Follow updates on the war in the Middle East for Friday, Aug. 21, here. See earlier developments below.
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What to know about the Iran war:
- Iran’s foreign minister on Thursday dismissed President Trump’s threat to wield “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale” as a diversion from the burgeoning U.S. national debt and a “doubling down on failed policies.” Mr. Trump threatened Iran on Wednesday with “an economic D-Day.”
- Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the war with Iran has entered a “new phase” of economic pressure. “We’re going to keep that going because we think that’s the best way to ultimately accomplish the final objective here,” he said on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.”
- The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier started heading home after a nine-month deployment, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News. The USS George Washington aircraft carrier arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday.