• US President Donald Trump says that no conversations are taking place or scheduled with Iran, while maintaining that the US naval blockade remains in full force, and mines in the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the US is now “begging” to negotiate on Tehran’s conditions after failing to force it to surrender.
• The UAE’s Defence Ministry says that Iran launched two ballistic missiles aimed at maritime traffic, with one landing in the UAE’s territorial waters and the other falling outside of them into the sea.
• Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, has rejected the UAE’s accusation as “baseless”, adding that such claims harm good neighborly relations and undermine regional trust.
• The UAE’s Foreign Ministry announced that all trade, commercial exchange, and financial transactions with Iran are suspended until further notice.
• Brent crude futures rose 59 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $91.46 a barrel as of 16:31 GMT for the first time in three weeks, while US West Texas Intermediate futures gained 75 cents, or 0.9 percent, to settle at $85.25 a barrel.
• Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, says international mediators are waiting on an expected transit agreement between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz before urging Washington and Tehran to restart peace negotiations.
• Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says the strait will remain closed until the US fulfils the conditions of the countries’ interim deal, which included lifting the naval blockade and sanctions, as well as releasing frozen Iranian assets.

Iran’s FM says Tehran seeks end to war, not a temporary ceasefire

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran’s foreign policy under President Masoud Pezeshkian has prioritized neighboring countries, describing efforts to reduce regional tensions and expand ties in an interview with Iranian state television.

“Under Dr Pezeshkian’s administration, greater priority was given to neighboring countries,” Araghchi said. This approach requires “eliminating any tension in relations with each of our neighbors” and pursuing a policy of “provincial diplomacy” alongside broader neighborhood engagement, he added.

He praised neighboring countries for assistance during recent unrest, saying some had supplied goods and medicine, allowed stranded Iranians to return home through their territory, and permitted Iranian aircraft to use their airspace.

Araghchi said Iran had rejected calls for a ceasefire in the early stages of the war, and added: “We do not want a ceasefire; we want an end to the war.” He pointed out that Iran does not want the conflict, which was halted by a ceasefire and then resumed months later, “to become a pattern”.

Qatar wants agreement on opening Hormuz

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the state would like to see an agreement on opening the Strait of Hormuz, noting that such an agreement would make it easier to resume talks between the US and Iran.

Oil prices rise for fourth straight day on US-Iran concerns

Oil prices are extending their gains for a fourth consecutive session, with Brent crude futures rising 26 cents or 0.29 percent to $91.28 a barrel as of 00:04 GMT.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures added 37 cents to trade at $85.31.

The increases followed Tuesday’s close at the highest levels since July 24, as fading prospects for peace between the US and Iran raised supply concerns, with investors evaluating contradictory statements from Washington and Tehran regarding ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Insurers, not politicians, hold key to Strait of Hormuz transit

Mark Kimmitt, a retired general and former US assistant secretary of state, says insurance companies, not political statements, will determine whether shipping resumes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Kimmitt said that financial risks remain the primary barrier to navigating the strategic waterway.

“It’s not Donald Trump who is going to prevent ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz; it’s going to be the insurance companies,” Kimmitt said. “They certainly do have an iron hand of money to prevent those ships from going through as long as there’s a physical threat.”

Kimmitt pointed out that Washington’s proposal to back insurers is unlikely to resolve the issue on its own.

“The United States has offered to reinsure – to basically insure the insurers – to get those ships through, but I doubt that that’s going to happen,” he said.

The main obstacle remains the physical threat to maritime traffic, he said. Without firm assurances that vessels will avoid strikes from Iranian missiles, ship owners are unlikely to attempt the transit.

If insurers are holding the key, then why keeps Iran attacking vessels trying to transit through the Strait of Hormuz? Then, in Iran it is not the politicians but the military, as Iran has a different political system.

Qatar and Gulf walking diplomatic tightrope over US-Iran war

There’s a concern in the GCC after the 60-day MoU time has lapsed; there have been a number of calls between various leaders across the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Qatar.

