Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
That concludes AnewZ’s live coverage of the latest developments across the Middle East. Follow AnewZ for continuing updates and the latest news from the region.
Lebanon handed over former Syrian regime Maj. Gen. Adel Issa to authorities in Damascus on Wednesday, where he faces charges including premeditated murder and torture resulting in death, Syria’s Interior Ministry said.
Issa, a former commander of the Syrian army’s 17th Division and former ground forces chief in Deir ez-Zor, was detained in Lebanon following an extradition request from Syrian authorities.
He is also accused of facilitating a felony and acts aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian strife.
His case is now before a judge in Damascus, who will decide whether to refer him to the Criminal Court for trial.
Australia has condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the 2024 killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues in Gaza.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia was “outraged” by the decision, which she said fell “far short of the accountability we expect”.
Wong said she would summon Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, while instructing Australia’s ambassador to Israel to convey Canberra’s position directly to the Israeli government.
Frankcom and six other World Central Kitchen workers were killed in April 2024 when Israeli strikes hit their clearly marked aid convoy in Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced what he called “the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country”, vowing economic warfare and isolation against Iran on an “unprecedented scale”.
Trump said Tehran had failed to take the opportunity to reach a deal with Washington and that the U.S. would now seek to cut off financial and commercial channels providing economic support to Iran.
He also warned that any country allowing its financial institutions, businesses, airports or government entities to provide “any type of lifeline” to Iran would face “tremendous economic consequences”.
Trump specifically targeted oil smuggling, financial swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries and front companies, saying: “It all needs to stop now.”
U.S. President Donald Trump said any country that allows its financial institutions or businesses to provide an economic “lifeline” to Iran will face “tremendous economic consequences”.
The warning came as Trump announced what he called the “most crushing economic operation ever imposed on any country”, describing the new pressure campaign against Tehran as an “Economic D-Day”.
Trump said the U.S. would seek support from its allies to further isolate Iran economically. Details of the measures and how Washington intends to penalise third countries have yet to be fully outlined.
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced what he called “the most crushing economic operation ever imposed on any country”, targeting Iran as Washington intensifies its pressure campaign against Tehran.
The move marks an escalation of the administration’s “Operation Economic Fury”, which has targeted Iran’s oil exports, financial networks and access to foreign currency. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously signalled that additional measures against Tehran were coming this week.
Further details on the new measures are expected to be announced.
U.S. President Donald Trump said “lots of boats” are passing through the Strait of Hormuz, while arguing that the strategic waterway is “not going to be as important as it was in the past”.
Trump’s comments come despite shipping data showing traffic through Hormuz remains sharply below pre-war levels, with many shipowners continuing to avoid the waterway amid uncertainty over the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh on Wednesday for talks on regional tensions and efforts to strengthen security and stability.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the two officials backed resolving disputes through diplomatic means and called for greater regional and international coordination to prioritise dialogue.
They also stressed the importance of safeguarding maritime navigation in the Gulf and Red Sea to maintain trade flows and regional stability.
The talks come amid heightened regional tensions linked to the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has sharply criticised Benjamin Netanyahu over rising tensions with Türkiye, calling his approach “reckless and stupid”.
Barak accused Netanyahu of deliberately escalating security tensions for political purposes ahead of elections, arguing that Türkiye is “neither Iran nor Assad’s Syria” and that disagreements with Ankara could be addressed through diplomacy and U.S.-coordinated contacts.
“Netanyahu has completely gone off the rails,” Barak wrote on X, accusing the prime minister of prioritising his political survival over Israel’s security.
His comments come after Netanyahu effectively acknowledged an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase, saying Israel had sent Türkiye a “clear” message against what it claims is an attempt to establish a Turkish military presence there.
Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said none of Tehran’s blocked foreign assets had been released under the terms of its agreement with the United States.
“So far, no funds from the blocked assets have been released under the agreement,” Hemmati said, according to reports carrying his remarks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had sent Türkiye a “clear” message against establishing a military presence at an airbase near Aleppo, effectively acknowledging an Israeli strike on the site a day earlier.
