Iran-US war latest: Trump gives new reason to start conflict after threatening to hit Iran ‘very hard’

Two Iranian nationals have been charged with planning a terrorist attack against the Jewish community in Britain on or before Yom Kippur.

The UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said yesterday that the two had been charged with preparing or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism in Manchester “on or before” Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

“It is alleged that the two men were in contact with a foreign third party who may be in Iran in relation to the plot,” police said in a statement.

Iranian airlines, except Mahan Air, are allowed 40 daily flights to and from Iraq’s Najaf International Airport, the Iraqi president’s office said today.

Iraq had previously halted flights to and from Iran last week following US sanctions.

But the Iraqi government sought exemptions for travel related to pilgrimage, medical treatment and education.

“The Prime Minister appreciates the positive response of the US government to Iraqi efforts and its cooperation in granting the requested exemption,” it said in a statement.

The US president’s top cabinet members are said to have met secretly at Camp David to discuss the next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen.

The meeting was chaired by Vice President Vance and included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House Envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, according to Axios.

“Things have been decided or at least discussed in depth,” said one of the officials.

A crude oil tanker was hit by an unknown projectile off Oman, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said today.

Authorities are investigating the incident, and vessels passing through the area have been advised to exercise caution.

All crew members of the tanker are safe, and no environmental impacts have been reported so far, according to UKMTO.

The ship’s master reported that the ship was hit on its port side about 4 nautical miles (5 miles) east of Oman.

US President Donald Trump said he did not authorize an export ban on diesel, hours after the G7 countries announced they would release diesel from their emergency reserves.

“Europe has a lot of diesel, and they’re going to make a big global contribution, and so are we, and we’re not going to do the export ban,” Trump told reporters today.

“We will never do it,” he said after he floated the idea in recent days.

Trump’s comments come after the Group of Seven major economies, including the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy, said they would release 100 million barrels of fuel over the next four months, including “a front-loaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days.”

Around 9,000 US soldiers are being deployed to the Middle East aboard a group of ships after Donald Trump warned that new strikes against Iran could be on the horizon.

The group of ships now en route to the Middle East are carrying a combined total of over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines.

It includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which recently deployed with the cruiser USS Chosin, and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group, which includes the USS John P. Murtha and USS Anchorage amphibious landing ships.

It could mean three carriers in the region as early as the end of October, according to a US official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

President Trump also said early indications suggest Iran is connected to the co-pilot who stabbed its captain and tried to crash an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday.

He warned that if the link with Iran was established, the United States would retaliate.

“Oh, they will be hit, very hard, don’t worry,” he said. “You just ask them. They know what happened. They are hit very hard.”

Speaking at an event organized by the Asia Society in New York, Mr Jaishankar said the two conflicts had “a devastating impact” on the economies of the Global South, and that energy, food, fertilizer and finance were under strain at the same time.

“When you have energy as a big crunch and then food and fertilizer on top, and finance, because every time there’s a conflict, money goes to safe havens and away from the Global South, the net result of that has been really very, very stressful,” he said.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will continue to defend itself but remains open to discussions with America.

According to state media, he said on Thursday that the United States “must get over the idea of ​​bringing us to our knees with terror and martyrdom.”

Pezeshkian added: “We defend the rights of our society with dignity and pride, and we have never run away from dialogue and will not do so, although the United States has targeted our country three times, although it has signed the agreement.

“The enemies thought that with the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the people, commanders and scientists – the country – would collapse, but our national and internal unity and cohesion increased.”