A Fox News poll finds 56% of American voters now oppose US military action against Iran, as US forces wrapped up a 13th consecutive night of airstrikes and the conflict entered its fifth month with no end in sight.
Disapproval of President Donald Trump's handling of Iran hit a record high in July, Fox reports, with nearly two-thirds of voters expecting the war to last at least a year. The Wall Street Journal reports Trump is increasingly frustrated and in "revenge mode," with the conflict consuming his presidency and damaging Republican prospects for November's midterms.
The Fox poll found 40% of voters "strongly" oppose the military action. The war has resulted in higher prices, falling approval ratings, and the deaths of more than a dozen US servicemembers, according to the Journal, which cited administration officials and others close to the president.
"Netanyahu has led us into a horrible conflict filled with lies," Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump adviser, said. "People can see with their own eyes what's going on."
The Journal noted the war is splitting the conservative coalition that once rallied behind Trump. Fox News host Laura Ingraham said Monday the "clock is ticking" to the midterms.
US Central Command said its 13th consecutive wave of strikes targeted military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, and coastal surveillance sites. Iranian state media reported heavy explosions across Khorramabad, Jask, Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, and Qeshm Island, with a US missile strike leaving four dead and five injured in the industrial hub of Ahvaz.
Iranian retaliation on US-linked sites in the Gulf continued at a steady pace. Bahrain's military said it intercepted "several treacherous Iranian air attacks" and denounced Iran's "systematic hostile approach." Iranian military targets also included locations in Jordan, Kuwait, and northern Iraq, with Sky News reporting explosions near a base hosting US forces in Iraq, near Erbil International Airport.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that "mindless aggression" will only see Trump pay a "heavier price" for a deal to end the war.
Trump took to Truth Social to warn China and Russia against supplying arms or targeting assistance to Iran. "If they did, it would be very bad for them," he wrote, while adding, "In my opinion, (they are) not participating." He said Xi Jinping "told me he would not." The president was addressing a Reuters report that Iranian strikes on CIA targets in the Gulf are being investigated over concerns Russia or China may have helped with targeting.
Diplomatic activity remained thin. Pakistan is exploring a path toward resuming US-Iran talks, Reuters reports, following pressure from China. The Houthis say they do not seek to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — only for Saudi shipping. Trump is set to meet Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday amid the Iran escalation.
The Iraqi prime minister's office on Friday denied a New York Times report that Iran rejected a US ceasefire proposal delivered via Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, calling the Times story "entirely unfounded" with "no relation to reality." The statement said the proposal was the "only offer on the table" and left the question of control over the Strait of Hormuz unresolved — which is why Tehran was uninterested.
Crude prices fell by week's end despite the continued fighting, as reports of possible diplomatic efforts outweighed ongoing regional attacks. Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted on social media: "They wanted to punish Iran. Punished themselves with triple-digit oil instead."
NBC News named four service members flown from the Middle East to Dover Air Force Base: 28-year-old Angel S. Rampersad of New York, 30-year-old Michael Emmanuel Swinton of North Carolina, 25-year-old Tyler James Feehan of Hawaii, and 19-year-old Isabella Gonzales of Texas. Trump attended a dignified transfer on Wednesday.
Trump said Thursday he would take funds from Iran to pay for damage inflicted on US bases and assets throughout the war. Araghchi responded: "Seizing another nation's assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent."
On Fox News, hosts discussed potential Iranian infrastructure targets — "What do you think we might hit first?" — with one noting "the Damavand plant supplies 40% of Tehran's electricity." The Journal reported that last month Trump was excited at the prospect of signing a memorandum of understanding with Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, dismissing Republican allies who said the Iranians would never stick to the agreement. "He wanted it to be over," a senior administration official told the Journal.
The question now is whether a president who campaigned against Middle East wars finds an exit before the midterms — or keeps bombing his way deeper into one.