According to a release by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), since the resumption of the U.S. blockade of vessels traveling to and from Iran, 105 vessels have been redirected by US forces.

According to a report from CNN, an AI-aided intelligence report incorrectly assessed that a Chinese vessel in the Middle East was carrying nuclear material. Per the report, the assessment induced a fast reaction from U.S. military forces in the region, with forces preparing to interdict the vessel based on some sourcing, via the AI chat-bot the analyst used, that was “entirely false.” While the quote that a potential operation “may have started a war” is overstating the potential fallout, should the operation have been carried out, it would have dampened the U.S.-China diplomatic relationship significantly before the much anticipated meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

The Pentagon's public casualty database is undercounting US deaths in the Iran war, according to six US officials who spoke with The Washington Post.

The Defense Casualty Analysis System currently lists 18 military fatalities since the war began Feb. 28. Five of the officials say the real number is at least 22. A sixth put it at 23, though that official said not all of those deaths are directly tied to combat, some involve personnel who were in the Middle East during the conflict but died for other reasons. The same official said three US contractors in the region have also died since fighting started. The Pentagon declined to address questions about the discrepancy.

Of the deaths currently listed, 14 fall under Operation Epic Fury, the administration's name for the war, while four more are filed under a separate "Overseas Operations" category tied to the collapse of a July ceasefire. That categorization has drawn scrutiny: the administration reclassified renewed hostilities under Overseas Operations over the summer, around the same time four combat deaths were briefly left off the public tally altogether.

Two other confirmed deaths, a training accident in Erbil, Iraq, and a medical emergency in Kuwait, occurred at bases that have come under Iranian attack but aren't counted toward either tally. More than 820 troops have been wounded in action, many from traumatic brain injuries caused by Iranian strikes on US bases.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/09/18/more-us-troops-have-died-amid-iran-war-than-pentagon-has-disclosed-publicly/

According to U.S. President Donald J. Trump, “effective immediately,” he will be barring CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House, citing their critical coverage of his administration, which he says is “fake news.” While it’s yet to be seen whether the president can actually unilaterally ban the new outlets from the White House space, as the Associated Press still is embroiled in a legal spate as well, the move would be extremely notable if implemented.

Earlier this Summer, a shipment of sensitive technological parts for the F-35 Lightning ll bound for the United States from Australia for repairs, mysteriously vanished after being accidentally diverted to Hong Kong. Sparking an inquiry in Washington while raising the possibility that access to key components of the highly classified weapon system could have ended up in the hands of China.

According to reports from POLITICO, the parts, which an intermediary was transporting on behalf of Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35, somehow wound up in Hong Kong after being diverted over the Pacific Ocean. It’s not clear why the equipment was rerouted or who has possession of it now, with the shipment including one of the jet’s canopies, which covers the cockpit and contains stealth technology that is only accessible to the U.S. and partners in the F-35 Program.

The Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office said in a statement it was “aware of a shipment issue of unserviceable F-35 Lightning II components,” adding that the office is working with U.S. authorities and industry partners “to retrieve these components, investigate the incident, and place safeguards to avoid a future occurrence.”

Luxembourg Airport has been closed to arriving and departing flights due to a possible “drone incident” over the airport, with inbound flights being place into a holding pattern or diverted to other airports in Western Europe.

The United States has warned Japan and other allies to expect delays of as much as five years in key weapons deliveries, including Patriot Missile Interceptors and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM), as it rebuilds its own depleted munitions stocks following the still-ongoing Iran War, according to reporting by Bloomberg.

President Donald J. Trump announced Friday via a post to Truth Social that the U.S. has reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland giving the U.S. what he called "permanent control over security, and all other needs" in Greenland, at no cost to the United States.

President Trump said the deal bars any U.S. adversary from establishing a base, military presence, or "sensitive investments" in Greenland without US approval, and that the US will begin building a "large Military presence" there in cooperation with Greenlanders. He described it as an "Infinite Life Agreement" with no end date.

The Kingdom of Denmark, nor Greenland's governments have issued a public confirmation of the terms President Trump described.

The Governments of Denmark and Greenland have issued a joint statement announcing the expected signing of an agreement next week with the United States during the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, which will strengthen security in the Arctic and Northern Atlantic.

Earlier this afternoon, President Trump announced that the U.S. had reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland, giving the U.S. what he called “permanent control over security, and all other needs” in Greenland, at no cost to the United States.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL-755) and Royal Canadian Navy HMCS Max Bernays (AOPV 432) conducted a joint boarding exercise in the Bering Sea Sept 8, the third combined sail under Operation Tundra Merlin. The operation integrates US and Canadian forces across sea, air, land, and space domains to defend North America's Arctic maritime approaches as ice recedes and foreign, namely Russian, activity in the region increases.

The Iran war has cost $43.6 billion through September 3rd, according to a Pentagon breakdown given to Congress and shared with The New York Times. Munitions account for $28.1 billion of that.

The Air Force spent $6.6 billion, the Navy $2.2 billion deploying carriers and warships, and the Army $1.6 billion. More than 50,000 troops are assigned to the mission. The figure excludes $1.5 billion in additional costs being requested separately and repair costs for damaged facilities, like the Navy's base in Manama, Bahrain, which officials say could add tens of billions more.

The number tracks with some earlier estimates. The Congressional Budget Office put the cost at $38 billion through August 1st, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testified in July it had reached $37.5 billion.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/us/politics/iran-war-cost-pentagon.html

The State Department has notified Congress of a possible $2.68 billion Foreign Military Sale to Ukraine for air defense upgrades, according to a State Department announcement Friday. The package still needs to clear the standard congressional review process before it can proceed.

The proposed sale includes S-300 clone missiles, GAM-67 missiles, extended range laser guided rocket systems, transporter erector launchers, counter drone radars, mobile launch system upgrades, and related maintenance, logistics, and engineering support.

Ukraine would pay using a mix of European contributions and U.S. Foreign Military Financing funds appropriated under the previous administration. That FMF funding would then count as a US capital contribution to the Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund through a 1:1 reimbursement arrangement.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Admiral Brad Cooper provided an update today saying that U.S. forces have facilitated the transit of more than 1 billion barrels of crude oil out of the Strait of Hormuz in "the last couple of months." Cooper said the main shipping lanes have been cleared of mines and more than 2,000 vessels have transited under U.S. protection. At the same time, Iran has exported zero barrels of crude oil since the blockade was reinstated.

According to the U.S. Navy, the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) arrived in Guam yesterday for a logistics stop after more than 300 days deployed. From Guam, it will take roughly 14 days to reach the U.S. west coast and its home port of Naval Base San Diego, California. That puts Lincoln within 10 days of breaking the post-Vietnam record for the longest carrier deployment, a mark of 326 days set by the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78).

Following U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s announcement that Politico, CNN, and MSNOW will be banned from the White House, MSNOW’s White House Correspondent Akayla Gardner and her photographer were denied access to the White House, with Gardner saying that Secret Service officers told her that her badge was invalid.

CNN reporter @betsy_klein has now also had her press credentials taken and has been barred from the White House, following U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s announcement that CNN, Politico, and MSNOW, of which CNN and MSNOW have now been barred, will be banned from the White House.