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Republican lawmakers on Wednesday blocked a measure that would have restricted President Trump’s authority to continue military operations against Iran without congressional approval, even as the conflict widened into a fast‑moving international crisis.
What To Know
- Senate Republicans rejected a War Powers effort that sought to force congressional oversight of the expanding Iran campaign; only Senator Rand Paul broke with his party.
- The vote came as NATO air defenses intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile headed toward Turkish airspace, raising fears of a broader regional spillover.
- U.S. officials said American and Israeli forces would intensify strikes, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claiming their aircraft would soon dominate Iranian airspace.
- Israel launched another wave of attacks on Tehran late Wednesday, marking the fifth consecutive day of coordinated U.S.-Israeli operations.
- Turkey confirmed the intercepted missile originated from Iran, though its intended target remains unclear.
- China announced it would dispatch a special envoy to the Middle East as global concern deepened; several European nations deployed military assets to protect their citizens.
- Israel ordered mass evacuations in southern Lebanon as it escalated strikes on Hezbollah positions north of the Litani River.
- Financial markets steadied after days of volatility, though U.S. gas prices continued to rise amid fears of prolonged conflict.
- Iran’s death toll climbed to 787, according to the Red Crescent, including at least 175 killed in a strike on a girls’ elementary school.
- U.S. officials confirmed six American service members have died in the conflict, including four Army Reserve soldiers killed in a drone attack in Kuwait.
- Iranian leaders are weighing successors to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with his son Mojtaba emerging as a leading candidate following the supreme leader’s assassination. at a girls’ elementary school, where a bombing killed at least 175 people, according to the organization.
Closure of Hormuz could trigger global oil shock, expert warns
A shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz would send shockwaves through the global energy system within days, Francis A. Galgano, PhD, told Newsweek. Galgano, an associate professor at Villanova University specializing in coastal and military geography, said the world’s dependence on the narrow waterway leaves little buffer if tankers stop moving.
About 20 percent of global petrochemical consumption passes through Hormuz each day, he noted. While the impact is not instantaneous—super tankers take eight to twelve days to reach the U.S. East Coast—supplies would begin tightening within a matter of days. “You start seeing diminished supplies, and at some point, we’re really going to hit a critical point where we are facing a real shortage that would need to be made up,” Galgano said.
The vulnerability is compounded by Iran’s ability to strike ships transiting the corridor. Galgano pointed to Tehran’s arsenal of drones and Chinese and Russian anti‑ship missiles, as well as the enduring lesson of the USS Cole, nearly sunk in 2000 by two attackers in a small explosive‑laden boat. “Ships are very vulnerable, and a ship carrying oil is just like a big fuel bomb,” he said, adding that insurers and shippers are acutely aware of how quickly a single attack can disrupt global flows.
DNC chair condemns GOP for blocking war powers measure
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin sharply criticized Senate Republicans on Wednesday after they blocked a measure that would have limited President Trump’s authority to continue military operations against Iran without congressional approval. Martin said the vote allowed the president to press ahead with what he called a “deadly and deeply unpopular” conflict launched without the consent of the American people.
In his statement, Martin argued that Trump had “trampled on the Constitution” by initiating the war unilaterally and said the refusal to curb his authority had already resulted in American casualties and significant financial costs. He accused Republicans of putting the president’s interests above those of the country, saying they had a chance to “stand up and say ‘no more’” but chose instead to “make their priorities clear: Trump First, Americans Last.”
Strait of Hormuz’s tight geography leaves tankers exposed, expert says
The Strait of Hormuz’s extreme narrowness and depth limitations make it one of the most inherently vulnerable maritime corridors in the world, according to Francis A. Galgano, PhD, is an associate professor of geography and the environment at Villanova University. Galgano, who specializes in coastal and military geography, told Newsweek that the strait’s physical layout alone creates a chokepoint with little margin for error.
“At its narrowest, the Strait of Hormuz is less than 30 nautical miles wide,” said Galgano. “But, because of depth constraints, you end up with two shipping lanes, each two miles wide, with a two-nautical-mile buffer. You’re essentially looking at all of that shipping constrained to six nautical miles, and the ships are relatively slow.”
Galgano noted that between 14 and 25 tankers transit the strait each day, ensuring that “there is always a ship in the line.”
Iran calls Hegseth ‘US Secretary of War Crimes’
Iran’s Foreign Ministry escalated its rhetoric on Wednesday after spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei labeled U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a “war criminal,” citing the Pentagon chief’s own public descriptions of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign. Baghaei highlighted Hegseth’s comments about American and Israeli aircraft dominating Iranian skies and delivering “death and destruction…all day long,” framing them as an admission of unlawful targeting.
Baghaei said such language amounted to a “confession of War Crime and Crime against Humanity,” accusing Hegseth of embracing a “Nazi mentality” for endorsing strikes that Iran says are killing civilians and devastating infrastructure. His remarks reflect Tehran’s growing effort to cast the U.S.-Israeli operation as an assault on the Iranian population rather than a campaign against military sites.
