Following ballistic missile launches from Iran, drone and/or ballistic missile impacts have been reported in Erbil, Iraq.

More reports now of U.S. strikes against Iran’s Qeshm Island, following the resumption of scaled up U.S. strikes against Iran.

Several flights inbound to the airport in the Jordanian capital of Amman are currently holding and manuevering away from the airport. A short time ago, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced they had begun launching their retaliation for tonight's U.S. strikes.

Jordan has issued alerts to its citizens to shelter in expectation of incoming Iranian ballistic missiles.

Footage reportedly shows an Iranian ballistic missile impact in Aqaba, Jordan, amidst ongoing reciprocal strikes between the U.S. and Iran.

Pro-Iranian outlets have reported that Iran has vowed to target Kuwait and Bahrain, who they see as complicit in U.S. strikes against them. However, at the time of writing no alerts in either country have been reported, with Jordan currently bearing the brunt of Iranian retaliatory fires.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force has claimed that during strikes earlier against Jordan, the U.S. Marine Corps base, Camp Titin, outside of Aqaba, Jordan, was targeted in the attack. At the time of writing no reports of U.S. casualties has surfaced.

The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces has announced that air defenses are currently responding to hostile drone threats, likely of Iranian origin.

Kuwait is again saying that their armed forces are dealing with the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, mere minutes after the last alert.

According to a release from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), they have completed the wave of strikes against Iran, with air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites all being targeted in the strikes. Per the release, the strikes are in response to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the targeting of U.S. service members in the region.

Following the IRGC’s promise to include Bahrain and Kuwait in their retaliatory strikes, both Gulf states have now been targeted as sirens have been activated in Bahrain.

The Financial Times reports that Russia has been secretly helping Iran develop supersonic cruise missile technology since 2023, in what could become one of Moscow’s most significant military technology transfers to Tehran.

The program, known as C430L, involves Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and NPO Mashinostroyenia, with Russian missile engineers traveling repeatedly to Iran and analyzing Iranian ramjet flight-test data. The technology could eventually enable Iran to field faster, low altitude anti ship and land attack cruise missiles that would be significantly harder for U.S. and allied defenses to intercept.

Iran has already built and flight tested the ramjet propulsion system, but the FT found no evidence that a Russian assisted supersonic cruise missile has been deployed. The leaked correspondence indicates the program remained active into June 2026, including discussions about a next phase, although it is unclear whether that phase has begun.

The development is particularly significant for U.S. naval forces in the Middle East: Iran has demonstrated an ability to threaten American bases with drones and ballistic missiles, but has so far been less successful against U.S. naval assets. A mature ramjet powered anti ship missile could give Tehran a substantially more capable weapon for targeting ships in the Gulf and surrounding waters.

Source: https://www.ft.com/content/6cf367bc-95b0-4f1f-b149-a25684adefc3?syn-25a6b1a6=1

President Donald J. Trump has announced on Truth Social that he has nominated the current acting Secretary of the U.S. Navy, Hung Cao, to become the next permanent Secretary of the Navy.

Cao will need to be confirmed by the Senate before formally assuming the post.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has said that he isn’t interested in signing an agreement with Iran that they deem to be worthless. President Trump then questioned why the Iranian people have yet to rise up against the Iranian regime, now controlled by IRGC hardliners.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Center has issued a warning following the delayed report of an attack that occurred on August 31st in the Strait of Hormuz in which the 'incident' resulted in two casualties aboard a tanker.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy spoke today on the EU’s response to escalating Russian hybrid and direct actions against European states that support Ukraine today. Per Kallas, the EU has prepared 1,600 listings for the Russian military complex that will be discussed today in the context of what will likely be more sanctions packages levied against Russia in response to escalating actions.

However, such efforts, or lack thereof, are likely to draw the ire of many who believe that the EU’s collective response to Russian aggression can best be characterized as feckless.

Reuters reports that China’s state-owned shipping giant COSCO has used concealed equipment aboard its vessels for decades to collect signals intelligence for Beijing, according to two senior Trump administration officials. The officials say the systems can collect communications from military aircraft and vessels across North America, Europe and Asia, as well as information on military communications technology, encryption and key maritime routes.

The War Zone adds that China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law requires Chinese organizations and citizens to support state intelligence work when required, while a 2025 U.S. Naval War College study found that China’s civilian maritime sector can support intelligence collection. The Pentagon also placed COSCO on its list of companies linked to China’s military in January 2025, although the designation is not a formal sanction.

The specific equipment and ships involved have not been publicly identified, and China’s embassy in Washington called the allegations “totally baseless.” COSCO did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-shipper-cosco-collects-intel-beijing-with-concealed-equipment-us-2026-09-01/

https://www.twz.com/news-features/chinese-cargo-ships-clandestinely-gather-signals-intelligence-report

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to continue the war against Ukraine in recent days, effectively rejecting U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s renewed overtures for a peace and/or ceasefire settlement for the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. During a televised address in the past few days, President Putin said that there will be “no negotiations with terrorists,” referring to Ukraine.

With U.S. President Donald J. Trump continuing to make overtures of peace negotiations towards his Russian counterpart and President Vladimir Putin vowing to continue and increase strikes against Ukraine, traders on Polymarket are predicting that it’s likely that President Trump will meet President Putin in the near term, with traders assessing a 60% chance that the meet will happen by December 31, 2026.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Center has stated two fatalities have been confirmed in a newly issued an update following today's earlier advisory regarding the attack on a vessel on August 31st as it transited the Strait of Hormuz.

At least 17 mariners have been killed since operations commenced against Iran on February 28th.

The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) docked at Laem Chabang, Thailand, earlier today, marking its first port visit where sailors will be afforded liberty ashore since departing Naval Base San Diego, California, on November 21, 2025.

The carrier made a brief one day logistics stop in Guam on December 11 before departing the following day and continuing west.

Lincoln arrived in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in the Middle East on January 26, 2026, where it supported combat operations against Iran for months before being relieved by the USS George Washington (CVN-73) approximately two weeks ago.

The port visit in Thailand comes after one of the longest sustained operational periods for a U.S. aircraft carrier in recent years, giving the crew its first opportunity for a significant liberty port visit since leaving San Diego.

Photo: Reuters