August 09, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeAugust 09, 2026UpdatesRECAP: Trump says U.S. 'semi-negotiating' with Iran, touts economic pressureHere are Sunday's latest updates:■ U.S. President Donald Trump said he was "only semi-negotiating" with Iran, in a brief phone call with Axios, citing the country's high inflation rate and "the fact they have no money" as he refrained from issuing military threats and touted increased economic pressure on Tehran.■ Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian recently met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to discuss economic and military affairs, Iranian state media reported.■ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed the 15-point roadmap for Gaza unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, saying the IDF will not withdraw from the enclave until Hamas is disarmed.■ One person was killed in an Israeli strike in the past 24 hours, Gaza's Health Ministry said, adding that another victim's remains were also recovered from under rubble.■ Families have begun moving into homes in the new Israeli settlement of Emek Dotan in the northern West Bank, where an official ceremony is slated to take place. ■ The Jerusalem District Court ruled that the Israeli military's Central Command chief must reset the conditions of an administrative restriction order imposed on a jailed far-right settler activist suspected of involvement in a violent assault on Palestinians.Report: Trump says U.S. is 'semi-negotiating' with Iran, as officials stress economic pain over military action U.S. President Donald Trump walks out of the clubhouse at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey on Sunday. Credit: Dennis Schneidler/ReutersU.S. President Donald Trump walks out of the clubhouse at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey on Sunday. Credit: Dennis Schneidler/ReutersU.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he was "only semi-negotiating" with Iran, in a brief phone call with Axios, citing the country's high inflation rate and "the fact they have no money" as he refrained from issuing military threats and touted increased economic pressure on Tehran. Trump told the outlet Iran was in "very bad shape" and had no money to pay its soldiers, saying the U.S. naval blockade was effective in stoking the regime's economic crisis. "It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game," he told Axios. "We are low-keying it." Speaking to the outlet, U.S. officials said the Iranian regime was split between two camps. One, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, is concerned Iran will face economic disaster if a deal with the U.S. is not signed. The other, led by Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander, Ahmad Vahidi, maintains the hardline position, rejecting any concessions. According to the report, one U.S. official said that as long as the U.S. continued attacking Iran, the regime could avoid the economic consequences of the strikes. "When Iran isn't engaged in war, it is forced to confront a grim reality with no real solutions at hand," the official told Axios. The official added that the U.S. military was coordinating the export of 8 million barrels of oil a night through the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, which hugs the coast of Oman. Trump reportedly prepared to declare victory on Iran, pending Hormuz reopeningU.S. President Donald Trump exits the clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Sunday. Credit: Jordan Bank/Getty Images via AFPU.S. President Donald Trump exits the clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Sunday. Credit: Jordan Bank/Getty Images via AFPU.S. President Donald Trump was prepared to declare victory in the war against Iran should the Strait of Hormuz be reopened, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing U.S. officials, saying privately he would forgo signing a nuclear deal with Tehran. According to the report, Trump is willing to show patience in negotiations, particularly if the price of gas at U.S. pumps remains stable. Speaking to The Journal, a White House official said the U.S. completed all its military objectives in Iran, and the president is now focused on securing the transit of oil through the strait. Trump will maintain military readiness to respond should Iran target ships in the strategic waterway, the report said. According to The Journal, Trump has privately said Iran would not be able to reconstruct its nuclear sites during his presidency, three of which the U.S. destroyed in the June 2025 war. Trump said U.S. intelligence would likely catch Iranian reconstruction attempts, the report said, saying the president is confident the threat of further attacks could serve as a deterrent. According to officials who spoke to the newspaper, Trump is likely to extend the cease-fire indefinitely and lift the naval blockade on Iran should traffic resume in the strait and the U.S. maintains its ability to keep Iran's nuclear program on hold. Read the full articleCourt orders changes to house arrest conditions for jailed Israeli settler activistFar-right settler activist Tal Yinon Dardik arrives at a hearing in his case at the Jerusalem District Court on Thursday. Credit: Itay Cohen Far-right settler activist Tal Yinon Dardik arrives at a hearing in his case at the Jerusalem District Court on Thursday. Credit: Itay Cohen The Jerusalem District Court ruled Sunday that the Israeli military's Central Command chief must reset the conditions of an administrative restriction order imposed on a jailed far-right settler activist suspected of involvement in a violent assault on Palestinians.Tal Yinon Dardik, who is charged with participating in a March attack on the Palestinian village of Khirbet Humsa al-Fawqa, is detained pending trial after violating an order issued against him by Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth.Judge Avraham Rubin ruled that the administrative order against Dardik was justified given the danger he poses. However, the court accepted the position of a military appeals committee, which ruled that Dardik cannot be placed under house arrest at his mother-in-law's home without her consent.Following the ruling, Dardik's attorney, Moshe Polsky of the Honenu legal aid organization, filed an urgent request for his release from custody.Witnesses to the March attack told Haaretz that the settlers carried out a prolonged assault involving physical and sexual abuse, beatings of adults and children, threats of death and rape, looting and widespread property destruction.Dardik was arrested in July and later began a hunger strike in protest. He was charged in a six-count indictment, including obstructing a police officer and violating a lawful order by breaching the terms of his house arrest.Dardik refused electronic monitoring or any alternative to house arrest except remaining at his outpost in Area B, which has been declared a closed military zone for Israelis and is subject to demolition orders. Area B is under Palestinian civilian control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control.Dardik's case caused a political firestorm among Israeli political leaders and prominent figures on the right, culminating Monday in Defense Minister Israel Katz's on-air firing of Bluth, which he later walked back. Katz visited Dardik in prison in late July.Pro-Palestinian groups target American Medical Association over 'silence' on jailed Gaza doctorPro-Palestinian groups are calling on U.S.-based healthcare workers to quit the American Medical Association, claiming that the organization failed to fulfill its "moral obligation" to demand that Israel release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya – the director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital who has been held without charge since late 2024. 🚨TAKE ACTION TODAY!