File – US Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) speaks during the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Second Amendment hearing in Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. He introduced articles of impeachment Tuesday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in part because of the Iran war. (Photo by Luke Johnson/Getty Images)
Here is the latest :
- The White House backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday after Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie introduced articles of impeachment against the Pentagon chief, with Attorney General Todd Blanche telling reporters that Hegseth was “doing a phenomenal job.”
- New details were revealed about the Iran war’s price tag for the U.S., with the military’s inspector general estimating the conflict had cost $33.4 billion up to mid-June. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the war could cost roughly $2 billion more per month for as long as it goes on.
- A senior Iranian official on Monday rejected what he called President Trump’s “mixed signals” on openness to talks to end the war between the two nations, insisting “the stakes have changed” and ruling out any dialogue “until Iran’s conditions are met.”
GOP congressman introduces articles of impeachment against Hegseth
A Republican congressman from Kentucky introduced articles of impeachment Tuesday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in part because of the Iran war.
“By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable,” Rep. Thomas Massie said in a statement.
Massie said he would force a vote in the House on Hegseth’s impeachment.
An effort to rebuke President Trump over the war passed the Republican-controlled House and Senate in June. The Trump administration at the time argued that the U.S. wasn’t engaged in hostilities with Iran.
Massie has been in the House since 2012, but lost his primary bidearlier this year to a challenger who was endorsed by Mr. Trump.
Platform backed by Iran’s government encourages people to report Iranians living abroad
Iran’s Fars news agency has highlighted a government-backed initiative presented as a public reporting and intelligence platform for identifying Iranians living abroad who Iranian authorities accuse of acting against the country’s national interests.
In its report, Fars portrays the initiative, called Alaj, as a response to Iranians abroad who allegedly supported attacks on Iran, celebrated Israeli strikes, advocated for further sanctions or military action, or circulated what it describes as false information during the conflict.
The report argues that such activity on social media should no longer be treated as having no legal consequences.
According to the Fars report, Alaj describes its mission as protecting Iran’s national security and the interests of the Iranian people against what it calls “anti-national,” terrorist and separatist groups, as well as supporters of sanctions and military intervention.
It says alleged acts of “betrayal” can carry legal consequences, including the seizure of assets, suspension of consular services and restrictions on financial and media access.
The platform seeks to encourage members of the public to submit information about alleged offenders through the Alaj website and dedicated channels on Iran’s Bale and Eitaa messaging platforms. The report said the identities of people submitting reports and other public sources will be kept confidential and encrypted.
Houthis say Saudi Arabia carried out over 350 airstrikes on Yemen in recent days
A spokesperson for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia of continuing its “aggressive raids” against Yemen, saying Saudi forces had carried out more than 350 airstrikes in a matter of days, targeting public and private property and causing civilian casualties.
“We hold the Saudi regime responsible for its continued violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and its targeting of people and their property,” Houthi spokesperson and chief negotiator Mohammed Abdel Salam said on social media.
He warned that the escalation would not achieve Saudi Arabia’s objectives, arguing that Riyadh had already tried the military option and “achieved nothing but failure.”
“The return to a failed option reflects an aggressive mentality that does not believe in dialogue or peace,” he said.
Iraq says it’s still trying to figure out who launched drone attack that took Saudi oil pipeline offline
Iraqi authorities are still working to determine what group or individuals launched a drone attack on Saudi Arabia last week, from Iraq, that took the kingdom’s vital East-West Crude Oil Pipeline offline — likely for weeks.
Saudi Arabia blamed Iran-backed militias in Iraq for the attack.
Iraq does not allow attacks against countries in the region from its territory and investigations to identify those responsible for launching the attack drones at Saudi Arabia are ongoing, the head of the Iraqi government’s Security Media Cell, Lieutenant General Saad Maan, said Tuesday in a statement conveyed by public broadcaster INA.
Maan said an intelligence committee had identified the drone launch platform inside Iraqi territory that was used in the attack, but the investigation, using intelligence and technical capabilities as well as forensic evidence including fingerprints and other details, was still underway to identify the perpetrators.
CBS