“We will not tolerate a Turkish military entrenchment moving southward, because it threatens us,” Netanyahu said on an Army Radio podcast.
He said Israel had initially conveyed its warning “in general terms”, adding: “Apparently they didn’t hear it, so we made sure they understood it more clearly.”
Netanyahu’s office had previously stopped short of claiming responsibility for the strike, saying Israel would not tolerate what it considers a security threat from a Turkish military presence in Syria.
The U.S. military has established a clandestine shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz that is allowing millions of barrels of oil to leave the Persian Gulf each day despite the conflict with Iran, Axios reported, citing two U.S. officials.
The operation reportedly allows 15 to 20 tankers to transit each night through a southern channel along Oman’s coast, with U.S. fighter jets providing air cover against potential Iranian missile and drone attacks.
The officials told Axios that around 10 million barrels of oil per day are now moving through the strait — roughly half the pre-war level — while U.S. forces are also helping empty tankers enter the Persian Gulf to load oil from regional producers.
“We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now,” one U.S. official was quoted as saying, disputing Iran’s claims that it controls the strategic waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump separately told Axios that a “tremendous amount of oil” was moving through Hormuz and said Washington was not currently negotiating with Tehran.
The UK has expressed concern over Israeli strikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Air Base, warning that the attacks risk further destabilising the country.
“I am deeply concerned about the Israeli strikes on the Abu al-Zuhour Air Base, which are leading to the destabilization of Syria,” UK Special Representative for Syria Barrie Peach said on Wednesday.
Peach called on Israel to respect Syrian sovereignty and return to negotiations, saying dialogue and diplomacy could deliver “a more peaceful future for both countries and the region”.
Iraq has asked Iran to give its crude exports special consideration for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held high-level talks in Baghdad on Wednesday.
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi raised the request during talks with Ghalibaf, saying Iraq was among the countries most affected by ongoing regional tensions.
The request comes as disruption to shipping through Hormuz has put pressure on Iraq, which relies heavily on its southern Persian Gulf terminals to export crude. Baghdad has also been seeking alternative export routes to reduce its dependence on the strait.
Ghalibaf also met Iraq’s president and prime minister during his visit, with talks focusing on regional developments and expanding economic, political and security cooperation between the two countries.
The Yemeni army said on Wednesday that it had foiled an attempted infiltration by Houthi fighters near the southwestern city of Taiz, forcing them to retreat, according to the official Saba news agency.
The military did not provide further details on the reported operation, and the Houthis have not commented on the claim.
The incident follows reports on Tuesday that several Houthi fighters were killed or wounded in government drone strikes near Al-Salou district in Taiz province.
Fighting has intensified in several parts of Yemen in recent weeks, including Marib, Al-Jawf, Al-Dhalea and Taiz, raising concerns over a broader return to conflict.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiations with Iran could resume “maybe at some point”, while insisting Tehran would not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.
“Right now, I think the situation is so good,” Trump told reporters when asked about the conflict with Iran.
Trump also repeated his claim that the U.S. has “complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz, while acknowledging what he called the “nuisance value” of occasional Iranian drone attacks.
The comments come after a June memorandum aimed at ending hostilities expired without a broader agreement, with Washington and Tehran remaining at odds over the Strait of Hormuz and other key issues.
A senior Russian military official has warned that Israel could eventually “cease to exist as a state”, while accusing it of seeking to escalate the conflict in the Middle East.
Lt. Gen. Apti Alaudinov, deputy chief of the Russian military’s Main Military-Political Directorate and commander of the Akhmat special forces, told state news agency TASS that he expected the regional conflict to intensify.
He claimed Israel’s objective was to expand the fighting and draw both the U.S. and NATO more deeply into the conflict.
Alaudinov warned that Israel could ultimately “overestimate” its strength and “cease to exist as a state”.
Israeli air strike killed the women's police chief, Colonel Fatina al-Sahhar in Gaza, along with other police commanders, according to Palestinian news sources.
Following the Israeli strikes at the police post in central Gaza city, Gaza's Interior Ministry called on international mediators "to stop the dangerous Israeli escalation and the massacres commited against the police force."
