Trump calls Iran war ‘a little detour’ as Tehran keeps up defiance ahead of looming sanctions

Here’s the latest

• Economic pressure: US President Donald Trump played down the war with Iran, calling it a “little detour,” with his administration set to ramp up economic sanctions on Tehran. Iran and China — its major trading partner — have pushed back on any planned harsher measures from the US.

• Strait of Hormuz: Iranian state media reported that the country will allow Iraqi oil tankers to travel through the strait. The number of ships are at 20% of the pre-war average, according to a CNN analysis of figures from the UK’s maritime agency.

• US gas prices: Meanwhile, drivers are paying nearly $1 more per gallon for gas, as compared to a year ago. The national average gas price on Friday was $4.11 per gallon, up $0.97 from this time last year.

Trump calls Iran war "a little detour" as Tehran maintains defiance. Catch up here

By Adam Pourahmadi

US President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Friday.

Evan Vucci/Reuters

US President Donald Trump played down the war with Iran, calling it a “little detour,” with his administration set to ramp up economic sanctions on Tehran.

“Look, it’s a Friday night. We have plenty of time, right? What the hell do I have to do? Go back, bomb Iran a little bit more?” Trump said at a rally in South Carolina yesterday.

Here’s what else is going on in the Middle East:

• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will hold a news conference Monday after pledging to apply measures that have “never been seen” on Iran.

• Iran pushed back on US President Donald Trump’s threat of an “economic D-Day,” calling it “a recipe for an abysmal return to full-scale classic colonialism.”

• Iran has urged Qatar to aid with the transfer to dry land of four Iranian pilots — missing since the downing of their aircraft earlier this year — after Kuwait agreed to facilitate access to the men, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

• The number of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz rose 27% in the past week, according to a CNN analysis of figures from the UK Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO), which recorded 103 entering and 89 leaving.

CNN’s Laura Sharman, Xiaoqian Lin, Betsy Klein, and Charlotte Reck contributed to this reporting.

59 min ago

Iranian gas refinery hit in Israeli strike is almost repaired, oil ministry says

By Billy Stockwell

A refinery in Iran’s South Pars gas field, the world’s largest natural gas field hit during an Israeli strike last year, is 70% repaired, according to the country’s oil ministry news agency, Shana.

The CEO of the Pars Oil and Gas Company, Touraj Dehqani, said repair work is expected to finish by the end of the Iranian calendar year in March 2027, Shana reported today.

Dehqani said reconstruction work began immediately after the refinery was hit during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in 2025.

Iranian facilities in the gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar, were also targeted during the regional conflict earlier this year, prompting Tehran to retaliate by attacking major energy facilities of its Gulf neighbors.

58 min ago

The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed. But some countries are getting a pass

By Adam Pourahmadi

As we reported earlier, Iran is allowing a number of Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest example of Tehran granting selective access to the vital waterway.

Iran granted the permission following repeated requests from Baghdad, Iranian state media reported Saturday. Securing passage for Iraqi tankers was also one of Baghdad’s main requests during Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s visit to Iraq, according to IRNA, with Iraq having been hard hit by the turmoil in the waterway.

Graphic: Becky Pinnington, CNN

Iraq is not alone. China, India and Pakistan are among countries that have negotiated with Tehran to secure passage for their vessels. Iran has previously said it would deny passage to vessels linked to the United States or Israel, while allowing others to transit with its consent.

Traffic through the strait is beginning to increase, but remains sharply depressed. The number of ships crossing rose 27% over the past week, with 103 vessels entering and 89 leaving, according to a CNN analysis of UK Maritime Trade Operations data.

That is still only 20% of the seven-day pre-war average.

Meanwhile, as CNN has been reporting, the US military has been escorting vessels to protect them from Iranian attacks.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Saturday that the US Navy helped move more than 15 million barrels of oil and petroleum products out through the strait earlier this week.

“Make no mistake, thanks to the U.S. Navy, oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

1 hr 24 min ago

Iran calls on Qatar to transfer detained pilots to dry land, state media reports

By Adam Pourahmadi and Charlotte Reck

Iran has urged Qatar to aid with the transfer to dry land of four Iranian pilots — missing since the downing of their aircraft earlier this year — after Kuwait agreed to facilitate access to the men, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

“The location for holding the Iranian pilots on the water is not suitable,” Bagherzadeh said Saturday, as reported by Iranian state-run Mizan news agency. “Qatar should, to preserve their health, transfer the prisoners at the earliest opportunity to land and an equipped hospital.”

Bagherzadeh earlier called on the Red Cross to aid the pilots out of concern for their physical condition, Tasnim said.

“This step has created a glimmer of hope for the swift release of these dear individuals,” Bagherzadeh said, referring to the Kuwaiti government’s initial agreement to allow the Iranian ambassador to meet with the pilots in Kuwait.

For context: Last week, Qatari spokesperson Majed Al Ansari refuted Iran’s claim that its pilots had been detained as prisoners in Qatar after hostilities back in March. “We categorically deny the claims that have been circulated regarding the detention of Iranian pilots,” he said in a post on X.

Al Ansari said Qatar had “fulfilled their duty to the fullest in searching for the pilots’ remains,” adding that it had co-ordinated with Iran to return the remains of one pilot, and invited Iran to visit Qatar to learn more about the rescue efforts in April, although Iran did not respond, he said.