Trump White House had four killed soldiers taken off Pentagon’s list of Iran war dead, sparking backlash: report
In the last two days, the Pentagon reportedly reduced the announced U.S. service member death toll in the Iran war from 18 to 14.
Three military officials told The New York Times that the revision was in part because the most recent four deaths — three in Jordan and one in Iraq — came after President Trump declared an initial ceasefire in April.
“The administration seems to have a real hard time being honest about what is going on — not just about casualties, but about the whole war in general,” retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who served in the first Trump administration, told the paper.
Maira Butt25 July 2026 14:00
Mapped: Yemeni rebel Houthis threaten maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia
Maira Butt25 July 2026 13:30
Trump says ‘I trust’ Putin and Xi — contradicting Hegseth about Iran war allies
President Donald Trump on Friday said he does not believe the Russian or Chinese governments are providing military or intelligence assistance to Iran — based solely on the denials of their leaders — contradicting the assessment of his own defense secretary during a Senate hearing just days ago.
Taking questions in the Oval Office during an appearance focused on nuclear energy, Trump was asked to defend a Truth Social post in which he claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping had said “he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell Weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran” and said Russia’s Vladimir Putin had promised, “he would not sell Weapons to Iran.”
He also wrote that in his view, both countries were “not participating” in Iran’s ongoing conflict with the U.S. while warning that “it would be very bad for them” if they did.
Maira Butt25 July 2026 13:00
Who are the Houthis? How rebel group could disrupt global trade amid Strait of Hormuz chaos
The Yemeni rebel group was formed in the 1990s as a political-religious Shia movement orchestrating a series of guerrilla wars against Yemen’s national army.
They currently control significant parts of northwestern Yemen, including its capital Sana’a, after seizing it following the country’s 2014 civil war when they forced the government to step down.
A Saudi-led, western-backed coalition took over, which the Houthis have spent years fighting with the assistance of Iran, before a UN-brokered deal in 2022. A Saudi and UAE bombing campaign against Houthi targets was launched in 2015 and drew criticism over civilian deaths, leading to calls for the UK to cease arms exports to Saudi Arabia.
A Houthi follower looks on, during a pro-Iran demonstration, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran continues, in Sanaa, Yemen April 6, 2026. (Reuters)
Maira Butt25 July 2026 12:30
Trump claimed dead US soldiers spoke of stopping an Iranian nuclear bomb. Widow says her husband just wanted to come home
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, was killed on July 19 at the Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone, the Defense Department said, leaving behind his wife Jamiah Swinton and their four-year-old daughter.
But his heartbroken widow would not be drawn on that notion in an interview with The New York Times, and instead painted a picture of a devoted husband and father who just wanted to be reunited with his family in Spring Lake, North Carolina.
Maira Butt25 July 2026 12:00
US gradually expands the scope of its attacks on Iran
The United States has gradually expanded the scope of its attacks against Iran over the course of two weeks of punishing airstrikes that increasingly resemble the war’s opening salvos.
After a brief ceasefire in June following the signing of an interim deal to end the conflict, a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz erupted, shattering the truce and pushing the countries back to the precipice of an all-out war across the Middle East.
The US started off with intense waves of strikes on Iran’s navy and coastal defences earlier this month, aiming to blunt Tehran’s ability to attack ships in the strait vital to world energy supplies. In recent days, the US has expanded its targets, hitting bridges and infrastructure in the south and striking deeper into the centre of Iran and the outskirts of its capital, Tehran.
Maira Butt25 July 2026 11:30
Greek-operated air defence system shoots down missiles over Saudi
An air defence system operated by Greek military personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen on Saturday targeting oil refineries in Yanbu, Greek security sources told Reuters.
Maira Butt25 July 2026 10:55
Incident involving tanker and military forces reported in Gulf of Oman, UKMTO says
A tanker was involved in an encounter with military forces in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Saturday.
UKMTO advised vessels to consult the latest maritime security information and remain alert to the evolving operational environment.
Maira Butt25 July 2026 10:22
Experts warn the real pinch from the Iran war is about to strike
Patrick DeHaan, petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, said Friday on social media that while oil prices were “taking a breather for today” after recently surging by $20 a barrel, he’s still expecting the national average cost of a gallon of gas to soon reach $4.20 to $4.30.
Shon Hiatt, director of the University of Southern California’s Zage Business of Energy Initiative, said oil markets apparently assumed that political pressure would force Trump to quickly end the war he launched without congressional authorization on February 28.
Maira Butt25 July 2026 09:58
WATCH: Trump says Iran war ‘going extremely well’ but warns regime has ‘evil intentions’
Trump says Iran war ‘going extremely well’ but warns regime has ‘evil intentions’
Rachel Dobkin25 July 2026 09:30
