Tag: iran

Iran Claims It Launched First Attacks on Syria

Iran claimed it attacked an American position in eastern Syria early Friday morning. If true, it would mark the first time the terrorist regime has violated Syria’s sovereignty during the conflict with the United States that began at the end of February.

Both U.S. and Syrian military officials denied any such attack took place.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it “executed a surprise strike on the enemy’s special operations command center located in the al-Tanf region of Syria,” ostensibly in retaliation for “the martyred soldiers of Bampur in Iranshahr.”

This was a reference to a U.S. airstrike on Wednesday that reportedly struck the Bampur Army garrison in southeastern Iran, killing at least seven soldiers. Some reports place the casualty count from the attack much higher, with at least 50 serious injuries sent for treatment at local hospitals.

The IRGC claimed it destroyed American helicopters and a radar system in its assault on al-Tanf, and killed multiple U.S. service members.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) quickly rejected these claims as “false,” stating, “No U.S. troops in the region have recently been killed or captured.”

Also, the U.S. military announced in February that it completed its withdrawal from al-Tanf, which served as a hub for operations against the Islamic State from 2014 to 2019, and handed the base over to the new Syrian government. The Trump administration said the fall of Iran-backed dictator Bashar Assad in 2024 removed the last reasons for keeping a substantial American force at the base.

The National noted that the Iranian attack came the day after Syria announced the seizure of weapons hidden inside an oil tanker that was attempting to cross from Iraq into Syria at the al-Tanf crossing. The Syrian Interior Ministry said the weapons were destined for Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon.

The Iranian strike might, therefore, have been meant as punishment for Syria interfering with Iran’s illicit arms shipments – if the strike claimed by the IRGC happened at all.

There was no independent confirmation of the purported attack on al-Tanf from media operations or the Syrian government, although some people living in the area reported hearing distant explosions.

Al-Tanf is near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan, and Iran launched missiles and drones at Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait overnight. The Jordanian military said on Friday it shot down three Iranian ballistic missiles that entered its airspace.

A Syrian military source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) late Friday morning that no Iranian attack took place.

“We deny any Iranian bombardment targeting the Al-Tanf area,” the source said.

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$100 Billion & Climbing: Iran War Price Tag Believed Far Higher Than WH Estimates

While the Pentagon publicly clings to a $30 billion price tag for its war against Iran, internal Defense Department assessments (unsurprisingly) paint a far more staggering picture: the true cost is rapidly closing in on the $80 billion to $100 billion range, according to NBC News.

The Pentagon’s Office of Management and Budget told Congress on June 30 that US military operations against Iran so far is $30 billion: “We’ve spent about $30 billion,” OMB Director Russel Vought told the House Appropriations Committee. 

NBC’s new assessment bluntly states the following, however: “The cost of the war with Iran could be more than triple the most recent estimate of roughly $30 billion, according to three U.S. officials and three people familiar with the internal cost estimates.”

The lower figure was reportedly initially floated based a classic Washington accounting trick which only evaluates the cost of expended missiles and munitions while conveniently ignoring the charred remnants of American hardware and damaged bases littering the Gulf states after Iranian retaliatory attacks, the report explains.

The estimate featured in the NBC report accounts for actually rebuilding those installations previously attacked by Iran. Judging by how things are going this week – after five consecutive days of renewed fighting – the final bill from damage will only keep pushing up from here.

It has been well documented that while American troops at Gulf bases across the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf were by and large pulled back from near ‘front lines’ – large US military assets like refueling tankers were in some cases left behind, resulting in scenes like the following:

“Five U.S. Air Force refueling planes were struck and damaged on the ground at Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia, according to two U.S. officials,” The Wall Street Journal reported in mid-March. Each one costs hundreds of millions.

“The tankers were hit during an Iranian missile strike on the Saudi base in recent days, the officials said,” WSJ detailed at the time. “U.S. Central Command declined to comment. The tankers were damaged but not fully destroyed and are being repaired, one of the officials said. No one was killed in the strikes.”

