US retaliates for soldiers’ deaths, striking Iran in fight for Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. war on Iran is back in full swing, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Sunday.

“Now we’re going to move forward with Plan A again,” McCaul told “Fox News Sunday.” “The military is going to move in, take out their launch pads, take out the ability to send Shahed drones to hit tankers [and] the missiles.”

McCaul said the immediate objective should be destroying targets inside Iran that threaten commercial shipping and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“We’ve got to knock out these targets inside of Iran to open up the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “That has to be the fundamental objective.”

McCaul praised President Donald Trump for taking military action against Iran’s nuclear program and argued that U.S. forces had been winning before operations were paused for unsuccessful negotiations.

“The military was winning this war against Iran,” McCaul said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said President Donald Trump was prepared to take further action against Iran after Tehran broke its agreement with the United States, former Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus said Sunday.

“He was excited that the president was fed up and had enough with Iran,” Ortagus told “Sunday Morning Futures” of her call with Graham in the final hours before his death earlier this month, adding that Trump was “deciding to hold them accountable for breaking the MOU.”

Ortagus said Graham appeared energized by his work on Iran, Russia sanctions and a potential normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

“I’ve never seen him so excited and full of life,” she said.

Ortagus also praised Lebanese President Joseph Aoun for confronting Hezbollah, saying disarming the Iran-backed terrorist group is “consequential and crucial for American national security.”

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., called the five-month war with Iran a “disaster” Sunday, arguing that President Donald Trump should “declare victory” and end the conflict after two U.S. service members were killed.

“This is a war of choice,” Warner told ABC’s “This Week,” claiming Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States when the fighting began.

Warner argued that the administration has failed to achieve its goals of regime change, securing Iran’s enriched uranium and eliminating Tehran’s missile and drone capabilities.

“This war of choice has been a disaster,” Warner said. “It has been a disaster militarily. It has been a disaster in terms of how we’re viewed around the world.”

Warner said he saw no short-term path to resolving the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and urged Trump to “declare victory tomorrow and be done.”

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat also said Trump should seek congressional authorization before continuing the war or requesting additional funding.

“We’re not going to bomb Iran into submission,” Warner said.

The U.S. must not only end the war with Iran, but Congress should stop providing billions of dollars in military aid to Israel, according to Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on Sunday.

“I want to end this foreign war with Iran,” Khanna told Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing,” arguing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “prolonging this war” and pulling the U.S. deeper into the Middle East conflict.

Khanna was among 103 House Democrats who voted to eliminate military aid to Israel. He said the money should instead be spent on jobs, housing, healthcare and child care in the United States.

“We need to end this war,” Khanna said. “And we need to stop letting Israel dictate terms that get us further entangled in conflicts in the Middle East.”

But Khanna said Israel should continue receiving Iron Dome support to protect civilians, including roughly 700,000 Americans living there, from Iranian missile attacks.

China is sharing information with Iran as Tehran carries out increasingly precise attacks against U.S. targets in the Middle East, according to Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., on Sunday.

“Of course China is involved in this area,” Blackburn told “Sunday Morning Futures.” “China is part of that axis of evil. You’ve got Russia, China, Iran, North Korea. They are partners in this.”

The countries are sharing data and military technology as they seek to expand their global influence, she added

Congress must address funding for increased investment in drones, hypersonic weapons and the Space Force to ensure the U.S. military has the resources needed to counter Iran and other adversaries.

“Iran [has been] warring with us for 47 years,” Blackburn said.

U.S. military operations against Iran are likely to intensify after two American service members were killed in Jordan, retired Gen. Jack Keane warned Sunday.

“We’re going forward [with] combat operations,” Keane told Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.” “I think [they’re] likely going to expand as we go forward, given the reality of what we’re facing with Iran.”

Diplomacy had “failed quite miserably,” according to Keane, adding he did not believe Tehran would offer an agreement acceptable to President Donald Trump.

“I don’t think there’s ever going to be a deal here that would be acceptable to President Trump,” Keane said. “And he’s obviously not going to take a bad deal at all.”

The retired four-star general said the U.S. is attempting to secure and reopen the Strait of Hormuz while reducing Iran’s ability to threaten American bases and Gulf allies.

Regime change was never a stated U.S. objective, Keane said, but weakening Tehran enough to place the government “on a pathway to collapse” remains achievable through military operations, sanctions and a naval blockade.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s “freelancing” attempt to involve himself in U.S. foreign policy, including matters involving Iran and Israel was rebuked as “absolutely absurd,” according to Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y.

“This is him projecting that he has some right,” Tenney told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “He also tried to, you know, freelance into foreign affairs or getting involved in Iran. Absolutely absurd.”

Tenney also dismissed Mamdani’s threat to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, saying the mayor has “no power to do that.”

“Netanyahu has been a great partner with the United States,” Tenney said.

U.S. military pressure on Iran should continue, according to Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., despite his Democratic Party’s growing hostility toward Israel.

“Iran is absolutely important,” Fetterman told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “They have nuclear sites. Why isn’t that important? Why doesn’t that continue to justify these kinds of strikes?”

It remains important to “break the Iranian military regime,” he added, criticizing Democrats who condemn the U.S. while refusing to criticize Tehran.

