War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

“Epic resilience” by Iran and its army’s “formidable power and iron will” have brought the US and its allies “face-to-face with the hard wall of reality”, says Ali Nikzad, deputy speaker of parliament, according to Al Jazeera.

Iran has designated Britain’s Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as “terrorist organisations” and its foreign intelligence agency MI6 as a “hostile group”, according to state-run news agency IRNA.

“The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the measures on Sunday, citing Britain’s participation in the US-Israeli war against Iran and its decision to place the IRGC under the country’s State Threats Act 2026,” IRNA reported.

A Qatari tanker has been attacked with “unidentified objects” while transiting Gulf waters, the country’s state news agency has reported, according to AFP.

Iranian Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia says renewed US aggression “will be met with an immediate, decisive response” on a “larger” scale than before, Press TV reports.

“In the event of a new war, its scope will not be confined to West Asia,” he added.

Two air raids hit oil facility in Yemen’s Hodeidah, media report says, according to Al Jazeera.

The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reports that the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebel group in Yemen has conducted two raids on an oil facility in Bajil district in western Hodeidah governorate.

It says at least three civilians were wounded.

There was no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition.

Brigadier-General Yadollah Javani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ deputy for political affairs, says Iranian forces are operating on the assumption that the US or Israel could strike at any moment, Al Jazeera reports.

He has told the semi-official Fars news agency that the military is “fully prepared for any scenario the enemy may devise”, and that Iran will not be caught off guard and will respond as necessary.

Javani says Iran’s military capabilities now allow it to confront the enemy not only defensively but also through preemptive and offensive operations.

He said Iran can inflict heavy, devastating strikes on US warships and warned that any region that enemy forces try to enter — whether by air assault or across a border — would become a “killing ground” for them.

President Donald Trump says that the United States has knocked out much of Iran’s military but it still has to “take care of” one or two targets including a suspected nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain, AFP reports.

Trump maintains that negotiations with Iran are “going fine but you know they’re not very reliable.” The US president reiterates that the US is not in a hurry to take offensive action because it has decimated Iran’s military and nuclear program.

“We’ve knocked out their nuclear. We still have to take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,” Trump has told reporters at his Florida residence.

“You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly,” he adds, referring to a suspected underground nuclear complex.

The Iranian government has denied any nuclear work is carried out there.

Iran’s national security chief Mohsen Rezaei says Tehran has repeatedly stated that the seven conditions announced by it must be fulfilled.

“If the conditions are met, the path of diplomacy will be open,” he said in an X post, adding that, however, “if any action is taken against the country, in accordance with the supreme leader’s […], we will deliver devastating blows to the aggressor using new weaponry”.

Iran’s national security chief claims that during the quadrilateral meeting in Tehran with the Makkah Alliance members, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman told him that Israel “will target Turkiye and then Saudi Arabia after Iran”, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

Iran’s national security chief Mohsen Rezaei tells state TV the country is debating whether to maintain its longstanding ban on nuclear weapons if hostilities resume, although no decision on any changes has been taken, according to Reuters.

Secretary of the Iranian National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei says that he has read but not responded to a letter sent to Tehran by US Vice President JD Vance.

“Their tone has completely changed, and this is a very good sign that … the Iranian nation has consolidated victory and authority,” he tells state broadcaster Press TV in an interview.

Rezaei has refrained from speaking further about the letter since it has not been made public yet.

The Iranian Navy says a tanker operating in the “prohibited and unsafe area” in the eastern Strait of Hormuz has hit a sea mine and caught fire, the Fars News Agency reports.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says President Donald Trump has not made a decision about fresh strikes on Iran amid stalled peace talks, AFP reports.

“We can achieve military objectives if we seek to. He hasn’t made a decision. I have no announcement in that regard with you today, and nor do we take any of it lightly,” Rubio says at a G20 press conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

The internationally recognised Yemeni government’s forces say they have secured control over strategically important positions and terrain in the northeastern al-Jawf governorate, Al Jazeera reports.

The spokesperson for the government forces, Majed al-Nazili, added in a social media post that government and allied forces continued to repel Houthi attacks in Taiz, southwest of Yemen.

“Over the past few hours, the armed forces have executed 1,119 targeting operations against the Houthi terrorist militia,” al-Nazili said.

He added that the operations “neutralised” 427 Houthi fighters.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem AlBudaiwi has said that Iran has attacked GCC member states despite those countries not taking part in the war against Iran, Al Jazeera reports.