And in Bahrain, home of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, damage to military facilities is already estimated at $1 billion. Heavily fortified installations in Kuwait have also taken a severe beating, with both these tiny Arab Gulf states being favored targets of IRGC projectiles of late.

In the meantime, with a $1.5 trillion budget battle looming this autumn, the Pentagon is currently urging Congress to approve $68 billion supplemental funding package just to keep the lights on, but as the Iran war drags on with few clear objectives outlining an endgame, defense officials are hitting a wall of bipartisan skepticism among lawmakers.

One D.C. watchdog group, Public Citizen, has stated this week: “The American people are fed up with spending more on bombs and less on basic needs. And they are furious with a pointless, deadly, illegal, unconstitutional and protracted war that is costing lives and driving up gas prices.”

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REPORT: House Republicans Launching Investigation of the Mamdani Administration Over Attempt to Hold Meeting With Officials From Iran

House Republican have put in a request to the Trump Justice Department for a formal investigation of the Zohran Mamdani administration over their attempt to hold a meeting with the Iranian regime’s ambassador to the United Nations.

The Gateway Pundit reported last week:

Commissioner Ana María Archila, head of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, had scheduled the meeting for July 7 at 11 a.m. at 2 United Nations Plaza with Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN.

Two other senior officials from the office were also set to attend, according to calendar invitation screenshots reviewed by City Journal and confirmed by multiple sources, including a State Department official.

The meeting was called off only after the U.S. State Department, which had not been informed in advance, stepped in and met with the Mamdani administration to “clarify acceptable conduct,” according to City Journal.

House Republicans claim this is a potential violation of the Logan Act.

Breitbart News reports:

A request for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration for potential violations of the Logan Act has been filed by House Republicans, led by Rep. Addison McDowell (R-NC).

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche received the letter on Thursday morning after it was revealed that a senior Mamdani official attempted to organize an unauthorized meeting with a high-ranking member of the Iranian regime while the country remains at war with the United States.

The other lawmakers who signed on to the letter are Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Earl Carter (R-GA), Pat Fallon (R-TX), Randy Fine (R-FL), Clay Fuller (R-GA), Pat Harrigan (R-NC), Wesley Hunt (R-TX), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Richard McCormick (R-GA), Max Miller (R-OH), Riley Moore (R-WV), Pete Sessions (R-TX), and Claudia Tenney (R-NY).

“We write with concern about the recent actions of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Administration,” McDowell wrote. “Last week, media outlets began to report Commissioner Ana María Archila, the head of the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, had scheduled a July 7 meeting with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani.”

Mamdani has only been in office for six months but his behavior already suggests that he sees New York City as somehow separate from the United States, as if it were its own sovereign nation. It is not and he should be reminded of that fact. Harshly.

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Trump Announces Iran Has Freed American Woman Held Captive Since Biden’s Term

An American woman who has been held in Iran for more than 18 months has been freed, according to President Donald Trump.

Jared Genser, the attorney for Dena Karari, said it was a “minor miracle” that she was freed during a war, according to CNN.

He noted that her health issues, which included a massive heart attack suffered last week, may have played a role in the 53-year-old’s release.

“Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” Trump wrote.

“The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” he posted.

Genser credited Trump for his client’s release.

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The Promise Of A Quick Victory Turns Into A Stagnating Conflict – Pressing Lawmakers As New Fears Of A “Forever War” Are On The Rise

In February 2026, the United States and Israel conducted military strikes against Iran, which resulted in the death of the Iranian dictator, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and started another major war in the Middle East. Five months later, it has become unclear how long this war will last or what the objective even is.

The past few months have seen a nonstop back-and-forth on the status of the war, creating a lot of confusion for the general public. Throughout the war, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital energy chokepoints and an important trading route. The closure of the straight has brought massive inflation to the U.S., with gas price averages rising close to $4 a gallon.