According to the Qatari Foreign Ministry, they’re watching this situation closely, and they’re insisting that their relationship with Iran continues to be one of trying to find a pathway to reconcile the Iranians and the Americans and bringing them both back to the table.

There is also the situation taking place in Oman regarding how to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, and there seem to be two paths working side by side as the negotiations between Oman and Iran continue; there is some coordination between the Americans and the Iranians as well.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry was asked how the relationship between Qatar and Iran is faring, especially after allegations that Qatar has not been giving them the bases, which the Foreign Ministry denied. The spokesperson said that this relationship is built on Qatar’s longstanding view that it will continue to protect its sovereignty and talk to Iran on the basis of trying to find a diplomatic solution.

South Korea says Trump’s drill cuts appear aimed at pushing Seoul into Iran war

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun says that US President Donald Trump’s message ordering the scaling back of joint military drills appeared to include pressure on Seoul to become involved in the Iran war, Reuters reports.

During a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, Cho said that neither South Korean nor US government officials had prior knowledge of Trump’s order to reduce joint military exercises.

In response to a lawmaker’s question regarding whether Seoul was notified in advance, he noted, “Of course, neither our government officials nor US government officials were aware of this beforehand,” according to the Reuters report.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which began on Monday, will now end six days early on August 21.

South Korea has a point, as Trump defended his drill cuts by saying that they cost a lot of money.

US-South Korea military drills have been reported, like Reuters, as being around $14 million a year. On July 27, 2026, Trump's war on Iran has cost the American taxpayer $37,5 billion

Strait of Hormuz transit slows again on Tuesday with just six vessels crossing

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed on Tuesday, preliminary shipping data showed on Wednesday, as most shipowners avoided the key waterway because of a lack of clear signalling on a reopening, Reuters is reporting.

According to Kpler data as of 02:58 GMT on Wednesday, six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day daily average of 11.

Iran preparing for prolonged conflict with the US

Mokhtar Haddad, editor-in-chief of the Iranian newspaper Al-Wifaq, believes that President Trump will ultimately retreat from his hard line posture and abide by the existing Memorandum of Understanding, describing Trump’s strategy as starting with inflated demands before backing down.

“Experience has proven to Iran, through this well-known behavior from the American president, [that] he comes in with a high ceiling,” Haddad said.

“I believe, in the end, when this impasse expands for the American president, he will eventually retreat, come back and be forced to accept continuing with the Memorandum of Understanding.”

At the same time, Haddad emphasized that Iran is preparing for an extended conflict and rejected assertions that Tehran is waiting out Washington’s political calendar.

“Whoever says Iran is banking on the American elections, the midterms, no, this is a mistaken view,” he said. “The Iranian side fundamentally has no trust in the American president.”

Rubio highlights Strait of Hormuz security in call with UAE official

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss key regional security issues, according to State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

During the call, the two officials addressed the situation in Lebanon and discussed ongoing joint efforts to hold Iran and its proxy groups accountable for continued attacks.

Secretary Rubio also emphasised the critical importance of maintaining freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Pigott.

UAE imposes indefinite trade embargo on Iran over alleged missile attacks

The UAE has announced it is imposing an indefinite trade embargo on Iran, with the Foreign Ministry saying Tehran is “undermining regional and international peace and security”. The announcement follows an earlier statement by the Defence Ministry that it had detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards the UAE.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has rejected the accusations, calling them baseless and saying the incident is a “false flag operation”.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, retired General Mark Kimmitt, a former US assistant secretary of state, said the UAE is the largest seller of imported goods to Iran, exceeding China and Turkiye, with one-third of Iran’s imports coming from there.

He said it could be “even more significant than the embargo being put on by the United States” and warned that Iran “might go to war with the UAE because of it.” Trump posted on social media that the Strait of Hormuz is open, while the US naval blockade of Iran remains in place.

Can detection of missile launches be recorded as evidence showing that there were missiles launches?

