Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
A tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unidentified projectile, triggering a fire on board, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency.
The fire was later extinguished and all crew members were reported safe and accounted for. UKMTO said there was no reported environmental damage, while the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has welcomed China's criticism of new U.S. sanctions threats against Tehran, saying the strategic partnership between Iran and China is based on mutual respect, cooperation and a shared vision of a multipolar world.
In a statement on social media, Ghalibaf said the relationship between the two countries "does not need anyone's permission." Beijing has described the proposed U.S. measures as "illegal and unilateral sanctions" lacking a basis in international law and said it will continue lawful cooperation with Iran.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will visit Tehran on Thursday for talks aimed at easing regional tensions, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said.
He is expected to meet several Iranian officials to discuss ways to de-escalate the situation, as Doha continues diplomatic efforts to encourage a return to negotiations between Iran and the U.S. Qatar has said restoring normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz remains a priority.
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi has ordered the closure of any port or border crossing operating outside the government’s legal framework as part of efforts to combat smuggling and disrupt arms and financing networks supporting the Houthis.
“The era of leniency toward smuggling is over,” al-Alimi said, ordering a review of ports and crossings where irregularities have been reported.
The measures come as Yemen’s government tightens controls over land and maritime entry points following reported interceptions of weapons and components allegedly destined for the Houthis.
Yemen’s Houthis shelled a government judicial complex in Taiz on Wednesday, marking the second reported attack on the site within a month, according to the country’s official Saba news agency.
Mortar shells struck the complex and surrounding areas, but no casualties were reported. The Houthis have not commented on the attack.
The incident comes amid renewed fighting between Houthi and government-aligned forces in several Yemeni provinces, including Taiz, Marib, Al-Jawf and Al-Dhale.
Iran is experiencing the “worst conditions” of economic warfare amid mounting international pressure, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday.
“Everyone sees the missile war, but perhaps not everyone sees the economic pressures,” Pezeshkian said during an online ceremony inaugurating infrastructure projects.
He said development work was continuing despite the pressures, arguing that greater public support, government accountability and private-sector investment could help Iran address its economic challenges.
Iran remains in a “wartime situation” and its nuclear facilities have not yet been secured for inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iranian nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said.
Eslami said the IAEA could not request access to Iran’s nuclear sites until a protocol governing inspections under wartime conditions had been drawn up.
He also criticised U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb an alleged secret Iranian nuclear site, saying they showed that international organisations were being used as “pawns” by the U.S. and Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he doesn't think Iran's Supreme Leader is dead.
"I don't think he's dead. He was very seriously wounded," Trump said on the Glenn Beck program.
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa said progress has been made in defining “pilot areas” in southern Lebanon, where the Lebanese army is expected to deploy as Israeli forces gradually withdraw under the June framework agreement.
Issa acknowledged that Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon “have not stopped” and said Washington had yet to reach an agreement with Israel to halt them.
He linked the continued strikes to Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm, saying: “Hezbollah has never said it is prepared to hand over its weapons. So how can you ask Israel to withdraw from Lebanon?”
Issa also said talks with Hezbollah could be possible if the group “has something to offer”, while confirming that technical negotiations between Lebanon and Israel remain underway in Rome.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen unless the U.S. accepts Tehran’s conditions and returns to an earlier memorandum of understanding.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohibi said the waterway could be reopened if Washington stops what Tehran calls obstruction and follows the agreed framework.
He warned that the strait would “under no circumstances” reopen if the U.S. rejects Iran’s demands.
Mohibi said the waterway remains under Iran’s control and no foreign military vessels are currently present there.
The comments came after Iran and Oman agreed on a temporary transit route through the strait, although Tehran stressed this does not mean a full reopening.
Iran says the reopening of Hormuz depends on Washington fulfilling its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum.
Pakistan is seeking to broker a new 60-day period for talks aimed at ending the months-long conflict between the U.S. and Iran, government sources told Anadolu.
The proposed talks would focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and easing sanctions on Tehran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
The move comes after the previous 60-day deadline expired last week without an official decision on extending negotiations.
Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir discussed new proposals with Iranian leaders during his recent visit to Tehran, including restarting direct talks with Washington.
Pakistan says the latest diplomatic efforts have made “significant progress,” while Iran described Munir’s visit as productive.
There has been no official confirmation of the new proposal from the U.S., Iran or Pakistan.
German companies faced a sharp rise in cyberattacks over the past year, with Russia, China and Iran identified as the main sources, according to industry group Bitkom.
The attacks caused an estimated €211 billion in economic damage, Bitkom said.
The group reported that 52 per cent of companies traced attacks to China, 49 per cent to Russia, and 9 per cent to Iran, marking the first time Iran was identified as a major cyber threat to German businesses.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency warned that foreign state actors are increasingly targeting companies through cyber espionage and sabotage.
The agency said 37 per cent of affected companies linked data theft, industrial espionage or sabotage to foreign intelligence services, up from 28 per cent a year earlier.
