U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, who said the sea passage "cannot be seized by tweet."
Qatar has denied Iran’s claim that it is holding Iranian pilots, saying they had violated Qatari airspace earlier this year and failed to respond to attempts to contact them.
A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Doha took what it described as necessary measures to defend its territory. Search and rescue teams later found the remains of one of the pilots and contacted Iran to coordinate their handover.
Qatar also said Tehran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of the operation.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help secure the release of three pilots it claimed were being held by Qatar.
Qatar said Iranian pilots violated its airspace and failed to respond to attempts to contact them, prompting authorities to take what Doha described as necessary measures to defend its territory.
The Foreign Ministry statement comes after Iran appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help secure the release of three Iranian pilots Tehran says are being held by Qatar.
Iran says the pilots were captured after their aircraft were hit during a March mission against what it described as an “enemy military base” in Qatar.
Doha’s latest statement provides its account of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Several civilians were killed and injured after Houthi ballistic missiles struck residential areas in Yemen’s central city of Marib on Saturday, according to government officials and government-aligned media.
Assistant Information Minister Fayyad al-Numan said initial reports indicated casualties included internally displaced people. State-run Saba TV said three ballistic missiles struck Marib, while Aljoumhouriya TV reported three large explosions across the city.
No precise casualty toll has yet been released, and the Houthis have not commented on the reported attacks.
The strikes come amid renewed fighting across Yemen in recent weeks, including in Marib, Al-Jawf, Al-Dhalea and Taiz.
Iran has blamed instability in the Strait of Hormuz on U.S. and Israeli actions, arguing that the strategic waterway had remained open and secure until the war began on 28 February.
Tehran accused Washington and Israel of using the strait and areas along the Persian Gulf to facilitate attacks against Iran, saying its subsequent measures in the waterway were necessary to protect its national security.
Iran also described the U.S. naval blockade as an “act of aggression” under international law and accused Washington of continuing to violate the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.
It said that under the current circumstances, security and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz could not be considered restored.
An Israeli officer and two soldiers were seriously wounded overnight in a strike by an explosive drone in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Saturday.
The three were evacuated from the area and taken to hospital for medical treatment. Their families have been notified, according to the military.
The incident comes amid a sharp escalation in southern Lebanon, where Israeli strikes on Saturday have killed at least 11 people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Yemen’s Houthis targeted civilian infrastructure in the central Marib province with several ballistic missiles, Yemen’s assistant information minister said on Saturday.
Israel said it had killed Ali Samir al-Haj Hassan, whom it identified as a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, along with several other members of the group.
Hezbollah has not confirmed Israel’s claims about the commander or the attack on the soldiers. It has accused Netanyahu of escalating strikes in Lebanon for domestic political reasons.
The developments come as Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed 11 people and wounded 19 on Saturday, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, in the deadliest attacks there since the June framework agreement.
Four Yemeni pro-government soldiers were killed in fighting and attacks involving the Houthis in Taiz and Saada provinces, officials said on Saturday.
Three soldiers were killed and seven wounded during hours of clashes on the Al-Barh front in western Taiz after the Houthis attempted to advance on National Resistance positions, according to a pro-government military spokesperson.
The National Resistance claimed its counterattacks left between 45 and 55 Houthi fighters dead, wounded or missing. Separately, a pro-government officer was reportedly killed by Houthi shelling on the Maran front in Saada.
The Houthis have not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
U.S. Central Command posted images on Saturday showing the USS George H.W. Bush sailing in the Arabian Sea, with fighter jets seen taking off from the aircraft carrier as it supports U.S. operations in the Middle East.
The images come as the U.S. prepares to rotate the USS Abraham Lincoln out of the region following an extended deployment. President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that the Lincoln would be replaced, while Navy Secretary Hung Cao said it would return home as part of a planned rotation.
The Lincoln has been deployed for more than 250 days, amid concerns raised by families and lawmakers over conditions aboard the carrier, including reported supply delays and sailors’ welfare.
