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Strikes on Iran, day two

News · Heat 1.1 / 10 · 8 shows · 1h 2m airtime

On September 1-2, 2026, the U.S. military completed a second day of strikes on Iranian military targets around the Strait of Hormuz, saying they answered Iranian attempts to attack shipping and U.S. service members; Iran retaliated against U.S. assets in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq. Reporting since has established that oil flows recovered, with Kepler data showing Hormuz flow rising from about 6 million barrels a day in August to roughly 10 million in September and the Wall Street Journal reporting Middle East crude exports back at pre-war levels. What remains contested is the shipping war itself: Iranian claims of 19 ships struck were contradicted by satellite imagery, BBC Verify counted 12 strikes in one week with at least 24…

How 8 podcasts covered it

  1. Pod Save America, 2026-09-01 (3:40 to 9:32)
    Works through the Axios strike reporting
    Works through the weekend exchange and the Axios reporting behind it: a plan for periodic strikes to keep Iran's military in check, a stated goal of 60 to 70 percent of pre-war oil exports through the strait, and a Washington Post scoop on senior military leaders' non-concur.
    New angle: Senior military leaders filed a non-concur on orders keeping some of 50,000 Middle East troops until 2027.
  2. Pod Save America, 2026-09-01 (9:35 to 13:50)
    Argues Iran war drains the Indo-Pacific
    Recaps the Washington Post leak of Hegseth's orders book and the non-concur from senior commanders, then argues the Iran war is pulling the carrier strike group out of the Indo-Pacific. It stays inside the non-concur and overextension already on the record.
    New angle: The Washington Post reported senior military leaders told Hegseth prolonged large-scale operations against Iran are unsustainable.
  3. Up First, 2026-09-02 (2:04 to 3:59)
    Reports day two of the strikes from Istanbul
    Reports from Istanbul on the second day of U.S. strikes on Iran, the Iranian retaliation against U.S. assets in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq, and the competing claims over civilian casualties.
    New angle: About 4 million barrels of crude oil a day passed through the Strait of Hormuz on average in August, per Tanker Trackers.
  4. Up First, 2026-09-02 (3:59 to 5:49)
    Walks through who controls Hormuz
    Hadil al-Shalchi walks through who controls the Strait of Hormuz - Iran's partial blockade, the U.S. Navy blockade on Iranian ports - and the stalled Oman talks on a temporary corridor, plus Pazeshkian's offer to return to the June ceasefire.
  5. Morning Wire, 2026-09-02 (2:05 to 2:39)
    Adds Trump's first on-record strike comments
    Trump's first on-record comments on the second day of strikes: he says the U.S. hit Iran very hard Tuesday night after the Jordan attack, claims the strikes destroyed all new Iranian equipment along the strait, and floats renaming it the Trump Strait. Iran's wedding-party claim and CENTCOM's denial are new.
  6. The Dan Bongino Show, 2026-09-24 (50:33 to 52:25)
    Cites TankerTracker on doubled Hormuz egress
    Cites TankerTracker to say crude egress through the Strait of Hormuz has doubled in under a month, with transits at 10.3, and pairs it with a Purchasing Managers Index reading well above 50. A new figure from a source already on the record, plus a fresh economic indicator.
    New angle: TankerTracker shows Hormuz crude egress doubled in under a month, with transits at 10.3.
  7. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, 2026-09-28 (20:39 to 31:54)
    Relays Iran's claim of striking 19 ships
    Runs through Iran's strategic options and the oil picture, then relays an Iranian claim that its forces struck 19 ships in the strait over two nights, with satellite imagery showing an empty waterway and no CENTCOM comment.
    New angle: Iranian officials said they struck 19 ships in the Strait of Hormuz over two nights; satellite imagery shows no ships there.
  8. The Headlines, 2026-09-29 (3:14 to 4:50)
    Cross-checks Hormuz oil flow against Kepler data
    Goes to new Kepler tracking data and finds Hormuz oil flow jumped from about 6 million barrels a day in August to roughly 10 million in September, still under the pre-war 16 million, with Central Command saying it has escorted over 1,000 ships.
    New angle: Kepler data shows Hormuz oil flow rose from about 6 million barrels a day in August to roughly 10 million in September.
