher, experts previously told CNN.Some of the cost accounts for expenses, such as meals for troops, through the end of the fiscal year, he said.
- Strait strategy: He testified that a US military effort to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz continued “covertly” after it was announced in May, and that it had helped guide up to 500 million barrels of oil through the strategic waterway with the US retaining control despite Iranian attacks.
- Russia and China’s involvement:Hegseth said that China and Russia are “at different levels” enabling some of Iran’s activity. “[T]here are many ways that we deter that … and the depth and extent of it ought to remain classified,” he said.
- Iranian nuclear targets: When questioned about the US military’s ability to strike the suspected Iranian nuclear facility beneath Pickaxe Mountain, Hegseth demurred and said that “a lot of our capabilities are classified.” US President Donald Trump said today that the US will be hitting the target “pretty soon.”
- Human toll: Chairman Caine told lawmakers he would provide Trump with the “appropriate options and risks that he can choose from” when it comes to how to proceed with the war and said the human toll is always a factor.
- A testy response: In a testy back and forth, Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters sharply criticized Hegseth’s leadership, calling him a failure and raised concerns about the administration’s war strategy.
- Questioned on justification:In another tense exchange, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand pressed Hegseth on the justification for the war. The New York lawmaker accused Hegseth of misleading the public about destroying Iran’s missile launch capabilities, and Hegseth accused the senator of “trying to make campaign commercials.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday about the Trump administration’s request for additional defense funding
Here’s what some senators had to say about the testimony:
- Republican Sen. John Kennedy told reporters that Congress and the American public need “some straighter answers” from the Pentagon. “We need to come up with a way to explain to the American people why we went in and how we’re going to get out, and in doing so, how we’re going to undermine Iran’s ability to get a nuclear weapon,” he said.
- Sen. Dick Durbin — the No. 2 Senate Democrat — was among Democrats who said Hegseth and Caine did not justify the cost of the war. “They can’t explain how this money is going to be spent,” he said.
- Democratic Sen. Chris Coons said he was “not at all” surprised by the $37.5 billion figure that Hegseth said the Iran war has cost. “In fact, I suspect it’s higher,” he told CNN. “There’s been a lot of damage to critical military facilities, a lot of loss of very expensive, high-end radar systems and aircraft, and so forth, and a lot of expensive munitions fired so far.”
- Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen accused the administration of changing its rationale for the conflict over the last few months, and insisted it had fallen short of each of these possible goals. “The bottom line here is this administration doesn’t know what it’s doing. This is why they keep changing their rationale week to week,” he said.
- GOP Sen. John Hoeven, meanwhile, said of the billions spent on the war, “Look, this is something we have to do.” He told CNN, “At the end of the day, you know, Iran having a nuclear weapon is an existential threat.”
