The US House of Representatives voted to end the war in Iran for the third time late on Tuesday, approving a war powers resolution that would halt president Donald Trump's ability to continue military action without congressional approval.
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that → vote → approval
The result – 220 votes to 204 – was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining most Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict.
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Republicans → join → conflict
None of the resolutions have made it to the president's desk, where president Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.
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Trump → make → measure
The vote comes as a defence department report revealed that Trump’s “Operation Epic Fury” assault on Iran cost $38bn in its first four months and has resulted in a munitions shortfall.
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assault → come → shortfall
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said its air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city.
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it → say → city
The coalition claimed that the drone intercepted on Tuesday evening was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017.
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drone → claim → July
The Iran-backed group strongly denied targeting "Mecca or any other holy sites", calling it a "worn-out lie that has been used before".
US defense chiefs warn of munitions shortfall as Iran war costs mount
President Donald Trump’s “Operation Epic Fury” assault on Iran cost $33.4 billion in its first four months and has resulted in a munitions shortfall, according to a report by the Department of Defense’s inspector general.
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assault → back → general
The 44-page report to Congress states that, between February 28 and June 30, the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran saw the Trump administration spend $22.3 billion on munitions alone.
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administration → state → munitions
The onslaught “has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply,” Inspector General Platte B Moring III concludes.
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III → result → resupply
In full:
US pilot survived two days in Iran with broken back after plane downed
The American air force colonel whose fighter jet was downed over Iran in April has shared how survived for two days behind enemy lines with a broken back, arm and shoulder while waiting for help to arrive.
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help → survive → back
‘Bravo’ was the weapons-system officer in a two-man crew flying over Iran on 3 April when their F-15E Strike Eagle was hit by Iranian fire.
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Eagle → fly → fire
The pilot in the front - ‘Alpha’ - ejected successfully, but Bravo came down in the mountains.
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Bravo → eject → mountains
In his first public account of what happened, he told CBS News’ 60 Minutes how he free-fell to the ground at speeds of up to 100mph with a damaged parachute, torn up by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile.
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he → happen → missile
Read the full story:
What the escalating war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis means for Trump in Iran
Washington has largely ignored the lingering disruption created by the Houthis around the Red Sea.
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Washington → read → Sea
But a wider conflict with Saudi Arabia could force them to intervene:
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conflict → force → them
China urges Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz
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China → urge → Hormuz
China encourages Iran and the US to remain rational, exercise restraint, return to the Islamabad memorandum and "engage in substantive consultations on issues of mutual concern," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday, Wang's ministry said.
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ministry → encourage → Wednesday
"We urge all parties to take effective measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at an early date," Wang said, adding that China "does not want to see regional tensions to spill over further into Yemen and the Red Sea.
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tensions → urge → Yemen
"
China's policy toward Iran has remained consistent and stable and China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Iran, Wang said.
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Wang → remain → Iran
Yemen's Houthis say they attacked Aramco facilities in Yanbu
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that the group had attacked an airbase in Khamis Mushait as well as Aramco facilities in Yanbu.
Saudi Arabia did not confirm either of the attacks.
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Arabia → say → attacks
Iran says it shot down US drone over
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it → say → drone
Qeshm
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims to have destroyed an American drone near the Strait of Hormuz overnight.
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Corps → claim → Hormuz
Iran’s IRNA news agency reports that an MQ-9 Reaper drone was “intercepted and destroyed over Qeshm Island” by IRGC air defences in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
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drone → report → morning
The US military did not immediately comment on the report.
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military → comment → report
Trump foe Thomas Massie launches effort to impeach Pete Hegseth
Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky has filed a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, forcing the House of Representatives to hold a vote on the matter within two days.
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Massie → launch → days
Massie accused the Pentagon chief of high crimes and misdemeanors on Tuesday, citing military operations in Iran, Caribbean boat strikes and disputes over free speech.
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Massie → accuse → speech
Because the resolution is privileged under House rules, it bypasses standard committee delays and mandates a full vote by the chamber.
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it → bypass → chamber
Massie stated that Hegseth violated “his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States” and violated “his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, especially with regard to the commission of war,” as reported by The Hill.
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laws → state → Hill
He added that Hegseth has “abused the powers of the Department of Defense.”
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Hegseth → add → Defense
Houthi rebels accused of targeting Mecca with drone as Saudi Arabia warns of ‘red line’
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Arabia → accuse → line
Saudi Arabia says its air defences destroyed an incoming Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city.
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it → say → city
The drone, intercepted on Tuesday, marked the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in 2017, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said, warning that the security of holy sites was a “red line”.
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security → intercept → sites
Saudi Arabia issued security alerts for Mecca - along with Taif and Jeddah - but Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Farah denied the group had targeted the holy city, calling the allegation “an outright lie”.
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group → issue → allegation
Watch: US Air Force officer recalls 'free-falling' to ground with damaged parachute after plane was shot down over Iran
The American air force colonel whose fighter jet was downed over Iran in April has shared how survived for two days behind enemy lines with a broken back, arm and shoulder while waiting for help to arrive.
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help → watch → back
‘Bravo’ was the weapons-system officer in a two-man crew flying over Iran on 3 April when their F-15E Strike Eagle was hit by Iranian fire.
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Eagle → fly → fire
The pilot in the front - ‘Alpha’ - ejected successfully, but Bravo came down in the mountains.
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Bravo → eject → mountains
In his first public account of what happened, he told CBS News’ 60 Minutes how he free-fell to the ground at speeds of up to 100mph with a damaged parachute, torn up by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile:
What the closure of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline could mean for oil flows
Saudi Arabia's closure of a major oil pipeline after a recent attack is raising fears that global energy markets in crisis because of the war with Iran could face even more stark shortages, pushing prices higher for fuel and other essentials.
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markets → happen → fuel
The largest oil producer in the Middle East closed its East-West pipeline on Friday after the attack, which it blamed on drones from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
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it → close → Iraq
Two regional officials said that repairs could take three to five weeks.
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repairs → say → weeks
Here’s why it matters and what it means for global energy prices:
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it → ’ → prices
The Aporia
