Trump threatens Pickaxe Mountain strike after reports of Iran missile launches

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US government investigators subjected roughly 50 members of the military’s Joint Staff to polygraph tests over leaks to journalists, including reports about how the Iran war has depleted crucial US munitions stocks, the New York Times reported Friday.

Investigators asked military officers and civilian employees whether they had disclosed classified information to journalists, including information about diminished US ammunition supplies, according to the report.

The tests were conducted in August after news reports detailed shortages of key munitions, including long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but “takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly.”

The Times reported that mass polygraph testing on this scale was unprecedented among senior US military ranks.

President Donald Trump joked about the prospect of revolution in Iran after initially mishearing a reporter’s question about when Americans should expect a resolution to the conflict.

Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump said, “I thought that revolution was more interesting,” after the reporter clarified the question.

Asked when the conflict would be resolved, Trump said, “I don’t know. I can’t tell you. But we’ve already won.”

He added that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remained the central objective and said he wanted the issue settled so “the next president doesn’t have to worry about it.”

Iran’s government is considering a winter remote-work plan for some state employees as the country faces an imbalance between energy production and consumption, the state-run Iran newspaper reported.

The proposal would reduce the physical presence of employees in government buildings and shift some work to homes during periods of peak winter demand, with the aim of cutting gas and electricity use as well as fuel consumption from daily commuting.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said the issue had been discussed by the cabinet and the Administrative and Recruitment Organization had been tasked with preparing a plan. President Masoud Pezeshkian had earlier raised the possibility of closing some offices during the winter while maintaining services remotely.

The proposal comes after Iran’s Executive Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah told IRNA last Wednesday that domestic gasoline production was insufficient and that the country could not import fuel because of the US naval blockade.

Lawmaker Ahmad Bigdeli warned that remote work and changes to office hours would only provide temporary relief unless the underlying energy imbalance was addressed.

“If we are going to resort to such solutions every year as peak consumption periods approach, instead of treating the disease, we are using a painkiller,” he said.

Bigdeli said Iran’s electricity production should be at least 20% above consumption to provide a sufficient margin during periods of high demand.

The remote-work proposal has not yet been finalized and requires further review and government approval, according to the report.

UK Chancellor John Healey warned that the Iran war would hurt growth, push up inflation and hit Britain’s public finances, the Financial Times reported.

“What’s happening in the Middle East is hitting inflation, it’s hitting growth, it’s hitting borrowing costs,” Healey told the FT.

“It’s part of a more dangerous world that is more uncertain and it’s one of the challenges we have to meet in this country, but have to meet with other countries,” he added.

Healey said he would ensure the UK emerged from his first Budget with a fiscal “buffer against uncertainty,” according to the report.

The FT reported crude oil remained above $90 a barrel six months after the United States joined Israel in attacks on Iran, while higher gas and electricity prices were feeding into household bills and global bond markets had sold off on inflation concerns.

Analysts cited by the newspaper warned that higher bond yields and weaker growth could sharply reduce the UK government’s fiscal headroom ahead of the Budget.

More than 120 people were killed in Yemen after Iran-backed Houthi forces launched an offensive aimed at advancing toward the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, AFP reported on Friday.

Fighting erupted Thursday after the Houthis launched a ground assault backed by rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas as they pushed toward Bab al-Mandab.

The death toll rose to 129, including 66 government fighters, at least 62 Houthi militants and one civilian, AFP reported, citing military and medical sources.

Military sources told AFP the Houthis were attempting to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha and seize elevated positions overlooking areas near Bab al-Mandab, from which they could threaten commercial shipping.

Bab al-Mandab has gained greater strategic importance amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and continued Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized President Donald Trump for describing the war with Iran as “small potatoes.”

“Tell that to the families of the 18 troops we’ve lost, the hundreds of wounded servicemembers, and the Americans suffering every single day from record high prices,” Schumer wrote in a post on X.

“There’s nothing small about it,” he added.

Trump told reporters Friday that he viewed the confrontation with Iran as a “military conflict” and called it “small potatoes for us,” while describing US strikes as intermittent.

Maritime tracking service TankerTrackers said 17 ship-to-ship transfers involving at least 24 million barrels of crude oil, LNG and LPG took place in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.

In a post on X, the service said many more oil-laden tankers were waiting in the area for transfer partners, adding that the waters were becoming increasingly crowded and port services were operating around the clock to ensure smooth and safe transfers.

At least 7.25 million barrels, along with two additional LNG tankers, were also assembling to transit the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman under US Central Command protection, according to the post.

US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack said Friday that new Treasury sanctions on a Turkey-based financial institution and two subsidiaries targeted their role in moving funds on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.

In a statement posted on X, Barrack said Washington’s maximum-pressure campaign against Iran depended on closing channels through which Tehran launders proceeds from its activities.

“This designation is aimed at the conduct of one entity, not at a nation, not at a banking system, and not at an ally,” Barrack said.

He said US Treasury officials and their Turkish counterparts had been in “direct and continuous contact” throughout the process and that Turkish authorities had engaged to clarify ambiguities surrounding the matter and begin a process to strengthen transparency.

Barrack said the measure should not be interpreted as a judgment on Türkiye or its banking system and expressed confidence that it would ultimately be seen as a sign of the strength of the US-Türkiye partnership rather than a source of tension.

The United States on Friday sanctioned Turkey’s Golden Global Bank and two subsidiaries over alleged financial dealings with Iran, as Washington intensifies pressure on foreign institutions accused of helping Tehran move money around sanctions.

US diesel prices climbed to a record average of $5.85 a gallon Friday as the six-month war with Iran disrupted global fuel supplies, the Associated Press reported.

Diesel prices are now nearly 56% higher than before the US and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February, when the national average was about $3.76 a gallon, according to AAA data cited by AP.

The increase has been driven by higher crude prices and Middle East supply disruptions, with most tanker traffic bottlenecked in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude was trading above $95 a barrel Friday, compared with about $70 before the war.

Higher diesel costs are also raising transportation expenses for food and other goods, with some businesses already passing costs on to consumers through added fees, according to the report.