Here's the latest
• Threats traded: President Donald Trump says the US will “destroy one bridge or power plant” every time Iran targets a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran in turn will hit infrastructure and energy facilities across the region, an official told Iranian media.
• Pickaxe Mountain: Tehran has accused Washington of using Pickaxe Mountain as a pretext for further attacks, after Trump earlier also threatened to attack the suspected underground nuclear site.
• Dignified transfer: Trump attended a dignified transfer of four US service members who were killed in the war.
• Diplomatic move: The British government said it is temporarily withdrawing its diplomatic staff from Iran due to the security situation.
• US-Saudi deal: Meanwhile, Trump has approved a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could allow the kingdom to enrich its own fuel for civilian reactors without adopting the “gold standard” of international oversight, according to officials.
Trump invites family of fallen soldier to fly on Air Force One
Speaking at an event in Marietta, Georgia today, President Donald Trump described meeting with and inviting the family of a soldier killed during the US-Iran war to fly with him on Air Force One onward to Georgia.
Trump had attended the dignified transfer of the four US service members killed in the war at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Hear Trump recount the experience here:
Speaking at an event in Marietta, President Trump described meeting with and inviting the family of a fallen soldier killed during the Iran war to fly with him aboard Air Force One onward to Georgia.
Iran claims oil tanker caught fire following explosion near Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday an oil tanker caught fire following an explosion, after it attempted to pass what the IRGC described as the mined route south of the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters news agency reported.
Another two oil tankers turned back, the IRGC said.
The IRGC did not give timing for the incidents or further details. CNN cannot independently verify the claims.
Iran claims the Strait of Hormuz is under their control and have frequently attacked vessels that do not adhere to its instructions.
Threat: On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump warned the US will destroy a bridge or power plant every time Iran targets a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The UKMTO, an independent body which monitors shipping lanes, has not yet registered any attacks in the Hormuz region in the last 24 hours. It has reported a recent attack in the Red Sea area, which the Iran-backed Houthis militia based in Yemen have claimed responsibility for.
US launches fresh attacks on Iran as leaders trade threats. What to know
The US military is launching more strikes against Iran, US Central Command said in a social media post.
It comes as the two countries have been trading threats to hit critical infrastructure.
Here’s a rundown on the latest:
- Tonight’s strikes mark the 12th consecutive night of US attacks against Iran. The US military said the strikes are meant to “further degrade” Iran’s ability to threaten commercial vessels in regional waters.
- Earlier today, President Donald Trump said the US will “bomb and destroy” a bridge or power plant every time Iran targets a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has accused the US of using Pickaxe Mountain as an excuse for more attacks after Trump threatened to attack the suspected underground nuclear site.
- Trump attended the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base of four military service members killed in the war in Iran. Later, during a speech at a high school in Georgia, he honored one of the fallen whose remains were transferred today and said it was “very tough to watch.”
- The new director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, Roman Gofman, met with senior Trump administration officials during a visit two weeks ago to Washington, DC, a source told CNN. Gofman shared intelligence on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, uranium and the economy, the source said.
- The British government is pulling its diplomatic staff from Iran due to the security situation in the country, the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) announced.
CNN’s Aleena Fayaz, Alejandra Jaramillo, Tal Shalev, Sophie Tanno and August Phillips contributed reporting to this post.
US launches new wave of strikes against Iran
The US military is launching more strikes against Iran, US Central Command said in a social media post.
“At 5:30 p.m. ET today, U.S. forces began launching more strikes against Iranian military targets at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” CENTCOM said on X.
The US military said the strikes are meant to “further degrade” Iran’s ability to threaten commercial vessels in regional waters. Tonight’s strikes mark the 12th consecutive night of US strikes against Iran.
Houthis claim they attacked 2 Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claimed to have struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea early on Thursday morning local time.
In a statement, the militant group identified the targeted vessels as the Layla (IMO 9336098) and the Encelia (9240172). Both are Saudi-flagged.
A Houthi spokesman said the ships “violated the blockade in the Red Sea,” and claimed that they attacked the two vessels with multiple drones and missiles.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an incident of a tanker being struck by an “unknown projectile” while it transited the Red Sea, around 70 nautical miles southwest of the Saudi Arabian town of Al Shuqaiq.
The projectile caused a fire, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or environmental impact, UKMTO said. Authorities are investigating the matter, it added.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the Houthis’ claims and CNN cannot independently verify them.
On Monday, the Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi ships sailing through the Red Sea.
Trump honors fallen soldier while in Georgia, says dignified transfer "very tough to watch"
Hours after attending the dignified transfer of four US soldiers killed in the war with Iran, President Donald Trump honored one of the fallen whose remains were transferred at Dover Air Force Base — a sight, he said, that was “very tough to watch.”
