Toby MannTuesday May 26, 2026 A US-AF F-35 Lightning II fighter jet pictured in April 2026 The United States said it carried out fresh strikes in southern Iran, hitting missile positions and boats it said were trying to lay mines, in the latest sign that tensions remain high despite talk of a ceasefire. US Central Command said the operation was conducted in "self-defense" and aimed "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces". Capt Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson, said the military "continues to…

Any hopes of a swift breakthrough with Iran dimmed on Tuesday after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal could still "take a few days," a day after US forces launched what Washington described as defensive strikes in ⁠southern Iran. Rubio, outlining the operation against targets that included boats allegedly trying to lay mines and missile launch sites, made clear the US position on the vital shipping lane. The Strait of Hormuz, he said, must remain open "one way or the other". "The straits have to be open, they're…

Kyiv woke to one of the fiercest assaults it has faced since Russia launched its full-scale invasion four years ago, as waves of drones and missiles slammed into the capital and nearby areas, including an Oreshnik hypersonic missile fired close to the city. During the hours-long overnight attack, two people were killed in Kyiv and another two died in the surrounding region, while nearly 100 others were injured, Ukrainian officials said. Officials said dozens of apartment buildings and several schools were damaged, with many…

Tarek ChouirefFriday May 8, 2026 Iran said early Friday that it had carried out a major missile and drone assault on US destroyers operating near the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions around one of the world’s most sensitive shipping lanes. In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said the operation was launched after what it called a US ceasefire violation, citing a strike on an Iranian oil tanker near Jask port and the advance of US destroyers toward the strategic waterway. The statement said Iranian…

By  ADAM SCHRECK and AUDREY McAVOYFriday May 8, 2026 This locator map shows Iran and its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo) The Iran war’s fragile ceasefire came under fresh pressure Friday after the United Arab Emirates said it had responded to a missile and drone attack, just hours after the U.S. announced it had stopped attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and carried out retaliatory strikes on Iranian military sites. As Iranian and U.S. negotiators continue searching for a way to end the fighting, both sides have…

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, declared that Tehran will defend its "nuclear and missile capabilities" as core national assets, striking a combative note as Washington presses for a broader agreement to shore up a fragile ceasefire. The intervention comes as US President Donald Trump pushes for an expanded deal aimed at reinforcing the uneasy truce that followed the war. Since assuming power after his father was killed at the outset of the conflict, Mr Khamenei has consistently projected defiance, and his…

North Korea has taken another step in its weapons buildup, with state media reporting that leader Kim Jong-un personally oversaw a ground test of an upgraded solid-fuel rocket engine, underscoring Pyongyang’s drive to sharpen its strategic arsenal. The launch test points to what appears to be Mr Kim’s continuing effort to expand and modernise a stockpile of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) designed to reach the United States mainland. The announcement came just days after Mr Kim used a speech to North Korea’s…

Israel reported a first-ever missile attack from Yemen early Saturday, as air-raid sirens sounded for the third straight night across parts of the country—amid an escalating war that has already reshaped regional shipping and battered global markets. Shortly after dawn, Israel’s military said a missile was launched from Yemen toward Israeli territory. The Houthis—an Iran-backed rebel movement that has governed Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014—have not yet acknowledged responsibility. Siren alerts were reported around Beer…

Serdar DincelSunday March 22, 2026 Iran fired what Israel described as its first long-range missile since the latest round of regional escalation erupted on Feb. 28, a launch the Israeli army said on Saturday carried a range of about 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles). In a post on the US social media company X, Israel’s army said Iran’s missile capabilities extend far beyond the Middle East, asserting that Tehran has weapons able to reach major European capitals including Berlin, Paris, and London. Tehran "has carried out…

More than 100 people were injured after Iranian missiles struck the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona, medics said, in attacks that local air-defence systems failed to stop. The strikes produced direct hits that ripped open the fronts of apartment blocks and left deep craters in the terrain. Magen David Adom first responders reported 84 wounded in Arad, including ten in serious condition, following earlier reports that 33 people had been hurt in nearby Dimona. Iranian state television described the strike on Dimona —…