The ministry accused Israel of trying to harm the police force and spreading chaos, while making baseless claims to justify its crimes, according to the statement.
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi called for special status for Iraq's oil exports transiting the Strait of Hormuz during talks with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf in Baghdad on Wednesday, according to a statement from Halbousi's office.
The statement did not provide further details on what form the proposed arrangement would take.
Israel's military carried out strikes in central Gaza's Nuseirat area and Gaza city's Tuffah area. In a statement they said that both attacks targeted Hamas members and they took necessary steps to "mitigate harm to civilians."
Israeli drone strikes targeted a police post located in central Gaza city. During the attack nine people were killed, according to a local medical source. One Palestinian was killed during the Nuseirat attack.
An Iranian lawmaker said Tehran would respond in kind if the U.S. used a nuclear weapon against Iran, commenting on a media report about the possibility of such an attack, according to local media on Wednesday.
Fada Hossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, made the remarks in an interview with Iranian news outlet Khabar Online.
Pressed on whether this meant Iran would use a nuclear weapon if the U.S. attacked Iran with one, Maleki replied: “Whatever the U.S. uses, Iran will respond to it.”
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday denied providing financial facilities to Iran, hours after announcing the suspension of trade and financial exchanges with Tehran until further notice.
UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash dismissed the reports as false, describing claims that Abu Dhabi was providing financial facilities to Iran as part of “desperate media campaigns”.
The UAE is Iran’s second-largest trading partner globally after China and its largest trading partner in the Persian Gulf and Arab world.
Global bond markets are coming under deepening selling pressure as mounting geopolitical tensions in the Middle East drive up oil prices and fuel inflation concerns.
Despite easing U.S. inflation, the resurgence of geopolitical risks in the Middle East sparked supply concerns in the Strait of Hormuz, while the renewed rise in energy prices pushed bond yields higher.
A high-ranking Iranian official reportedly said Tehran could shift from defence to offence if the U.S.-Iran talks prove fruitless. U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not intend to extend the 60-day framework agreement, which expired on Monday.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has declared two French Embassy employees persona non grata over what it described as activities violating international law, according to state news agency IRNA.
In a statement, the ministry said the two employees had engaged in activities that violated the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Iran said several weeks had passed since the alleged conduct was exposed, but that the French government had taken no action to address it or prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended all trade activities, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The decision was made in response to regional escalation that Abu Dhabi said threatened regional and international peace and security.
The UAE’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that it had detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran, the first such incident reported since a 4 May strike on Fujairah port. The missiles appeared to target maritime traffic, but both fell into the sea, the ministry said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected the UAE’s claims as “baseless.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf departed for neighbouring Iraq, leading a high-ranking delegation for talks on Tehran-Baghdad relations and regional developments, according to the Parliament News Agency ICANA.
Before his departure, Ghalibaf praised the historic ties between the Iranian and Iraqi peoples in a post on X.
“The relationship that brings together the Iranian and Iraqi peoples is a historic one that cannot be divided. It has been built on the foundations of brotherhood during the most difficult periods and in the face of foreign interventions, with faith in a shared destiny for both countries.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran wants an end to the war rather than a temporary ceasefire, while highlighting President Masoud Pezeshkian’s focus on strengthening ties with neighbouring countries.
Araghchi said Iran’s foreign policy under Pezeshkian has prioritised reducing tensions with neighbouring states and expanding regional engagement.
He also thanked neighbouring countries for supporting Iran during recent unrest by providing goods and medicine, helping stranded Iranians return home and allowing Iranian aircraft to use their airspace.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Wednesday that U.S. 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.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan about regional security, the State Department said.
"The two discussed several regional security issues, including Lebanon, as well as continued U.S.-UAE coordination to hold Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable for ongoing attacks," the department said in a statement.
During the call, Rubio underscored the importance of freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the statement said.
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...
The 83rd Venice Film Festival has opened on the Lido, bringing Hollywood stars and leading filmmakers together for a programme dominated by war, po...
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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