US-Iran war news LIVE: JD Vance says fight against Iran not ‘war’ as Trump preempts mid-term conflict | Today’s news
US-Iran War News LIVE: US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday rejected the use of the word “war” to describe the ongoing fighting between the United States and Iran as he avoided predictions that the six-month-old conflict would end before the November election. Asked if the fighting could end before the upcoming November midterms, Vance said, “I wouldn’t call it a war,” adding, “There’s no active shooting going on right now.” His remarks come nearly a week after Washington launched another attack on Tehran targeting Lakar Island, with Tehran retaliating by attacking US forces stationed in the Middle East.
“All options against Iran on the table, including covert pressure”: Vance
Vance said on Thursday (local time) that US President Donald Trump’s administration has a range of options to deal with Tehran, including economic, military, diplomatic and covert measures, as tensions between the two sides continue to escalate after Washington carried out a new round of strikes earlier this week. He said: “There are a lot of other tools at our disposal. Some of them the president will use and some of them he won’t,” adding: “But everything that can happen is on the table. Economic pressure, military pressure, diplomatic pressure, covert pressure. Of course, those are tools in the president’s toolbox.”
Iran attacks US targets as Washington says it investigates wedding attack
Tehran said on Thursday it had targeted US military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and vowed to avenge the wedding attack, which it blames on Washington, as Vance said the attack was being investigated. The Kuwaiti military said it had intercepted a missile and drone attack from the Islamic Republic, with the latter reporting that it hit US facilities at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base with “missiles and drones”. The strikes came after Iran’s Red Crescent said a rocket attack on a wedding in Iran’s coastal city of Kuhestak on Tuesday evening killed four people, including a child, and injured more than 50.
South Korea prepares military deployment in Hormuz: Report
South Korea is reportedly preparing to deploy military assets to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and intends to send them by the end of the year, Reuters reported, citing government sources. The government was considering options including sending a maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support vessel or a mine detection and clearance unit, and was discussing the scope and nature of potential contribution with countries including the United States, Britain and France.
Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for all the latest updates on the US-Iran war.
