US Vice President JD Vance told reporters at the White House on Thursday that Washington would not hold talks with Iran unless Tehran stopped firing on commercial vessels.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that toppling Iran’s regime was Israel’s “main mission” and was “within reach,” adding that Tehran’s leadership was weaker than ever.
A US defense official denied Iran’s military claims that it struck US bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates early Thursday, telling Iran International that no US bases were hit.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday slammed reports of heavily depleted US munition stockpiles amid the war in Iran, adding that the United States was stockpiling munitions.
Iran's Education Minister Alireza Kazemi said preparations were in place for a smooth start to the school year.
"Even under the most difficult conditions, we will firmly continue with in-person classes," Kazemi said.
Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Anaraki Mohammadi said pressure on household budgets could have wider consequences if market problems are not brought under control.
"Officials must not let market disorder turn into a broader crisis of public trust," said Anaraki Mohammadi, a member of parliament's economic committee.
The United States is investigating whether its forces were responsible for a deadly strike on a wedding in southern Iran, Vice President JD Vance said Thursday, as evidence emerged suggesting the building may have been directly hit by a US munition.
South Korea is reviewing practical ways to contribute to operations in the Strait of Hormuz, including military measures, the presidential Blue House said Thursday.
The Blue House also rejected claims that South Korea had provided no assistance related to Hormuz, saying such assertions were “not true.”
Reuters reported earlier that Seoul was considering options including a maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support vessel or a mine detection and clearance unit for a possible deployment to the strait.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pushed back Thursday against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s warning for countries supporting Tehran to “stay away” and said Russia would continue developing its partnership with Iran, TASS reported.
“It is unlikely that the United States can or should monopolize its relations with any one country,” Peskov said in an interview with the Vesti TV news program.
“We have our own partners and our own friends. We will maintain and further develop these friendly and partnership relations,” he added, according to the report.
Bessent told Fox Business on Wednesday that the Trump administration was moving to economically “asphyxiate” Iran and warned those still propping up Tehran to “stay away.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday that Moscow was providing Iran with equipment and other assistance amid its war with the United States.
Average US diesel prices rose to a record $5.820 a gallon Thursday as renewed US-Iran hostilities and disruptions from Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries intensified a global supply crunch, Reuters reported.
Diesel prices are up 55% since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb. 28, with concerns mounting over global distillate supplies, according to the report. Around 900,000 barrels per day of diesel and 350,000 bpd of jet fuel moved through the Gulf before the war.
US distillate inventories, including diesel and heating oil, averaged their lowest August levels for this time of year since 1982, Reuters reported.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said Thursday that “Rujum” drones targeted Saudi military positions, vehicles and troop concentrations on several fronts, the group-run SABA news agency reported.
The Houthis said several Saudi military vehicles were set on fire or destroyed, and that barracks and troop concentrations were also targeted, according to the report.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent welcomed the European Union’s decision to join the US-led Operation Economic Outcast against Iran on Thursday, praising its “strong and early stance.”
“The European Union has officially joined Operation Economic Outcast,” Bessent wrote in a post on X.
Bessent also shared an EU statement issued in the context of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meetings, in which the bloc welcomed additional economic pressure on Iran, including through the US-led operation.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Iran may eventually face a “third kick of the mule” if it continues to resist US demands over its nuclear program, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.
“The Iranians are now after ‘two kicks of the mule,’ and they still don’t seem to get it,” Huckabee said, adding that Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon or enrich uranium. “It may take a ‘third kick of the mule’ at some point.”
Huckabee also said President Donald Trump was “exasperated with their stubbornness,” while cautioning that “nobody knows what’s going to happen” as tensions between the US and Iran rise again.
Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said in an interview with semi-official ISNA that the country’s oil industry continues to circumvent the blockade imposed by US forces.
“We had restrictions on transferring oil beyond the blockade line. In some cases we managed to get through, and in some cases that was not possible,” Paknejad said.
He said Tehran had adopted measures to get around the blockade and had been able to sell and deliver oil to customers “perhaps thousands of kilometers” from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
“After the 12-day war, we were able to increase oil production by about 70,000 barrels per day,” Paknejad added.