  9. The Dan Bongino Show, 2026-10-01 (35:30 to 36:26)
    Cites a Times report on Hormuz control
    Cites a New York Times report that the U.S. controls the Strait of Hormuz and that oil and gas traffic has nearly returned to pre-war levels, using it to argue Iran has zero leverage as its economy collapses.
    New angle: The New York Times reported the U.S. controls the Strait of Hormuz and oil and gas traffic has nearly returned to pre-war levels.
  10. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, 2026-10-01 (11:42 to 13:31)
    Counts three tankers hit in the strait
    Picks up the tanker attacks in the strait and adds a count: three tankers hit by unknown projectiles, with the hosts arguing Iran can sustain surface-to-air missile and mine attacks for years while the U.S. burns resources keeping traffic at pre-war levels.
    New angle: Three tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz by unknown projectiles.
  11. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, 2026-10-05 (10:51 to 15:28)
    Logs the strikes near the strait's narrowest point
    Picks up the strait after a quiet stretch: UK Maritime logged multiple strikes from September 28, all seven ships hit near the narrowest point, apparently aimed at engine rooms. Adds the IRGC warning to a Greek ship and signs that tankers are paying Iran under the table.
    New angle: UK Maritime logged multiple ship strikes from September 28, all seven near the strait's narrowest point and aimed at engine rooms.
  12. The Dan Bongino Show, 2026-10-06 (11:58 to 17:35)
    Rebuts the Hormuz claim with Journal export data
    Plays and rebuts Abdul El-Sayed's Fox News claim that the Strait of Hormuz is shut down, citing a Wall Street Journal piece that Middle East crude exports are back at pre-war levels. The first outlet on the record to report flows have recovered.
    New angle: The Wall Street Journal reported Middle East crude oil exports are back at pre-war levels.
  13. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, 2026-10-13 (24:00 to 27:15)
    Reports six vessels struck in Hormuz
    Reports six vessels struck in the Strait of Hormuz, the highest count of the war, with no CENTCOM response, and cites HFI Research putting flows at roughly eight to nine million barrels a day, down from 13 to 14 million, with a further drop expected within ten days.
    New angle: Six vessels were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, the war's highest count, with no CENTCOM response.
  14. Global News Podcast, 2026-10-16 (19:15 to 22:17)
    Cross-checks ship strikes and tallies a record
    BBC Verify tallies the ship strikes and finds a record: 12 last week, six in a single day on October 11, with U.S. escorts up by a third since September. Adds a UN figure for mariners killed in the war.
    New angle: BBC Verify counts 12 ship strikes last week, including six on October 11, and the UN says at least 24 mariners have died in the war.
  15. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, 2026-10-16 (6:24 to 9:11)
    Interviews an oil analyst on tanker repair strain
    Brings in oil analyst Rory Johnson on fleet strain: about 950 VLCCs worldwide, a couple hit every day or several a week, and engine repairs that normally take months. Adds the repair-capacity squeeze and China's earlier import cuts as the cushion.
    New angle: About 950 VLCC tankers exist globally, and repairing one with a blown engine normally takes several months.
  16. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-17 (16:36 to 22:15)
    Reports tanker sinkings and Houthi strikes from the Gulf
    Griffin reports from the Gulf that the IRGC sank two tankers in a single day this week and that Houthi missiles flew more than 500 miles to hit Saudi Aramco headquarters, with the U.S. holding back until Americans are killed.
    New angle: The IRGC sank two tankers in one day this week, and Houthi missiles hit Saudi Aramco headquarters.
  17. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, 2026-10-19 (2:03 to 6:43)
    Notes 96 hours of silence from the UK MTO
    Picks up the weekend attacks - an RPG fired at a tanker in the Persian Gulf and a tugboat hit by two projectiles - and turns to the reporting gap: 96 hours with no vessel strikes logged by the UK MTO despite video of disabled and burning ships. Reads the silence as market management ahead of the midterms.
    New angle: The UK MTO has logged no vessel struck in the Strait of Hormuz for 96 hours despite video of disabled ships.
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