President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
Those talks broke down as the U.S. and Iran continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz as the primary flashpoint. Trump then said in August that the U.S. would launch a "crushing economic operation" to force Tehran into submission.
Photos show extensive damage to US Middle East bases
U.S. bases in the Middle East have suffered severe damage as a result of Iranian attacks, images and videos obtained by ABC News show, as the Pentagon surveys the costs of a war the U.S. began more than six months ago.
The images, which were recently obtained by ABC News but capture moments in time across the conflict, show damage to buildings and an aircraft at three U.S. bases in Kuwait and a Saudi base that houses U.S. assets, some of which were evacuated amid the danger.
A senior U.S. service member told ABC News that the damage to the facilities would take "decades" to repair.
This image independently obtained by ABC News shows damage to at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, from an Iranian attack.
'Hopefully we're toward the end of the war' with Iran: Trump
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C.
Alex Brandon/AP Photo
President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday that he hopes that the U.S. is "toward the end of the war" with Iran.
"Well, hopefully we're toward the end of the war," Trump said on the tarmac in North Carolina when asked by a reporter how he would describe what phase the war is in. "They want to make a deal. We'll see how that works out."
When asked whether there are intermediaries in the negotiations with Iranians, Trump said, "We deal directly."
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart and Devin Garbitt
Sep 16, 2026, 11:06 AM EDT
Iran likely seeks to manipulate oil tanks, intelligence bulletin says
Iran likely intends to target the control systems U.S. energy companies use to monitor their storage tanks, potentially resulting in physical damage or the spilling of fuel or chemicals, according to an intelligence bulletin reviewed by ABC News.
The bulletin issued by the Department of Homeland Security said that in early August, Iranian cyber actors used DeepSeek AI to research the capacity of U.S.-based storage tanks, "likely as part of targeting research against the industrial control systems of a U.S. energy entity operating oil wells."
A commercial vessel floats off Yemen's coast at Bab al-Mandeb, in the straits connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, September 12, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images
If a hacker compromises automated gauges on an oil storage tank, the hacker could trigger false alarms or prevent alerts indicating a tank is empty, the bulletin said.
Worse, the hacker could "initiate pump shutoff," potentially disrupting service; or change temperature values that "could prevent alerts notifying that the contents of the tank are overheating," according to the bulletin.
"If a large number of [automated tank gauges] were compromised in a specific area, an attacker could change tank values to show tanks as almost empty, leading to an unnecessary dispatch of fuel tankers; show tanks as full even when nearly empty, leading to service outages at gas stations," the bulletin said.
Commercial vessels are anchored off Yemen's coast at Bab al-Mandeb, in the straits connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, September 12, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images
DHS said the information is deemed "credible and actionable" though "not considered finished intelligence."
The goal is to inform U.S. energy companies and law enforcement agencies about what Iran is likely planning so they can take defensive measures.
-ABC News' Aaron Katersky and Josh Margolin
Sep 16, 2026, 8:09 AM EDT
Houthis claim new attacks on Yanbu oil site, Saudi air base
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree on Wednesday claimed that the Iran-backed group launched a fresh missile and drone attack on oil facilities operated by Aramco -- Saudi Arabia's state-owned petroleum and natural gas company -- in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
Houthi ballistic missiles also targeted the King Khalid Air Base in the city of Khamis Mushait, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, Saree said.
The Saudi Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on Saree's claims.
