Iran Threatens US Warships, Eyes Oman Strait Deal — SkimNews
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- Iran threatened to target US warships with its solid-fuel Qassem Basir ballistic missile, claiming it enables pre-emptive action; the missile was reportedly used in September 5 tests against US warships near the Strait of Hormuz.
- Washington acknowledged an Iranian attack on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer near the Strait of Hormuz but said vessels evaded and it was unclear whether the new missile was used.
- Iran announced it is preparing to sign an agreement with Oman to establish a new corridor through the Strait of Hormuz extending into the Persian Gulf, though this has yet to be confirmed.
- Commodity shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to its lowest level since May as Iran threatens wider navigation restrictions and "economic warfare" if sanctions continue.
- After six months, none of the Trump-Netanyahu campaign's core objectives — weakening Iran's political system, eliminating its nuclear threat, destroying long-range missile capability, or breaking its regional network — has been decisively achieved, and recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia show that proxy network still operates.
- Russia benefits from higher hydrocarbon revenues and China gains strategically as US naval assets, munitions, and political attention are diverted from the Indo-Pacific.
Why it matters: Six months in, none of Washington's core war aims have been achieved, and Hormuz shipping is at its lowest since May — meaning every new round of US escalation now imposes larger costs on the global economy. Trump's options have narrowed to a genuine trap: tighten the blockade and risk Hormuz disruption, bomb harder and widen retaliation against Gulf allies, or negotiate from a weaker position while Iran's bargaining leverage grows.
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