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Today’s top stories

U.S. Central Command announced that it destroyed five Iranian oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran’s Kharg Island yesterday. In retaliation, Iran targeted U.S. troops stationed at an air base in Jordan. Since Saturday, the U.S. has struck eight Iranian crude tankers as part of its efforts to weaken Iran’s economic lifeline. Turmoil from this war has pushed Brent crude oil prices back above $100 a barrel today.

• 🎧 The U.S.’ strategy in the region is unclear, as there’s little discussion around the future of U.S. military presence there, NPR’s Aya Batrawy tells Up First. Reducing troop levels could signal weakness to Iran and adversaries like Russia and China. Gulf states initially established U.S. bases as a deterrent, but they have instead been targeted by Iran, prompting Arab allies to seek stronger defense ties with other countries. The Pentagon has not disclosed the extent of damage to U.S. bases, and the Trump administration urged satellite companies to censor images over the Gulf, according to Batrawy.

The United Kingdom announced a ban on imports from Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, accusing Israeli settlers of being “terrorists” who engage in “ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians. The move aims to pressure Israel over settlement expansion, which the U.K. argues undermines the two-state solution. Canada and France have also imposed sanctions, intensifying international pressure on Israel. Israel retaliated quickly with the announcement of the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem.

• 🎧 The ban is unlikely to significantly affect Israel’s economy because most exports from the West Bank consist of agricultural products, and Israel’s total agricultural exports to the U.K. are low, according to NPR’s Carrie Kahn. If the entire European Union, which is Israel’s top trading partner, joins in imposing sanctions, it could have severe consequences, according to Eran Yashiv, an economist at Tel Aviv University. Suleiman Dawabsha, the chairman of the Palestinian village of Duma, tells Kahn that the decisions hold substantial meaning for the Palestinians in the West Bank, yet he doubts that Israel will make any changes because the government there doesn’t respect international law.

Smithsonian Institution head Lonnie G. Bunch announced yesterday that he would step down from his role at the end of the year. Bunch has spent nearly four decades with the organization, rising through the ranks starting as a curator before taking over the top position in 2019 and making history as the first African American and the first historian to lead the Smithsonian. His retirement announcement comes after more than a year of criticism from President Trump about the Smithsonian. In August 2025, the president called for a comprehensive internal review of eight Smithsonian museums and directed them to “celebrate American exceptionalism.” In July 2026, the Trump administration accused the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History of “extreme political activism.”