US sinks five Iran tankers, sets midterm exit — SkimNews
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- CENTCOM destroyed five IRGC tankers — M/T Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, Riesco, and Derya — in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday after Iranian missile launches at US Navy warships, with crews ordered to abandon ship first.link ›
- Donald Trump said the Iran war would end immediately after the November 3 midterms, accusing Tehran of stalling to wait for a friendlier US political environment.link ›
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright said a nuclear deal with Iran 'may not' happen, suggesting the US would keep striking nuclear infrastructure instead.link ›
- IAEA Board of Governors referred Iran to the UN Security Council on Sept. 9 — first time in 20 years — with 23 in favor, China, Russia, and Niger opposed, and 8 abstaining, over Tehran's 440.9 kg of 60%-enriched uranium.link ›
- Ed Miliband announced UK sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlements over the E1-area tender for 1,200 homes, joined by France, Canada and nine other countries.link ›
- Gideon Saar shut the UK consulate in East Jerusalem and banned 11 MPs — including Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott — over alleged antisemitic activity.link ›
- Russia and North Korea opened their first road bridge across the Tumen River, a one-kilometre crossing linking Khasan to Tumangang, with convoys moving in both directions.link ›
- Kim Jong Un's military fired several short-range ballistic missiles from Wonsan on Saturday, flying roughly 250 km, while Trump told reporters Pyongyang holds 57 warheads — versus Seoul's 80–120 estimate.link ›
The US Navy sank five IRGC oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman this week — M/T Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, Riesco, and Derya — after Iranian missile launches at American warships, with CENTCOM framing the strike as a hit on Iran's 'multibillion-dollar shadow network.' Brent crude climbed to $97 on the news. Trump then confirmed the war's end-date is the November 3 midterms, openly tying military operations to his political calendar while Energy Secretary Chris Wright said a nuclear deal 'may not' happen. Separately, the UK sanctioned illegal West Bank settlements over the E1-area tender and slapped entry bans on 11 Labour MPs including Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott, prompting Israel to shut the British consulate in East Jerusalem.
The stories behind this week
Russia, North Korea Open First Road Bridge on Tumen RiverThe bridge physically cements a wartime partnership: North Korea already deployed thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region, and Moscow reportedly answered with air-defence systems, drones, and satellite technology. Truth Hounds' warning that this crossing could hide further troop and equipment movements from Western surveillance gives the infrastructure dual civilian and military significance.
UK Sanctions West Bank Settlements, Israel RetaliatesThe UK is executing its most concrete punitive action against Israeli settlement activity to date, coordinated across a 12-country coalition — but it triggers immediate Israeli retaliation (consulate closure, MP travel bans) and a threatened US economic response from Ambassador Huckabee, opening a diplomatic rift with Israel's closest Western allies over the same week the E1 settlement tender reignited the debate.
South Koreans Protest Deployment to Strait of HormuzSouth Korea's parliament must approve any troop deployment by majority vote, and organized street opposition is now visibly aligned with Tehran's warning — so even if Seoul wanted to contribute to Trump's Middle East coalition, the domestic political cost is rising before any decision is made.
UN nuclear watchdog board reports Iran to UN Security Council for the first time in 20 yearsThe referral carries limited teeth because Russia and China can veto any punitive UN action, but it deepens Iran's diplomatic isolation and formalizes the IAEA's loss of oversight over 440.9 kg of 60%-enriched uranium — enough for up to 10 weapons — at a moment when the 6-month-old US-Iran war has already widened to tankers and strikes on Jordan.
Trump Says Iran War Ends After MidtermsThe timing ties the war’s stated endpoint to the November 3 election, as Democrats seek one or both chambers and Republicans hold slim majorities. With talks off the agenda and more strikes promised, Iran faces further attacks while oil above $100 a barrel carries higher costs for U.S. consumers.
US Destroys 5 IRGC Oil Tankers in Gulf of OmanBrent crude hit $97 per barrel Tuesday as the confrontation broadens from tanker strikes into direct naval exchanges — the IRGC attacked a US vessel Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran just declared a restricted zone. CENTCOM's framing of the tankers as a "multibillion-dollar shadow network" signals the campaign targets Iran's revenue stream, not just retaliation, while the ongoing blockade (94 ships redirected since mid-July) chokes commercial traffic through the Gulf.
North Korea Fires Several Ballistic Missiles Toward SeaWith Trump publicly pursuing a year-end Kim Jong Un meeting while simultaneously scaling back the joint drills Pyongyang calls invasion rehearsals, each new missile test forces Seoul into emergency coordination even as Washington publicly downplays the threat. The gap between Trump's stated 57-warhead count and Seoul's 80-120 estimate also exposes how sharply US and South Korean intelligence reads on Pyongyang's arsenal diverge.
25 years of war was the exact wrong response to 9/11The op-ed frames widespread public opposition to Trump's war on Iran as evidence Americans have finally rejected 25 years of post-9/11 militarism. CODEPINK's founders argue the $21 trillion war bill came at the direct expense of domestic investment, infrastructure, and progressive priorities — and that Mamdani's NYC agenda illustrates an alternative path.
Why it matters: Trump explicitly tying the Iran war's end to the November 3 midterms, on the same week the Navy sank five IRGC tankers and the IAEA referred Tehran to the Security Council, means Iran's exit from this conflict is now keyed to US electoral timing rather than any nuclear or battlefield threshold.
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