Israeli official says military knew weeks in advance a clash with Iran was coming
An Israeli military official says the country’s political leadership signaled three weeks before the first strikes that a confrontation with Iran was inevitable. Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, the official said the operation was driven by two urgent concerns: Iran’s nuclear program being pushed so far underground that conventional weapons could no longer reach it, and a rapid acceleration in Iranian ballistic‑missile production.
He described an unprecedented level of integration with the United States throughout the campaign. As much as 70% of the daily work inside the IDF’s J5 Planning and Cooperation directorate is now conducted in English, he said, to maintain constant coordination with American counterparts. The IDF chief of staff and the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are speaking at least once a day, and U.S. air‑refueling support has been central to sustaining the tempo of operations.
During the opening wave of strikes, U.S. and Israeli war rooms were synchronized in real time, allowing both militaries to adjust instantly to Iranian responses. The official also said Israel and the U.S. deliberately projected an image of calm before the attack, releasing photos suggesting senior commanders had gone home for Shabbat to catch Iran off guard.
Iraqi Kurdish fighters deny crossing into Iran after U.S. report claims offensive
A dispute erupted online Wednesday after a U.S. media report claimed that “thousands of Iraqi Kurds” had launched a ground offensive inside Iran. Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin cited a U.S. official asserting that Kurdish forces had crossed the border as part of the widening conflict.
Aziz Ahmad, a senior Kurdish official, publicly rejected the claim, writing that “not a single Iraqi Kurd has crossed the border.” He called the report “patently false.”
Maersk suspends Gulf cargo bookings as regional conflict disrupts trade
Maersk has temporarily halted cargo bookings to and from several Gulf countries amid deteriorating security in the Middle East. The company said the suspension follows a fresh risk assessment aimed at protecting its crews, safeguarding cargo, and preserving the stability of its global network amid escalating threats.
The pause affects shipments to and from the United Arab Emirates, Oman (except Salalah), Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and parts of Saudi Arabia, including Dammam and Jubail, with only essential goods, such as food and medicine, exempted in some cases. Other major carriers have taken similar steps, reflecting a broader industry retreat from the region as conflict disrupts shipping lanes and raises insurance and operational risks.
Israeli official says military knew weeks in advance a clash with Iran was coming
An Israeli military official says the country’s political leadership signaled three weeks before the first strikes that a confrontation with Iran was inevitable. Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, the official said the operation was driven by two urgent concerns: Iran’s nuclear program being pushed so far underground that conventional weapons could no longer reach it, and a rapid acceleration in Iranian ballistic‑missile production.
He described an unprecedented level of integration with the United States throughout the campaign. As much as 70% of the daily work inside the IDF’s J5 Planning and Cooperation directorate is now conducted in English, he said, to maintain constant coordination with American counterparts. The IDF chief of staff and the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are speaking at least once a day, and U.S. air‑refueling support has been central to sustaining the tempo of operations.
During the opening wave of strikes, U.S. and Israeli war rooms were synchronized in real time, allowing both militaries to adjust instantly to Iranian responses. The official also said Israel and the U.S. deliberately projected an image of calm before the attack, releasing photos suggesting senior commanders had gone home for Shabbat to catch Iran off guard.
Iraqi Kurdish fighters deny crossing into Iran after U.S. report claims offensive
A dispute erupted online Wednesday after a U.S. media report claimed that “thousands of Iraqi Kurds” had launched a ground offensive inside Iran. Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin cited a U.S. official asserting that Kurdish forces had crossed the border as part of the widening conflict.
Aziz Ahmad, a senior Kurdish official, publicly rejected the claim, writing that “not a single Iraqi Kurd has crossed the border.” He called the report “patently false.”
Maersk suspends Gulf cargo bookings as regional conflict disrupts trade
Maersk has temporarily halted cargo bookings to and from several Gulf countries amid deteriorating security in the Middle East. The company said the suspension follows a fresh risk assessment aimed at protecting its crews, safeguarding cargo, and preserving the stability of its global network amid escalating threats.
The pause affects shipments to and from the United Arab Emirates, Oman (except Salalah), Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and parts of Saudi Arabia, including Dammam and Jubail, with only essential goods, such as food and medicine, exempted in some cases. Other major carriers have taken similar steps, reflecting a broader industry retreat from the region as conflict disrupts shipping lanes and raises insurance and operational risks.
Iran and Turkey hold call after NATO shoots down Iranian missile
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that its top diplomat spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart after NATO air‑defense systems intercepted an Iranian missile headed toward Turkish airspace. The missile was shot down earlier in the day as it traveled over Iraq and toward Turkey, prompting urgent communication between the two neighbors.
According to the Iranian statement, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed that Iran’s armed forces “will not rest until the complete repulsion of the enemies’ malevolence,” defending Iran’s recent strikes as aimed at bases used to “plan and execute aggressive operations against Iran.” He also urged closer coordination between Tehran and Ankara, warning of what he described as Israeli efforts to destabilize the region.
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