Iran-US war latest: JD Vance claims China will help economically isolate Tehran and says conflict ‘not a war’

‘I wouldn’t call it a war’: JD Vance’s jaw-dropper after reporter asks about Iran timelineUS vice president JD Vance has claimed that China is “willing to play ball” in efforts to economically isolate Tehran, despite Beijing previously declaring that US sanctions would not disrupt their trade with the country. “I’m not saying they’re doing everything that we’ve asked them to do, but I think that the PRC has been much more responsible, certainly than the Iranians, and much more responsible than a couple of other nations as well,” he told reporters at the White House on Thursday. He also claimed that the conflict between Washington and Tehran is “not a war”, in comments to reporters on Thursday. “I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting,” he said at a White House press briefing. “I recognise there have been places where this has flared up. Major combat operations… lasted for about six weeks.”Meanwhile, president Donald Trump insisted he had done the “right thing” with the war. It comes amid fears Trump is planning to extend Washington’s war on Iran, after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was extending the presence of troops in the Middle East into next year. EU officially joins economic pressure campaign against Iran, Scott Bessent saysThe US treasury secretary says the EU has joined America’s campaign to put pressure on Iran’s economy.In a post on X, Scott Bessent wrote: “The European Union has officially joined Operation Economic Outcast and we appreciate their strong and early stance. The United States stands firm with our allies in ensuring the murderous Iranian regime cannot exploit the global financial system to fund its nuclear ambitions, weapons programs, and terror proxies.”He added: “The world is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime: We will not stop until every remaining financial lifeline has been severed.”Earlier, the EU said in a statement that it would “work closely with the United States and other G7 and international partners to maintain pressure on Iran and contribute to de-escalation and regional stability”. Maroosha Muzaffar4 September 2026 06:20Oil prices rise as US-Iran tensions fuel supply concernsOil prices rose on Friday as renewed hostilities between the US and Iran raised concerns over possible disruptions to energy supplies.Brent crude futures climbed 15 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to $95.67 a barrel by 01:00 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 26 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to $91.56.Both benchmarks were on track for their strongest weekly gains since mid-July. Brent has risen 7.1 per cent over the past week, while WTI is up 9.8 per cent, according to Reuters.Maroosha Muzaffar4 September 2026 06:00JD Vance faces backlash over response to alleged wedding gathering strikeJD Vance has faced backlash after appearing to dismiss reports that a US strike killed five people, including two children, at a wedding gathering in southern Iran.When asked about whether a US strike was responsible, he said “sometimes things happen”.He said: “I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what’s happened in the conflict thus far, so I’m extremely sceptical of this.”The toll was confirmed not by the Iranian government but by the Iranian Red Crescent, a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.“What I can say with 100% confidence is that, unlike the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] IRGC, the United States never targets civilians in combat,” Vance said.“We never will do that. We never have done that, and unfortunately, obviously, sometimes things happen.”Congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, posted on X: “It’s unbelievable gaslighting.“This is war,” he added. “You know who understands it’s a war? Donald Trump. He claims that we’re winning the war.”US Congresswoman says ‘can’t continue to turn a blind eye on Trump and Hegseth’s war crimes’ in IranUS Congresswoman Delia Ramirez has criticised US military action in Iran and Palestine, saying American bombs are killing civilians.She urged Congress to pass the “Block the Bombs Act” and accused the Trump administration of war crimes.Responding to the Iranian claim that US strikes killed at least five people at a wedding party, she wrote on X: “A day that should be filled with celebrations for a couple’s new beginning turned into devastation. From Palestine to Iran, our bombs are killing innocent women and children.“Congress can’t continue to turn a blind eye on Trump and Hegseth’s war crimes. The time to hold warmongers accountable is now. Congress must pass Block the Bombs Act, reclaim our power, and put an end to this endless war.” Maroosha Muzaffar4 September 2026 05:20Seoul weighing military measures for Strait of Hormuz navigationSouth Korea is considering military options to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open, as Seoul pushes back against claims that it has offered no assistance over navigation through the key waterway.A presidential Blue House official also said security talks between South Korea and the US were “not currently progressing”. Several South Korean media outlets, including JTBC and MBC, reported late on Thursday that Seoul was preparing to deploy military assets by the end of the year and could seek parliamentary approval as early as this month. Reuters reported that the South Korean president Lee Jae Myung could discuss options for supporting navigation through the Strait of Hormuz with French president Emmanuel Macron next week. The talks come after Donald Trump claimed Seoul had declined to help the US in its war against Iran, prompting him to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea. Maroosha Muzaffar4 September 2026 05:00Vance refuses to give a deadline to end US war on IranJD Vance has declined to give a timeline for ending the US war on Iran, while downplaying the conflict by saying there was no active shooting and major combat had lasted only about six weeks.“I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting,” Vance said. He added: “I recognise there have been places where this has flared up.”“When you ask, ‘When will this end?’, you’re asking me a question like: When will the Iranians stop shooting at ships?” Vance told reporters.“I think the reality is, I don’t know the answer to that question. You’d have to ask the Iranians.”His remarks come after days of intense fighting between the US and Iran. Maroosha Muzaffar4 September 2026 04:40Two children killed in US strikes in Kuhestak along Strait of Hormuz, Iran saysA funeral was held on Thursday for a child that Iran says was killed in a US strike on a wedding in Kuhestak on the Strait of Hormuz.Iran says five people, including two children, were killed in the strike.The Iranian Red Crescent has called for the International Criminal Court to investigate the incident as a war crime. Maroosha Muzaffar4 September 2026 04:21‘I wouldn’t call it a war’: JD Vance’s jaw-dropper after reporter asks about Iran timelineMore than six months after President Donald Trump announced the start of a war against Iran that has claimed the lives of 18 service members, injured at last 750 more, and cost between $71 billion and $118 billion, Vice President JD Vance now says the war is not a war at all.The vice president was taking a turn at the lectern in the James Brady Briefing Room on Thursday — the first White House press briefing since former press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s departure — when he was asked to offer a timeline as to when the Trump administration would consider the war to be over and whether that point would be reached before the November midterm elections.Maira Butt4 September 2026 04:00Bab el-Mandeb Strait sees highest number of transiting vessels since 24 AugustThe 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.As we reported earlier, six commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, down from 11 a day earlier and well below the 10-day average of about 13, the Kpler data showed according to Reuters news agency.Alex Croft4 September 2026 03:00Full report: Russia is secretly helping Iran to develop supersonic cruise missiles, says reportRussia 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 Croft4 September 2026 01:29