America is “the arsenal to the free world,” he said, urging the replenishment of critical munitions used in Israel, Ukraine and the Middle East.

“I’m always going to be proud to stand with our military and never make it about politics,” Fetterman said, reiterating his red line on becoming the “anti-Israel party.”

“If the Democratic Party puts anti-Israel kinds of terms in that platform, that would force me to kind of reevaluate: Should I remain as a Democrat?” Fetterman said.

“Maybe my party doesn’t want a reasonable, common-sense kind of Democrat that reminds people that standing with Israel, at least, used to be part of our core values.”

President Donald Trump dismissed Iran’s decision to stop following a memorandum of understanding (MOU), saying he “couldn’t care less.”

Trump reportedly made the remark during a brief phone call with NewsNation reporter Hannah Brandt.

After completing its eighth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, CENTCOM shared a video of U.S. sailors preparing Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter jets for takeoff aboard the USS Boxer as the amphibious assault ship transited the Arabian Sea.

The Boxer is serving as the flagship of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit amid heightened U.S. military operations across the region.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” and reiterated support for arresting him during a New York Times interview.

The remarks come as the Iran war continues to intensify regional tensions and sharpen political divisions in the United States over Israel’s military campaign.

Jewish pro-Israel activist Emily Austin criticized Mamdani for “bluffing” in his push to arrest Netanyahu on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”

Two U.S. service members were killed and another was reported missing following an Iranian missile attack in Jordan.

The search for the missing service member continues, Fox News correspondent Alex Hogan reported on “Fox News Sunday.”

Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, also discussed the attack and the widening conflict.

The U.S. military has not released additional details on the identities of the troops.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a statement Saturday, warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the U.S. keeps attacking the Islamic Republic.

An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim deal signed about a month ago and aimed at permanently ending the fighting.

Iran’s joint military command said that U.S. “covetousness, bullying, totalitarianism or brutality” would meet with a “devastating response.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Iranian authorities said Sunday that at least 50 people were killed and 517 wounded in the latest round of U.S. strikes.

CENTCOM completed its eighth day of strikes over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf through which about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passes during peacetime.

Iran has not released an overall assessment of its military facility losses since the strikes began.

Sixteen U.S. service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded since the war started.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is investigating reports of an overnight attack on the construction site of Iran’s planned Darkhovin nuclear power plant.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said the facility was still in the very early stages of construction and contained no nuclear material when it was last inspected.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization had earlier condemned what it described as a U.S. strike on the site, calling it a “crime against international law.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

The Israeli military said Sunday that Iran had launched missiles toward Aqaba in southern Jordan, warning that the attack could spill over into nearby Israeli territory.

Sirens sounded across Jordan, according to state television. Aqaba sits close to Israel’s southern border near Eilat.

The attack comes after CENTCOM completed its eight consecutive day of strikes on Iran coastal military sites and the IRGC in retaliation of the deaths of two Americans in Jordan, which left one more service member missing.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Iran is moving toward “ultimate capitulation,” former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday as the United States continues military strikes following the deaths of two American service members.

“This isn’t going to be tit for tat,” Pompeo told “Fox & Friends Weekend.” “This is part of a continued strategic campaign” aimed at forcing the Iranian regime to surrender and reducing its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Pompeo said the U.S. blockade and strikes against Iran’s maritime capabilities would erode Tehran’s leverage and eventually leave the regime unable to fund Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.

“Economic strangle, military power and diplomatic patience will lead to a good conclusion for President Trump and the world,” Pompeo said.

He framed the conflict as a fight to protect “Western civilization” from a regime he accused of killing thousands of Americans over decades.

A power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait has been attacked for the second time in two days, the country’s electricity ministry said Sunday.

The latest strike sparked a fire in part of the facility and prompted authorities to disconnect several generating units as a precaution, according to local reports.

Emergency crews were working to contain the blaze and limit disruptions to electricity and water supplies.

Kuwait’s military said its air defenses were engaging hostile drones and that explosions heard by residents were caused by interception operations.

Authorities have blamed Iran for the attacks, which have targeted military sites and critical civilian infrastructure amid the widening regional conflict.

Reuters contributed to this report.

CENTCOM completed an eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran late Saturday, targeting coastal surveillance systems, air defenses, maritime assets, and missile and drone storage sites.

The operation was carried out at the direction of the commander in chief and was intended to further degrade Iran’s military capabilities after two American soldiers were killed and another missing after Iran’s strikes on a military base in Jordan.

U.S. forces also struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units accused of launching those attacks in Jordan on Friday.

More than 50,000 U.S. troops are currently operating across the Middle East, according to CENTCOM, which said the forces remain on high alert.

The international airport and seaport in Aqaba in southern Jordan were evacuated because of a “specific and credible threat,” the U.S. embassy wrote Sunday morning on X.

“We strongly advise all Americans to refrain (from) traveling to either the airport or seaport. Continue to follow all Jordanian authorities’ security directives,” the embassy said.

The evacuation came after the completion of CENTCOM’s eighth consecutive night of strikes on Iran’s IRGC in retaliation of strikes that left two American service members dead and one missing.

Reuters contributed to this report.