“And I just left Dover Air Force Base, which is an incredible place, but oftentimes very sad because that’s when they bring the bodies of our patriot warriors,” Trump told a crowd in Georgia, before adding that today’s transfer was “in particular something very sad.”
President Trump attended the dignified transfer of US service members who lost their lives in the war with Iran. The Pentagon said four US service members were killed over the weekend, including three at a military base in Jordan and one in northern Iraq. The video of the dignified transfer is silent out of respect for the grieving families.
Trump recounted how he invited the family of 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan to fly with him to Georgia aboard Air Force One after learning they were traveling to the state.
“I said, ‘So if you want, I’ll give you a ride on Air Force One,” Trump said, adding that the family responded, “Wow, wow.”
The president praised Feehan, saying, “He would have been a general very quickly.” And he thanked Feehan’s family for attending the Georgia event — which was about touting the administration’s Trump Accounts and other economic initatives.
The crowd clapped and cheered for the family, as the president pointed up at the ceiling. “He’s looking down right here. He’s so proud right now,” Trump said.
And he again reflected on how attending dignified transfers is among the hardest parts of his job. “Standing there watching this sight, which is very tough to watch, to be honest with you, very tough. I think it’s the toughest thing I do,” Trump said.
Mossad director met with Trump officials in DC, source says
The new director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, Roman Gofman, met with senior Trump administration officials during a visit two weeks ago to Washington, DC, a source told CNN on Wednesday.
The source said that Gofman shared intelligence on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, uranium and economy. Pickaxe Mountain is a fortified underground site that has been linked to Iran’s nuclear program.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. The CIA declined to comment.
Gofman became the leader of Mossad earlier this year after serving as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary.
UK pulls diplomatic staff from Iran
The British government is pulling its diplomatic staff from Iran, the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) announced Wednesday evening.
British staff have been temporarily withdrawn from the country due to the security situation, the FCDO said in a statement.
The British Embassy in Iran continues to operate remotely, it added.
What to know now: US and Iran threaten infrastructure as Trump attends dignified transfer
As the US and Iran have ramped up attacks in the past few weeks, the two countries are trading threats today to hit critical infrastructure.
Back in the US, President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of four American service members who were killed in recent days due to the war.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what’s happening:
- Infrastructure threats: President Donald Trump said the US will “bomb and destroy” a bridge or power plant every time Iran targets a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, a senior Iranian official said that Tehran would strike “infrastructure and bridges across the region,” according to semi-official news agency Tasnim.
- Fallen soldiers honored: Trump attended the dignified transfer of four US soldiers who’ve been recently killed in the Iran war. Before he departed for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, he called it “one of the hardest things to do as a president.”
- In Iran: The Iranian Health Ministry said US strikes have killed at least 53 people since July 6, and Tasnim reported nearly 600 others have been injured in Iran. Iranian news media has also reported skyrocketing food prices as a result of the war.
- Potential political backlash: While Trump said today that “Americans aren’t against the war,” polling suggests otherwise. GOP Sen. Rand Paul told CNN that the war could cause political backlash for Republicans in the November midterms. “The Iran war has not been a success. … I think, by any objective measure, we’re worse off,” he said.
- Pickaxe Mountain: Iran has accused the US of using Pickaxe Mountain as an excuse for more attacks, after Trump threatened to attack the suspected underground nuclear site.
CNN’s Logan Schiciano, Sana Noor Haq, Alejandra Jaramillo, Kevin Liptak, Sophie Tanno and Manu Raju contributed reporting.
Food prices in Iran said to skyrocket as conflict hits consumers
Food prices in Iran have skyrocketed, according to Iranian news media, as fallout from the war with the United States hits consumers.
Last month, Iran’s Khabar Online news agency reported an “unprecedented” hike in food prices over the past year, adding that this has become a “major public concern” in Iran. The prices of certain food items have increased by 300% to 400%, it said.
Rajanews, an Iranian news website with ties to a hard-line political faction, claimed that food prices in Iran have tripled since the start of President Mahmoud Pezeshkian’s term in July 2024.
The price of vegetable oil has shot up by 431% from May 2025 to May 2026, according to Khabar Online, while the price of eggs has increased by 342%. The price of chicken has increased by a similar amount, it said.
The news outlet pointed to the Twelve-Day War between Israel and Iran in June 2025, as well as the current US-Iranian conflict, as major reasons for the hike in food prices.
Overall, the latest year-on-year inflation has hit the Iranian province of Hormozgan the hardest, with a rate of 101.4%. The province, of which the port city of Bandar Abbas is the capital, borders the Strait of Hormuz.
The provinces of Khuzestan and Bushehr are next, with inflation rates of 98.9% and 96.5% respectively, Iran’s Nournews, which is affiliated with the government’s Supreme National Security Council, reported.
