Iran-US war latest: Trump labels strikes a ‘love tap’ in bizarre rant after new wave of bombings

The Pentagon is set to extend the deployment of US troops in the Middle East into next year, according to a report, in the latest indication that the war with Iran is set to drag on. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is quietly stretching the presence of troops in the region as part of an strategy to leave president Donald Trump with many open-ended options in the war, sources told The Wall Street Journal. It comes as Trump fails to provide any clarity on what the US’ long term plans are in the region and in its war with Iran, stating on Wednesday that the US is prepared to launch another attack at “any time”. “It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one any time we want,” he told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, after a major exchange of fire. He added that a renewed campaign would not last “too long”. Iranians and others in the region feared a return of the conflict in earnest after the biggest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July. Alex Croft3 September 2026 09:55USS Abraham Lincoln sailors finally reach steady land - and are warned against engaging in Thailand's sex tourism The USS Abraham Lincoln has docked after nearly nine months at sea, allowing sailors to finally hit the town in Pattaya, known as Thailand’s “Sin City.” These roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines have been on the aircraft carrier since it left its home port of San Diego on November 21. While the ship briefly docked in Guam and Oman, American service members have spent virtually all of their time on the ship, reportedly facing food shortages and mental health challenges as their deployment dragged out amid the ongoing Iran war. A trip to Pattaya will be a much-needed reprieve for sailors, where they can enjoy the seaside resort’s beaches and nightlife. “He’s so excited to get on land, he’s never been outside of the United States before. He wants to eat pizza or McDonald’s. I’m so happy for him,” the mother of one of the sailors on the USS Lincoln told MS NOW. Crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln leave a hotel in Pattaya, Thailand (AP) Pattaya has been rebranded as a more family-friendly destination in recent years following a history of sex tourism. The USS Lincoln’s commanding officer warned service members against engaging in prostitution, a person familiar with the matter told MS NOW. Prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand, but the law is rarely enforced. Paying for sex is also a punishable offense in the U.S. armed forces. During the Vietnam War, American service members flocked to Pattaya, once a quiet fishing village, "and it turned into a raunchy seaside playground,” Elizabeth Becker wrote in "Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism,” according to the Associated Press. Alex Croft3 September 2026 09:31Iran's rial drops to new low of 2.2 million to the dollar, tracking websites show Iran's currency has dropped to a record low of more than 2.2 million rials per U.S. dollar, two websites tracking the free market rate showed on Wednesday, amid renewed military strikes. The rial has dropped about 10 per cent in the past week. The troubled currency has lost about half of its value in a year of tightening U.S. sanctions and U.S. and Israeli attacks that began in February. Alex Croft3 September 2026 09:08Full report: Russia is secretly helping Iran to develop supersonic cruise missiles, says report Russia has been helping Iran to develop supersonic cruise missiles in secret for years, including through the US-Iran war, according to a report. Moscow has enlisted some of its most experienced specialists to help Iran to develop a new class of missile capable of threatening US aircraft carriers and warships stationed in the Middle East, according to an investigation by the Financial Times. The programme’s central objective was to help Iran to develop a special ‘ramjet’ propulsion system that would allow its cruise missiles to fly at several times the speed of sound, the report said. Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iranian missiles, framed the programme as a major transfer of sensitive technology from Moscow that Tehran had been after for decades and would require authorisation “from the very top”. Senior foreign reporter James Reynolds writes: Alex Croft3 September 2026 08:45Bab el-Mandeb Strait sees highest number of vessels since 24 August The Bab el-Mandeb strait, the waterway between Yemen and the horn of Africa, has seen the highest number of vessels transiting since 24 August. A total of 31 commodity vessels crossed that waterway on Wednesday, above the 10-day average of 25 vessels, Kpler data showed. On Tuesday, 17 vessels transited the waterway, the data showed. Vessels transit the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the coast of southern Yemen (AFP/Getty) Alex Croft3 September 2026 08:22Trump discusses Iran war with UAE president Donald Trump has been on the phone with UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE state news agency WAM said on Thursday. The pair discussed the ongoing developments in the Iran war, and touched on further bilateral cooperation between the two. We’ll bring you any further lines from the call as they come in. Alex Croft3 September 2026 07:59 Alex Croft3 September 2026 07:37US embassies issue security alerts after reported Iranians strikes Multiple US embassies in the Middle East issued a security alert to American citizens in the region on Wednesday. The security environment "remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation", the embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said. The US embassy in Riyadh advised Americans to prepare for possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions. A similar alert was issued by the US mission in the UAE. The warnings came after Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran “at a much harder and higher level” and leave “very little left” of the country if it retaliated. Iran launched retaliatory attacks overnight. Shweta Sharma3 September 2026 07:16Trump says US is 'prepared' for another wave of strikes on Iran President Donald Trump said the US hit Iran “very hard” on Tuesday night, claiming the strikes were in response to an Iranian attack on US forces in Jordan. “They gave a little love tap, but we hit them very hard last night,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He said the US had “taken out all of the new equipment” Iran had built along the Strait of Hormuz. “It was a very heavy attack last night,” Trump added. “And we're prepared to do another one anytime we want.” Shweta Sharma3 September 2026 07:06Six commodity vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz The vessels included two very large gas carriers, two long-range tankers, one Supramax tanker and one Panamax tanker. The figure is likely to be revised as some vessels typically switch off their transponders while passing through the strait. Shweta Sharma3 September 2026 06:47