U.S. Central Command released a video today describing the current situation in the Iran War. Admiral Cooper said that as a result of the U.S. blockade, "Iran has no exports and no imports by sea." As a result, Iran's government is "withholding salaries, pensions, and benefits" including to the IRGC.
Update from CENTCOM Commander: https://t.co/YR9yHJ5IQB
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) October 16, 2026
That last bit about funding to pay the IRGC is significant. The situation is so dire that the usual flow of money from Iran to militias has been reversed.
In a video message released Friday, Cooper revealed that Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Shia militias in Iraq — which have been funded by the IRGC for years — now have to give the money back.
"The financial strain on Iran's military has become so significant that there are reports about Iran-aligned militia groups across the region withholding payments for their soldiers in order to funnel money back to the IRGC, which also isn't paying its troops," he said.
Despite Iran being in an undeniably bad situation, its military spokesperson keeps making threats.
اگر آمریکا منطقه را ترک کند تنگه هرمز باز و امنیت دسته جمعی با مشارکت کشورهای منطقه برقرار می شود و اقتصاد جهانی بهبود می یابد. اگر ترک هم نکند اخراجش می کنیم.
— Mohammad Akraminia (@M_Akraminia) October 16, 2026
If America leaves the region, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and collective security will be established with the participation of the region's countries, and the global economy will improve.
If it doesn't leave, we'll expel it.
Iran has no way to expel anyone at this point. They are already doing everything they can and it's not having much impact. And their economy is suffering so badly that they are now threatening media outlets for reporting on it.
Hussein Rahimi, Chief of the Economic Security Police of FARAJA (Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran), has threatened domestic media outlets and websites with judicial prosecution if they publish what he termed “inflated foreign exchange rates.”
Brigadier General Rahimi attributed the rising prices of foreign currency and the US dollar in Iran to “psychological operations” and the publication of unreal rates by overseas media and websites, claiming that the figures reported by these sources do not align with the reality of Iran’s currency market.
Why do they want to hide this? Because a single U.S. dollar is now worth about 2.5 million rials.
A protest poster addressing the collapsing exchange rate appeared beside an ATM in Zanjan, northwest Iran, in a video sent to Iran International. “Our money is completely worthless now,” the resident filming says, as the rial trades around 2.64 million to the dollar and he predicts it will soon pass 4 million.
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) October 12, 2026
Meanwhile, Iran's president seems to be signaling interest in some kind of diplomatic solution. He said again that Iran has no interest in making a nuclear bomb, something that I think no one in the world believes is true.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied Friday that Tehran sought nuclear weapons, expressed readiness for dialogue and condemned U.S. sanctions during talks with Georgia's prime minister...
"Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons, and we consider the malicious propaganda against our country to be lies," Pezeshkian said, according to a statement from his office.
"We have always been ready for dialogue. They think they can force us to surrender, but we will not bow to coercion," he added, calling U.S. sanctions against Tehran "unjustifiable and inhumane."
Meanwhile, President Trump is once again reminding Iran that he has all the cards in this fight.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmax, broadcast Thursday evening, he said: “I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to. We’re the greatest nuclear power in the world.”
The right-wing cable outlet asked Trump about reports that Washington was considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB, widely known as the “Mother of All Bombs.”
“The mother of all bombs is not nuclear. It’s not nuclear at all. This is just an extremely large bomb. It’s like a tiny nuclear bomb. But the mother of all bombs is one big bomb, but it’s not nuclear,” he said, without specifically confirming or denying the reports.
When asked if he would put “troops on the ground,” Trump said: “No, I don’t see that, I don’t see it.”
That's a non-denial when it comes to the use of MOAB. There were reports yesterday that the military was preparing its use in Iran.
The White House and Pentagon have prepared plans to use a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb to hit military sites in Iran if ordered by President Trump, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. Trump set precedent for using the MOAB, also known as the "mother of all bombs" when it was used in 2017 to attack an Islamic State cave complex in Afghanistan. The Pentagon says the bomb is the largest U.S. non-nuclear weapon, weighing upwards of 30,000lbs at a cost of $170,000 per unit. https://t.co/FgAQ9lXR3d
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 15, 2026
Of course Trump has threatened to finish Iran off many times at this point but has always pulled back. That's probably good news because totaling Iran's infrastructure means it would take a long time for the country to recover once the war ends. Trump is showing patience because we're winning without the additional strikes.
Still, the difference between Trump's threats and Iran's threats is that Trump can actually carry them out.
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