Trump says Iran is in ‘deep trouble’ as war hits 6 months
President Donald Trump said the Iranian regime is under strain as the Treasury Department is applying pressure again Tehran with Operation Economic Outcast. Trump said Iran is “not paying their troops.”
Iran supreme leader warns against political infighting as war hits 6 months
Iran’s supreme leader called for political unity Friday, warning government officials against rhetoric that could deepen divisions or undermine public confidence as the war with the U.S. reaches the six-month mark.
“I firmly declare that committing anything that harms social cohesion is forbidden,” Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written message published on the Telegram channel “News of the Martyr Leader.”
Khamenei also pushed back against framing Iran’s choices as competing political camps, citing divisions such as “war or negotiations,” “consensus or extremism” and “compromise or warmongering.”
He urged officials to project Iran’s “power and strength” and avoid “discouraging statements that weaken national and public motivation,” arguing that emphasizing the country's vulnerabilities could aid its adversaries.
Khamenei has remained out of public view since the war began Feb. 28. He succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, as supreme leader following his death.
White House rapid response account attacks Durbin over Iran war criticism
The White House rapid response account attacked Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., on Friday after the senator criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the war with Iran.
Durbin argued that the conflict had dragged on for six months despite Trump previously promising a swift end to the fighting.
“In February, President Trump promised a swift conflict with Iran. Six months later, we are still at war, the Strait of Hormuz is still held hostage by Iran, American troops have been killed and wounded, and prices are soaring at home.”
The Rapid Response 47 account responded by disputing Durbin’s characterization of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and accusing him of spreading Iranian propaganda.
“You're a moron, Dick. Iran hasn't exported a single barrel of oil from its shores since the blockade resumed — but U.S. forces have escorted 1,500 vessels and 750 million barrels of crude. You're just peddling the Islamic Republic's propaganda.”
Durbin also called on Trump to provide what he described as a clear path for ending the conflict.
IRGC warns of internal unrest, accuses Mossad of building covert network
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Thursday of efforts to stir unrest inside the country while accusing Israel’s Mossad of developing a covert operation aimed at applying pressure from within Iran.
The IRGC Intelligence Organization alleged that Iran’s adversaries are attempting to undermine domestic stability and weaken public resolve.
It said those efforts include attempts to turn dissatisfaction inside the country into street demonstrations.
The intelligence organization also claimed it was tracking a Mossad operation designed to establish a secret network inside Iran.
According to the IRGC, the alleged effort involves recruiting local contacts and working with groups inside the country, as well as carrying out sabotage operations.
Tlaib blasts Trump administration on 6-month mark of Iran war
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., criticized the Trump administration Friday as the U.S. war with Iran reached the six-month mark.
“Today marks 6 months since the Trump administration launched its illegal and immoral war on the people of Iran. This act of imperial aggression has claimed thousands of innocent lives, put the U.S. and global economies on the brink, and caused suffering for millions. No more war,” Tlaib wrote on X.
Tlaib also resurfaced a post she made Feb. 28, when the war began, in which she opposed U.S. military action against Iran.
The Michigan Democrat has remained a vocal critic of the war and has repeatedly called for an end to U.S. military involvement.
Her comments come as other congressional Democrats, including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Jack Reed, have criticized the Trump administration's handling of the conflict on its six-month anniversary.
Sen Reed accuses Trump of not delivering on Iran war promises
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., accused President Donald Trump on Friday of not accomplishing a “single objective” in the U.S. war against Iran.
“President Trump has entangled the United States in a foreign policy failure of historic consequence. When he unilaterally launched this war, Trump promised he would destroy Iran’s nuclear program, eliminate its missile and drone arsenal, dismantle its defense industrial base, wipe out its proxy networks, and topple the regime in a matter of weeks,” the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee said in a statement.
“Six months later, not a single objective has been achieved. Indeed, he has weakened our position in the Middle East and the world significantly,” Reed continued.
“Six months into this disaster, Congress has seen no framework for ending the war, and Trump has failed to provide a definition of victory. The President has waged this war without public support or congressional consent, and it is far past time for accountability,” Reed added.
