Iran-US struggle newest: Trump orders army to hurry up weapons manufacturing amid Hormuz deal impasse
The US is pushing for defence companies to “dramatically” accelerate weapons production as the Iran war drains through their missile supplies, it is understood.
Deputy defence secretary Steve Feinberg gave companies three weeks to lay out how they would “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities.”
“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Mr Feinberg added in the memo, which was obtained by The Washington Post.
“We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”
It comes as the head of Iran’s supreme national security council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, said the Strait of Hormuz will remain shut until the US meet six conditions, including ending the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq forever.
It comes as the UAE condemned an Iranian missile attack on its carrier as it passed through the Strait yesterday.
State news agency WAM initially reported ADNOC as saying one of its vessels had been targeted by a missile early on Saturday and that the situation was under control.
US military pushes companies to ‘dramatically accelerate’ weapons production as Iran war burns through supply, memo says
In a memo on Wednesday, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg gave companies three weeks to lay out how they would “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities.”
“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg added in the memo, which was obtained by The Washington Post. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”
What compensation does Iran want from the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
The head of Iran’s supreme national security council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, has said that the Strait of Hormuz will remain shut until the US meets six conditions.
In comments carried by Iran’s IRNA news agency on Saturday, Zolghadr laid out his terms.
Included in full, in his words, these were:
- Never threaten Iran with any language or insult the sanctities of this nation
- End the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq forever
- Lift the naval blockade and withdraw its military forces (naval and air) from around Iran
- Pay the damages of the two wars of aggression and imposition on Iran without any reduction or reduction
- Lift the cruel and illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation
- Unconditionally release the frozen and stolen assets of the Iranian people
Trump’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs seeking ‘off-ramp’ from Iran war, report says
Caine has privately told other top administration officials that the country needs to find a way to exit the war, according to CNN, which cited three sources familiar with the matter.
Despite Trump claiming throughout the war that a peace deal, which would include his demand that Iran never obtain a nuclear weapon, was within reach, fighting has continued for more than five months.
Iran says strait won’t open until the US ‘corrects’ behaviour
Iran’s politburo-like body known as the Supreme National Security Council said the Strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States “corrects its behavior,” issuing new demands that could shake up talks on a deal to manage the waterway and traffic on it.
Iran’s state broadcaster published the statement by the council’s secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a commander in the powerful Revolutionary Guard.
The U.S. must never threaten Iran again, the statement said, and must permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region.
The U.S. must lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw its military from the area. It also must “completely compensate” Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and “unconditionally” release frozen assets.
There was no immediate comment from the U.S., which has wanted an acceptable deal first on the strait before ending the blockade.
Fire extinguished at Aramco refinery in Jazan, Saudi Arabia says
Firefighters extinguished a fire that broke out early on Sunday at a facility at Aramco’s Jazan refinery in southwestern Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Energy Ministry said, adding that there were no injuries.
Aramco’s industrial security teams had brought the fire under control and the relevant authorities were completing procedures to deal with the incident, the ministry said on X. It did not say what caused the fire.
Jazan is on the Red Sea near the border with Yemen.
The Jazan refinery processes 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day and produces refined products including gasoline and ultra-light sulfur diesel.
Aramco shut down the refinery on 27 July following an attack by Yemen’s Houthi militants that damaged the plant’s Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) complex and tank farm area, according to a note from consultancy IIR seen by Reuters.
The Houthis said at the time they had struck Aramco sites in Jazan and Yanbu.
Iraq discusses oil export arrangement with Iran, minister says
Iraq is in talks with Iran on an arrangement to allow Iraqi oil exports, but the mechanism has not yet been activated, the country’s oil minister Basim Mohammed said on Saturday.
He gave no details on the proposed route, expected volumes, or a timeline for the arrangement.
Iraq currently produces about 2.7 million barrels per day and exports roughly half of that amount, the minister said during a press conference, adding that export capacity this month is capped at 1.5 million to 1.75 million bpd.
Fallout from war in Iran is leaving millions vulnerable to hunger
The economic fallout from the regional conflict has driven up food and fuel prices, while more than four months of conflict with Iran has driven renewed escalation in Yemen, compounding one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
More than half the population were already facing hunger, but slow progress from world leaders to re-open the Strait has caused months of disruption to global food and energy supplies, disrupting humanitarian aid operations.
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s defence pact technically same as Nato Article 5, Turkish minister says
A defence pact signed between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is technically the same as Nato’s Article 5 mutual defence agreement, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday, adding the accord was not targeting Iran.
Fidan also said Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to see the alliance expand, and that Egypt was a potential candidate to join, among others.
The regional powers signed the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement” on Friday, wedding Sunni Muslim US allies alarmed at a regional conflagration that has brought Iranian missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters.
In a joint statement, they said the accord intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all.
UAE oil tanker attacked by missile in Strait of Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates condemned an Iranian missile attack on its carrier as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz today, accusing Tehran of “acts of piracy”.
State news agency WAM initially reported ADNOC as saying one of its vessels had been targeted by a missile early on Saturday and that the situation was under control.
The UAE Foreign Ministry later condemned what it called “the hostile Iranian attack” on an ADNOC vessel.
Neither statement gave details on the tanker, its cargo or possible damage. No injuries were reported.
The ministry said the attack violated a U.N. Security Council resolution on freedom of navigation and accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of “acts of piracy” by targeting commercial shipping and using the waterway as a tool of economic pressure.
It called on Iran to halt the attacks and reopen the strait fully and unconditionally.
Turkey says its defence deal with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is not aimed at any third country
A defence agreement that Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed on Friday is not aimed against any third country, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said.
It says an attack on one would be considered an attack on all three.
Fidan told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency on Saturday that the countries do not view any state as an adversary unless it takes hostile action against them: “We don’t have anything written down — nothing we’ve signed – that defines a common threat.”
Asked how the mutual defense mechanism would work, Fidan said a member would formally request help and the two countries’ assistance could range from intelligence-sharing to logistics support or the deployment of military units.
The mechanism would establish a secretariat to be based in Saudi Arabia, Fidan said.
He said other nations, which he did not name, have expressed interest in joining the agreement, adding that he expects Egypt, which he described as a “natural partner,” to participate “at the next stage.”
Source: independent.co.uk
