U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has agreed to resume talks with Iran after Tehran requested further negotiations, but declared that last month's ceasefire between the two countries was "over".
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a call Friday with US President Donald Trump, during which they discussed regional developments, including talks between Washington and Tehran, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The SPA reported that the call covered "relations of cooperation between the Kingdom and the United States of America and ways to support them in several fields."
The two sides also "discussed a number of regional and international issues and exchanged views on them," it said.
The call included a review of "current developments in the region, including the talks between the US and Iran."
"Emphasis was placed on the importance of the security of navigation and maritime passages, and support for everything that contributes to achieving security and stability in the region," it added.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi accused the United Arab Emirates of supporting U.S. military action against Iran after Washington eased export controls and upgraded Abu Dhabi’s trade status.
Writing on X, Gharibabadi claimed the policy change was granted in return for the UAE’s support for what he called U.S. “military aggression,” describing the document as an official admission by Washington and warning of international legal consequences.
Iran's Health Ministry said U.S. air strikes carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday killed 17 people and injured 115 others across six cities. The casualty figures were announced by a ministry spokesperson as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue to escalate.
Senior U.S. officials said Iran had told Washington that recent attacks on commercial shipping were carried out by what Tehran described as an “errant part” of its system.
Senior U.S. officials said Washington has military options to ensure Iranian nuclear sites remain inaccessible, adding there will be no deal with Tehran unless the U.S. obtains what they described as the "nuclear dust."
he United States is demanding that Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and that all lanes in the strait will be open to shipping with no tolls, senior U.S. officials said on Friday.
The officials said conversations between the two countries had been productive in recent days. They made the comments to a small group of reporters in a conference call.
"What we're demanding is that the Iranians issue a public statement that acknowledges all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open and they're not shooting at ships anymore. They're either going to give us that statement or we're not having a good outcome for them," one official said.
Iran has told Washington that recent attacks on shipping in the Strait were from "an errant part of their system," one senior official said.
There seems to be a power struggle unfolding in real time between hardliners in Iran and pragmatists, an official said.
Three ships were attacked this week, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to respond with U.S. strikes on Iranian targets. He has declared that a June ceasefire the two sides signed is over.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman denied that Tehran had requested talks with Washington, saying any breach of commitments by the United States would be met with reciprocal action.
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed regional developments and ongoing U.S.-Iran talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with both leaders stressing the need for diplomacy to reduce tensions and protect maritime security, Qatar's Amiri Diwan said in a statement on Friday.
During a phone call, the two leaders underscored their commitment to coordinating on regional security, safeguarding maritime routes and ensuring lasting peace in the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will travel to Oman on Saturday at the head of a diplomatic delegation for talks on bilateral relations and regional developments, particularly the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported on Friday.
Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf said Tehran is prepared for "all-out defence" if Washington violates last month's memorandum of understanding, adding that Iran does not trust the United States and "the war will never end with Iran's surrender."
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he left instructions for an overwhelming military response if Iran assassinates him, after apparent death threats were displayed during Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral.
“The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before,” he told the New York Post.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen for a second consecutive day, according to Kpler data, although no new attacks on vessels have been reported since 7 July.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has agreed to resume talks with Iran at Tehran's request, while declaring that last month's ceasefire between the two countries is "over".
The UN's shipping agency has urged countries not to recognise Iran's claim of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz or its new authority overseeing traffic through the waterway, saying such measures should not interfere with international navigation.
Qatari negotiators are in Iran for talks with Iranian officials aimed at easing tensions and paving the way for broader negotiations, with discussions being held in coordination with the United States, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary has warned that any attacks on the country's infrastructure will be met with retaliation, saying Israel "will not be spared" by Tehran's response, according to Iranian state media.
China has imposed a temporary ban on helium exports with immediate effect, citing the risk of renewed shortages as conflict in the Middle East escalates.
Helium is critical for semiconductor manufacturing, and Beijing has increasingly restricted exports of key materials while seeking to strengthen its domestic chip industry.
German yields are on track for their biggest weekly rise in more than a month after this week's escalation in the Iran war.
Renewed U.S.-Iran attacks led traders to increase bets on the chance of two rather than one more European Central Bank (ECB) rate hikes this year following June's move, pushing yields higher.
Ahmad Vahidi, the IRGC's Commander-in-Chief, has called for retribution for the killing of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Fars News Agency, reports.
Punishment of the perpetrators, masterminds and backers of the killing is "a legitimate demand," Vahidi said.
"This demand will not be erased from the historical memory of the Islamic Ummah and the Resistance Front until the full realisation of justice and a fitting response to the criminals," he added.
Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged for stability in the Middle East amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
"We all want to see stability return," Wong told Sky News Australia on Friday, while saying that Iran's government was a risk to international security.
More tankers have resumed moving through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, and 22 Japan-linked vessels have left the Gulf since Tuesday, Tokyo said, despite renewed fighting in the Middle East.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) shipments, has been closely watched by shipping companies and governments following the outbreak of renewed fighting between Iran and the U.S. this week.
But at least five ballast LNG tankers have entered the strait in recent days, according to data from Kpler and LSEG.
The vessels include GasLog Shanghai, controlled by Greek shipping company GasLog, and QatarEnergy-linked carriers Al Samriya, Al Dafna, Al Gattara and Al Rayyan.
The U.S. military said Thursday that its forces have helped ensure the safe passage of more than 800 commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz since early May.
"Since early May, U.S. forces have helped facilitate the successful transit of more than 800 commercial vessels and 380 million barrels of crude oil through the vital international trade corridor," the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari has reiterated the country’s commitment to diplomacy and dialogue as the main path toward resolving conflicts and promoting long-term security and stability in the Middle East.
Al-Ansari made the remarks during a roundtable discussion at Chatham House in London as part of the London Conference 2026.
Israel provided Washington with new intelligence that it said pointed to an Iranian plot to kill U.S. President Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Recalling that Iran has for years vowed to retaliate against Trump for the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, ex-Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, the report said the new intelligence could further escalate conflict between Washington and Tehran.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington reportedly declined to comment, while Iran’s Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The White House referred the Journal to comments Trump made Wednesday at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye.
“They want to take out the U.S. leader—me,” he said. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”
Despite recent tensions over Iran, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly spoke by phone Thursday and agreed to continue coordination.
Attacks on an Iranian Navy site in Konarak, southern Iran and a military site on the outskirts of the port city of Bushehr, where Iran's only nuclear power plant is located, were reported by Iranian media overnight.
Iran's state news agency IRNA, quoting a local official, attributed the Konarak attack to the "enemy," and said the Bushehr incident was caused by a U.S.-Israeli projectile.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, a U.S. official denied the country's military was responsible for the latest strikes. An American official also said that Washington was still committed to finding a resolution with Tehran and that technical talks were in progress.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom ...
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to res...
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint militar...
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
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.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Syria says it assured Israel that Türkiye had no plans to establish a military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase before Israeli forces struck the site on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued his strongest warning yet over Türkiye's growing military role in Syria, saying Israel will not accept Turkish forces expanding their presence further south.
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