Schumer calls Operation Epic Fury against Iran an ‘abject failure’
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Friday that “6 months in, Trump’s disastrous war in Iran has accomplished nothing but the depletion of American stockpiles and the weakening of our military standing.”
“That’s what I call an abject failure,” he added on X.
“While the Trump administration spews blatant lies about their failure in Iran, the reality is that 6 months in, the Iranians are holding the Strait hostage, gas is up to record highs, and 18 servicemembers have died – all while Trump still has no strategy to end the disaster of a war he started,” Schumer continued.
Schumer also accused Trump of putting “American servicemembers at risk, caused gas prices to skyrocket and created global instability.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Operation Economic Outcast is continuing in ‘full force’ against Iran, State Department says
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Friday that the Treasury Department’s latest moves show that the U.S. is intensifying “our pressure campaign against Iran.”
“Operation Economic Outcast continues in full force,” Pigott said in a statement after the Treasury Department revealed it is taking action against a United Arab Emirates bank, among other entities.
“As the regime prioritizes its malign activities above the needs of its people, we will sever the economic lifelines sustaining it,” Pigott added. “We will target individuals and entities that engage in illicit financial practices on behalf of the Iranian regime, including those working for Iranian banks outside the country.”
Treasury targets UAE bank over alleged $1.8B in transactions tied to Iranian networks
The Treasury Department announced Friday it is taking action against a United Arab Emirates bank in a push to “cut off a key financial lifeline and sanctions evasion vehicle for the Iranian regime.”
It said that “under Operation Economic Outcast, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed a rule that would revoke Banque Misr UAE’s correspondent banking access to U.S. financial institutions.”
“Treasury promised to sever every economic lifeline Tehran has left and finally end the threat of the Iranian regime,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “We also warned that Iran’s enablers cannot continue to enjoy access to the U.S. dollar and the global financial system. Banque Misr UAE decided to find out the hard way, and today, we are taking the first step in holding it accountable for its continued, egregious support of the Iranian regime.”
The Treasury describes the UAE branch of the Egyptian bank as a “critical node” for Tehran’s access to American dollars.
“Treasury estimates that between January 2024 and June 2026, Banque Misr UAE processed approximately $1.8 billion for 103 companies that are potentially part of Iranian shadow banking networks,” it said. “Because Iran is already subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions, in order to generate revenue abroad, it relies on multi-jurisdictional shadow banking networks that provide key access to U.S. dollar correspondent banking relationships. Iran uses these shadow banking networks to launder funds, procure weapons, and bankroll its regional terrorist proxy groups.”
“Banque Misr UAE’s customers include apparent front companies used by Iran’s Ministry of Defense and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to evade U.S. sanctions, as well as to launder money on behalf of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei,” it also said.
The Treasury Department said its “Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Reza Mohammad Taeedi, the manager of Bank Melli’s Dubai branch,” on Friday, in addition to sanctioning “a Hong Kong-based front company that has helped launder funds for a sanctioned Iranian exchange house.”
Bessent: US military blockade, Operation Economic Outcast will ‘crush the failing Iranian economy’
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said ongoing U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports and the Operation Economic Outcast campaign against Tehran will “crush the failing Iranian economy.”
“The USA has guided 130 million barrels [of oil] out over the past 14 days,” Bessent wrote on X late Thursday, describing the flow of energy through the Persian Gulf. “Iran: 0”
Bessent said earlier this week that “we are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe,” and, “our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.”
UKMTO documents 23 projectile strike incidents on ships in Strait of Hormuz since early July
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said in a report released Friday that 23 projectile strike incidents have been documented in the Strait of Hormuz since early July, “resulting in bridge, engine-room, and structural damage across vessels operating in and around” the key waterway.
The report said “traffic remains well below normal levels” in the Strait of Hormuz and the “Southern Omani route remains the highest-risk corridor, accounting for 16 of 18 projectile strike incidents reported by UKMTO” since July 16.
“Engine rooms were the primary damage location (14 incidents), highlighting the potential for attacks to directly impact vessel mobility and operational continuity,” it also said. “U.S. enforcement actions against Iranian-linked shipping continue in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf, adding a further layer of operational uncertainty.”