Hundreds of families joined long queues of vehicles leaving Sidon as a new wave of displacement followed deadly Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon.
At least 11 people, including three children, were killed and 19 others wounded in Saturday’s strikes, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the escalation as “extremely dangerous” and called on Israel to halt its attacks.
Israel has accused Hezbollah of deliberately placing civilians inside a military compound targeted by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon on Saturday, claiming the group was using them as “human shields”.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the site was struck after a Hezbollah attack seriously wounded three Israeli soldiers. It claimed the military only learned afterwards that civilians had been present at the compound.
Iran and Oman have reached an agreement on a shipping route map for the Strait of Hormuz following weeks of technical negotiations, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday.
Baghaei said some issues remain under discussion, including a joint statement, and described the arrangement as an agreement between the two coastal states aimed at ensuring safe passage while preserving their sovereignty.
He said, however, that a return to normal commercial shipping through the strait would depend on an end to U.S. military threats and what Tehran describes as a naval blockade, as well as compensation for alleged U.S. breaches of previous commitments.
Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government officials met in Erbil on Saturday to review implementation of a security agreement between Iraq and Iran, according to the Iraqi News Agency.
The talks, led by Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Aboudi and KRG Interior Minister Reber Ahmed, focused on securing the Iran-Iraq border, preventing infiltration and smuggling, and strengthening coordination between Baghdad and Erbil.
Signed in 2023, the agreement commits Iraq to tightening border security and addressing the presence of armed Iranian Kurdish opposition groups operating in border areas.
Iran called on the United States to “accept the reality of defeat” on Saturday, as prospects for renewed peace talks remained stalled and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz stayed severely restricted.
“This strait will be opened and closed only under Iran’s command,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said, warning Tehran would continue enforcing its blockade until Washington changed course.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had not decided to resume negotiations with the U.S. and maintained that Washington must meet Tehran’s conditions before shipping could fully resume.
Only two vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, with no crude oil shipments visible, according to Kpler. Before the war, more than 130 vessels typically crossed the strategic waterway each day.
Repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks have forced Yemen’s Mocha port to suspend commercial and maritime operations, causing an estimated $16 million in damage, the port’s director said on Saturday.
Abdulmalik al-Sharabi said seven people — four security personnel and three port employees — were killed in the attacks, while six wooden vessels and a dredger were damaged. He said more than 25 missiles had struck the port since 9 August.
The suspension has also left around 1,300 workers without income, according to al-Sharabi.
The Houthis have said their attacks in the Mocha area targeted military gatherings, weapons depots and military vessels. The competing claims have not been independently verified.
Yemen’s Houthis targeted a mosque with a drone in the southwestern province of Al-Dhalea on Saturday, government-aligned Aljoumhouriya TV reported.
The strike reportedly hit a mosque in Beit Jaoula village in the Maris district, damaging part of one of its walls. No casualties were immediately reported, and the Houthis have not commented on the claim.
The reported attack comes amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and government forces in several provinces, including Al-Dhalea, Marib, Al-Jawf and Taiz, following a prolonged period of relative calm.
The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday has risen to 11, including three children, with 19 others wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Seven people were killed in an earlier strike on a house near Ansar, while the ministry said a final toll from a separate strike on Deir al-Zahrani showed four people killed and 17 wounded, including a child and 11 women.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh and Ansar areas in response to an action by the group against Israeli soldiers. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the escalation as “extremely dangerous”, saying the civilian victims were not military targets.
The strikes come despite a U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel signed in June.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said on Saturday that two French diplomats were detained during a national security investigation into alleged foreign interference before being handed over to the French ambassador.
The ministry said intelligence officers encountered the diplomats while carrying out a judicial order to arrest two suspects. After verifying their diplomatic status, Iranian authorities said they notified the Foreign Ministry and transferred them to the ambassador under police escort.
Tehran claimed documents and other materials seized during the investigation pointed to a broader effort to build foreign influence and interfere in the country. It also alleged that some documents carried the signature of France’s former ambassador to Tehran.
