The US secret service says it is aware of an Iranian state television video discussing an alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump, 20.
The three-minute video claims Barron is being monitored and that there’s a $10m bounty for his killing.
“The US Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees. Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence,” secret service spokesperson Nate Herring said in an email to Reuters.
Trump previously said he was “number one on the kill list for Iran”.
Meanwhile, Iran said the Strait of Hormuz remained closed despite Tehran agreeing on a temporary transit route through the key waterway with Oman.
“The understanding between Iran and Oman does not mean the opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said.
The statement came as Trump threatened to launch new strikes on a nuclear site as well as Iranian military ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
US secret service ‘aware’ of video on Iran TV discussing alleged assassination of Trump’s son
The US Secret Service says it is aware of an Iranian state television video discussing an alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump, 20.
The three-minute video claimed Barron was being monitored and that a $10m bounty had been offered for his killing.
“The US Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees. Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence,” Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring said in an email to Reuters.
The report comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran, with Trump previously saying he was “number one on the kill list for Iran”.
Reuters also reported earlier this month that the US had received several Israeli warnings about alleged Iranian plots to assassinate Trump.
Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 07:00
Editorial: America’s might has failed in Iran – an ‘economic D-Day’ is also unlikely to succeed
If the best way to get Iran to bend to America’s will is the imposition of unprecedented financial sanctions – an “economic D-Day” – then the obvious question arises: what was the point, in Trump-speak, of bombing the hell out of them, destroying their antiquated conventional forces and threatening the death of a “whole civilisation”?
Indeed, anyone might wonder why, six months ago, the US joined in Israel’s campaign against its implacable enemy in the first place, given that, before that strategic blunder, the Strait of Hormuz was open to shipping, the supply of oil and natural gas was normal, and the whole world was looking forward to some economic growth for a change.
Read more here:
America’s might has failed in Iran – an ‘economic D-Day’ is unlikely to succeed
Editorial: As Donald Trump opens a new front in his Middle East war, it has become clear the foray is a bigger disaster for the United States than Vietnam or Pearl HarborMaryam Zakir-Hussain26 August 2026 06:40
US sanctions four India-based companies and three Indians over involvement in Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical trade
The US has sanctioned four India-based companies and three Indian nationals over their alleged involvement in Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical trade.
The targeted firms are accused of importing or facilitating the import of Iranian petroleum products worth tens of millions of dollars, with one company allegedly involved in imports worth about $69m.
The sanctions are part of the US’s wider effort to cut off Iran’s oil revenues, with Washington targeting around 60 Iran-linked individuals, entities and vessels.
The move comes as the US threatens further penalties against countries continuing to trade with Iran, although it has so far stopped short of imposing secondary sanctions on countries themselves.
Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 06:20
A tanker is hit and disabled off Oman’s eastern coast
A strike on an oil tanker on Monday night off Oman’s coast disabled the ship’s engine, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organisation reported.
It said all crew were reported safe.
There were no immediate reports of any environmental impact.
Iran periodically fires at vessels attempting to transit the strait to enforce its control of the waterway, though there was no immediate claim for Monday’s attack.
The U.S. has also fired on vessels while imposing a blockade of Iranian ports.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 August 2026 06:00
Temporary route agreed with Oman doesn’t mean reopening Hormuz, Iranian deputy foreign minister says
Iran says it has agreed with Oman on establishing a temporary 11km-wide transit route through the Strait of Hormuz, with the entry point and part of the exit route passing through Iranian territorial waters.
However, deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the arrangement “does not mean opening the Strait of Hormuz”.
“We agreed with Oman that the entry route to the Strait of Hormuz will be through our territorial waters, and part of the exit route will also be through our territorial waters,” Gharibabadi said.
He said activating the route would “mean closing the southern route in the strait”, which the US had opened “under pressure from Oman”, arguing that the move violated Article 5 of the two countries’ memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.
Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 05:40
Iran says Iraq can play ‘decisive role’ in shaping new regional order
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has reportedly said Iraq could play a “decisive role” in shaping a new regional order, particularly in the Gulf, as US forces prepare to withdraw from Iraq.
Speaking to the president of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, Ghalibaf described the moment as “historic” for both countries.
“A new regional order is being created. The situation is sensitive and historic for Iran and Iraq. The fact that the American coalition forces are going to withdraw from Iraq is a historic honour for the Iraqi government and people,” Ghalibaf told Zaidan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
He said the US started its war against Iran with “the intention of overthrowing the Islamic Republic and expanding American hegemony in West Asia and the Islamic world”.
He said Iran’s resistance “clearly defeated” US war goals.“America lost the military and political war against Iran, and it will also fail in economic measures,” Ghalibaf told Zaidan.
Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 05:20
Mojtaba Khamenei’s voice heard for the first time
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 August 2026 05:00
Trump ‘grossly profiting’ from ‘illegal’ war on Iran, US senator says
US senator Chris Van Hollen has accused Donald Trump of personally profiting from the “illegal” war with Iran, citing a Democratic report that found the president’s oil and gas holdings may have gained up to $15.5m this year.
Van Hollen alleged that Trump had turned the White House into a “pay-to-play casino” and was “grossly profiting off of a senseless war”, while claiming Trump had “pocketed over a billion dollars” since returning to office.
He later wrote on X: “While prices are going up for Americans, things couldn’t be going better for his stock portfolio.”
“Trump continues to profit off Americans’ pain – including the senseless war he started in Iran.“Pure corruption.”
Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 04:45
China warns about US sanctions threat disrupting its cooperation with Iran
China has warned that expanded US sanctions targeting entities and individuals linked to Iran, including some based in China, “should not disrupt” or “undermine” its cooperation with Tehran.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China-Iran cooperation has complied with international law.
China is one of Iran’s biggest trading partners and buys most of the country’s oil exports.
The warning came after the US treasury department announced sanctions on nearly 60 Iran-linked entities on Monday, including several in China, although it stopped short of imposing secondary sanctions on countries trading with Iran.
Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 04:30
Iran and Oman working towards reopening and managing ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz
Omani foreign minister Badr al-Busaidi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi discussed a framework in Tehran on Tuesday that includes a “joint temporary navigational corridor” and efforts to clear mines from the waterway.
Iran said ships entering the Persian Gulf would initially pass entirely through Iranian waters, while outbound vessels would use both Iranian and Omani waters, with the two countries negotiating over the next 30-60 days to “reach an understanding on a new permanent and sustainable route”.
The talks follow an attack that disabled an oil tanker off Oman.
It remains unclear whether the US will accept the proposed arrangement, with Donald Trump having threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of efforts to reopen the strait.
Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 04:15NewerOlder