Answer:

• Space-based sensors record the intense heat plumes and exhaust signatures generated by rocket boosters during the initial launch phase.
• Ground-based, naval, and airborne radars capture the radar cross-section, speed, and trajectory of a projectile as it rises and travels through the air.
• Ground sensors can record ground vibrations and sound waves created by heavy rocket motors firing or impacts occurring.

Question:

So, what must the UAE do?

Answer:

Make the radar logs at least available to Iran if not public to prove its honesty!

This reminds us of the Turkish claim in the beginning of the war, when it says it show down a missile while found videos only shows a used Patriot missile.

One found video taken at the same beach even showed a elongated object in the sand that was covered with a blue plastic sheet!

Iran’s military warns Gulf states against assisting US forces

Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, has warned Gulf states against assisting the US military, saying nothing is “hidden from our eyes”.

In a statement carried by Iran’s Fars news agency, Abdollahi said the presence of so many military aircraft, particularly refuelling craft, at regional bases would be difficult to explain without the host countries’ knowledge.

“We warn: Any assistance and facilitation to the aggressive US army is tantamount to participation with the US military forces,” said Abdollahi.

If any of the Gulf states or Jordan allows the US to use their soil and or their airspace for attacks on Iran, any of these countries is a co-belligerent, which allows Iran to consider these countries military objectives.

So, countries like the UAE have no right to complain, accuse and or criticize Iran of violating their sovereignty, UN Charter and or international law.

Former Iranian leader Khatami rejects calls for conflict with US

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has warned that some in Iran believe the nation’s “life and survival lie in war,” openly questioning the logic behind that stance, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.

“Some say: ‘First, we will teach America a lesson here, then we will go to the heart of America and fight it there.’ But what reality is this based on?” Khatami asked.

“My feelings were also wounded when they killed our commander, and one’s eyes could almost weep blood. But governing a society cannot be based on raw emotion,” he added. “We must consider what serves the ultimate interests of the country, the system, and Islam.”

Iran secures $7.5bn in oil revenues over first four months

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reports that the country has received $7.5bn in oil-related foreign currency revenue from the first four months of the year, which was made available to the Central Bank.

Citing information from Iran’s Oil Ministry, Fars said the revenue is 1.5 times the amount generated in the same period last year and is expected to cover the government’s foreign currency expenses through late December.

NATO official says alliance will ‘always do what is necessary to defend all allies’

A NATO official told Reuters that the alliance is prepared to respond to any threat and will “always do what is necessary to defend all allies”.

The comments came in response to questions about a Financial Times report that Iran had allegedly considered attacking US military targets in Europe if US President Donald Trump escalated the war.

“As demonstrated earlier this year when NATO air defenses successfully intercepted ballistic missiles heading to Turkiye from Iran on four separate occasions, our deterrence and defence posture is strong and effective,” the official told Reuters.

The United Kingdom is. That is why its airbase was targeted at the beginning of the war because the US was attacking Iran from the British airbase in Gloucester, England. and

Germany is a co-belligerent as the US uses Ramstein Airbase for flights to the Middle East. Berlin is responsible under states responsibility laws even when it claims not being aware of these flights.

Dutch SG, Mark Rutte has NATO exposed being a co-belligerent by bragging about Italy's contribution to the US, which prompted its Italian member state defending itself that it was only doing logistics and 'assistance' work. It did not allow the US to attack Iran from its soil.

However, logistics and 'assistance' work are preparatory to attacks on Iran thus facilitating. That makes even Italy a co-belligerent thus responsible under states responsibility laws.

Iranian lawmaker: Hormuz plan puts control under armed forces

Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of Iran’s parliament, says a proposed Strait of Hormuz security plan would place the waterway’s management, monitoring and inspection exclusively under Iran and the supervision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, according to the state broadcaster IRIB.

He said the plan would prohibit the entry of vessels deemed hostile, involved in espionage or a threat to Iran’s national security.

Under the proposal, the General Staff would also set rules for collecting transit fees and service charges from vessels passing through the strait.

Rezaei added that if Iran’s interests were harmed anywhere in the world, Tehran could respond against the state it considers responsible in the Strait of Hormuz by raising tariffs or seizing assets.

Ghalibaf: US seeking ‘honourable exit’ from region

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says foreign powers are rapidly losing influence in what he described as a “new regional order”.

“Dear Abu Mahdi and Haj Qassem! This is the fruit of your struggle and your blessed blood,” Ghalibaf wrote in a post on X, referring to Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani.

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was a senior commander in Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, while Qassem Soleimani headed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. Both were killed in a US drone attack near Baghdad airport in January 2020.

“In the new regional order, the interference of foreign powers in relations between countries is rapidly diminishing; America is looking for an honourable exit from the region, and the Zionist regime’s project from the river to the sea has become nothing more than a pipe dream,” he said.

Qatari prime minister arrives in Riyadh on official visit

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on an official visit to the kingdom.

He was received at the airport by Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khereiji, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Iranian president promises continued support for armed forces

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed continued support for the country’s armed forces, according to the country’s state-run news agency, IRNA.

IRNA says Pezeshkian told his cabinet that the government will spare no effort within its purview to secure the needs of the armed forces and strengthen the country’s defence power.

He stressed the need for the cooperation of all executive bodies in the country to achieve this.

Senior Qatari, Egyptian officials meet in Egypt

Senior officials from Qatar have met their Egyptian counterparts in northwestern Egypt’s El-Alamein city for the seventh preparatory session of the Qatari-Egyptian Joint Higher Committee in the run-up to the official meeting on Thursday.

Qatar’s delegation is led by Nayef Al-Emadi, the director of the Arab Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Egyptian side is led by Ihab Fahmy, Egypt’s assistant foreign minister for Arab affairs.

Both sides praised continuous consultation between the two countries regarding regional and international issues and the joint efforts to de-escalate and achieve stability and sustainable peace in the region.

Saudi Arabia says maritime security remains top priority, calls for Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb reopening

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud says the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and all naval lanes must be kept open and safe during a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, according to the Saudi Gazette.

Faisal said maritime security is at the forefront of common priorities between the two countries.

“The kingdom continues its efforts to de-escalate tensions and prevent the resurgence of conflicts by focusing on comprehensive and sustainable diplomatic solutions that address the sources of instability in our region,” he said.

“We affirm that diplomacy, dialogue and peaceful means remain our priorities, and we appreciate Japan’s role in supporting the principles of international law, its humanitarian and developmental contributions, and its stances in support of stability and peaceful solutions,” Faisal added.

Trump says US to reopen negotiations with Iran ‘maybe at some point’

President Donald Trump has said that the US might resume talks with Iran “maybe at some point” in the future.

“Right now the situation is so good,” Trump told reporters, adding that the US demands for renewed talks are “so simple: no nuclear weapon”.

“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and they won’t,” he added. Trump stated that Iran would “use it” if it had a nuclear weapon, stressing that the US is “not going to let them”.

Iran’s Ghalibaf claims US seeks ‘to plunder’ resources of Middle Eastern countries

Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says the US wants to “plunder the countries of the region”, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.

“America has approached the countries of the Persian Gulf and the region to plunder and plunder their resources,” he said during his meeting with the Iraqi president in Baghdad, Fars reported.

“Iran and Iraq and their great nation have realised that the biggest problem and the main cause of all the problems in the region is America. The Americans were defeated in the third imposed war, in military and political dimensions,” he said.

Iranian FM speaks to Pakistan military chief

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has held a phone conversation on the latest regional situation with Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has been playing a key mediation role between the US and Iran, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

The report said the two leaders discussed various aspects of the current situation and ongoing efforts to advance “political and diplomatic solutions”.