The investigation remains ongoing, according to the ministry. There was no immediate comment from France on the allegations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Iran’s economic problems have worsened significantly during the war with the U.S. and Israel, citing falling oil revenues, costlier imports and damage to factories.
Pezeshkian said Tehran can no longer collect taxes from many damaged factories and instead has to provide financial support to keep them operating, as state revenues continue to decline.
Hezbollah said on Saturday that Israeli attacks in Lebanon would be “met accordingly”, signalling a potential response amid continued Israeli strikes.
I’d keep the wording attributed to Hezbollah for now, as details on what it means by a response have not yet emerged.
Oil pollution from a leaking tanker has affected around 12 kilometres of coastline near Oman’s Ras Madraka, while Masirah Island remains unaffected, state news agency ONA reported on Saturday.
Oman’s Environment Authority said response operations were ongoing and the offshore oil slick was moving towards open waters.
Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help secure the release of three Iranian pilots it says are being held by Qatar, according to Iranian media on Saturday.
Tehran says the pilots went missing after their aircraft were downed during a March mission targeting a U.S. military base in Qatar. Doha has previously said it had no information on their whereabouts, and there was no immediate Qatari confirmation of Iran’s latest claim
The UAE has condemned what it described as an Iranian attack on an ADNOC-affiliated vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. ADNOC said no injuries were reported and the situation was under control.
The UAE Foreign Ministry accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of “acts of piracy” and called for an end to attacks on commercial shipping and the complete reopening of the strait.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier will be replaced in the Middle East, amid concerns over the prolonged deployment and conditions faced by sailors aboard.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the carrier would return to the U.S. as part of a planned rotation after 266 days deployed, including 200 days in a combat zone.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the war with the United States has increased prices and put further pressure on Iran’s economy, citing disrupted maritime trade, lost oil revenues and damage to factories.
He said goods previously shipped by sea are now taking longer and more costly routes, while the government is providing financial support to damaged factories to keep them operating.
A dawn Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese village of Ansar has killed seven people, Lebanon's state news agency has reported. Several others were injured in the attack, Beirut's National News Agency said.
Earlier, the Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
The strike is one of the deadliest attacks on Lebanon since it agreed to a U.S.-mediated peace framework with Israel. Under the terms of the agreement, Israeli troops gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon, as the Lebanese army disarms Iran-backed Hezbollah and gradually restores control over the area.
Esmaeil Baghaei, Spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, has cited a passage from Fydor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov on self-deception in a social media post, using it to suggest that U.S. foreign policy towards Iran and the region has become detached from reality.
Israel's military has said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon on Saturday, in response to what it described as "actions against IDF soldiers," within the military buffer zone.
A ship has been hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime security agency UKMTO has said.
The hull of the bulk carrier was struck in the waterway off the Omani fishing village of Kumzar.
The crew are safe and no environmental damage has been reported, according to UKMTO.
Iran has not decided whether to resume talks with the U.S. and messages being exchanged via Qatar and Pakistan do not amount to negotiations, Tehran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview published on Saturday.
He told Iranian media that separate talks with Oman were focused on defining a sea route through the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington would have to meet conditions for shipping to resume through the waterway.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has dismissed President Donald Trump's threats to declare the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory, saying that the waterway "cannot be seized by tweet."
Gharibabadi added that the strait could not be taken "by aircraft carrier... issuing an order, nor by an election speech," according to a translation of his tweet from Persian to English.
"Iran neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power," he added.
Trump told a rally in New York on Friday that he would make the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States once the Iran conflict concludes.
A senior White House official later downplayed Trump's remarks, telling the Wall Street Journal that the President was joking.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citi...
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
The Iranian Army has again struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern and western parts of Iran late on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 18 people and injured more than 100 others.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The Iranian Army has again struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern and western parts of Iran late on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 18 people and injured more than 100 others.
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
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