Morning Brief - 20 August 2026
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th of August, covering the latest developments. ...
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.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz showed no increase on Wednesday as diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran remained deadlocked.
Data from shipping analytics firm Kpler showed nine commodity vessel transits through the strategic waterway, unchanged from the previous day.
The slow traffic comes amid conflicting claims between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday no talks were taking place and that the strait was open. Iran said the waterway remained shut.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a key global energy route, and uncertainty over the conflict continues to weigh on shipping activity and market expectations.
Meanwhile, traffic slowed further at the other major Middle East waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
A total of 27 commodity vessels passed through it on Wednesday, down from 32 on Tuesday, Kpler data showed.
Some vessels may be sailing through the waterways with their transponders turned off, which is not considered in the counts.
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.
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.
Ukraine has targeted at least 20 Wildberries warehouses across Russia since 18 July, disrupting a major logistics network. Kyiv says the strikes aim to disrupt alleged military-linked supplies, while the attacks have caused billions of dollars in losses and wider economic pressure.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th of August, covering the latest developments.
A Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has killed at least eight people and injured more than two dozen others, Ukrainian officials said, with fires reported across the city and Poland activating defensive air operations.
Britain has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires and demanded that the Israeli government withdraw a tender for construction in the controversial E1 settlement area in the West Bank.
The death toll from last week’s powerful earthquake in Colombia has risen to at least 314, while 262 people remain missing, President Abelardo De La Espriella said on Wednesday.
The grandmother of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab has rejected an Israeli military investigation into her killing, saying the family does not trust the Israeli judiciary and calling instead for an independent international probe.
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