At the same time, much discussion is taking place behind the scenes regarding the three-week deadline set by the Pentagon for companies to manufacture weapons. Which weapons must the US build for the war with Iran? In any case, all this uncertainty and thriller has consequences. Brent crude is once again above $88 per barrel.
Something suspicious is happening – American helicopters fly in Karbala, Iraq – Explosions in Yemen's Al-Moka
Something suspicious is happening in the Persian Gulf. Reports indicate frequent flights of military helicopters in the sky over Karbala, Iraq. Also, certain sources have reported flights of American military spy aircraft in the sky over Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Explosions also occurred in Al-Moka, Yemen. The Iranians believe that Trump has returned to his familiar strategy against Iran.
Meanwhile, NBC News claims, citing a US administration official: Trump has told his advisors that he still wishes to continue efforts to reach an agreement with Iran. The New York Times reports that the war with Iran prevented Trump from escaping the political crisis. Trump's popularity has reached its lowest point during his second term, and his efforts to end the costly war with Iran have repeatedly failed due to Iranian resistance. The Wall Street Journal claims that Trump has turned to his old strategy of economic pressure in hopes of achieving a new outcome in the war with Iran.
Where explosions occurred
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Positions of Saudi mercenaries in Al-Moka, Yemen were targeted by ballistic missiles.
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Also, the Al-Anad base, where Saudi mercenaries are stationed in southern Yemen, was targeted by a military drone.
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Reports show frequent flights of military helicopters in the sky over Karbala, Iraq.
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Also, some sources have reported flights of American military spy aircraft in the skies above Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
Trump: Iranians are resisting but will break, Iran is bankrupt
US President Trump told reporters that Americans control the Strait of Hormuz and continue to maintain the naval blockade of Iran, which he said is capable of impeding vessel traffic to a limited degree, reports Interfax. "Could the Iranians cause problems? Yes, they could. But they are bankrupt, they are bankrupt." "There are some minor complications. They might, for example, lay a mine from time to time, and we will neutralize it," Trump said.
Meanwhile, oil prices continued to rise. The price of Brent crude oil rose to $88 per barrel overnight on August 11. Market participants remain cautious about the reliability of the agreement being approached by Iran and Oman, while the Iranian-backed Houthis recently launched another attack on Saudi Aramco's major refinery in Jazan, which has been shut down at least until the end of August.
Trump emphasized that Tehran's demand for compensation was never discussed during US-Iran negotiations. He called the idea itself "interesting," clarifying that he himself now demands compensation from Iranians for "the many conflicts for which they are famous."
Trump: I reject the idea of paying compensation to Iran – On the contrary, the Iranians must pay us
US President Trump rejected the idea of compensating Iran for damages caused by American strikes. "If anyone should be paid, it is the US; Iran should compensate for the destruction," he told reporters at the White House.
Trump noted that if Iran can request payments, then Washington has the right to demand compensation from Iran "for the damage it has caused over a period of 50 years." Earlier, the US president stated that the issue of compensation for Iran had never been raised during meetings between the two countries. He emphasized that he now demands the issue of payments from Iran be included in all future negotiations. Trump added that he will seek compensation for the families of those killed in protests in Iran.
In mid-June, the US and Iran signed a memorandum intended to initiate the peace process. However, three weeks later, a new round of escalation began: the United States accused Iran of bombing commercial ships in Hormuz, and subsequently both sides resumed fire. In early August, Trump announced the cancellation of the latest wave of strikes against Iran due to an impending agreement. He stated that Hormuz would reopen soon and promised to resume attacks against Iran if that did not happen.
Smuggled from Air Force One in a catering truck due to Iranian threat
Donald Trump was secretly transferred from Air Force One to a smaller military aircraft in Turkey last month, with the operation taking place via an airport catering truck amidst an assassination threat from Iran. Details of the exclusive investigation were revealed by Washington Post reporter Dan Lamothe on the show "The Source with Kaitlan Collins."
Trump's silent transfer
According to the report, the American president was discreetly removed from Air Force One and transferred to a smaller military aircraft without the operation being noticed. A catering truck, which operates as an aircraft service vehicle at airports, was used for his transport.
The choice of this specific method appears to be part of a broader plan for Trump's protection, as US authorities took a threat from Iran regarding a potential assassination attempt very seriously. The secret aircraft change took place during a period of heightened concern over the security of the US president.
The threat from Iran led US security services to seek ways to make Trump's movements as unpredictable as possible and limit the chances of him being targeted. Transferring from Air Force One to a different aircraft via a vehicle that would not raise suspicions was part of these security measures.
US reduced the number of refueling aircraft at Israel's Ben Gurion airport
Israeli Channel 12 claims that the US reduced the number of refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport to the level recorded during the days of the truce. Based on data... approximately 20 aircraft remain at Ben Gurion Airport.
Behind the scenes of the Pentagon's 3-week deadline for companies to build weapons against... Iran
According to a classified document signed by the US Deputy Secretary of Defense, companies have been informed that "multi-year payback cycles" for war damages are unacceptable. Although a Pentagon spokesperson did not directly link the move to the war with Iran, military experts agree that the urgent recall is a clear response to a serious threat to US weapons stockpiles after months of direct conflict with Iran.
According to reports by the Washington Post and CNN, the US Department of Defense or Department of War (the Pentagon) has set a three-week deadline for the country's major arms companies to submit operational plans for immediately increasing production capacity. But the question is, in which areas is America facing problems, and which weapons is it lacking, for which the Pentagon has desperately set a deadline to compensate for?