Officials warned that Russia’s cyber activities, including the use of artificial intelligence, pose a growing threat, especially to Germany’s defence industry.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has condemned statements by Israeli officials threatening to inflict on Lebanon the “same level of destruction” seen in Gaza.
The committee warned against rhetoric that dehumanizes the Lebanese population and called for an end to collective punishment and violence against civilians.
CERD said it was alarmed by civilian deaths, mass displacement and widespread destruction caused by Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
The committee reported that more than 4,300 people have been killed and over 12,200 injured, while more than one million people were displaced in March.
It also raised concerns over the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, water and electricity infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
CERD called on all sides to immediately stop attacks affecting civilians and ensure humanitarian access.
Marine traffic data shows continued movement of commercial vessels across the Strait of Hormuz and nearby Gulf waters. The strategic waterway remains a key route for global energy shipments amid heightened regional tensions.
The map highlights the concentration of ships entering and leaving the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
Iran said Qatar has told Tehran it is unaware of the fate of Iranian pilots missing since their aircraft were shot down after entering Qatari airspace, and urged Doha to step up efforts to determine their status, according to state media.
Tehran said it had followed up through diplomatic and military channels but had yet to receive a clear response from Qatar on the pilots' fate.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said U.S. economic pressure would not force Tehran to give in, days after Washington announced sweeping new sanctions.
"Our approach is understanding and resolving issues through interaction and negotiation, but at the same time, we have stood and will continue to stand firmly against economic pressure," Pezeshkian said.
His comments came after the Trump administration launched "Operation Economic Outcast", targeting more than 60 Iranian entities, individuals and vessels across sectors including shipping, aviation, gold and technology.
The Netherlands is unlikely to fully replenish its gas storage facilities before winter, energy network operator Gasunie said, according to Dutch broadcaster NOS.
Storage levels are currently around 45 per cent full, compared with 63 per cent at the same point last year. Gasunie said high prices linked to the war in Iran are slowing purchases, but stressed this does not mean the country faces a gas shortage this winter.
Iran has blamed U.S. economic pressure and the conflict with Israel for disruption to maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran's deputy UN envoy, urged governments to reject U.S. "unilateral coercive measures".
He said the "aggressive war" by the U.S. and Israel was the "root cause" of instability around the strait, adding that shipping had been "proceeding very smoothly" before the conflict.
Two supertankers carrying around 4 million barrels of Saudi crude are heading to China after loading the oil through ship-to-ship transfers off Oman, according to shipping data.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador in Baghdad on Wednesday over social media posts featuring regional maps and comments it said “do not suit the depth of relations between the two countries”.
The move follows a public dispute between the two countries’ parliamentary speakers over the naming of the waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
Israeli warplanes struck Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported, in the latest reported violation of a U.S.-mediated framework agreement. No casualties or damage were immediately reported.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bahrain’s finance minister that Iran must not be allowed to “threaten international commerce” or use the Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the global economy. Bessent also called for sustained financial pressure on Iran and closer coordination with Gulf partners.
Ofgem has raised the domestic energy price cap by 4 per cent to £1,723 ($2,347.95) from October, adding around £60 ($81.76) to annual bills for about 22 million households. The regulator said high international gas prices linked to the Iran war were driving costs higher.
Iranian missile and drone attacks have caused “unprecedented damage” to U.S. intelligence facilities and surveillance equipment across the Middle East, NBC News reported, citing four people familiar with the matter.
The damage could cost billions to repair or replace, as tensions remain high despite stalled U.S.-Iran peace efforts.
At least three Indian oil refiners and a global energy major plan to stop using vessels on Iran’s new blacklist, including for ship-to-ship transfers, citing security concerns. Tehran has threatened fines, detention and cargo seizures for vessels dealing with the 45 blacklisted ships, raising fresh risks for energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Five commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, broadly unchanged from the previous day but well below the 10-day average of 15, preliminary Kpler data showed. The figures may change as some ships switch off transponders during voyages.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff that the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding should be implemented, while calling for diplomacy, de-escalation and safe navigation of international waterways.
Yemeni government-aligned forces said they struck Houthi positions south of Hodeidah, with strikes that “accurately hit their targets”. The Houthis did not immediately respond. Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council also approved further “deterrence” measures against the group.
Iran and Oman have also resumed talks on a temporary shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, where an oil tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile on Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told allied foreign ministers that Washington does not expect to launch new strikes on Iran for the time being, Axios reports. Instead, the U.S. will focus on economic and diplomatic pressure.
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Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
U.S. Central Command said 101 commercial vessels have been redirected in the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices rose more than three per cent amid fresh regional attacks and supply concerns.
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia is now facing pressure from both ends of the Arabian Peninsula. While the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting Gulf shipping and energy flows, fighting has intensified in western Yemen, bringing the Houthis back into direct confrontation with the kingdom.
Iran has warned it will retaliate against any future U.S. attacks, saying American energy interests and infrastructure across the Gulf could become targets in a further escalation of the conflict.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
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