After 286 days of combat operations against Iran, the USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in Thailand. Following strong public criticism of its condition, the Navy ordered an emergency deep clean. The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Turkish Golden Global Bank and two of its subsidiaries as part of “Operation Economic Rogue,” accusing the bank of providing Iran with key access to the international financial system. The sanctions also target Golden Global Varlik Kiralama and Golden Global Portfolio Yonetimi.
According to CBS News, the Pentagon is refusing to make necessary payments to the families of soldiers killed in the war with Iran, claiming that “it was not a war.” Meanwhile, according to Goldman Sachs analysts, the escalation of attacks on ships in the Middle East could lead to an oil price increase of up to $120 a barrel.
Donald Trump threatened Iran all weekend, with a wide variety of statements and posts, including: “The United States may soon strike Mount Pickax in Iran.” (Mount Pickaxe, known in Farsi as Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, or “Pickaxe Mountain,” is a deep and highly fortified complex of underground tunnels in Iran, located about 1.5 kilometers south of the Natanz nuclear site.)
Jared Kushner on Israel TV: “I think we agree with the Israelis on the final situation in Gaza. They just have crazy elections, and that makes them a little irrational in some ways. Gaza hasn’t worked for a very long time. It was essentially built by NGOs and terrorists. And it’s been a dystopian place for a long time. We’ve flooded Gaza with aid, and now it has one of the lowest rates of malnutrition in the world. We have a plan to rebuild Gaza. These things take time.” Kushner’s figures do not match those of the United Nations, which claims that less than half of the promised aid has arrived in Gaza, and citizens lack food and water. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich: “I think the Authority Palestinian must be destroyed. I think it is a terrorist organization: it encourages terrorism, finances it, incites it, and is dangerous. We cannot avoid, in the near future, a war in the West Bank in which we disarm all the Arabs present and ensure that the weapons are only in our hands.”
Moshe Feiglin, leader of the right-wing Zchut party, states in a video produced for the Knesset elections: “We must not allow them to survive and grow up to the age of 14 or 15. We must kill all the children in Gaza. This is the reality.”
After months of meetings with Israel following yet another attack that killed children, President Joseph Aoun stated: “Unfortunately, the Lebanese side is committed to the agreement and insists on its implementation, while the Israeli side continues to offer unacceptable pretexts and justifications for its attacks. The destruction of an entire building cannot be justified in targeting a single individual. A large number of innocent victims, including women, children, and families who have no connection to what is happening, have been killed today and over the past two days. […] 253 children were killed as a result of Israeli attacks. These children were not members of Hezbollah, nor were they carrying weapons or fighting. We are determined to continue on the diplomatic path, as we believe it is the best solution for both sides […].” He concluded: “The question we ask ourselves today is: does Israel want peace or war? And if it wants war, let it declare it clearly.”
The United States has approved potential contracts to sell military equipment to Saudi Arabia worth $5.75 billion, including precision-guided bombs and tank engines.
Iran and Oman will announce an agreed-upon corridor for passage through the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days, said Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Rezaei also announced that a new no-fly zone will be declared outside the Strait of Hormuz. Any vessel entering this area without Tehran’s approval will be added to the sanctions list.
The Iranian government has officially announced a fuel price increase for “major consumers.” Iran is considered one of the countries with the lowest fuel prices, but until recently, there were fears that price increases would lead to public pressure on the government. Starting Tuesday, the price of gasoline in Iran will increase for anyone who consumes more than 110 liters per month. With the new prices, the cost of a liter of gasoline will increase from 50,000 rials to 100,000 rials (about four US cents).
Responding to Trump’s provocations on social media, the Speaker of the Islamic Republic’s Majlis, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said: “The US authorities must realize that the rules of the game have changed and that Iran will now launch harsher and more painful retaliatory strikes.” “Symmetric responses” are a thing of the past, and our attacks during recent operations against the aggressor’s bases were just the beginning. If they haven’t yet realized it, they must do so before it’s too late: the rules of the game have changed. From now on, any intrusion into Iran’s interests and security will be met with a “swifter, harsher, and more painful” response, he declared.
Iranian Security Council Secretary Rezaei: “The Americans are trying to smuggle five to six ships, spending a lot of money, but these ships are usually targeted. We haven’t decided to sink them yet, because they carry oil products. If they were to pollute the entire Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, they would also create a problem for us. However, none of them escape unscathed; ultimately, they suffer damage.” Ghalibaf to Pete Hegseth: “If you attack our energy infrastructure, Iran will do the same!”
