Iran has demanded compensation from the US as a condition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
The head of Iran’s supreme national security council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, said the Strait will remain shut until the US meet six conditions, including ending the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq forever
It comes as the US is pushing for defence companies to“dramatically” accelerate weapons production as the Iran war drains through their missile supplies, it is understood
Deputy defence secretary Steve Feinberg gave companies three weeks to lay out how they would “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities.”
“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Mr Feinberg added in the memo, which was obtained by The Washington Post
“We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”
A deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz nears – but Iran now holds all the cards
As far as can be judged, there have been no direct talks between the United States and Iranfor at least a month. But peace, of sorts, may shortly be at hand again
In recent weeks, highly motivated and constructive talks between Iran and Oman, the two nations on either side of the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway, have been taking place. These discussions have been brokered by another party with vested interests, Qatar, which relies on gas exports through the Strait
A deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz nears – but Iran now holds all the cards
Editorial: We should applaud any breakthrough that lessens the risk of a global recession, but this is no victory for Donald Trump and only highlights the folly of the president’s senseless war
Maryam Zakir-Hussain9 August 2026 17:40
Trump’s Iran deal: Three scenarios for what could happen next
As Iran and Oman close in on a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz, there is growing optimism that the main hurdle preventing peace talks to end Donald Trump’s war may be cleared
Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, said an agreement is in its “final stages”, whileUS president Donald Trump said an “all-day negotiation” had taken place with Tehran on Tuesday
Senior Trump administration officials, including secretary of state Marco Rubio and treasury secretary Scott Bessent, suggested a deal was imminent earlier this week – but an agreement had not been reached by Thursday morning
Trump’s Iran deal: Three scenarios for what could happen next
Tehran insists it is close to a deal with Oman to open the Strait of Hormuz, which could pave the way for US peace talks
Maryam Zakir-Hussain9 August 2026 17:00
Fallout from war in Iran is leaving millions vulnerable to hunger
As the US, Iran and Oman edge towards an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, months of insecurity and disruption are leaving millions more vulnerable to hunger in Yemen
The economic fallout from the regional conflict has driven up food and fuel prices, while more than four months of conflict with Iran has driven renewed escalation in Yemen, compounding one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises
More than half the population were already facing hunger, but slow progress from world leaders to re-open the Strait has caused months of disruption to global food and energy supplies, disrupting humanitarian aid operations
Fallout from war in Iran is leaving millions vulnerable to hunger
In Yemen, disruption of supplies through the Strait of Hormuz is compounding one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises
Maryam Zakir-Hussain9 August 2026 16:17
Turkey says its defence deal with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is not aimed at any third country
A defence agreement that Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed on Friday is not aimed against any third country, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said
It says an attack on one would be considered an attack on all three
Fidan told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency on Saturday that the countries do not view any state as an adversary unless it takes hostile action against them: “We don’t have anything written down — nothing we’ve signed – that defines a common threat.”
Asked how the mutual defense mechanism would work, Fidan said a member would formally request help and the two countries’ assistance could range from intelligence-sharing to logistics support or the deployment of military units
The mechanism would establish a secretariat to be based in Saudi Arabia, Fidan said
He said other nations, which he did not name, have expressed interest in joining the agreement, adding that he expects Egypt, which he described as a “natural partner,” to participate “at the next stage.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain9 August 2026 15:40
UAE oil tanker attacked by missile in Strait of Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates condemned an Iranian missile attack on its carrier as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz today, accusing Tehran of “acts of piracy”
State news agency WAM initially reported ADNOC as saying one of its vessels had been targeted by a missile early on Saturday and that the situation was under control
The UAE Foreign Ministry later condemned what it called “the hostile Iranian attack” on an ADNOC vessel
Neither statement gave details on the tanker, its cargo or possible damage. No injuries were reported
The ministry said the attack violated a U.N. Security Council resolution on freedom of navigation and accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of “acts of piracy” by targeting commercial shipping and using the waterway as a tool of economic pressure
Maryam Zakir-Hussain9 August 2026 15:00
Israel rejects Trump’s Gaza peace plan and won’t withdraw until Hamas disarms
Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, insisting Israel will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms
The US president claimed last month that there had been a breakthrough in his plan to end the war, which both Israel and Hamas agreed to last year and which started with the ceasefire
Trump said that Hamas, which ruled Gaza for nearly two decades before carrying out the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, had agreed to lay down its weapons
Israel rejects Trump’s Gaza peace plan and won’t withdraw until Hamas disarms
Trump claimed there had been a breakthrough in his plan to end the war which both Israel and Hamas agreed
Maryam Zakir-Hussain9 August 2026 13:59
Houthis claim they targeted Saudi forces in Yemen
The Iran-backed Houthis claimed today that they targeted Saudi Arabian forces in the Yemeni city of Mocha
The rebel group also separately mounted an attack on a major Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea coast
The attacks come days after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed a Nato-style defence pact which agreed any attack on one country would be seen as an attack on them all
Maryam Zakir-Hussain9 August 2026 13:30
BREAKING: Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza peace plan
Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, insisting Israel will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms
The US president claimed last month that there had been a breakthrough in his plan to end the war, which both Israel and Hamas agreed to last year and which started with the ceasefire
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Gaza since agreeing to the ceasefire last October
The peace deal put forward by the US last year would have seen Hamas relinquish its weapons, Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza as the disarmament progresses,and an international stabilisation force work with a new Palestinian police force until a new Palestinian government takes over in Gaza
Natalie Crockett9 August 2026 13:07
Trump has lost his war on geography in the Strait of Hormuz. What now?
A desperate scramble to find alternative routes is in overdrive as the world realises there is no ‘back to normal’ – but Trump’s insulted allies are determined to make him pay for the leverage his war has handed to Iran, saysAnchal Vohra:
No one is holding their breath for a miracle as he US and Iran enter the final stages of negotiations over the future of the Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump says the Strait is “sort of open right now”, even as Iran remains firm on charging a toll as high as seven per cent of the cargo price
Trump has lost his war on geography in the Strait of Hormuz. What now?
A desperate scramble to find alternative routes is in overdrive as the world realises there is no ‘back to normal’ – but Trump’s insulted allies are determined to make him pay for the leverage his war has handed to Iran, says Anchal Vohra
Maryam Zakir-Hussain9 August 2026 13:00