One moment, President Trump says that a peace deal is on the horizon; the next moment, U.S. strikes against Iran intensify. One moment talks about reopening the Strait of Hormuz see progress; the next moment, Iran closes the strait once again.

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Trump warns Iran that next targets will be power plants and bridges if no deal is reached

President Donald Trump warned the Iranian regime Tuesday that the United States will target its bridges and power plants soon “unless they get to the table and negotiate.”

The Middle Eastern conflict resumed last week after Iran struck three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the United States has since launched its own strikes on Iran in response.

Trump warned Iran that the conflict will end when “I say it’s enough,” and that “energy targets” are next on his list. Iranian bridges and power plants will be struck next week if no deal is reached.

“I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst. “We’re going to hit them very hard tonight. We’re going to hit them very hard tomorrow night. We’re going to hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants.

“Next week comes the bridges. We’re going to knock out all their power plants,” he continued. “We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”

Trump defended the U.S.’s recent airstrikes on Iran, likening the country’s regime to a boxer who needs to be beaten down before peace can be achieved.

“The only way you can negotiate with these people is through strength, and the only strength is military strength, and that’s what we’ve done,” Trump told Yingst. “It’s like a great boxer. You think you have them beat, and then all of a sudden he comes back and he gives you a shot. They have some fight left, but they don’t have much.”

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Trump Does Not Rule Out Ground Invasion in Iran, Suggests US Will Take Kharg Island

President Trump on Tuesday sat for an interview with Fox News, where he suggested that a ground invasion may be imminent in Iran and that the US may take over Iran’s critical oil export hub of Kharg Island. 

The President declined to say whether he would rule out a ground campaign, suggesting it might be necessary if he “thought it was appropriate.”

“Sometimes you need a ground campaign, but we have other people that will do the ground campaign for us,” Trump added.

Trump also said the ongoing air campaign against Iran, which resumed last week, will “continue until I say it’s enough.”

As The Gateway Pundit reported, US forces carried out attacks on Iran for approximately seven hours last night, hitting “dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas,” US Central Command said, releasing video of strikes.  

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Trump claims ‘other people’ could lead ground campaign in Iran

US President Donald Trump has refused to rule out a ground campaign in Iran, saying unspecified allied forces could seize key strategic sites like Kharg Island without the involvement of US troops, while threatening to expand the bombing campaign to include power plants and bridges.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump said he would consider a ground operation “if I thought it was appropriate.”

“Sometimes you need a ground campaign, but we have other people who will do the ground campaign for us… But we have already hit Kharg Island twice, even three times. I said, ‘Hit everything but the oil!’”

Located around 25 km (15 miles) off Iran’s Gulf coast, Kharg Island handles around 90% of the country’s crude exports and serves as the primary outlet for oil revenue.

Ahead of the now-broken April ceasefire, Trump threatened to seize Kharg Island “to take the oil.” Asked whether he still intends to seize the island, Trump replied, “As far as taking it is concerned, if we degrade them far enough and deep enough, I would do that.”

The president also vowed to intensify the air campaign, saying US strikes will continue until he decides “it’s enough.”

“They’ll continue until I say it’s enough. Next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges. We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”

Trump warned that Iran “won’t have anybody left” unless it reaches a deal, claiming US officials relayed that message to Tehran “about an hour ago.”

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‘Not How It Works’: Critics Slam Trump Bid To Restart Legal Clock on Illegal Iran War

Critics from both sides of the political aisle on Monday denounced President Donald Trump’s effort to construct a facade of legality for the illegal US-Israeli war of choice on Iran by notifying Congress of renewed military strikes on the Mideast nation.

Trump claimed in a letter to members of Congress that, on July 7, he ordered “defensive strikes against targets within Iran, including missile launch sites, air defenses, military maritime assets, military support infrastructure, and command and control capabilities.”

“These strikes are limited, measured, planned, and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties,” wrote Trump, whose war has killed more than 3,400 people – hundreds of them children – and wounded over 26,500 others since February 28, according to Iran’s Ministry of Health.

“I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution,” the president added.

