Iran's Revolutionary Guard warns US over escalation, and other Mideast
developments
[September 22, 2026]
Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned Monday that it would “change the
geography of the war” if the United States escalates the conflict.
Meanwhile, the British military said an “unknown projectile” struck a
tanker as it entered the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, injuring two crew
members.
The Israeli military remains on alert as much of the country shuts down
for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Full coverage is
available here.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard issues warning if US escalates war
A spokesperson for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Hossein
Mohebbi, said Monday that “the war is not over” and warned that Iran
would change its weapons, military tactics and targets if the conflict
with the U.S. escalates.
“We will certainly change the geography of the war,” Mohebbi said in a
statement carried by Iranian state media. “We will certainly bring new
weapons with new capabilities into the battle.” He said the Guard had
prepared for a long-term war.
“Our targets will no longer necessarily be the same as before,” he said,
according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, adding that Iran
has targets that have not yet been struck.
UK to offer Saudi Arabia aerial refueling to counter Houthi attacks
Prime Minister Andy Burnham says Britain has agreed to provide limited
military support to Saudi Arabia to repel attacks by Iran-backed Houthi
rebels in Yemen.
The Houthis and Saudi Arabia have traded strikes as fighting between the
rebels and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has reignited.
Burnham told reporters as he flew to the United Nations General Assembly
in New York that he had agreed the Royal Air Force will provide
air-to-air refueling of Saudi planes. The agreement is for a matter of
weeks, but Burnham said it will be kept under review.
Projectile strikes tanker passing through Strait of Hormuz, British
military says
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said a tanker was
struck by an “unknown projectile” as it headed into the Strait of
Hormuz. Two crew members sustained minor injuries.
The agency said Monday the vessel is reportedly continuing to its next
port of call under its own power. No reports indicated any environmental
impact at this time.
Some tankers are again traversing the vital strait, but traffic is well
below what it once was.
Houthi leader lashes out at Saudis in televised speech
In Yemen, the leader of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels used the
anniversary of his group’s overthrow of the Yemeni government to lash
out at Saudi Arabia.
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Shiite clerics carrying rifles march during the state-organized "Janfada,"
or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade at Revolution Square
in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
In a pre-recorded speech aired Monday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi said
his group’s demands include an end to what he called Saudi
“aggression” and the blockade the Saudi-led coalition has imposed on
the rebels for about a decade.
“Stop the aggression and end the blockade. Our demands represent the
legitimate rights of our people,” he said in the speech aired by the
Houthi-run al-Masirah channel.
The Houthis descended from their stronghold in northern Yemen,
taking over the capital of Sanaa in September 2014 and forcing the
country’s government into exile in Saudi Arabia.
The following year, Saudi Arabia led a multi-national coalition that
entered the war in an attempt to restore the government. The
coalition imposed an air and sea blockade on the Houthi-held areas,
as part of its war efforts.
164 killed and almost 130,000 displaced in Yemen
U.N. agencies reported that hundreds of people have been killed and
wounded and over 130,000 displaced by the renewed fighting in Yemen.
The World Health Organization said Monday in a post on X that 164
people were killed and 516 injured between Sept. 13 and Sept. 18,
bringing the toll since Aug. 6 to 674 deaths and 2,998 injuries.
The International Organization for Migration said the same day that
the fighting has so far displaced 129,438 people across seven
provinces, and some people have already been forced to flee multiple
times.
Israeli military on guard on Jewish faith's holiest day
Israel's military remained on alert even as the country woke up to
the silence and empty streets of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement,
considered the holiest day for the Jewish faith.
Streetlights blinked yellow Monday as the faithful walked to the
Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.
“For the next 25 hours, Israel is offline,” the foreign ministry
said on X after sundown Sunday. But the military said it bolstered
its frontline forces following the killing of an Israeli settler
Sunday in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian suspect was
detained after a search.
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