Iran's IRGC joins fight on ground in Yemen as war escalation sends oil above $100

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that Washington will sanction a major bank next week as part of Operation Economic Outcast targeting the Iranian regime.

“We are just going to continue with this process until everyone stops dealing with this regime,” he said on “Real America’s Voice.”

“We will make it so unprofitable that if you want to risk an extinction-level event for your company or for your person, your personal finances, then have at it. But we are coming for you.”

Bessent said sanctioning the bank would happen Monday. It had originally been scheduled for Friday but was postponed because of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Hamas welcomed Britain’s sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Thursday while calling the British foreign secretary’s description of settler actions as “ethnic cleansing” a positive development.

Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, said the measures were “important steps in the right direction” but did not go far enough.

“The imposition of sanctions by Britain and other European countries and Canada on goods imported from the settlements of the occupied West Bank, and the London foreign minister's use of the term 'ethnic cleansing' to describe the crimes of the settlers, are important steps in the right direction but they are not enough,” Naim said, according to The Telegraph.

Britain will sanction companies and individuals supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank through financing, infrastructure, property or construction services. 

The Treasury Department imposed targeted sanctions under Operation Economic Outcast on Thursday, inlcuding a small UAE hawala exchange house, its Iraqi-born owners and Kata’ib Hezbollah-linked operatives and front companies in Iraq and Lebanon.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also announced a presumption of denial for Iran-related specific licenses, suspending favorable consideration except when required by law or needed to address severe humanitarian or environmental risks.

“Dealings with sanctioned parties, as well as jurisdictions such as Iran, are generally prohibited, and Iran-related enforcement actions continue to be a top priority for OFAC,” the Treasury also said in a statement.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he has "no regrets" over military actions taken against Iran, claiming the strikes successfully eliminated Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.

“No, I don't believe in the word regret,” Trump said on "The Ingraham Angle."

“You can always question yourself a little bit and a few people have asked me that if I had to do it again, I’d do exactly as I did,” the president confirmed. “I took out their nuclear capability.”

Trump warned that an armed Iranian regime would have posed a catastrophic threat to global stability.

“Supposing we were cruising, and all of a sudden, Iran has a nuclear weapon, they would use it,” he said. “They're crazy, and they would use it. They would have wiped out Israel. They would have wiped out the Middle East, and they would have started hitting a couple of our cities.”

Trump also said the Iranian regime is "limping along."

“They are in deep trouble,” he said. “They've been largely wiped out. It's hard for them to manufacture and most of that has been knocked out,” he said of Iran’s missile supply. 

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) highlighted its F-35A stealth fighter jets refueling during a patrol amid ongoing tensions with Iran.

"U.S. Air Force F-35A stealth fighter jets refuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker while patrolling the Middle East," the command posted on X.

Oil prices climbed more than 6% Thursday, with both major benchmarks topping $100 a barrel as attacks on Gulf shipping intensified and Iran-backed Houthis seized Yemen’s port of Mocha, Reuters reported.

Brent crude futures settled $6.42 higher, or 6.34%, at $107.63 a barrel. U.S. crude topped $100 a barrel for the first time since May, with West Texas Intermediate crude futures rising $6.43, or 6.69%, to settle at $102.48, the outlet said.

Both benchmarks reached their highest levels since May 19 and posted their steepest gains in nearly two months.

Simon-Peter Massabni, head of business development at XS.com, told Reuters the Houthi threat provides the potential for disruptions to ripple across regional export routes, oil production sites and other energy infrastructure. 

Four unidentified projectiles struck two vessels off the coast of Khasab, Oman, on Thursday, setting one vessel on fire and leaving the condition of the second unclear, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

UKMTO said the incident occurred 4 nautical miles west of Khasab after another vessel, 6 nautical miles south of the impact area, witnessed the strikes and raised the alarm. 

The Israeli military said Thursday it had destroyed Hezbollah’s underground network at the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon and in order to neutralize the group’s ability to use the infrastructure to carry out attacks.

Dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, UAVs, machine guns, as well as hundreds of mines and explosive devices were located inside the underground infrastructure, the IDF said in a post shared on X.

A central command complex belonging to Hezbollah’s “Badr” unit was also located within the infrastructure, the IDF said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said on X that Israel had completed its mission and "destroyed the largest Iranian outpost outside of Iran - Ali Taher tunnels in Lebanon."

According to Ynet, the strategic infrastructure was built over two decades with Iranian funding and planning.

The Upper Galilee Regional Council had warned residents that the military would carry out a series of strikes and controlled demolitions along the Lebanese border, with blasts expected to echo across the Upper Galilee, the Ramim Ridge, the Hula Valley and the Golan Heights, the outlet said.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions Thursday on individuals and companies in Iraq, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates over alleged links to Iran and Tehran-backed terrorist groups.

Thirteen people were added to the sanctions list, including Iraqi nationals linked to Kata'ib Hezbollah and Lebanese nationals linked to Hezbollah.

Kata'ib Hezbollah is a leading militant faction within the regional “Axis of Resistance” and receives training, weapons, funding, intelligence and logistical support from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Treasury said in a statement.

Five companies and financial institutions were also targeted.

“Operation Economic Outcast is targeting those who continue to stand with the failing Iranian regime,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

Concerns are mounting over Iran’s ability to rebuild its nuclear program despite damage from U.S. and Israeli strikes in 2025, The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.

Although Iran has no active uranium enrichment centrifuges and most facilities are offline, Israeli intelligence officials warn that the disruption may be temporary, the outlet said.

Since August 2024, an Israeli military intelligence team led by Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder has made preventing Tehran from reconstituting its nuclear facilities a top priority.

