Twelve A-10C Thunderbolt IIs with the Michigan Air National Guard’s 107th Fighter Squadron, seen departing earlier today from Pease Air National Guard Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for an impromptu deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing strike campaign and possible future invasion of Iran.

Video credit: @DaveOTGphotog

The United Arab Emirates, supported by Bahrain and Kuwait, is pushing hard for U.S. President Donald J. Trump to order a ground invasion of Iran, as officials from many Gulf allies of the United States, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE, have conveyed in private conversations that they do not want the ongoing military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there’s a dramatic shift in Iran’s behavior, diplomatic officials tell the Associated Press.

Quick reminder that none of these countries, nor Israel, is going to provide significant, if any, troops towards an Invasion of Iran. The only ones dying will be Americans.

The Saudi Ministry of Defense reports that in the last hour a total of 8 Iranian ballistic missiles have been detected and intercepted approaching the Saudi Arabia capital of Riyadh, close to Prince Sultan Air Base.

Massive explosions seen tonight in the Central Iranian city of Isfahan, following airstrikes by Israel and/or the United States.

Kuwait's Petroleum Corporation is reporting an Iranian attack earlier tonight on the Kuwaiti-flagged crude oil supertanker, M/T AL SALMI, while the ship was anchored off the coast of Dubai in the Persian Gulf. The tanker was fully loaded with oil at the time of the attack, with the strike causing significant damage to the vessel though no injuries. A fire is currently burning onboard the vessel, while concerns mount regarding a possible oil spill in the waters of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to the U.S. State Department daily public schedule, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado tomorrow at the State Department in Washington, D.C. This comes as Machado has signaled her intentions to return back to Venezuela in preparation for future elections, as U.S. decision-makers have cautioned the opposition leader from preemptively going back before stability is assured.

According to the Wall Street Journal, citing officials with knowledge on the matter, U.S. President Donald J. Trump has told aides that he is willing to conclude operations against Iran even if it means leaving the Strait of Hormuz in a deadlock. Per the report, the administration assesses that operations to forcibly reopen the strait will likely extend the conflict past the previously established 4-5 weeks and that reaching the goals of severely degrading Iranian conventional military capabilities may be the the route to go. Additionally, according to the report, other military options on the table, including ground operations, are not the priorities right now of President Trump.

Several large explosions and a significant fire, likely from munition cook-offs, observed during a wave of strikes earlier tonight on Badr Military Airport near Isfahan in Central Iran.

The U.S. Department of Defense has announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine with hold a press conference tomorrow at 8AM EST.

In the weeks leading up to the Iran War in February, a broker for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the banking giant Morgan Stanley contacted BlackRock about making a multimillion-dollar investment in its iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF, which contains about $3.1 billion in assets, for companies such as Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, according to the Financial Times.

The Israel Defense Force has issued an urgent warning to residents of the Vard Avar Neighborhood in the Iranian capital of Tehran, stating that the Air Force is preparing to carry out strikes against military infrastructure in the designated area and residents are advised to remain in the their homes for the next four hours.

Multiple precision strikes in the last hour near the airport in the Southern Iranian city of Shiraz.

The Pentagon is adamantly denying today’s story from the Financial Times, which alleged that a broker affiliated with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attempted to make a multimillion-dollar investment in several defense manufacturers in the lead up to the Iran War, with Spokesman Sean Parnell stating that the story is “false and fabricated,” while demanding an immediate retraction from FT. Parnell closed by saying: “Secretary Hegseth and the Department of War remain unwavering in their commitment to the highest standards of ethics and strict adherence to all applicable laws and regulations.”

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior has announced that American journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped today in Baghdad.

The Nevada National Guard announces that it has deployed a contingent of Airmen with the 152nd Airlift Wing of the Nevada Air National Guard, from Nevada Air National Guard Base in Reno, Nevada, to the U.S. Central Command Area-of-Responsibility in support of Operation Epic Fury.

Fuel tanks owned by the Kuwait Aviation Fuel Supply Company (KAFAKO) at Kuwait International Airpory were targeted earlier tonight in a drone attack by Iran, with a large fire currently burning at the site of the attack as emergency teams attempt to contain the blaze, according to the Spokesman for the General Authority of Civil Aviation.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump told The Telegraph that he is strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO after it failed to join his ongoing war against Iran, stating that the alliance is a “paper tiger” and that this is known by Russia and President Vladimir Putin.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump will give an Address to the Nation on Wednesday night at 9:00PM EST to provide an “important update on Iran,” according to the White House.