September 7th, 2026: Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles at U.S. Warships & & Trump Envoys Meet Putin

Mike Baker (0:13)

It's Monday, the 7th of September, and welcome to The President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Alright, let's get briefed. First up, just in case you thought the war with Iran was over, well, no, it's not. The Iranian regime fired ballistic missiles at two US warships, and the US responded by taking out three Iranian oil tankers. It may not be full-on all-out kinetic action, but the missiles and drones are still flying, and the regime is showing no indication that it's looking to compromise or make concessions. Later in the show, President Trump's envoys are making another push to end the war in Ukraine, traveling to Kyiv after a meeting with Vladimir Putin.

And back in the Middle East, Yemen's Iranian Bakhutis are trying to capture territory near a strategic Red Sea Strait. And in today's Back of the Brief, if you're in the market for a London penthouse, well, two posh properties with charming views of Kensington Palace are now up for sale. The only catch? Well, they're linked to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, wherever he may be.

But first, today's PDB Spotlight. This weekend marked a major escalation in the war between the US and Iran, with Tehran firing ballistic missiles at two American warships, including an aircraft carrier, and Washington responding with attacks on three Iranian oil tankers. The confrontation began Saturday when Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, launched multiple ballistic missiles toward a US aircraft carrier and an American guided missile destroyer operating in the region. Now, Iran claims those missiles struck both ships and forced them to retreat. The US military says that's false. According to Central Command, both American vessels successfully evaded the incoming missiles and no US personnel were injured. The regime targeted two of the most valuable assets in the US. Navy, including the aircraft carrier carrying thousands of American military personnel. Washington responded within hours. Central Command announced attacks against three Iranian crude oil carriers that it says were part of the Shadow Fleet used to finance the IRGC and its proxy forces. Two of the tankers, the Downey and the Stark 1, were permanently disabled. A third vessel, the Kylo, also known as the Noxon, was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was ordered to abandon ship. CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper warned that US forces remain capable of destroying more of Iran's exposed oil fleet if Tehran continues targeting American forces.

Now, one of the strikes also took place near Karg Island. That's the center of Iran's oil export infrastructure and a location that's repeatedly surfaced as a potential target throughout the war. Before the start of this conflict earlier this year, roughly 90 percent of Iran's crude exports moved through Karg Island. The Trump administration has so far stopped short of launching the kind of large-scale attack that could shut the island down entirely, but the US military strike against an Iranian tanker operating nearby brings the fighting another step closer to the economic heart of the regime. Iran responded by threatening to widen the maritime confrontation. The Revolutionary Guard claimed it attacked several additional oil tankers, including vessels traveling through routes that the regime considers unauthorized. Those claims have not been independently confirmed, but Iran's warning to commercial shipping was clear. Vessels using transit routes supported by the US could become targets. That threat fits into a struggle that's obviously been underway for months. Washington is trying to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to international shipping while restricting Iran's ability to export its own oil. Tehran is trying to prove that the US can't protect commercial traffic through the Strait while strangling Iran's economy at the same time.

But what changed this weekend is how far both sides now appear willing to go in that fight. Iran is no longer limiting its attacks to commercial vessels or attempting to harass American forces around the margins. It fired ballistic missiles directly at US warships. The US responded not with another isolated tanker strike but by attacking three Iranian vessels in a single operation and publicly threatening the rest of Tehran's oil fleet.

And the confrontation continued on Sunday. Iran claimed its forces struck an unmanned American military vessel attempting to enter an area of the strait that Tehran considers restricted. The US military rejected that account, calling the Iranian claim false. Iranian leaders, however, are promising that the next response will be even more severe. Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bakr Ghalibat declared that the rules of the conflict have changed and warned that future attacks against Iranian interests will bring what he described as a faster, heavier and more painful response.

Now all of this comes as Iran faces mounting economic pressure. That's something we've been tracking closely here on the PDB.