Pentagon requests over $200 billion for Iran war - Washington Post

Alireza Tangsiri, chief of the IRGC Navy, posted a message on X on Thursday, threatening American-linked oil facilities as now being priority targets alongside US bases.

"With the target bank updated, oil facilities associated with America are now on par with American bases and will come under fire with full force," Tangsiri said. "We warn citizens and workers to stay away from these facilities."

Retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg called for maximum-effort US naval and air escorts to clear Iranian missiles, drones and mines from the Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes, comparing the operation to past “thunder runs” in Baghdad and Operation Earnest Will to test and defeat resistance.

“Put aircraft above this shipping lane. You have escort ships go there as well. Get a couple ships through there, and you’re good to go," he told NewsMax on Wednesday.

“The first couple of times you’re going to get some type of hostile action… there’s risk… but we have the capacity and the capability to punch through there," he added. “It’s sort of like what we did in Baghdad… after about the third or fourth thunder run, it was pretty easy.”

"I hate to say it, but it's, you know, kind of, my son told me, kind of telling your chief, it's sort of like Whack a Mole. Everyone is there. You just kill them. And I was asked that today on another program, just have to kill them all, and sooner or later, they get a break. You know, you start at a very senior level. You keep working your way down, and finally you're gonna have people say, I want to do the job," former 82nd Airborne commander said.

Republican Representative and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast on Wednesday met with ambassadors from the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan to discuss Iran's attacks on more than a dozen nations since Operation Epic Fury.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Wednesday a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile 11 nautical miles east of Khawr Fakkan, UAE, causing a fire onboard.

Authorities are investigating, and other ships have been advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, said on Wednesday Israel is systematically targeting Iran’s “terror regime,” striking its command networks, finances and weapons production as the conflict enters its third week.

“They exploit their resources, oil and gas, to hold the world hostage. They use the revenue to finance terror,” Leiter said. “We’re hitting their chain of command… and preventing them from reaching the money that they’ve accrued in order to finance terror.”

He added that Israeli operations are also targeting Iran’s intelligence and manufacturing capabilities. “We’re hitting their ammunition and technology so that they will not be able to reconstitute their manufacturing potential.”