Trump says US prepared to launch fresh attack on Iran 'any time we want'

President Donald Trump has said that the US is prepared to launch another attack on Iran at “any time”. "We took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz - some defensive, some offensive," he told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday. "It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one any time we want." He added that a renewd campaign would not last "too long".

It came as Iranians and others in the region feared a return of the conflict in earnest after the biggest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July.

US attacks hit the southern coast of Iran while Tehran hit back at US assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq.

Iran accused Washington of hitting a wedding party, killing four people and wounding dozens, while its health minister later said 18 people in total had been killed and 108 injured in the latest wave of American strikes.

Stocks across Asia and Europe have tumbled after the air strikes although oil prices were marginally firmer.

The US military said the target of its attacks were air defences, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites on Tuesday.

Beyond the Strait of Hormuz: How Gulf countries are preparing for life without the waterway

As Dubai looks to build a new port and terminal to bypass the beleaguered Strait of Hormuz, it appears that Gulf countries are already preparing for a life without the crucial waterway.

Port operator DP World is in talks to develop new facilities in the coastal area of Fujairah to take pressure off its flagship Jebel Ali port, according to the Financial Times.

Jebel Ali, built in 1977, has made the UAE a hub of finance and trade, but weeks ago it was set alight by a piece of fallen debris from an Iranian missile. Since then, Dubai International Airport, US military bases and other facilities have come under direct attack.

How Gulf countries are preparing for life without the Strait of Hormuz

The US and Iran continue tit-for-tat strikes over the vital shipping route while a fifth of the world’s oil supply remains at a standstill. But Gulf countries have been looking towards alternatives for a more independent future, Maira Butt reports

Maira Butt2 September 2026 23:00

Hegseth blocks six Army officers from promotion to two-star generals: report

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotion of at least six more U.S Army officers, according to reports.

Sources told The Hill the unnamed individuals had been set for the rank of two-star general until Hegseth intervened, the latest in a series of similar moves by the secretary this year as he seeks to reshape the Department of Defense.

In August the same outlet reported Hegseth had obstructed four other officers from receiving one star promotions, and in March the secretary was said to have blocked four other Army officers - two women and two Black men - in similar fashion.

Read the full story:

Hegseth blocks six Army officers from promotion to two-star generals: report

Defense Secretary’s latest reported interventions come amid a series of high profile departures from the Pentagon

James Reynolds2 September 2026 22:01

Iran says neighbours 'must accept dangerous consequences' for supporting US

Iran’s military command has doubled down on justifying attacks on its neighbours following US strikes on the country.

"American evil in the region will be met with heavier, more widespread, and devastating responses, and any country that cooperates with the aggressive American army must accept its dangerous consequences," it said.

The US military said it struck air defences, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites on Tuesday. Iran reported hits on multiple targets near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran responded by striking what it said were US assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq, and said its aim was now to drive US forces from the vast network of military bases they have occupied for decades across the Middle East.

Maira Butt2 September 2026 21:30

Trump says renewed US campaign against Iran won't last long

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the renewed US campaign against Iran would not continue for "too long" after the biggest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Iran was trying to build a rocket that drops mines and the U.S. had destroyed it.

He also said Iran had been working to restore its radar and missile systems, which were also targeted in the U.S. strikes.

Maira Butt2 September 2026 21:15

'Like the end of the world': Iranians describe intensity of strikes after biggest exchange of fire since July

Iranians living across the southern coast of the country have recounted their experience of living through US bombing after Tehran and Washington exchanged strikes overnight.

"Last night was like the end of the world," Mahmoud, 38, a municipal worker in Sirik County along the strait, told Reuters by telephone, describing attacks on the area that includes the city where the wedding was reported to have been hit.

Maira Butt2 September 2026 21:00

In pictures: Aftermath of an attack in Kuhistik, Sirik, Iran

Maira Butt2 September 2026 20:30

Trump says US is 'prepared' to do another attack on Iran

President Donald Trump has said that the US is prepared to launch another attack on Iran.

"We took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz - some defensive, some offensive... It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one any time we want," he told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Maira Butt2 September 2026 20:11

Trump has no interest in ‘worthless’ deal with Iran as both sides launch new strikes

US president Donald Trump has insisted he "couldn’t care less" if Iran signs a "worthless" deal to end the war, as both sides launched fresh strikes in the spiralling conflict.

The war saw a dramatic re-escalation as Washington and Tehran traded attacks in the biggest exchange of fire in weeks on Tuesday, with US forces attacking Iran’s southern coast and Iran attacking American bases across the region.

Tehran accused Washington of hitting a wedding in Sirik, killing four people and wounding dozens, before vowing to drive the US from its military installations in the Middle East. The exchange pushed oil up to $97 per barrel - its highest rate since July.

Trump has no interest in ‘worthless’ deal with Iran as both sides launch new strikes

US Centcom said it had struck IRGC air defences and maritime assets as Iran targeted American bases across the region

Maira Butt2 September 2026 20:00

Iran wedding celebration reportedly hit by US airstrike as five killed

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

A home in the southern Iranian city of Kuhestak was hit by a US airstrike while a wedding celebration was reportedly taking place inside.

Iranian officials said the house was hosting the wedding on Tuesday (1 September) when it was struck, killing five people and leaving dozens wounded, according to local officials.

Footage released by the Iranian Red Crescent showed the rubble of the home following the strike.

The US military carried out strikes on targets in Iran on Tuesday, prompting Tehran to respond with missiles and drones against sites across the region.

US Central Command said the strikes came in response to attempts by Iran to attack commercial ships and American forces in the Middle East.

Maira Butt2 September 2026 19:30

Pakistan confident US and Iran will 'return to the table'

Pakistan is working with the US and Iran to end their conflict and believes they will soon “return to the table for dialogue”.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi made the comments at a regular media briefing on Wednesday.

The visit last month of Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir to Tehran created "considerable momentum" on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, he said.

Alex Croft2 September 2026 19:02