Day 194 | Tehran threatens vessels in Bahrain, Kuwait after US strikes Iranian tankers
The United States has attacked several Iranian tankers, with local media reporting that crews were evacuated from the vessels following the strikes.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has vowed to retaliate, warning crews aboard ships near Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to evacuate their vessels amid rising tensions in the Gulf.
The United Kingdom says France and Canada will join it in banning goods produced in illegal ‘Israeli’ settlements in the occupied West Bank. The three countries are among 12 that have said they will support or consider trade restrictions on settlement goods as settler violence and settlement expansion continue to escalate.
The US Treasury Department has also imposed sanctions on 36 individuals and entities it says are supporting Iran’s aviation sector, adding to Washington’s growing economic pressure on Tehran.
Meanwhile, forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government have launched counterattacks against the Houthi rebels, with officials saying the campaign aims to retake the capital, Sanaa, from the Iran-aligned group.
Day 195 of the US-‘Israeli’ war on Iran
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Read more: Day 195 | Trump predicts Iran war will end ‘immediately after the election’
Explosion reported near Hormuz: Iran's State TV
Iranian state television reported an explosion echoing from the direction of the Strait of Hormuz, noting that the source and nature of the blast have not yet been disclosed.
Netanyahu, Katz visit military positions in Mount Hermon
- Netanyahu vows ‘Israel’ will block any army from establishing a presence near its border.
- Netanyahu says defeating Iran’s “terror regime” remains the primary strategic objective.
'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz conducted a military visit at the peak of Mount Hermon inside Syrian territory.
The visit follows 'Israel’s' expansion into the United Nations-monitored buffer zone in southern Syria, where 'Israeli' ground forces have maintained positions and conducted observation operations along the strategic mountain ridge.
During the tour of military outposts, Netanyahu addressed the security posture along 'Israel’s' northern frontier following recent regional developments.
"There is still work to be done -- the main task is to bring down the terror regime in Iran. We are very close to that. We know that the entire axis will ultimately collapse," 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on the 'Israel'-Syria border during a visit with Defence Minister Israel Katz.
The appearance by Netanyahu and Katz at the strategic high point—overlooking Damascus and eastern Lebanon—underscores 'Israel’s' intent to preserve operational control over key surveillance vantage points.
'Israeli' officials have consistently claimed that military deployments across the Syrian border zone serve to deter alleged hostile maneuvers and prevent alleged hostile groups from taking root in proximity to 'Israeli'-controlled territory in the Golan Heights.
Satellite images show surge in construction at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site
A suspected Iranian nuclear facility buried deep under granite near the Natanz complex has seen a clear surge in construction activity this year amid the ongoing conflict with the United States, according to a new satellite imagery analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The Pickaxe Mountain site, located roughly 140 miles south of Tehran, has long drawn scrutiny from intelligence agencies as a potential safe haven for Iran’s nuclear program.
Analysts who examined six years of imagery reported that work at the site has shifted from active excavation toward probable internal construction and continued exterior reinforcement.
“There has been a clear surge in construction activity” in 2026, the CSIS team found in findings shared with CNN, including more road activity than ever before, raising and hardening of tunnel portal accesses, paving of the internal road network, reinforcement around access areas, and the flattening and removal of excavated dirt.
The underground facility is “likely” designed as a safe haven for Iran’s nuclear efforts, CSIS analysts said.
Possible purposes include a centrifuge assembly facility, an enrichment site, or a protected location for other nuclear weapons-relevant work such as uranium metal conversion.
‘Israeli’ intelligence has previously suggested Iran may be moving centrifuges there as part of enrichment efforts.
However, the CSIS report cautioned that continuous construction indicates the site “is not yet capable of enrichment work, if that is the intended purpose.”
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike the site. “We may hit Pickaxe very soon,” he told reporters last week, adding that “we know everybody that’s moving” there.
Earlier, he said the United States would hit the area “pretty soon, and very heavily,” and warned Iranians to “be ready.”
The facility was not targeted in earlier US and ‘Israeli’ strikes during the conflict, which has lasted about six months.
The granite mountain poses a major challenge even for the Pentagon’s heaviest non-nuclear bombs.
The site is estimated to lie more than 100 meters (about 330 feet) underground in hard rock, deeper and tougher than facilities struck previously.
A top US general previously noted that deeply buried sites like Isfahan had only their entrances targeted because existing bunker-busters, including the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, were not believed capable of fully destroying them.
There are signs the US is developing ways to strike such hardened targets, according to CNN.
Four days before the launch of Operation Epic Fury, a Defense Threat Reduction Agency program manager signed an emergency $1.2 million contract to repair a unique subterranean test facility at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for a “live-fire test designed to validate classified capabilities against rapidly emerging threats.”
The memo cited a “time-sensitive national security directive,” and sources familiar with the matter linked the plans to the Iran conflict and the need to target Iran’s deepest underground facilities.
Satellite imagery shows excavation work began at the remote White Sands test site between February 16 and 18, aligning with the contract timeline.
The US military is also advancing a “next generation penetrator” bomb to succeed the current Massive Ordnance Penetrator, with a prototype contract awarded in September 2025.
The military maintains operational plans for strikes against Pickaxe involving some of its largest bombs, though it remains unclear whether they can penetrate deeply enough.
A source familiar with the matter told CNN said the Defense Department recently held a “planning sprint” on decisive strikes against underground facilities.
Pickaxe was part of a target package under consideration earlier this summer when Trump threatened escalation.
Meanwhile, construction at the Iranian site continues, with analysts noting the transition toward internal buildout and hardening that could further complicate any potential attack.