Trump attends dignified transfer of four US soldiers
President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of four US soldiers killed in the Iran war, appearing at the solemn event at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday after meeting privately with their families.
During the transfer — which marks the return of the service members’ remains to the United States — transfer cases are used to transport them before they are taken to their final resting places.
The four service members honored were 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, Staff Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales. The order of the transfer was determined by rank, according to Dover Air Force Base. A total of 18 US service members have been killed in the war.
Feehan’s family will be flying to Georgia with Trump, who’s holding an event there later today. “They are from Georgia, and the President offered to give them a ride home,” a White House official said.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump was asked what he planned to say to the families of the fallen.
“Well, all I’m going to say is, ‘we love you, we love your child,’ and that’s what they are to them, they’re their children,” Trump told reporters. “No games, no nothing, that’s their child, and all you can do is throw out your heart,” he added.
Here’s what we know about the 4 US service members recently killed
The dignified transfer of four US service members killed in fighting with Iran will take place today at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
They are among the 18 US troops killed in connection with the war in Iran.
As more details emerge, here’s what we know about the four service members:
- Lt. Tyler Feehan, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, died July 18 in Jordan, the Department of Defense said. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Known by loved ones as “Tivo,” Feehan was looking forward to marrying his partner after his deployment. He also planned to go to law school as another way to serve others. His family said he quoted the movie “Legally Blonde” often about studying law, saying: “What, like it’s hard?”
- Pvt. Isabella Gonzales just graduated from high school last spring before enlisting in the Army, her Texas high school told CNN. The 19-year-old from Carrollton, Texas, died in the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base strikes in Jordan on July 17, the Department of Defense said. In her late teens, Gonzales exuded a level of self-confidence many spend their whole lives trying to find, her friend Jade Pena told CNN. “No matter where life took her, she never stopped being herself,” Pena said. “She remained kind, genuine, and full of light. I miss her so much.”
- Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, was killed in action during the same Friday attack in Jordan, according to the Pentagon. The soldier was previously listed as missing by US Central Command. Rampersad was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52d Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, Ansbach, Germany. She served as a 25U Signal Operations Support Specialist, the Defense Department said in its statement.
- Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed on July 19. The Defense Department on Tuesday identified Swinton as another service member who was killed in action during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq. Swinton, 30, “answered the call to duty with courage, honor, and selfless dedication,” the Defense Department said.
Tehran warns of strikes on bridges in region after Trump threatened Iran's infrastructure
A senior Iranian official has warned Tehran will consider “striking infrastructure and bridges across the region,” after US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy one “bridge or power plant” everytime Iran targets a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
“If the Americans target an Iranian bridge or power plant, Iran will respond by striking infrastructure and bridges across the region, including energy facilities in which the United States has interests,” the unnamed official was reported as saying by the Iranian semi-official news agency, Tasnim.
“The Americans should by now, after these past ten days, be fully convinced that Iran strikes wherever it decides to strike. Therefore, any such gamble by Trump will once again end in his embarrassment,” the official added.
Tehran will also “exercise its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz,” the Iranian military official said Wednesday, adding that authorities “will not relinquish (their) firm resolve to control the Strait.”
CNN’s Logan Schiciano contributed reporting.
Trump lands at Dover Air Force Base for dignified transfer
President Donald Trump has landed at Dover Air Force Base, where he is set to attend the dignified transfer of the four US service members who were recently killed in the Iran war.
The president will meet privately with the families of the fallen service members before the dignified transfer, according to a White House official.
This is the third dignified transfer Trump has attended since the war began.
Trump said earlier Wednesday that receiving the remains of fallen American troops is “one of the hardest things to do as a president.”
Trump claims Americans "aren't against the war" despite polling to the contrary
President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that “Americans aren’t against” the US war with Iran, arguing that public concerns are about gas prices rather than the military campaign itself.
“Americans aren’t against the war,” Trump told reporters before departing for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where he is set to attend the dignified transfer of US service members killed in the war.
“A poll, a poll just came out, Americans don’t want high gasoline prices, but they’re not against the war,” Trump added.
Trump’s comments come as recent polling suggests otherwise. In a Washington Post-Ipsos survey released last week, 68% of Americans said the war was not “worth fighting,” while 28% said it was. (That negative 40-point split was worse than for either the Iraq or Afghanistan wars in Washington Post-ABC News polling.)
That survey was among the latest to show a majority of Americans opposing the war, which Trump launched in late February.
Trump says receiving fallen service members is one of hardest parts of his job
President Donald Trump said receiving the remains of fallen American service members is among the hardest tasks of his job.
Speaking on his way to Dover Air Force Base for the dignified transfer of troops killed in the Iran war, Trump said his intention was to honor their sacrifice.
“We honor our heroes, and they are indeed great heroes. Actually, they said, and all of them said very strongly, we can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.
When he meets privately with families of the fallen in Dover, Trump said he would convey his love.
