US-Iran tensions intensify as strikes, sanctions and Hormuz talks continue

Morning recap Good morning, Middle East Eye readers, If you're just joining us, here are key developments from across the region: * US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says the military can attack Iran’s entire oil tanker fleet, after Washington announced strikes on three Iranian vessels following attacks on US warships. * Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy says it struck three oil tankers travelling through “unauthorised” routes in the Strait of Hormuz and three US-affiliated vessels “in other areas”. * Iran’s unified military command has warned that it could intensify and broaden attacks on US naval vessels if Washington maintains its maritime blockade and continues the “harassment of Iranian ships”. * IRGC said it had fired several ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier and a US Navy destroyer that it said were harassing Iranian ships and participating in an ongoing naval blockade of Iran. * Fighting between Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces and the country's Houthi rebels killed more than 60 people on Saturday, including civilians. * At least two people have been killed in an Israeli strike on Arab Salim in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli military had asked residents to flee earlier this morning. * Two Palestinians were injured in the occupied West Bank and nine others were detained during raids by Israeli forces. * Gaza holds funeral for around 100 Palestinians whose bodies were recovered from the rubble of homes destroyed in Israeli attacks. * Crude oil exports out of the Middle East during August 2026 were down 39 percent since the January and February baseline of 18.5 million barrels per day. * Yemeni government forces claim they have regained "complete control" of the district of Hays in the province of Hodeidah from the Houthis.

Morning recap Good morning Middle East Eye readers, If you're just joining us, here are key developments from across the region: •    Donald Trump has said that the Iran war was "small potatoes" for the United States, while warning American military may hit Iran's Pickaxe Mountain. •    The Lebanese health ministry says that Israeli strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon late on Friday killed at least three people and injured 23. •    Iran will conduct “pre-emptive operations” wherever it perceives a threat, army spokesman Brigadier-General Mohammad Akrami Nia said. •    The US State Department said it had approved the potential sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions-Extend Range to Saudi Arabia for an estimated $5 billion. •    Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on August 31, with five confirmed crossings, down 50 percent from 10 a day earlier, according to the latest update by maritime data firm Kpler. •    Former Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, has once again branded Qatar an "enemy," repeating his call for Israel to take action against it. •    Iranian army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia has said that the US and Israel suffered a “major defeat” in their latest aggression against Iran, and “failed” to achieve their stated objectives. •    US government investigators have subjected 50 members of the American military’s Joint Staff to polygraph tests over Iran war leaks to journalists. •    The United States, Britain, France and Germany are seeking a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog's board next week reporting Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years. •    Palestinian media has reported land seizure, vandalism and raids by the Israeli military and settlers in the occupied West Bank. •    Tunisian police have arrested prominent journalist Mohamed Yousfi, an outspoken critic of President Kais Saied.  

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments:  South Korea is reviewing practical options, including possible military measures, for supporting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a presidential Blue House official said on Friday. The official has denied claims suggesting that Seoul provided no assistance in the matter, saying they were "not true". US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the European Union has officially joined Washington’s economic pressure campaign against Iran. In a post on X, Bessent thanked the EU for its "strong and early stance" after joining Operation Economic Outcast. "The world is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime: We will not stop until every remaining financial lifeline has been severed," he added. Donald Trump said that he was appointing Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, as the acting US Army Secretary. This came after the White House confirmed earlier this week that former army secretary, Dan Driscoll, submitted his resignation. Driscoll’s departure came following reports of increasing tensions with Pete Hegseth as well as signs of unease in the Pentagon over how the Trump administration is prosecuting the war on Iran. The US House of Representatives approved a Republican-backed bill that would penalise universities participating in boycotts of Israel as well as those restricting students from travelling there. The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act passed 237-169, with the bill set to move to the Senate. The United Nations Human Rights Office for Palestine said Israel must “end its unlawful presence and evacuate all settlers from the occupied West Bank” following the killing of two Palestinian teenagers on Wednesday in the village of al-Mughayyir. In a post on X, the agency said the settler and state violence against the people in the village have led to the “complete displacement of Palestinians” in the area, calling Israel to “fulfill its obligation under international law”.