The main threat comes from underground facilities where equipment survived the strikes, with sources saying that even a few hundred advanced IR-6 centrifuges could be salvaged and reconnected to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear weapon. 

Iran’s top security official warned Thursday that the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) actions could push countries to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“The anti-Iran resolution adopted by the Board of Governors is illegal, technically unfounded, entirely political and unacceptable, bearing the clear imprint of U.S. and Zionist pressure,” Mohsen Rezaei said in a post on X.

“The IAEA’s politicized and disruptive actions will push countries toward withdrawing from the NPT,” he added.

Rezaei’s remarks came after the IAEA’s Board of Governors passed a resolution referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council over alleged breaches of its nonproliferation obligations. 

Tehran has started producing ballistic missiles at underground facilities using stockpiled components, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Citing officials, the outlet said that despite heavy U.S. attacks on its missile sites and industrial facilities since the start of the war in February, Iran has been assembling liquid- and solid-propellant missiles.

Solid-propellant missiles can be stored and kept ready to fire, the officials said.

The report also pointed to underground sites where production may be underway, including at the Khojir missile facility in southeastern Iran.

Officials also said Iran is attempting to establish new underground assembly sites to avoid future strikes.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a veiled threat Thursday to escalate military action against the United States, sarcastically offering Washington what he called a “dose of forward guidance.”

He also warned that Tehran is preparing to systematically run through its military arsenal and shared a meme featuring an economic chart mocking Washington’s tactics.

“Here is your daily dose of ‘forward guidance,’ in case you don't hear from your regime authorities,” Ghalibaf said in a post shared on X.

“The arsenal they will exhaust and the exact order they'll run through it. Act like you don't know what comes next." he mocked. 

U.S. Central Command said Thursday that American forces have “redirected 96 commercial vessels to ensure total compliance” with the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports. 

The announcement was made as CENTCOM released a photo of a U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter launching from the flight deck of the USS Rafael Peralta while enforcing the blockade. 

“More than 50 vessels supporting humanitarian aid have been allowed to pass,” CENTCOM also said. 

President Donald Trump said in an interview Thursday that there is “no truth” to reports that Iranian missiles have damaged U.S. aircraft at a base in Jordan, according to NewsNation. 

“No damage. No nothing,” Trump reportedly added when he was asked about reported strikes at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.  

A senior U.S. official told Fox News earlier Thursday that Iranian missiles damaged multiple U.S. aircraft based in Jordan during a ballistic missile barrage on Tuesday, 

The official said one A-10 Warthog was struck and about eight F-15 jets were lightly damaged at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. The damage was first reported by CBS News. 

An American official previously told Fox News the attack was ineffective and all U.S. personnel in the country were accounted for. 

“Iran’s response was ineffective in face of integrated air and missile defenses. Iran fired missiles toward Jordan. American forces have 100% accountability at all locations in Jordan,” the U.S. official told Fox News. 

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and Stephen Sorace contributed to this post. 

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Thursday that his agency has observed activity at Pickaxe Mountain, Iran’s suspected underground nuclear site.  

“There are some indications that there is movement around this construction site,” International Atomic Energy Agency Director Rafael Mariano Grossi told Bloomberg. “But as IAEA, we don’t have any concrete information as to activities that may be taking place there.” 

His remarks come after President Donald Trump said Wednesday that “we noticed there's a little activity at Pickaxe.” 

“I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard,” Trump added. “We have no choice, right?” 

Grossi said to Bloomberg, “we have never inspected this place, because so far it is a construction site.”  

“We need to go there when we regain access. As we need to go back to Fordo, as we need to go back to Isfahan, and so on and so forth,” he also said, mentioning other nuclear sites. 

Bloomberg cited Grossi as saying that remote imagery is indicating new movement at Pickaxe Mountain. 

Houthi militants aligned with Iran captured Yemen’s port city of Mocha on Thursday in a move that further threatens shipping in the Red Sea, a report said. 

Four Yemeni government military sources told Reuters that the capture means the Houthis have gained further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the southern Red Sea. 

The militants also are launching attacks on the Hanish islands, they added. 

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connects the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the Red Sea and, farther north, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. It is a crucial route for energy and commercial shipping. 

Energy and commercial shipping continue to face pressure in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been firing at vessels. 

Fox News’ Efrat Lachter contributed to this post. 

The United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police said it arrested two people on Thursday over suspicions of “assisting a foreign intelligence service” that is “linked to Iran.” 

“Both suspects were taken to a London police station, and were subsequently released on bail with strict conditions until a date in late October,” police said, noting that the two were arrested “as part of an investigation into suspected National Security Act offenses.” They were identified as a 42-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man.

“The investigation is not connected to any of the incidents or attacks earlier this year that have been targeted at various venues and buildings linked to Jewish and Iranian communities across London, nor is it connected to any activity or events linked to the upcoming High Holy Days period,” the Metropolitan Police added. 

“We’ve seen a marked increase in the tempo of our work linked to national security and state threats over the past year and this investigation is a continuation of that,” Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said in a statement. “As we’ve shown here, if we suspect any activity could threaten the safety of the UK or the public, then we will not hesitate to take action.”

The U.K. government describes the National Security Act as a “response to the threat of hostile activity from states targeting the UK’s democracy, economy and values.” 

The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon said Thursday that “every day, the Lebanese people make it clear they prefer Lebanese state institutions over Hezbollah’s weapons.” 

“Southern Lebanon does not belong to regional actors or militias,” the embassy wrote in a message on X. 

“The United States applauds these communities and supports the government of Lebanon in its stated goal to assert sovereignty, enforced by the Lebanese Armed Forces, and ensure that the decisions of war and peace lie exclusively with the Lebanese state,” it added. 

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group has been clashing with the Israel Defense Forces during the war with Iran.