
AI-generated summary
The exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran began in February 2026 after joint American-Israeli attacks, and the tensions coincide with the approaching midterm congressional elections in November.
US Vice President J.D. Vance said that the US conflict with Iran will enter “a completely different phase within two months,” which is in line with what President Donald Trump announced that the war would end “immediately after” the midterm congressional elections, after months of exchanged strikes between Washington and Tehran.
The US Vice President said, during an interview with the New York Post newspaper on board Air Force 2, that the Iranian regime will continue to lose control over the Strait of Hormuz until the elections, after traffic through this vital energy corridor globally has returned to “much more than 50 percent of its normal level.”
Vance added: “We cannot predict the future, but I think the president is right in saying that this matter will enter a completely different phase in two months... He is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and therefore he is the person who determines when conflicts begin and when they end.”
He continued: “I certainly realize that there is a degree of impatience among the American people, but what is essentially happening now is that the United States is not participating in aggressive operations. "We don't do that at all."
On Tuesday, Republican Representative in the US Congress, Thomas Massie, presented articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of abusing his position by carrying out an order to launch hostilities against Iran without the approval of Congress, according to what was reported by the Reuters news agency.
It is unlikely that the impeachment decision will be approved, but this step taken by the Republican representative from Kentucky may force a vote in the House of Representatives, which may pose a difficulty for some of his Republican colleagues who are preparing to leave Washington before the midterm elections scheduled for November.
“The entire department is united behind the secretary’s vision and will continue to work to put our warfighters and America’s interests first,” Pentagon spokesman Kingsley Wilson said in an emailed statement.
Massie presented the articles of impeachment against Hegseth as a priority, meaning the House must consider them within two days of legislative work.
Massie, an outspoken critic of the war on Iran and aid to Israel, will not run for re-election. He lost the primary election in May to a candidate backed by Republican President Donald Trump, after Massie angered the president by leading a campaign to unseal Justice Department files linked to the late businessman convicted of sex crimes Jeffrey Epstein.
Massie was defeated by Ed Gallerin, who is supported by Trump and has huge financial support from pro-Israel groups.
Opinion polls indicate that the war, which began with attacks launched by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28, is unpopular with voters. Members of Congress, most of whom are Democrats, repeatedly voted in favor of resolutions calling on Trump to end the conflict unless he obtained the support of Congress, but these resolutions did not lead to a cessation of hostilities.
Opinion polls indicate that Republicans loyal to Trump face an uphill battle to maintain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate when voters go to the polls on November 3.
The results of a poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos and published yesterday, Monday, showed that Democrats are ahead of Republicans by 44 percent compared to 37 percent in voting preferences for Congress.
Trump's popularity has declined since he launched the war that disrupted oil shipments and pushed fuel prices to levels close to their highest levels ever, which negatively affected the financial situation of American families.
The US military announced on Tuesday that it opened fire on and destroyed two small Iranian boats this week while they were trying to steal a drone boat in the waters off Iran, according to the German News Agency.
Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command, said: “The two small Iranian boats recently attempted to seize an unmanned American surface ship, but their mission was not crowned with success, after Central Command responded forcefully.”
Iranian official media reported yesterday, Monday, quoting a local official, that two fishing boats were attacked in Hormozgan Province on the southern coast of Iran, and that a number of fishermen were missing.
Hawkins stated today that the unmanned boat in question is a “Seal Drone” model, about 8 meters long, and has the ability to operate autonomously.
Hawkins confirmed that the locations of all the command's surface drones are fully known. The US Army has long stressed that the technology used in Cell Drone vehicles is commercially available and is not of a sensitive nature.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The House will vote on articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth within two legislative business days
Likely · Within days
The conflict between the United States and Iran will continue to escalate until the midterm elections in November
Likely · Within months

The coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen, headed by Saudi Arabia, announced that Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia that attempted to enter the restricted airspace of Mecca, the second attempt of its kind after the launch of a ballistic missile in July 2017. The spokesman stressed that the security of the Two Holy Mosques is a red line.

The Sultanate of Oman announced the loss of two sailors and the rescue of 23 others following an attack on the oil tanker 'El Gaia' in the Strait of Hormuz, while accounts conflict between Iran and the United States about the cause of the incident, and tensions continue in the vital waterway with reports of additional attacks on fishing vessels and commercial vessels.

The United States announced new visa restrictions for South African citizens after President Donald Trump criticized the country's racial justice policies, while Vice President J.D. Vance warned that the conflict with Iran will enter a different phase in two months, and Representative Thomas Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for abuse of office in directing strikes against Iran without the approval of Congress.

The Sultanate of Oman announced the withdrawal of the Panama-flagged oil tanker "Al-Ghaya" after extinguishing a fire and rescuing most of its crew, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard accused the ship of colliding with a sea mine and exploding. The US Central Command rejected the Iranian story, saying that the tanker was attacked by an Iranian missile and then a drone, with navigation traffic in the strait declining and large oil spills appearing in the Gulf, according to Greenpeace.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun calls for postponing negotiations with Israel to achieve real negotiating achievements, while Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa warns of the expansion of wars in the region, and investigations continue into the murder of a lawyer and his family in Suwayda, southern Syria.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun demands the postponement of negotiations with Israel in Rome to achieve real progress, such as establishing a ceasefire and releasing prisoners, while a heinous murder is revealed in Suwayda, southern Syria, in which a lawyer and his family were killed. International efforts continue, led by France, to support the Lebanese army through the Paris meeting within the framework of the “Aqaba Path.”