Iran war risks flaring up again

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It’s Thursday. Almost Friday…

Iran war tensions spike

Iran war tensions spike

Acton responds to Ramaswamy ad

Politico corrects at White House’s request

Extreme rollercoasters

Programming note: We’re Abigail Walker and Claire Leibowitz filling in for Cate today. Please send us your tips, comments and story ideas to awalker@thehill.com and cleibowitz@thehill.com. 

Tensions with Iran are back on boil: 

AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

Iran said Thursday that its navy hit seven oil tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to exacerbate regional tensions and global inflation.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’s (IRGC) claimed in a statement to have hit four tankers that were transferring oil. The other three ships hit naval mines and were immobilized as a result, according to The Associated Press.

The IRGC added in its statement that some of the vessels remained ablaze as of Thursday morning.

Big attack: If confirmed, it would mark the largest single-day incident involving vessels in the waterway since the start of the war in February.

The IRGC also warned the U.S. military against continued efforts to traffic tankers through the strait, saying it could create a response at American bases in the region.

Will the U.S. strike Iran again?: The U.S. and Israel have reportedly developed plans to strike Iran after November’s midterms, The New York Times reports.

The outlet cited U.S. officials and “other people brief on the deliberations.” They say that the U.S. and Israeli militaries have been flying planes over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week. No details on their discussion yet.

Israel has its own elections next week, and President Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Truth Social on Sunday. (Vice President Vance did not.)

The targets: The U.S. would likely focus on attacking Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities and missile and drone arsenal, according to the Times.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume major strikes on Iran, but ultimately decided to pursue diplomacy instead.

The biggest hangup in talks has been Iran’s nuclear program, and control of the Hormuz Strait.

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📺ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Acton responds as Ramaswamy faces backlash:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Ohio, Dr. Amy Acton, responded for the first time Wednesday to a controversial ad that featured her mother calling Acton a liar.

“A sad thing, and I feel like it was an exploitative thing to do. My mother is not well,” she told CBS affiliate WBNS. “So, I think it’s despicable.”

She added in another interview with CNN that “many people are outraged by this because so many people have experienced some sort of trauma or abuse in their lives,”........

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