Iran Guards say war can end if US stops threats and meets demands
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that the war with the United States could end if Washington stopped threatening the Islamic republic and met Tehran's conditions, including regarding its nuclear programme.
"If the enemy wants an end to this situation, it must, while completely stopping the war, refrain from renewed threats, withdraw the Israeli regime's army from Lebanon, end the blockade of Yemen, release $24 billion in Iran's frozen assets and refrain from any interference in the country's nuclear and missile capabilities," IRGC Spokesman Hossein Mohebi said, according to the Fars news agency.
Iran condemns US attacks on tankers as threat to regional security
Iran's foreign ministry on Wednesday strongly condemned US strikes on its oil tankers, describing the attacks the previous day as a threat to regional security.
"The aggressive actions by the United States against Iranian commercial vessels not only increase the dangers of tensions in the region but are also considered an overt threat to regional and international peace and security," the ministry said in a statement.
US says destroyed 10 Iranian tankers in past week
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday rejected claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it struck two US Navy destroyers in the Middle East.
CENTCOM said no US warships were hit and that all recent IRGC attempted attacks failed.
It added that US forces have destroyed 10 Iranian tankers over the past week.
CLAIM: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces have claimed they struck two U.S. Navy destroyers operating in the Middle East. This is completely FALSE.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 9, 2026
FACT: No U.S. Navy warship has been struck; all IRGC attempted attacks failed. Meanwhile, U.S. forces… pic.twitter.com/yfC4OcwZ1f
The vessels were part of a shadow network that funds the IRGC, according to the command.
The statement follows Iranian claims of ballistic missile strikes on US ships and comes amid a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and recent exchanges in which CENTCOM reported destroying Iranian oil carriers after failed IRGC missile attacks on American vessels.
Several ships hit by “disabling fire” in Gulf waters: UKMTO
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received reports that several merchant vessels were subjected to disabling fire in the Northern Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
The agency said it was unable to confirm whether there had been any casualties or environmental impact.
VIDEO - Iran says it seized unmanned US submarine drone in Hormuz
Images by Iranian state television IRIB show what they say is an American submarine drone seized in the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military says that one of its underwater drones "malfunctioned" more than a day earlier, after Iran said its forces captured an American unmanned submarine in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
VIDEO - Jordanians cheer as Iranian missiles intercepted in sky
Jordanians in a hilltop café cheering, watching and recording as air defense systems intercepted Iranian missiles overnight.
Six cargo vessels transit Strait of Hormuz
Data from shipping analytics firm Kpler showed that six cargo vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
The figure represents a decline from the average number of cargo vessels passing through the strategic waterway in recent days.
IRGC claims strikes on two US vessels, eight oil tankers
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted two US vessels and eight oil tankers in Gulf waters.
M/T Riesco sinks in Gulf of Oman, CENTCOM says
The M/T Riesco sank in the Gulf of Oman on September 8 after being destroyed by US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, the command said.
CENTCOM said the action came in response to attempted ballistic missile attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against a US Navy warship.
Pakistan says Houthi attacks could trigger defense pact
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia from Yemen could trigger the implementation of a mutual defense agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
In televised remarks, Asif said Islamabad was "obligated to provide assistance" to Saudi Arabia, arguing that the trilateral Mecca agreement considers an attack on any of the three countries an attack on all of them.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Houthi attacks, saying strikes on residential areas and infrastructure threaten regional security and endanger civilians.
The statements follow missile and drone attacks targeting the Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Najran and Jazan.
Saudi authorities said the attacks injured 73 people and caused damage to several economic facilities.
Watch: Iran releases footage of Kheibarshekan missile launches
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated media released footage showing launches of Kheibarshekan ballistic missiles as part of what it called the “Warning to the Aggressor” operation.
The IRGC said the missiles targeted US destroyers and warships.
IRGC claims it targeted two US destroyers
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted two US destroyers with ballistic missiles, claiming the warships sustained significant damage.
The IRGC said the destroyers were equipped with cruise missiles and Aegis air-defense systems.
It described the strikes as a response to what it called US "aggressive actions" against Iranian oil tankers and vessels.
The IRGC also said it was determined to respond to what it described as "desperate actions" by the US administration, warning Washington against making a "miscalculation."
Jordan says 18 Iranian ballistic missiles intercepted
Jordan’s Armed Forces said the kingdom came under a missile attack originating from Iranian territory in recent hours.
The military said its air-defense systems engaged 20 ballistic missiles launched toward Jordanian territory, successfully intercepting and destroying 18 of them. Two missiles fell in areas away from population centers, it said.
According to the military’s field assessment, no deaths were recorded as a result of the attack.
Specialized teams have begun securing locations where missile fragments and debris fell and are assessing the surrounding areas.
The Armed Forces urged residents not to approach, touch or move any unidentified objects or fragments and to immediately notify authorities if they are found.
Jordanian authorities said air-surveillance, warning and air-defense systems remain at the highest levels of readiness as the military continues to monitor developments and assess potential threats.
Watch: Interceptions seen in the sky of Jordan
Missile interceptions were seen in the skies over Jordan, according to a Roya News correspondent.
Commercial vessel reportedly intercepted in Strait of Hormuz
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report concerning a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the report, the vessel was subjected to an intervention as part of ongoing military activities in the area.
US says it destroyed five Iranian oil carriers
US Central Command said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on September 8, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles on two occasions over the previous two days.
According to CENTCOM, the US warship successfully evaded both attacks and continued patrolling regional waters.
The command said no US personnel were injured in the Iranian attacks.
CENTCOM did not provide further details on the locations of the five oil carriers or the circumstances surrounding their destruction.