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 – also known as the War Powers Act – requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing troops to military action and limit such action to 60 days, with a 30-day withdrawal period, unless lawmakers declare war or issue an authorization for the use of military force.

Elected Democrats and legal experts have rejected Trump’s argument that the negotiated ceasefire he’s now abandoned resets the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day limit; absent congressional authorization, the statutory clock generally starts from the first US strike and continues uninterrupted until military action ends.

Asked Monday by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins if this is “just the new normal for the American people,” Trump – who has called himself the “peace president”—replied, “No, well, you know, we were in Vietnam for 19 years; we’re [in Iran] for four months.”

Trump said during the same press conference that “we’re doing another very major attack tonight” in Iran.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday that US forces “began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief’s direction.”

“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM added.

Responding to the president’s letter, former libertarian Congressman Justin Amash (R-Mich.) said on social media: “This is not how it works. The War Powers Resolution doesn’t give the president a ‘free’ 60 days – and the Constitution certainly doesn’t either. Regardless, we’re talking about a single war. You don’t get to pause it and then pretend it’s a different war.”

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Bahrain Accuses Iran of Targeting Civilians as U.S. Launches More Strikes

The Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) said on Monday that its air defenses “successfully intercepted and destroyed several treacherous Iranian aerial attacks.”

Contrary to Tehran’s claims that its attacks are limited to American military bases, the BDF said Iran is launching “unlawful missile and drone attacks targeting civilians.”

The BDF denounced Iran’s attacks as “treacherous” and stressed that “deliberate use of missiles and drones to target civilians and private property constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Iran launched missiles and drones at Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Oman over the weekend as the United States continued to hammer air defenses, radar sites, missile depots, and attack boats controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated terrorist organization.

Iran listed Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait among its targets, and claimed that it destroyed stores of fuel and munitions at the bases, along with America’s Patriot air defense missiles. The respective defense ministries of the four Gulf Arab countries said they intercepted all of Iran’s weapons without any major damage to the bases used by American forces.

Kuwait said on Sunday that an Iranian drone struck one of its offshore oil platforms, injuring one worker, and three Kuwaiti sites near the Iraqi border were damaged. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also reported intercepting Iranian drones and missiles.

The IRGC released a statement on Monday that described its attacks on neighboring countries as “retaliatory missile and drone strikes” against the United States.

For one of the first times, the IRGC publicly admitted that it has attacked civilian ships in the Strait of Hormuz – which triggered the massive U.S. campaign of airstrikes – but insisted it was somehow justified in its piracy.

The IRGC claimed it “stopped two ships because they had switched off their tracking systems and taken an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, endangering traffic in the strategic waterway.”

In reality, Iran has done much more than “stop two ships,” and one of its illegal attacks left a Qatar liquid natural gas (LNG) tanker crippled off the coast of Oman with an engine room fire.

“In the first phase of their response to the aggression, the valiant fighters of Islam set ablaze several large missile depots and fuel storage facilities at Jordan’s Prince Hassan Air Base in a missile and drone strike,” the IRGC statement said.

“In the second phase of their retaliatory operation, the IRGC Aerospace Force struck key helicopter maintenance and repair facilities, a hangar housing a P-8 electronic warfare aircraft, and the command-and-control center for the US military’s drone operations at the US base in Sheikh Isa, Bahrain,” the statement continued.

The “third and fourth phases” were Iran’s attacks on Kuwait. The IRGC claimed it “completely destroyed fuel storage tanks and a Patriot air defense system” at the Ali Al Salem airbase, an “FPS strategic radar system” at the Ahmad Al Jaber airbase, and two HIMARS missile launchers plus “ammunition depots stocked with missiles” in an alleged ground forces attack.

“We will not allow a rogue, child-killing army from the other side of the world to continue its illegal interference there,” the IRGC declared.

The Iranian regime and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued conflicting statements on Sunday about whether the Strait of Hormuz is “closed.”

“The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway,” CENTCOM said.

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