American missile stockpiles in free fall
The 5-month war with Iran has reduced America's strategic stockpiles to the lowest possible level. Reports and statistics show that the following weapons are facing severe shortages:
A) Air defense and anti-ballistic missiles Patriot missiles (PAC-3 MSE): The pre-war inventory was approximately 2,200–2,330. This number had dropped to fewer than 1,000 by the end of July 2026, with some sources reporting that they have decreased to just 827. This means that approximately 60–65% of the total stockpile of this vital missile has been depleted. THAAD missiles: The previous inventory was approximately 452, which has now dropped to around 250, with some estimates indicating only 80 remain.
B) Long-range precision missiles Tomahawk missile (cruise): In the first month of the war, the US launched more than 850 Tomahawks. In total, roughly one-third of the total global inventory of this missile was expended or consumed in the war with Iran. Army long-range missiles (ATACMS and PrSM): The US has exhausted nearly its entire global supply of these missiles. Stockpiles of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) and Naval Standard missiles (SM-2/3/6) have also dropped to roughly one-third of total inventory.
C) The alarming gap between production and consumption The main issue in the United States is the slow pace of production compared to the high rate of consumption. Simply look at the following statistics: Tomahawk: Prior to the war, the US purchased only about 86 of these missiles annually. Even with new plans to boost production to 1,000 per year, it would take at least three years just to replace the current stockpile. Patriot: Lockheed Martin plans to increase system production to 2,000 units annually, but completing the supply chain and production lines will take several years, and the first new shipments will not be delivered before 2029. The plan to increase production to 400 aircraft per year will not be fully implemented until late 2029. This shows that replacing used systems and missiles is not easy and requires time.
Quality gap: Structural vulnerabilities
Beyond numerical shortfalls, the war with Iran has exposed deep strategic vulnerabilities in US systems. The most significant among these gaps are:
A. Supply chain bottlenecks The US military-industrial complex was designed for short, peacetime conflicts. Many key missile components (such as engines and fuses) are supplied by only one or two factories. Any disruption in this chain would stall the entire production line.
B. Deadly reliance on two defense systems The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) warned that the United States lacks a land-based alternative to the Patriot and THAAD systems. Aegis-equipped aircraft carriers are also frequently ill-equipped and not positioned at the right distance to protect land bases. This dependency on these two systems is considered the single greatest strategic vulnerability of the United States.
C. Conflict between commitments to allies and domestic needs The United States has committed simultaneously to delivering missiles to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Ukraine, and Israel. The limited capacity of production lines has placed the Pentagon in a dilemma between fulfilling the needs of its allies or restocking its own arms depots.
D. Unequal cost ratio Each Iranian ballistic missile costs approximately $1–2 million, whereas American interceptorscost $5, $8, or $10 million. This cost ratio favors Iran, meaning that even if the United States wins tactically, it will lose industrially.
Urgent priorities for boosting production
Based on the above vulnerabilities, if the United States intends to prepare for a new round of conflict with Iran, it must immediately increase production of the following items:
First priority: Air defense interceptor missiles Patriot PAC-3 MSE: Increase production capacity to at least three times current levels. THAAD: Quadruple production. Standard Naval Missiles (SM): Meet the needs of naval fleets stationed on the front lines in the straits and waters of the Persian Gulf.
Second priority: Long-range strike missiles Tomahawk: Increase production from 86 to over 1,000 annually. New Army precision missile (PrSM): A rapid replacement for the virtually obsolete ATACMS. JASSM-ER missile: Boost production to maintain air strike capability.
Third priority: Anti-drone systems Iran makes extensive use of kamikaze drones. US stockpiles of laser and electronic warfare systems are also severely depleted and require mass production.
Fourth priority: Critical parts and raw materials Rocket motors (propulsion): The primary bottleneck in production requiring immediate investment. Navigation systems (GPS and anti-jamming seekers). Composite materials and solid fuel, which form the foundation of all missiles.
Mohsen Rezaei becomes "Khamenei's man"
Mohsen Rezaei is now emerging as a key figure in Iran's new leadership, as the unseen Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed him head of the Supreme National Security Council and simultaneously his personal representative to the top decision-making body. He is the longest-serving commander in the history of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a fact that demonstrates his special weight within the Iranian regime.
His selection acquires even greater significance as Mojtaba Khamenei remains virtually unseen since taking power, with US intelligence agencies estimating that he is alive but severely injured, while senior Iranian government officials claim they have not even met the new Supreme Leader. At the same time, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi takes over the IRGC, Hossein Taeb returns to lead the Basij, and four additional commanders are appointed to critical positions, including the head of the IRGC Navy, who is responsible for operations against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Rezaei's rise carries particular weight due to the hardline stance he has already adopted toward the US. He himself declared that Iran will not accept any corridor through the Strait of Hormuz that is not under its control, while describing Donald Trump as "insane."
Rezaei has also been at the center of serious allegations by Argentine authorities, who have linked him to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, where 85 people were killed. His appointment as personal representative to Mojtaba Khamenei essentially means that a leader whom very few can approach has chosen Rezaei as his "voice" in the top national security body. And this voice has already sent a clear message: no passage through Hormuz without Iranian control, a development that makes Rezaei one of the most critical players in the next phase of the conflict with Washington.
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