“All I’m going to say is, we love you. We love your child, and that’s what they are to them. They’re their children. No games, no nothing,” he said.
Three of the service members returning to the US on Wednesday were killed during an Iranian strike on a military base in Jordan. The fourth was killed during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
Trump, who declined to weigh in on the precise circumstances that led to the deaths, said Iran would “pay a big price.”
“They’re being decimated,” he said, noting there was an investigation into the incident in Jordan.
US attacks on Iran have killed 53 people since early July, Iranian Health Ministry says
At least 53 people have been killed by US strikes on Iran since July 6, according to the Iranian Ministry of Health, as regional violence flared this month.
Nearly 600 others have been injured in Iran, the country’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported Wednesday, citing the Health Ministry.
Washington escalated attacks on Iran earlier this month after Tehran struck several commercial ships along the Strait of Hormuz — a key waterway that has emerged as a bargaining chip in fractious negotiations between the warring parties.
Over the weekend, at least three US service members were killed in Iranian attacks across the region, the Pentagon said. The US also located unidentified remains in Jordan after a service member was listed as missing in action.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo contributed reporting.
Trump threatens to "destroy one bridge or power plant" every time Iran hits ships in Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the US will “bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT” every time Iran targets a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump has previously threatened to target Iranian civilian infrastructure — which could be considered a war crime — including in an interview with Fox News last week when he said the US would “knock out all (Iran’s) bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”
Trump authorizes US-Saudi nuclear deal, as Senate seeks answers on cost of Iran war. Catch up here.
US President Donald Trump has authorized a nuclear pact that could lead to Saudi Arabia enriching its own fuel for civilian reactors, according to a US official.
Reports of the deal caused anger in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political opponents seized on the risk that enriched nuclear fuel could potentially allow Riyadh to produce nuclear weapons.
The US military waged an 11th night of strikes on Iran, broadening the scope of its airstrikes into the west and south of the country, according to Iranian state media. Footage geolocated by CNN showed amorphous black clouds rolling near an airport in Behbahan, Khuzestan province.
Top US lawmakers pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a timeline and military budget on a war that is dividing the Senate and costing more human lives every day.
Here’s what you need to know:
- US-Saudi civilian nuclear deal: The agreement approved by Trump stipulates limits on what inspections might be carried out on the Saudi program, a US official told CNN on Wednesday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier refused to give details after multiple media outlets – including CNN – reported on the tentative agreement.
- Iran fires missiles towards Jordan: The Jordanian military “shot down four drones” from Tehran on Wednesday, the country’s armed forces said in a statement. The two remaining missiles fell in “two remote, uninhabited areas,” the statement added. No one was injured or killed.
- EU warns certain ships to avoid Red Sea: Boats tied to Israel, the United States or Saudi Arabia should avoid the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden near Yemen, the European Union’s naval mission said on Wednesday, after the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipping through Bab al-Mandeb – a crucial maritime hatch in the region. Four tankers bound for the strait have turned back, according to trade intelligence firm, Kpler.
- Oil prices spike: The cost of Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, rose 4% to $94.66 a barrel at 8 a.m. ET. The latest spike came as “strikes between the US and Iran have showed no sign of easing,” Deutsche Bank wrote in a note.
- Dignified transfer of slain US troops: A dignified transportation of four US service members killed in fighting with Iran will take place on Wednesday, a Trump administration official told CNN. The troops will be taken to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, according to the official.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Sean Lyngaas, Hanna Ziady, Izzy Lippolis, Kit Maher, Lex Harvey, Mostafa Salem, Jomana Karadsheh and Ibrahim Dahman contributed reporting.
Oil tankers turn back in the Red Sea as Houthis threaten commercial ships
Vessels bound for the Bab al-Mandeb strait in the Red Sea are turning back, shipping data shows, as Houthi rebels in Yemen threaten to blockade another critical oil chokepoint.
Kpler, a trade intelligence firm, identified four “genuine U-turn cases” on Monday and Tuesday, in the waterway, which connects the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, according to a statement Wednesday.
Bab al-Mandeb has become a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz for Saudi Arabia’s oil exports. The Houthis have warned Saudi vessels against transiting the strait, which has become a conduit for about 6.2 million barrels of oil a day over the past month, according to Kpler, or about 6% of global oil supply. The vast majority of that is Saudi oil.
Windward Intelligence, another maritime analytics firm, said Tuesday that five tankers bound for the Bab al-Mandeb strait turned back because of the Houthi threat, “four of them carrying Saudi-origin cargo.”
A full blockade of Bab al-Mandeb could send oil prices back above $100 a barrel, according to Dan Pickering, chief investment officer at Pickering Energy Partners.
Read our report about how Bab al-Mandeb has become a new front in the Iran war.
CNN’s David Goldman contributed reporting.
