Live Updates: Trump vows Iran war will end "right after the election" or sooner, as 9,000 troops head to Mideast
What to know about the Iran war today:
- The USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Group are heading for the Middle East, a U.S. official tells CBS News. When they arrive, the U.S. could have three aircraft carrier groups, with around 20,000 forces, in the region.
- "I'm ensuring that Iran will be very quickly ended," President Trump said Thursday, insisting that Iran's ruling theocracy "is ready to fold up," and that he believes the U.S. will win the seven-month war "right after the election," if not before the U.S. midterms in early November.
- The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis accused the rebels on Thursday of attacking an electricity distribution station in the Saudi city of Medina, home to the second holiest site in Islam. The alleged attack drew strong condemnation from across the Muslim world.
Iranian lawmakers advance legislation to declare full control over Strait of Hormuz
Iran's parliament has completed a committee-level consideration of a proposed bill that would establish what lawmakers frame as the future Iranian management of the Strait of Hormuz, including the imposition of fees on commercial vessels using the vital waterway.
Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesman for the parliament's National Security Commission, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency the proposed "Strategic Action Plan for Ensuring Security and Sustainable Development of the Strait of Hormuz" would preserve Iranian control over all traffic through the strait in line with Iran's national interests and security.
Under the bill, Iran would charge vessels for services including navigation, environmental protection, bunkering and fuel. Ships linked to Israel, countries deemed hostile by Iran, countries that have carried out military action against Iran, or vessels carrying military cargo would be prohibited from passing through the strait under the legislation, Ghashghavi said.
Ships from countries not considered hostile would have to obtain authorization from Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces before transiting the waterway, he added.
The bil will now be debated and voted on by Iran's full parliament and, if approved, would then require review by Iran's powerful Guardian Council and other authorities before becoming law in the country.
The Trump administration rejects Iran's rhetoric suggesting it will control the strait going forward, as well as Tehran's current demands for all commercial vessels to seek permission for transits.
Iran has repeatedly targeted tankers and other ships it accuses of using the strait without its permission, however, seriously limiting the flow of oil and gas out of the Persian gulf since the war began.
U.S. sent more Patriot missiles to protect oil and gas sites in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Axios reports
The U.S. has sent two additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to help protect oil and gas facilities, Axios reported Thursday, citing two U.S. officials and another unnamed regional source.
President Trump has in recent days threatened to resume U.S. strikes on Iran, telling TIME magazine it was possible that he could give the orders after the November U.S. midterm elections, saying: "With Iran, I don't think you could ever have peace."
In August, Mr. Trump threatened possible U.S. strikes on Iranian energy and civilian infrastructure, but Saudi Arabia and Qatar urged him not to give the order, according to Axios, out of concern Iran would retaliate by hitting their oil and gas facilities.
Speaking Thursday, Mr. Trump said he was "ensuring that Iran will be very quickly ended," insisting the Islamic Republic was "ready to fold up" and that he believed the U.S. would win the war "right after the election," if not before the U.S. midterms.
Iran-Iraq flights to resume soon, says Iraqi ambassador
Flights between Iran and Iraq will resume soon, Iraqi Ambassador to Tehran Yasser Abdul Zahra Al-Hajjaj has said, as the two countries work to resolve disruptions to air travel in the wake of the U.S. imposing sanctions that bar virtually all nations and entities from collaborating with Iranian carriers.
Following a meeting with Iranian Transport Minister Farzaneh Sadegh, Al-Hajjaj said the neighboring nations were examining mechanisms and initiatives to address the issue amid what he described as U.S. pressure on air transportation.
He highlighted the large number of Muslim pilgrims, students and businesspeople who typically travel between Iran and Iraq, as well as the countries' extensive economic and social ties.
"Flights between the two countries will resume soon," Al-Hajjaj said, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News agency.
In August the U.S. announced a raft of new sanctions against Iran, including on the country's aviation industry, which has led to multiple countries canceling flights to and from Iran.
Europe discussing plan for diesel stock releases amid pressure from U.S., Reuters reports
European Union nations have discussed a proposed release of additional diesel reserves amid U.S. pressure to ease fuel prices, a source with knowledge of the discussion told the Reuters news agency on Friday.
In a Friday call, various EU governments debated a French proposal for a joint release of 50 million barrels of diesel, the source told Reuters, and for International Energy Agency member countries to release 50 million barrels of crude oil.
The countries also discussed the idea that any agreement on diesel reserve releases should include a commitment from the U.S. to not unilaterally ban diesel exports, the source said. G7 leaders may discuss the proposal further on Friday on a call, Reuters reported.
Saudi coalition accuses Houthis of drone attack on holy city of Medina
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said Thursday that the Houthis struck an electricity distribution station in Medina, Saudi Arabia, a city that is home to the second holiest site in Islam. The alleged attack drew strong condemnation from the Muslim world.
Fighting has intensified significantly in Yemen in recent weeks, with government forces reporting multiple airstrikes on Houthi targets overnight and AFP journalists hearing explosions in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led coalition said the Houthi drone struck Medina's Taibah electricity distribution station, which provides power to the Prophet's Mosque, Islam's second holiest site. The Houthis denied any involvement.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said a drone struck the Taibah electricity distribution station early Tuesday morning.
"The investigation and evidence gathered by the competent authorities have confirmed the involvement of the Terrorist Houthi Militia in planning and executing this cowardly terrorist act, based on after-action review and the wreckage of the drone used," he said in a statement.
The coalition said one transformer was taken out of service without affecting the wider electricity network.
CBS/AFP
Trump says Iran "ready to fold up" and "will be very quickly ended"
Speaking in Denton, Texas, Thursday night at the Peterbilt Motors facility, President Trump said Iran "is ready to fold up."
He said he believed the U.S. would win the war "right after the election," referring to the U.S. midterm elections in early November.
"Maybe before the election," he added.
"I'm ensuring that Iran will be very quickly ended," the president said, promising that U.S. energy prices, which have soared due to the war, would be "rapidly, rapidly coming" down.
Mr. Trump said the U.S. was "trying to be nice" to Iran's current leader, but "we don't know who the hell to deal with, to be honest with you. Nobody wants to be president."
U.S. military deployment in the Middle East set to swell by some 9,000 forces
The USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Group are headed to the Middle East, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News on Thursday.
That could mean a total of three U.S. carrier strike groups and two amphibious ready groups being deployed to the region at the same time, at least unless and until one of the groups is rotated out of the region.
A U.S. official told the Associated Press that some 7,000 sailors and 2,000 U.S. Marines were on their way as part of the deployment. That would bring the total number of U.S. forces in the region to approximately 20,000, along with hundreds of vessels and aircraft.
The forces could arrive by the end of October, the official told the AP.
The USS George H.W. Bush and the USS George Washington are already in the area, along with the USS Boxer amphibious readiness group.
Trump suggests Iran may be linked to FlyDubai incident
President Trump suggested Thursday that Iran could be linked to the alleged attempted hijacking of an Israel-bound FlyDubai plane.
When asked by reporters if he had been briefed about any links between Iran and the co-pilot who allegedly attacked the flight's captain and attempted to crash the plane before being subdued by passengers, Mr. Trump said, "we're working on it right now."
"I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes," Mr. Trump said. "But we're working on it right now."
Mr. Trump did not provide further details.
When asked if the co-pilot could have been working for or with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mr. Trump said he "could've been, yeah."
In response to a question about potential U.S. retaliation if Tehran was connected to the attack, Mr. Trump said, "they'll be hit, very hard, don't worry."
