Donald Trump‘s military chief is seeking an “off-ramp “ from the ongoing war in Iran, according to a new report.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine has privately told other top administration officials that the country needs to find a way to exit the war, according to CNN, which cited three sources familiar with the matter.
Despite Trump claiming throughout the war that a peace deal, which would include his demand that Iran never obtain a nuclear weapon, was within reach, fighting has continued for more than five months.
It comes as the United Arab Emirates condemned an Iranian missile attack on its carrier as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz today, accusing Tehran of "acts of piracy".
State news agency WAM initially reported ADNOC as saying one of its vessels had been targeted by a missile early on Saturday and that the situation was under control.
The UAE Foreign Ministry later condemned what it called "the hostile Iranian attack" on an ADNOC vessel.
Two Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon explosion as military announces first deaths since fragile Hezbollah truce
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion in southern Lebanon on Thursday, marking the first Israeli fatalities since a fragile truce between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah was implemented in June.
Four additional soldiers sustained serious injuries, the military said. The deaths had been reported by Israeli media the previous day.
An Israeli military official, speaking anonymously in line with army policy, stated that "an explosion was detonated" as the soldiers entered a site in the village of Majdal Zoun, adding that the nature of the explosive device was under investigation.
UAE oil tanker attacked by missile in Strait of Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates condemned an Iranian missile attack on its carrier as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz today, accusing Tehran of "acts of piracy".
State news agency WAM initially reported ADNOC as saying one of its vessels had been targeted by a missile early on Saturday and that the situation was under control.
The UAE Foreign Ministry later condemned what it called "the hostile Iranian attack" on an ADNOC vessel.
Neither statement gave details on the tanker, its cargo or possible damage. No injuries were reported.
The ministry said the attack violated a U.N. Security Council resolution on freedom of navigation and accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of "acts of piracy" by targeting commercial shipping and using the waterway as a tool of economic pressure.
It called on Iran to halt the attacks and reopen the strait fully and unconditionally.
Fallout from war in Iran is leaving millions vulnerable to hunger
As the US, Iran and Oman edge towards an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, months of insecurity and disruption are leaving millions more vulnerable to hunger in Yemen.
The economic fallout from the regional conflict has driven up food and fuel prices, while more than four months of conflict with Iran has driven renewed escalation in Yemen, compounding one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
More than half the population were already facing hunger, but slow progress from world leaders to re-open the Strait has caused months of disruption to global food and energy supplies, disrupting humanitarian aid operations.
Watch: Trump says he would rather make deal to end Iran war because he 'doesn't want to kill people'
Pentagon urges defence industry to hurry up making weapons
The Pentagon has asked the US defence industry to ramp up production of weapons amid reports of depleted stockpiles due to the war in Iran, according to a memo.
The Washington Post reports that secretary Steve Feinberg told industry leaders on Wednesday that they had 3 weeks to bring together plants to “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities”.
“We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now,” he was reported to have said.
Trump says voters are angry with Republicans – but not him – as midterms near
President Donald Trump acknowledged that the odds are stacked against him in the upcoming midterm election, saying voters are angry with Republicans – yet still maintained that he was exempt from their growing frustrations.
With roughly three months until the midterms, the president and his allies are stumping for Republican candidates and tearing down Democratic policies in the hopes of maintaining the GOP’s narrow majority in Congress. But it’s an uphill battle for Trump – who can no longer appear on the ballot – as he faces record-low approval ratings and blame for higher costs due to the unpopular war with Iran.
“The question is, will they vote? Because a lot of them are very angry at Republicans, to be honest with you,” Trump toldPunchbowl News**in an interview that aired Friday.
Editorial: A deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz nears – but Iran now holds all the cards
As far as can be judged, there have been no direct talks between the United States and Iran for at least a month. But peace, of sorts, may shortly be at hand again.
In recent weeks, highly motivated and constructive talks between Iran and Oman, the two nations on either side of the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway, have been taking place. These discussions have been brokered by another party with vested interests, Qatar, which relies on gas exports through the Strait.
Read more here:
Iran says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until US meets six demands
Iran’s top security official has said the Strait of Hormuz would remain shut until the US meets six demands, including compensation for the war.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said on Saturday that the US must end all of its military interventions across the region before the strait can reopen fully to traffic.
He also demanded that all US forces pull back from around Iran, that Washington should compensate Tehran for “the two wars of aggression”, and that it should lift its sanctions.
Iran's president says now is best time for an agreement- Iranian media
Iran president Masoud Pezeshkian said now is the best time for an agreement because Iran is “strong and united and seen as victorious in war,” Iranian media reported.
What compensation does Iran want from the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
The head of Iran’s supreme national security council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, has said that the Strait of Hormuz will remain shut until the US meets six conditions.
In comments carried by Iran’s IRNA news agency on Saturday, Zolghadr laid out his terms.
Included in full, in his words, these were:
1 - Never threaten Iran with any language or insult the sanctities of this nation.
2- End the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq forever.
3- Lift the naval blockade and withdraw its military forces (naval and air) from around Iran.
4 - Pay the damages of the two wars of aggression and imposition on Iran without any reduction or reduction.
5 - Lift the cruel and illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation.
6- Unconditionally release the frozen and stolen assets of the Iranian people.