Iran Threatens US Warships With Qassem Basir Missile — SkimNews
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- Iran unveiled the solid-fuel Qassem Basir ballistic missile, which it says enables strikes "even before" threats materialize; reports suggested it was the missile tested against US warships on September 5.
- Washington acknowledged an Iranian attack on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington and a guided-missile destroyer near the Strait of Hormuz, but said it was unclear if the new missile was used and confirmed both vessels evaded.
- Iran announced it is preparing to sign an agreement with Oman establishing a new corridor through the Strait of Hormuz extending into the Persian Gulf, though this has yet to be confirmed.
- Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to its lowest level since May, with Iran threatening wider navigation restrictions and "economic warfare" if Washington continues economic pressure.
- After six months, none of the Trump-Netanyahu campaign's core objectives—regime change, eliminating Iran's nuclear program, destroying long-range missiles, or breaking its regional network—has been decisively achieved, and Iran-aligned Houthis continue attacks on Saudi Arabia.
- Saudi Arabia has long sought domestic enrichment capabilities, raising proliferation risks if Middle Eastern governments conclude nuclear capacity provides protection against external attack.
Why it matters: Six months of US-led military pressure have devastated Iranian infrastructure but failed to deliver regime change, a neutralized nuclear program, or a broken regional network, while the source notes Russia benefits from elevated hydrocarbon revenues and China gains whenever US naval and political attention is diverted from the Indo-Pacific. Tehran's pivot to proactive escalation and Hormuz economic leverage now makes continued armed conflict progressively more expensive for Washington than the concessions it previously accepted.
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