“GCC countries were subjected to Iranian attacks targeting civilian and vital infrastructure, despite not participating in the war and their efforts toward mediation and restraint,” AlBudaiwi told the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain.

AlBudaiwi said that negotiations are “the steadfast option” to resolve regional crises.

“Disrupting navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb poses a threat to global economic interests. The international community must restore normal maritime traffic and hold those responsible for the attacks accountable,” he added.

Iranian strikes on more than two dozen US bases across the Middle East targeted early-warning systems before hitting aircraft and buildings, causing billions of dollars in equipment damage, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

The AP has independently verified damage to US facilities using satellite imagery and speaking to four regional officials briefed on what was hit. The news outlet has found that more than 115 drone and missile strikes in August, claimed by Iran or pro-Iran militias, damaged or destroyed structures on 26 military bases and other sites with American equipment.

The AP has found that Iran initially targeted aircraft hangars and air defence systems that detect incoming strikes, clearing the way for further attacks on warehouses, aircraft troop housing, hangars and other facilities.

Two regional officials say the US has moved many of its assets out of the Persian Gulf, including aircraft, air defence systems, communications systems and other equipment crucial to base operations.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, Chief of the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, says Tehran is monitoring the US’ movements and preparations using our full intelligence capabilities, and “continuously updating our target database”, according to a statement carried by the ISNA news agency.

“Should signs of a hostile act by the enemy be confirmed, the armed forces will not wait for the enemy to initiate their action before determining the timing and manner of our response. Our response will be immediate, effective, and without geographical limitations,“ he warns.

The Israeli military has carried out fresh airstrikes, an explosion and machine-gun fire across southern Lebanon, Anadolu reports citing the state-run National News Agency.

Israeli strikes and military operations have targeted several locations across southern Lebanon, including the districts of Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil and Marjayoun, according to the news agency.

The attacks come despite a US-brokered framework agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel in June and renewed diplomatic efforts to address security disputes between the two sides.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says talks with Qatari mediators have resulted in a shorter period required to implement Iran’s proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz.

“The Qatari side proposed shortening the implementation period of the Iranian proposal to five days. We have reached a proposal at this stage that reduces the implementation period to two days,” Araghchi tells Al Jazeera in an interview.

“Our conditions include lifting the sanctions imposed following the Islamabad memorandum and reducing US forces in the region. We demand the restoration of oil waivers and the release of all our frozen funds, including those held in Qatar,” he adds.

Tehran’s top diplomat says his country demands the recognition of shipping routes discussed by Iran and Oman in the Strait of Hormuz and the closure of other routes.

“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with our conditions paves the way for the resumption of negotiations with Washington regarding outstanding issues,” he stresses.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has not ruled out the possibility of an attack against the country.

“We do not rule out any possibility regarding the outbreak of war, and we are prepared for all scenarios,” Araghchi tells Al Jazeera. “We have upgraded our weaponry, addressed our vulnerabilities, and tested new arms; our forces are at the highest level of readiness.”

Acknowledging the effects of the US-imposed economic pressure on Iran, Araghchi says Iran “will not surrender”.

“We will continue to stand firm and resist, and we will overcome this difficult phase through our own capabilities,” he adds.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tells Al Jazeera that mediators have presented proposals relating to Iran’s nuclear programme which are currently under discussion.

“Mediators have presented proposals concerning the nuclear dossier, which we are currently reviewing as part of the second phase,” he says, adding that an Iranian delegation has headed to Qatar to continue talks.

“My aide is currently in Qatar to continue consultations. Qatari and Pakistani mediators are continuing consultations regarding our conditions,” Araghchi says.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denies that there are any planned meetings with US officials.

“What is being circulated in this regard is merely media speculation,” he explains. “We see no need to meet with the Americans at present. Our conditions are clear, and mediators are continuing their consultations regarding them.”

Araghchi adds that a decision on whether to hold direct or indirect talks with the US depends on Washington meeting Tehran’s conditions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tells Al Jazeera that a US effort to open dialogue with Iran is “a positive step”.

Tehran’s top diplomat says his country has studied a letter sent by US Vice President JD Vance in high-level meetings.

“The American side’s attempt to open the door to dialogue and understanding more broadly is a positive step,” he says, though he warns, “If Washington’s goal in sending this letter is to stir up discord, it would be yet another mistake to add to its previous ones.”

A Lebanese military court has charged 13 people, allegedly linked to Hezbollah, with trafficking explosives, amid growing pressure on the group to disarm, Al Jazeera reports.