Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,
President Donald Trump on Sept. 14 said that countries should reimburse the United States for its military efforts in trying to get oil through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war.
Trump said oil is continuing to flow through the strait, a critical route for crude oil and natural gas shipments, although both the Brent crude international benchmark and U.S. West Texas International oil prices remained above $100 per barrel on Sept. 14.
"Oil is flowing through the Hormuz Strait. The Countries of the World, which have been no help to us whatsoever, should, and will, reimburse the United States of America" when the war ends, he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"We are doing it much more for others, than we are for ourselves, and we have been for Generations," he said.
Earlier this year, Trump had sought assistance from NATO allies such as France and the UK, as well as from China and South Korea in securing the Strait of Hormuz.
Also on Sept. 14, Trump said that his administration would be open to the idea of negotiations with Iran and that Tehran has said it wants to come to an agreement on ending the war.
"The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage - The concept of which we are open to," Trump wrote in a separate post on Truth Social earlier in the day.
Negotiations that were held between Washington and Tehran fell through over the summer, leading to sporadic tit-for-tat strikes around the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces have continued to maintain a naval blockade against Iran, redirecting 101 ships, the U.S. Central Command said on Sept. 13.
It comes as the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen said it fired dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia, targeting aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways, and ammunition depots in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.
Saudi authorities issued emergency alerts there and in three other southern cities that have previously come under Houthi fire.
The Houthis have advanced rapidly in Yemen in recent days, capturing territory including Perim Island at the mouth of the Red Sea on Sept. 11. A separate attack the same day, which Riyadh blamed on Iran-backed fighters in Iraq, knocked out Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, a key route that allows Gulf oil exports to bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
The United States bombed Houthi targets for two months in 2025 before Trump halted the campaign after reaching a ceasefire with the group.
Trump, who was attending a golf tournament at his resort in Ireland, told reporters over the weekend that he expected the Iran war to end shortly after November's U.S. midterm elections, after which oil prices would "drop like a rock."
Speaking to reporters on Sept. 14, Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration is in communication with the Houthis and is "very much on top" of the group's advance through Yemen.
Tyler Durden Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:40Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News,
A newly unveiled memorial to Charlie Kirk was vandalized overnight outside Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix - and TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet says the attack went beyond ordinary graffiti.
On Fox News' America's Newsroom, Kolvet described the damage as "awful, disgusting" and "completely beyond the pale."
Vandals hit an 8-foot bronze statue of Kirk, installed days earlier on the first anniversary of his assassination, with red spray paint.
Paint marked his face with an X, his neck (where he was shot on Sept. 10, 2025), his torso with a frowning face, and his hand.
A nearby memorial sign reading "May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving Savior" had Kirk's photo crossed out and the word "Jesus" overwritten with "Satan."
Police later said two people also tried to set a poster on fire before fleeing around 1 a.m. on Sept. 13.
Truly demonic.
TPUSA's Andrew Kolvet explains how Charlie Kirk's memorial wasn't only "vandalized."
It was mocked in a way that was downright satanic.
The person, or people, who did this are sick.
Kolvet then revealed that he's not willing to let this go.
He's already been... pic.twitter.com/g0QEeWMG1W
Kolvet said the statue had only just been placed in a temporary spot and was slated to move to a permanent location within days.
"For this to happen overnight and for them to obviously mock Charlie's death, the way he died... it was just so dark and it is kind of a gut punch," he said.
Even people who disagreed with Kirk's politics, he added, should see that "this doesn't need to happen."
TPUSA staff cleaned the statue the same day. Signs can be replaced, Kolvet said. Accountability is the next step. The group is working with Phoenix police and collecting video from nearby buildings.
"People that do this kind of thing, it's not funny," he said.
"You should be held accountable and we're going to work really hard to make sure that's the case."
Police have not publicly identified suspects. The investigation remains open.
Tyler Durden Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:00