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments:  The spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said that it laid more naval mines south of Strait of Hormuz, dismissing US claims of control over the strategic passage. "The only thing CENTCOM could do in response was rename the Strait using Photoshop. Problem solved! You can just use Photoshop to get the oil tankers through, too!" Ebrahim Zolfaghari said, mocking earlier pictures released by the Trump administration where the waterway was labelled with various claims of belonging to the US.  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday expressed "grave concern" after renewed strikes between the US and Iran, and condemned all attacks against civilians. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that the UN chief urged Washington and Tehran to "return urgently to diplomacy," adding that a "comprehensive and durable settlement can be achieved only through dialog and negotiations". The Iranian health ministry's spokesperson indicated in his latest update that 18 people were killed in the recent US strikes on the country, while 142 others were left wounded. In a post on X, Hossein Kermanpour said that amongst those killed were two women and a child. Meanwhile, women (61) and children (44) accounted for most of those wounded. US President Donald Trump said Washington was ready to attack Iran again after extensive strikes across the country killed and wounded dozens. "We blew up much more than their radar last night. It was a very heavy attack last night, and we’re prepared to do another one any time we want," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. White House envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with the UAE's national security adviser to discuss the next steps on Iran, according to Axios. Witkoff met with Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed al Nahyan on the Italian island of Sardinia, where they brainstormed the subsequent actions amid the war on Iran and discussed other issues, one source told the website. 

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments:  The US military announced on Tuesday that it has completed fresh attacks on Iran, with local reports indicating that civilians attending a wedding were amongst the latest victims. In response, Tehran carried out strikes across the region on US facilities and its troops, including in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq's northern Kurdish province of Erbil. The spokesperson of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned that operations against the US will "continue as a lesson to them until they regret their crime". He warned that the continuation of "American evil in the region will be met with heavier, broader, and more devastating responses, and any country that cooperates with the aggressive American army must accept its dangerous consequences". US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said that 17 million barrels of oil transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Wright's statement shows a discrepancy with preliminary ship-tracking data from Kpler, which recorded only five commodity vessels transiting the waterway that day, with no liquid tankers recorded. US president Donald Trump has denied reports alleging that he is trying to bring Iran back into peace discussions. "I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table, as ABC Fake News reported. I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement," he said in a post on his platform Truth Social. He added that the US has "almost total control" over the Hormuz Strait. Two Israeli air strikes targeted the vicinity of the southern Lebanese towns of Kfar Rumman and Arab Salim in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported. A short while before, the Israeli army announced that "interceptors were launched toward a suspicious aerial target," that it alleged crossed from Lebanese territory into northern Israel.

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments:  US Vice President JD Vance said that Washington is now focused on "free flow of commerce" through the Strait of Hormuz. He also accused Tehran’s leadership of acting "not with a whole lot of strategic wisdom" in attempting to cut off oil and gas exports. Israeli forces reportedly advanced further into Syria’s Daraa province, according to Al Jazeera. There were at least 10 military vehicles spotted alongside reconnaissance aircraft overhead near the village of Jumla, located in the province's western suburbs. US army secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The move comes after months of tension between Driscoll and defence secretary Pete Hegseth over the ousting of several top army generals amid a controversial push to shrink the number of high-ranking army generals in the US army.  A tanker was struck by three projectiles while sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said. The hit occurred 17 nautical miles east of Oman's Khasab, and no casualties or environmental impact have been reported. Yemen’s military says launched drone attacks targeted Houthi positions across several fronts. The army’s media centre shared footage showing drones dropping bombs in the Baqam district, north of the Yemen’s Saada governorate. The Yemeni navy also indicated that four Houthi drone boats were destroyed near the islands of Hanish and Zaqar in the Red Sea. The US State Department said it approved a military sale of helicopters to Iraq for $800 million. According the department, the principal contractor will be Bell-Textron, located in Fort Worth, Texas. Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, 31 August, 2026 (Stringer/Reuters)