live U.S.-Iran standoff continues as Hormuz shipping and diplomacy remain uncertain
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to res...
At least 34 drones from Ukraine hit Moscow on Sunday. Russian air defences say it destroyed another 50 drones in other parts of the country. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian port city of Odesa was hit by drones from Russia, killing at least three people.
Russian defence ministry says Ukraine has attacked Moscow on Sunday with at least 34 drones, the biggest drone strike on the Russian capital since the start of the war in 2022, forcing flights to be diverted from three of the city's major airports and injuring at least five people.
Russian air defences destroyed another 50 drones over other regions of Western Russia on Sunday, the defence ministry said.
"An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using airplane-type drones on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted," the ministry said.
Russia's federal air tranpsort agency said the airports of Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky diverted at least 366 flights, but then resume operations. Five people were injured in the Moscow region, the defence ministry said.
Moscow and its surrounding region, with a population of at least 21 million, is one of the biggest metroplitan areas in Europe, alonside Istanbul.
For its part, Russia launched a record 145 drones overnight, Ukraine said. Kyiv said its air defences downed 62 of those. Ukraine also said it attacked an arsenal in the Bryansk region of Russia, which reported 14 drones had been downed in the region.
Unverified video posted on Russian Telegram channels showed drones buzzing across the skyline.
The 2.5 year-old war in Ukraine is entering what some official say could be its final act after Moscow's forces advanced at the fastest pace since the early days of the war and Donald Trump was elected 47th president of the United States.
Trump, who takes office in January, said during campaigning that he could bring peace in Ukraine within 24 hours, but has given few details on how he would seek to do this.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump to congratulate him on his presidential election victory, Tesla CEO and Trump supporter Elon Musk joined th call, according to media reports. Musk owns SpaceX, which provides Starlink satellite communication services that are vital for Ukraine's defence effort.
Kyiv itself the target of repeated mass dronke strikes from Russian forces, has tried to strike back against its vastly larger easter neighbour with repeated drone strikes against oil refineries, airfields and even Russian strategic early-warning radar stations.
While the 1,000 kim (620 miles) front has largely resembled grinding World War One trench and artillary warfare for much of the war, one of the biggest innovations of the conflict has been drone warfare.
Moscow and Kyiv have both sought to buy and develop new drones, deploy them in innovative ways, and seek new ways to destroy them - from using farmers' shotguns to advanced electronic jamming systems.
Odesa
At least two people were injured and buildings were damaged in an overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine's southern region of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday (10 November).
"The enemy has once again launched a massive attack on our region," the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Odesa region said on its social media account. "Garages with cars and property were on fire, residential buildings, shops were damaged."
Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Moscow launched with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.
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 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 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.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th 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.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middle Corridor ambitions and complex economic ties with Moscow.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment