The US military fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman yesterday after accusing it of trying to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports.
The military said the vessel had ignored warnings to stop, prompting an American helicopter to fire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova, disabling the ship.
Details of the incident emerged as the US president told reporters late on Tuesday night that “we totally control the Strait of Hormuz … Nobody else, only us”. “At some point, maybe they’ll do something and then they get blown away,” he added of Iran.
Iran was resolute on Tuesday it continued to exert power over the strait, and that the US must end the war before they will allow normal shipping to be restored.
Mohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on social media that the “message is clear” that the strait will remain shut until the US agrees to terms and pulls back.
Earlier this week, Trump snubbed Iran’s six conditions for reopening the strait, which included “payment in full” for damage inflicted on Iran throughout the war.
Syria says IAEA will announce ‘significant progress’ on nuclear file
Syria will host a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency in the coming days to announce “significant progress” on the issue of nuclear materials, Syria’s Atomic Energy Commission said.
Since the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Syria’s new authorities have committed to working with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog to address the legacy of nuclear activities during decades of Assad family rule
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 07:00
Israeli military ‘mistakenly’ launches interceptor in Lebanon
The Israeli army said an interceptor was mistakenly launched in Southern Lebanon this morning.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the interceptor had been launched at a target that was later confirmed to be IDF fire from operations carried out within the Security Zone.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 06:40
Trump demands reparations from Iran for ‘all the people they have killed’
President Donald Trump is demanding that Iran pay compensation to American victims of Iranian-backed attacks as he responds to Tehran’s own demand for war reparations.
In a Monday post on Truth Social, Trump said he had “instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations” — casting Iran’s compensation demand as a novel idea he was happy to borrow.
More here.
Trump demands reparations from Iran for ‘all the people they have killed’
Demand comes as Tehran takes a hard line on compensation for war Trump started on February 28Alisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 06:20
US ambassador claims Iranian regime weakest since 1979
The US ambassador to Israel has claimed that the Iranian regime is the “weakest they have been since they took over in 1979” amid Donald Trump’s war on Tehran.
“The operation between the United States and Israel did an enormous level of damage,” Mike Huckabee told Newsmax, praising the US president’s bid to “bankrupt them”.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 06:10
US fires on ship it said was trying to break blockade of Iran
The US military said that its forces fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports. The move came as president Donald Trump tries to keep economic pressure on the Islamic Republic.
US Central Command said the vessel had ignored warnings to stop, prompting an American helicopter to fire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova, disabling the ship.
The statement did not say whether the ship’s crew suffered any casualties.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 06:03
Pakistani official returns to Iran hoping to ease tensions with US
Pakistani interior minister Mohsin Naqvi traveled to Tehran for meetings with Iran’s foreign minister and other officials.
Naqvi’s visit aimed to encourage Iran to resume negotiations with the US under an interim peace deal brokered by Pakistan in June, two officials said.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted photos from his meeting with Naqvi on his private Telegram channel.
It is Naqvi’s sixth trip to Iran as part of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Iran and the US.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 06:00
Just 29% of expected voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of Iran
A cable TV polling expert claims that numbers from two surveys conducted two years apart show just how deeply president Donald Trump has disappointed America’s voters when it comes to Iran.
A July poll of people extremely motivated to vote in November’s midterm elections shows that just 29 per cent now approve of how Trump is actually handling Iran.
More here.
Just 29% of expected midterm voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of Iran
‘We’re talking about a 24-point fall in just two years,’ CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten saysAlisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 05:40
Watch: Trump reiterates America’s ‘complete control’ over Hormuz
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 05:30
Iran to become member of Brics bank
Iran will become a member of the Brics bank, announced the governor of the central bank of Iran.
“The most important outcome of cooperation among Brics member states is the establishment of the New Development Bank, and our country will soon become a member of this bank,” Abdolnaser Hemmati said.
The New Development Bank, a Brics-backed financial institution, is a “multilateral development bank established with the purpose of mobilising resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries,” according to its website.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 05:20
Trump says his plane faced ‘greater risk’ in secret flight change
US president Donald Trump admitted late last night that he secretly switched planes in Turkey last month at the direction of the US Secret Service, but that the plane he ultimately flew on was still more vulnerable than Air Force One.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told reporters.
“I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”
Following a Nato summit in Ankara, Trump was transferred from Air Force One to a military plane via a catering truck in an extraordinary deception prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, US media reported.
“Well, it’s only up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do, so I go by Secret Service and the military,” Trump said.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats,” Trump added.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar12 August 2026 05:00NewerOlder