Qatar’s top diplomat discusses Iran, Gaza with Saudi counterpart in Riyadh

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud have discussed the latest regional developments in Riyadh, according to Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sheikh Mohammed, who is in Saudi Arabia on an official visit, spoke to Prince Faisal on diplomatic efforts being made to “reduce escalation, contain tensions, and enhance security and stability in the region, as well as the latest developments in the Gaza sector and the occupied Palestinian territories”, according to the statement.

The two sides also stressed the necessity of “ensuring the security and safety of freedom of maritime navigation, especially in the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea”.

They both condemned “Israel’s declared rejection of the roadmap aimed at completing the implementation of the comprehensive plan by US President Donald Trump to end the conflict in Gaza”.

None of Iran’s frozen assets released so far, Central Bank governor says

Iran’s Central Bank Governor, Abdolnaser Hemmati, says none of the country’s foreign banking funds have been returned despite a June agreement with the United States that provisionally waived some banking and economic sanctions.

“So far, no funds from the blocked assets have been released under the terms of the agreement,” Hemmati told the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.

The June Memorandum of Understanding, which aimed to end months of fighting between the US and Iran, expired on Monday.

Hemmati also said declining oil and tax revenues have hurt the country’s economy.

“While people’s expectations and demands for improvement are completely respected and justified, the simultaneous decrease in oil revenues, tax revenues and social security contributions has affected all sectors and pillars of the country’s economy,” he said.

On April 11, 2026, a senior Iranian source said that the U.S. had agreed to release Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks.

On June 12, 2026, Reuters reported, based on four sources, that the United Arab Emirates has agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran in a tactical shift after weeks ​of Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf Arab state during the U.S.-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.

The next day, the UAE says 'no frozen Iranian funds have been released'.

UAE’s announcement of suspension of all trade ties with Iran nothing more than ‘political statement’

Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a professor at the University of Applied Science and Technology in Tehran, has said that he believes the UAE announced the suspension of all trade and financial ties with Iran due to pressure from Washington.

He said the US has a lot of influence over the UAE, adding that it could be seen as the “51st state”.

“US military backup, logistical backup, banking transition, as well as engineering, military engineering companies … and many other networks … are in the UAE,” he said.

However, he claimed trade ties between the two sides had almost entirely stopped throughout the war, but the UAE never officially declared it, which suggests this is now a “political statement”.

Why would Iran launch ballistic missiles on the UAE, while it knows that such would be economical suicide. Nearly all imports come from the UAE.

The UAE must make public its radar logs to prove that missiles were launched, and from Iran.

So, we do not rule out that UAE's claim is about a false flag.

Iran will not ‘change its posture’, but it will change how it uses its resources

The UAE has cut financial ties with Iran after saying it intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles, which the Gulf nation believes were targeting commercial shipping.

Iran called it a false-flag operation, but regardless of who did it, the UAE and Iran will need to begin talks “because it’s not in the interest of either country to maintain a cutoff of trade”, Harlan Ullman, a former US senior naval officer, said.

“Iran is taking a very, very hard line, believing that by not losing, it will ultimately defeat the United States,” he said.

However, shifting to a more offensive posture does not necessarily mean attacking more ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Ullman said.

Iran is now simply changing its targeting, adding that it will likely reach out to “its partners in Hezbollah, Hamas, and certainly the Houthis to make attacks and to make life very difficult”, Ullman said.

He also noted the strength of Iran’s cyber-industry, and that there have been reports of Iranian cyber attacks against Europe and the US.

Trump says US launching ‘most crushing economic operation’ against Iran

In a Truth Social post, Trump has written that the US is launching “the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY”.

“No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a Deal than me”, he said, adding that “TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it”.

“This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” Trump said about the operation.

“Their navy is gone, their air force is destroyed, their military factories are now rubble, their currency is worthless, and their country is hanging by a thread.

“Today, I am also announcing that ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences,” he said.

“Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies – It all needs to stop NOW. You know who you are.”

He warned that the operation would be “ECONOMIC D-DAY” and called on allies “to stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat”.

“These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide. IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.”