Iran in September 2026: the most important developments in security
In September 2026 Iran's security situation was defined by continuing exchanges of fire with the United States around the Strait of Hormuz. The month opened with strikes on September 1, when the US targeted Revolutionary Guard positions and Iran hit US bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq. On September 5 US Central Command said it struck three Iranian oil tankers after the Guard fired missiles at two US warships, including an aircraft carrier. On September 8 and 9 the US said it destroyed five Iranian tankers near Kharg Island, which Iran answered with missiles at a base in Jordan. On September 18 the Guard said it struck a Togo-flagged tanker in the strait, and the US blockade had redirected 115 ships by September 24.
Iran said on September 8 and 9 that it captured a US unmanned submersible. Both sides reported civilian deaths: Iranian media said a US strike killed five people at a wedding on September 2, and a UN-backed fact-finding mission said on September 17 and 18 that US strikes may have constituted war crimes, including an attack on a school in Minab that killed over 150 people.
The cost to the US drew scrutiny. A Pentagon inspector general report on September 15 found a strategic shortfall in munitions and put the war's cost at about $38 billion, with later US estimates at $43.6 billion. The Pentagon identified a 19th US death, and the Washington Post said the toll exceeded the Pentagon's count. On September 10 the IAEA board referred Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program.
The Houthis opened a wider front. They attacked Saudi Arabia on September 8 and seized a Red Sea port and island around September 11 with reported Iranian arms and advice. On September 12 an attack shut a Saudi oil pipeline. Iran's leaders warned of an unlimited response to any new US attack from September 20 onward.
US-led troops completed their exit from Iraq by September 30.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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