CENTCOM releases photo of US Air Force plane being refueled over the Middle East
U.S. Central Command released an image Friday showing an U.S. Air Force KC-46 Pegasus receiving fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker as both aircraft flew over the Middle East.
The photo's release comes as Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign against Iran, began six months ago to the day.
CENTCOM's naval and aerial assets remain active in supporting a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
It said as of Friday, "CENTCOM forces have redirected 75 commercial vessels, disabled 3 and boarded 2 to ensure compliance" with the mission.
Iran’s foreign minister says ‘putting diplomacy back on track isn't impossible’
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday that “putting diplomacy back on track isn't impossible” between the U.S. and Iran.
“It hinges on U.S. understanding of one simple fact: pressure doesn't work,” Araghchi wrote on X. “The U.S. should build trust, speak respectfully, acknowledge our rights, and uphold commitments.”
He made the remark after speaking with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
Qatar has acted as a mediator in talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Iran claims US is unleashing 'economic terrorism' with new sanctions, urges countries to not comply
Iran’s Foreign Ministry released a statement claiming the Trump administration is launching “a new wave of economic terrorism” against Iran under Operation Economic Outcast.
“Economic sanctions by the United States against Iran, regardless of their name or title, are completely illegal and illegitimate actions that violate the United Nations Charter, international humanitarian law, and human rights,” the statement read. “On this basis, all countries are obligated to refrain from implementing such sanctions.”
“In continuation of its hostile and illegal policies against Iran, the U.S. government unveiled a new wave of economic terrorism under the title ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ against Iran on Monday... which amounts to U.S. state terrorism against Iran and the world,” the statement added.
“While condemning U.S. economic terrorism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes the determination of the Iranian nation to utilize all capacities to defend the homeland against military, economic, and hybrid aggression,” it also said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that under President Donald Trump’s direction, “the United States Treasury has begun Operation Economic Outcast – an unprecedented campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its enablers.”
“Beginning today, the actions of Treasury and other agencies will tighten the noose and block every potential source of revenue that funds the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian regime. We are enforcing a zero-leakage approach,” Bessent added. “There will be no minimal breathing space for the regime to rebuild its capacity to inflict terror against America and the world.”
Trump shares image declaring Strait of Hormuz among US territories
President Donald Trump shared an image overnight on Truth Social that labeled the Strait of Hormuz as being among U.S. territories.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X, in response to the post, that "Schizophrenia is a complex and acute psychotic disorder that manifests with disturbances in thinking and a distorted perception of reality."
"Its most common symptom is also hallucinations and delusions. Psychologists recommend that such patients should be under 24-hour supervision and receive treatment," Gharibabadi added.
The president said last week that he views the "Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now."
Trump says Iran is in ‘deep trouble’ as US Treasury ramps up pressure on Tehran
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that Iran is "not paying their troops" and are "in deep trouble" following the launch of the U.S. Treasury Department's Operation Economic Outcast against Tehran.
"The strait is open. As you know, the Strait of Hormuz is open," Trump added. "We have control and we have the blockade. Iran is not getting anything, nothing is going through, not one ship has gotten through."
The aggressive strategy, labeled as an "Economic D-Day" and initiated under the direction of Trump, aims to "tighten the noose and block every potential source of revenue that funds the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian regime," according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The Trump administration also will implement secondary sanctions to pressure nations into severing ties with Tehran, while simultaneously blacklisting nearly 60 people, businesses and vessels involved in illicit trade.
Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this post.
Iran dismisses reports of alleged plot against Barron Trump as a lie
Reports of a potential plot to assassinate President Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump, were dismissed as a lie on Thursday by Iran’s top security official.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, made the comments during an interview broadcast by Lebanon’s Al-Manar TV, Iran International reported.
Rezaei’s remarks followed a video aired by Iranian state television that discussed an alleged plot against Barron Trump, 20. The video also said he was being monitored and that a $10 million bounty had been placed on his life.
The Secret Service said Tuesday it was aware of the video and was investigating anything that could be perceived as a threat against people under its protection, Reuters reported.
Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the war against Iran.
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