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 4:00 PM on September 7. According to CBS News, the Pentagon officially ended Operation Epic Fury on May 5, but an email sent to the Air Force on August 7 instructed military leaders to stop using the operation’s name when referring to ongoing US military activities against Iran. Employees were instead advised to use more general terms, such as “operations abroad in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.” This directive would extend not only to the Air Force, but to the entire Department of Defense. The Pentagon stated that subsequent actions included freedom of navigation operations and strikes against threats posed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to commercial shipping, Gulf states, and US forces. On July 7, Trump formally notified Congress of the resumption of US military operations against Iran, following the end of the ceasefire in April.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) says American forces have struck and disabled three Iranian tankers carrying crude oil. CENTCOM says the attack occurred after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at two patrolling US warships: a carrier battle group and a guided-missile destroyer. CENTCOM maintains that the ships evaded the attacks and that there were no US military casualties. “The United States will destroy Iran’s oil fleet if Iran continues to attack American warships,” Pentagon chief Hegseth said. He believes Iran’s tanker fleet is in a “defenseless position.”
The United States intends to withdraw air defense systems from Iraqi Kurdistan by the end of September and may transfer them to Jordan, the United Kingdom, and Cyprus.
Israel killed a girl and her father who was accompanying the child to her first day of school.
A suicide attack was carried out by a Palestinian in the West Bank. A Palestinian suspect arrived at a farm near the West Bank village of Osrin (not far from Qusra) in a vehicle. The suspect got out of the car, stabbed a Jewish man several times, and then drove away. Israeli security forces began pursuing him.
In Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported striking Hezbollah in southern Lebanon after the group launched an explosive-laden drone at Israeli troops. According to the military, a drone launched by Hezbollah at Israeli forces was shot down by commando units. No soldiers were injured. “This is a flagrant violation [of the ceasefire] by the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” the IDF said in a statement. In response, the army reported a series of attacks in southern Lebanon.
According to some sources, two Israeli soldiers were injured after a Hezbollah Islamic resistance fighter opened fire on them following an attempted search of a home. Yet another journalist was shot in Israel, as Al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shbib was injured yesterday while reporting live from Nabatieh. A cameraman working with him was also injured. Shbib was in the immediate vicinity of the attack. Both are in stable condition.
Three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle near the Fakhr al-Din parking lot in Nabatieh al-Tahta, southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese National Press Agency.
Israeli evacuation order issued for residents of the city of Tyre, southern Lebanon
On September 5, the Israeli army shelled Syrian territory adjacent to the border in the Golan Heights with artillery after detecting suspicious activity. The terrorists were presumably attempting to plant an explosive device or approach the border. One of them was injured and two fled. No instructions were given to the civilian population.
On September 7, the headquarters of the Komala group in Sordash was hit by a drone strike a few hours earlier.
Two informed sources announced that Aramco’s oil facilities were targeted and the extent of the damage is currently being assessed.
In Yemen, more than 140 people have died due to recent clashes, AFP. Ansar Allah has released footage of a ballistic missile attack on military supply trucks entering Al-Wadiah camp from Saudi Arabia. The Spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces, General Yahya Saree: “we have an armed reconnaissance aircraft of the “Wing Loong II” type, belonging to the Saudi enemy, while it was carrying out hostile missions this morning in the airspace north of Maqbana, in the governorate of Taiz”. “Shot down enemy Saudi CH4 reconnaissance aircraft while carrying out hostile operations in the airspace of Khab wa ash-Sha’af district, Al-Jawf province.”
An Iranian anti-ship missile was fired at a vessel violating regulations in the Strait of Hormuz imposed by Iran. Reports of an explosion heard in the Strait of Hormuz. “Iran attacked US warships with ballistic missiles, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said.” According to Reuters, an American aircraft carrier and destroyer were hit. Brigadier General Rezaei on target: “48 hours ago, for the first time, we tested an Iranian anti-ship missile above an American warship. This special missile created a real hell for the Americans, who fled.”
A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Command warned that if the United States continues to “harass” Iranian ships and maintain a naval blockade of Iran, attacks against American warships in the region will be “more severe than before” and could intensify. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns all ships in the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz: “We have attacked three oil tankers illegally sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three US-linked ships in other areas. Do not give in to the provocations of the US military and avoid any suspicious activity aimed at carrying out illegal maneuvers in territorial waters. Otherwise, you will become a target.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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