LiveLive Updates August 21, 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 21, 2026UpdatesIran says Tehran must overcome 'unjust sanctions' as U.S. ramps up economic pressureIranian parliament speaker Mohammed Baqer ‌Ghalibaf said on Friday that Iran must plan ⁠to overcome "unjust sanctions", a day after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott ⁠Bessent announced what he described as the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Iran.Bessent said on Thursday the measures would be detailed on Monday, suggesting they ‌could lessen the need for further major military operations.Ghalibaf, ‌one of Iran's most influential political figures and Tehran's top negotiator in talks with the United States, said economic development and security were closely linked. Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a 40-day commemoration ceremony for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the Imam Hassan Mosque in Karbala, Iraq, Thursday. Credit: Hadi Mizban/AP Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a 40-day commemoration ceremony for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the Imam Hassan Mosque in Karbala, Iraq, Thursday. Credit: Hadi Mizban/AP He accused the United States and Israel of waging economic and "cognitive" warfare after concluding they could not prevail in a direct military confrontation with Iran and Iraq."If ⁠you look at the resources and raw materials of Muslim countries, you will realize that ‌our enemies come to ⁠plunder them," Ghalibaf told Iranian and ‌Iraqi business representatives in Baghdad, according to his Telegram channel."Therefore, we must make plans to deal with ⁠the unjust sanctions so that we can overcome them."He also called for stronger economic ties between Baghdad and Tehran and said the two countries ‌could use their national currencies in trade to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar.Poland 'very disappointed,' summons Israeli ambassador, over decision not to probe deadly Gaza strikePoland's foreign ministry said it was "very ⁠disappointed" and had ‌summoned Israel's ambassador in Warsaw after Israel decided not to ‌pursue criminal proceedings over an attack on a volunteer convoy in Gaza ⁠in 2024 in which a Polish citizen was killed.Damian Sobol, a volunteer ⁠from Przemysl in southeastern Poland, was among seven people working for celebrity chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen who were killed in the airstrike in central Gaza in April 2024, which caused an international outcry."The Ministry ‌of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland is very disappointed to receive ‌the information ... about the discontinuation of the proceedings," the ministry said in a statement late on Thursday. The ministry added that the Israeli Ambassador in Warsaw had been summoned."The Polish side provided a critical assessment of the actions taken to date to clarify the causes and course of the tragedy, informed that a parallel investigation is being conducted by the District Prosecutor's Office in Przemysl," it said. It also "expressed its ⁠expectation that the Israeli side will provide the relevant Polish authorities with all necessary explanations and materials requested by Polish investigators."Deputy Foreign ‌Minister Ignacy Niemczycki told public ⁠radio PR1 on Friday that "we consider this a surprising ‌decision.""We believe that the use of force must be proportionate, and that inappropriate use of force should have consequences, so we expect clarification on ⁠this matter," he said.Australia also summoned Israel's ambassador in Canberra on Thursday after an Australian citizen was killed in the airstrike.Military funeral begins for Yehuda Katz, last missing soldier from 1982 Sultan Yacoub battleA military funeral for Yehuda Katz, the last soldier missing from the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub, began Friday morning at Jerusalem's Mount of Olives, with hundreds of people in attendance.Katz was declared missing after the battle in Lebanon in June 1982, in which three Israeli soldiers were killed and several others were wounded or captured. His remains were identified and returned to Israel decades later.The military burial ceremony for the late Yehuda Katz, the last missing person from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, began on the Mount of Olives, Friday. Credit: Oren Ben HakoonThe military burial ceremony for the late Yehuda Katz, the last missing person from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, began on the Mount of Olives, Friday. Credit: Oren Ben HakoonAmong those attending are Katz's former classmates from the Kerem B'Yavneh hesder yeshiva, who fought alongside him in the battle, as well as Mossad chief Roman Gofman, hostage affairs coordinator Gal Hirsch and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs. Canada calls Israel's decision to close Gaza aid worker probe 'unacceptable'Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand condemned Israel's decision to drop a criminal investigation into the April 2024 strike in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including Canadian citizen Jacob Flickinger, calling the move "unacceptable."Anand said there were "serious failures" in the way Israel conducted the strike and called for a full accounting of the circumstances surrounding the workers' deaths.The IDF’s decision not to pursue a criminal investigation into the killing of seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers, including Jacob Flickinger, a Canadian citizen, is unacceptable.