US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has said US strikes against Iran are possible after Washington unveiled an “economic D-Day” against Tehran.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr Hegseth said that "by no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran.”
It comes after Scott Bessent threatened to “tighten the noose” with a fresh set of sanctions for Tehran, declaring that “no nation should expect to enjoy the rewards of our system while working with a regime that seeks to destroy it.”
He said that an unnamed financial institution could expect to be sanctioned by the end of this week.
Iran has claimed to be “fully prepared” for US sanctions, as Tehran’s economy minister Ali Madanizadeh. told state TV: “We are fully prepared for the US sanctions; they cannot cut off our financial arteries.”
Pictured: Scott Bessent reveals sanctions on Iran
Bryony Gooch25 August 2026 01:00
Watch: Trump administration announces 'economic onslaught' on Iran
Bryony Gooch25 August 2026 00:00
Trump's approval holds at record low as US support for Iran war falls, Reuters Ipsos poll finds
US public approval of the war with Iran fell to its lowest level since the conflict's early days, helping to hold president Donald Trump's popularity at a record low, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Monday.
The four-day poll showed just 31 per cent of Americans support US military action against Iran, down from 37 per cent in a March Reuters/Ipsos poll and 34 per cent earlier this month. The decline was driven by fewer self-identified Republicans backing the conflict. Some 69 per cent of Republican respondents support the war, compared with 77 per cent in March.
The war has been dragging on Trump's public standing this year, and for the second survey in a row just 33 per cent of respondents said they approved of the Republican's performance in the White House, the lowest level in polls from Trump's first or second term.
Some 83 per cent of the country thinks the war will go on "for an extended period of time," the Reuters/Ipsos poll found, up from 80 per cent earlier this month.
The poll surveyed 1,215 US adults nationwide and had a margin of error of three percentage points in either direction.
Bryony Gooch24 August 2026 23:00
Hegseth refuses to rule out strikes against Iran
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that President Donald Trump's administration was not ruling out using military force against Iran, even as Washington unveiled an "economic D-Day" against Tehran.
"By no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran," Mr Hegseth told reporters, adding that Iran could not handle the economic pressure being put on it.
Nicole Wootton-Cane24 August 2026 22:21
US holds off on penalties in threat to world leaders
As the war with Iran nears its six-month mark, treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the US was launching an "economic onslaught" against Iran's financial connections around the globe.
But he declined to say what specific countries would be targeted, or when those penalties would take effect. The Treasury department announced new sanctions on 60 individuals, entities and vessels but that list did not include any of the Chinese financial institutions suspected of facilitating Iran's oil trade.
"Why would I want to blow up the global financial system? We believe that it is important to level set and give people a cure period, but they should know that that will move very quickly and that we are serious," Bessent told a press conference.
Bryony Gooch24 August 2026 22:00
Israel's Netanyahu says Iran tried to kill one of his sons
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Iran had tried to kill one of his sons, but gave no details about when the alleged plot took place, which son was targeted or how close it came to being carried out.
Netanyahu's allegation underscores the heightened tensions since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February, during which supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders were killed.
Netanyahu, whose coalition is trailing in opinion polls two months before an 27 October general election, made the claim in a telephone interview with Israel's Channel 14. He was responding to reports that one of Israel's security agencies had refused to provide protection for a political rival ahead of the nationwide vote.
"As for my sons. Here, I think there is something quite unbelievable, yes. Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to kill, to murder one of my sons," Netanyahu told the conservative channel known for its favourable coverage of the government.
"Iran tried to murder one of my sons, and therefore this security protection is not a luxury," he said, without providing any further details about the alleged plot or how close it came to being carried out.
It was not immediately clear which of his sons he was referring to. Netanyahu's elder son, Yair, lives in Miami.
Iran's mission at the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusation.
Bryony Gooch24 August 2026 21:00
Hegseth: The US is not rulling out military force in Hormuz or elsewhere
Pete Hegseth has said the US is not ruling out use of military force in the Strait of Hormuz or anywhere else.
The Pentagon chief spoke after US treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced fresh sanctions against Iran.
Bryony Gooch24 August 2026 20:49
Iran 'fully prepared' for US sanctions
Iran’s economy minister has told state TV that the country is “fully prepared” for US sanctions.
“We are fully prepared for the US sanctions; they cannot cut off our financial arteries,” said Ali Madanizadeh.
Bryony Gooch24 August 2026 20:12
US sanctions to increase psychological pressure on Iranian people, state official says
An Iranian state official has reportedly said the US economic sanctions plan is a campaign to increase psychological pressure on the Iranian people, according to state media.
Scott Bessent announced plans on Monday to sanction Iran and isolate the nation further from the global economy.
Bryony Gooch24 August 2026 19:59
Watch: Bessent warns countries with economic ties to 'murderous' Iran regime will feel 'full reach of US power' | IN FULL
Bryony Gooch24 August 2026 18:50
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