Vance presses Iran for 'meaningful' reduction in nuclear capability to end war
Vice President JD Vance said in an interview that the Iranian regime must show a commitment to “not building a nuclear weapon" for the U.S. to end Operation Epic Fury.
NYC's Mamdani, on Oct. 7 anniversary, slams Israel's 'ongoing genocide in Gaza'
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a statement Wednesday on the third anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel condemning what he described as the "ongoing genocide in Gaza."
"This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss," Mamdani said.
"The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians — including more than 21,000 children," he continued. "Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing. Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them — all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes.
"Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment," Mamdani concluded. "To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity."
Hezbollah receives $200 million from Iran to help displaced Lebanese: report
The terrorist group Hezbollah has received $200 million from Iran to help people in Lebanon who have been displaced in the fight against Israel, Reuters reported Wednesday.
The report, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the transfer, said the funds would go to the hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah supporters in southern Lebanon who have been uprooted due to cross-border skirmishes with Israel's military.
Intermediaries who helped facilitate the money transfer charged a 20% fee because of the risks of dealing with Hezbollah, Reuters also reported.
The development comes after another report emerged last week saying Hezbollah terrorists received $157 million worth of weapons in 2024, most of it given freely by Iran.
The analysis found that Hezbollah spent just $28 million on procuring weapons, and those were limited to small arms, ammunition, drone components, dual-use equipment and equipment obtained through its international procurement networks.
Israel's military eliminates Hamas terrorist who 'planted explosives' brought from hospital
The Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday that it killed two Hamas terrorists, including one who planted explosives that he had obtained from inside of a hospital in northern Gaza.
"IDF forces identified during the night two terrorists from the Hamas terrorist organization who exited Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza Strip. One of the terrorists planted explosives brought from inside the hospital in the area of the yellow line, with the aim of targeting IDF forces," the IDF wrote on X.
"Immediately after the identification, the IDF struck and eliminated the terrorists to remove the threat. Mohammed Tamos, a sniper in the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization who was eliminated in the strike, simultaneously operated as a civil defense worker in the Gaza Strip," the IDF added.
"The IDF reiterates and emphasizes that Hamas continues to cynically exploit hospitals and medical infrastructure in the Strip for terrorist purposes in violation of international law, while turning spaces designated for treating the civilian population into spaces used to advance terrorist activities and rehabilitate the organization's military capabilities," it also said.
Israeli defense officials concerned Iran could launch missiles as economic situation worsens: report
Senior Israeli defense officials told the country's security cabinet this week that they are concerned Iran could lash out and launch missiles toward Israel as the economic situation inside the Islamic Republic continues to deteriorate, according to a report from The Jerusalem Post.
“The maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is having a significant effect. The Americans control the strait – much more than the Iranians control it," Military Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder was quoted as telling ministers.
The remarks come after Iran's currency hit a record low last week.
In addition to the Iranian port blockade by the U.S. military in Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. Treasury Department also launched its Operation Economic Outcast sanctions campaign against Iran.
Rubio says Iran has 'lost complete control' of the Strait of Hormuz
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday during a visit to Greece that the Iranian regime has "lost complete control" of the Strait of Hormuz.
"The Straits of Hormuz are open. There's almost as much oil flowing out now as there was before this conflict began, so they've lost complete control of the straits. And their economy, and it's not only in free fall now, the Iranian economy is about to reach a place that few countries in the world have been in terms of how bad it's going to get," Rubio said.
"And it's all the fault, all the fault of the radical Shia clerics that make the decisions in that country. They are the ones that have put the poor people of Iran in the situation that they're in," he continued. "Because every dollar and every penny that that regime gets, they don't spend it on roads or bridges or helping improve the lives of the Iranian people. They spend that money on Hezbollah and Hamas and militias that fire rockets out of Iraq and the Houthis.
"That's who they spend their money on. They should have spent their money on their people and instead they spend their money on terrorism and on weapons. So hopefully that'll change, but yeah, they'll never have a nuclear weapon."
Israel's military vows to 'never forget the horrors of the Oct. 7 Massacre'
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel that "our countries’ history was forever changed."
"We will never forget the horrors of the Oct. 7 Massacre," the IDF wrote on X, adding, "3 Years Later, Our Promise Remains Unbroken: To Protect Our Nation."
The Iranian regime-backed Hamas terrorist movement killed over 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, including more than 40 American citizens. Hamas took over 250 people hostage on the same day.
The IDF in recent years has been striking back at Hamas in Gaza, eliminating many of the terrorist group's leadership.
Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this post.
Iran claims illegal routes in Strait of Hormuz will become blocked
An adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed Wednesday that illegal routes in the Strait of Hormuz will soon be shut down.
Mohammadreza Naqdi told Iran's Fars News Agency that the routes were created by blasting through some of the rocky passages along the Strait of Hormuz, and were used by smaller boats smuggling oil, according to Reuters.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said last week that "vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains approximately 75% below pre-conflict levels, with tankers continuing to dominate observed movements."
Since early July, "31 of 48 projectile strike incidents reported to UKMTO have occurred on the southern Omani route," it added.
Iran-backed Houthis attack airport in Yemen as fighting escalates: report
The Houthi terrorist group in Yemen attacked Aden International Airport on Wednesday with ballistic missiles and explosive drones, a report said.
The development comes as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen has ramped up in recent days around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route in the Middle East, according to Reuters.
The government forces are trying to recapture territory along the strait and around the town of Mocha that the Houthis took control of in September, Reuters reported.
Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki also confirmed on Wednesday the "Interception and destruction of a ballistic missile north of Riyadh... launched by the terrorist Houthi militia."
Greece says its open to helping US in the Strait of Hormuz
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said Wednesday that his country is open to cooperating with the U.S. and offering maritime aid in the Strait of Hormuz if there is a peace process there, according to Reuters.
Gerapetritis reportedly made the remark as Secretary of State Marco Rubio was visiting Athens.
"Arrived in Greece for the 6th U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue. Greece is a steadfast, capable NATO ally," Rubio wrote on X.
"We are united in defense, energy, and shared democratic values. The U.S.-Greece bond is deep, and our partnership is stronger than ever," he added.
The flow of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains reduced during the U.S.-Iran war.
Vance says Iran deal would require reduction in nuclear enrichment capacity
Vice President JD Vance said Monday that any deal with Iran would need Iran to reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity, rather than give assurances of future nuclear drawdowns.
"If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60% enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don't build highly enriched fuel. That's a very basic threshold issue," Vance told Reuters after a campaign trip in Alaska.
"I think if they want to show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their enrichment capacity," he added.
Vance also told the outlet that Washington is uncertain about decision-making in Tehran.
"One of the things we picked up on is it's not totally clear how their country makes decisions," Vance said.
Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.
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