Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite Tehran agreeing a temporary transit route through the key waterway with Oman.“We agreed with Oman that the entry route to the Strait of Hormuz will be through our territorial waters, and part of the exit route will also be through our territorial waters,” deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said. However, he added: “The understanding between Iran and Oman does not mean the opening of the Strait of Hormuz”. Meanwhile, Donald Trump threatened to launch new strikes on a nuclear site as well as Iranian military ships in the Strait of Hormuz.The US president said he was informed by his navy that all mines in the waterway had been removed.“Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed. Through Space Force, we are watching every square inch of the strait, as we are, also, with Pickaxe Mountain and the already destroyed three other nuclear sites,” he said on Truth Social.The Trump administration also threatened that any country with financial ties to Iran would face US sanctions.Editorial: America’s might has failed in Iran – an ‘economic D-Day’ is also unlikely to succeedIf the best way to get Iran to bend to America’s will is the imposition of unprecedented financial sanctions – an “economic D-Day” – then the obvious question arises: what was the point, in Trump-speak, of bombing the hell out of them, destroying their antiquated conventional forces and threatening the death of a “whole civilisation”?Indeed, anyone might wonder why, six months ago, the US joined in Israel’s campaign against its implacable enemy in the first place, given that, before that strategic blunder, the Strait of Hormuz was open to shipping, the supply of oil and natural gas was normal, and the whole world was looking forward to some economic growth for a change.Read more here:Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 August 2026 06:40US sanctions four India-based companies and three Indians over involvement in Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical tradeThe US has sanctioned four India-based companies and three Indian nationals over their alleged involvement in Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical trade. The targeted firms are accused of importing or facilitating the import of Iranian petroleum products worth tens of millions of dollars, with one company allegedly involved in imports worth about $69m. The sanctions are part of the US’s wider effort to cut off Iran’s oil revenues, with Washington targeting around 60 Iran-linked individuals, entities and vessels. The move comes as the US threatens further penalties against countries continuing to trade with Iran, although it has so far stopped short of imposing secondary sanctions on countries themselves.Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 06:20A tanker is hit and disabled off Oman's eastern coastA strike on an oil tanker on Monday night off Oman's coast disabled the ship's engine, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organisation reported. It said all crew were reported safe.There were no immediate reports of any environmental impact.Iran periodically fires at vessels attempting to transit the strait to enforce its control of the waterway, though there was no immediate claim for Monday's attack. The U.S. has also fired on vessels while imposing a blockade of Iranian ports.Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 August 2026 06:00Temporary route agreed with Oman doesn’t mean reopening Hormuz, Iranian deputy foreign minister saysIran says it has agreed with Oman on establishing a temporary 11km-wide transit route through the Strait of Hormuz, with the entry point and part of the exit route passing through Iranian territorial waters.However, deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the arrangement “does not mean opening the Strait of Hormuz”.“We agreed with Oman that the entry route to the Strait of Hormuz will be through our territorial waters, and part of the exit route will also be through our territorial waters,” Gharibabadi said.He said activating the route would “mean closing the southern route in the strait”, which the US had opened “under pressure from Oman”, arguing that the move violated Article 5 of the two countries’ memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war. Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 05:40Iran says Iraq can play ‘decisive role’ in shaping new regional orderIranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has reportedly said Iraq could play a “decisive role” in shaping a new regional order, particularly in the Gulf, as US forces prepare to withdraw from Iraq.Speaking to the president of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, Ghalibaf described the moment as “historic” for both countries.“A new regional order is being created. The situation is sensitive and historic for Iran and Iraq. The fact that the American coalition forces are going to withdraw from Iraq is a historic honour for the Iraqi government and people,” Ghalibaf told Zaidan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.He said the US started its war against Iran with “the intention of overthrowing the Islamic Republic and expanding American hegemony in West Asia and the Islamic world”.He said Iran’s resistance “clearly defeated” US war goals.“America lost the military and political war against Iran, and it will also fail in economic measures,” Ghalibaf told Zaidan.Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 05:20Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 August 2026 05:00Trump ‘grossly profiting’ from ‘illegal’ war on Iran, US senator saysUS senator Chris Van Hollen has accused Donald Trump of personally profiting from the “illegal” war with Iran, citing a Democratic report that found the president’s oil and gas holdings may have gained up to $15.5m this year.Van Hollen alleged that Trump had turned the White House into a “pay-to-play casino” and was “grossly profiting off of a senseless war”, while claiming Trump had “pocketed over a billion dollars” since returning to office.He later wrote on X: “While prices are going up for Americans, things couldn’t be going better for his stock portfolio.”“Trump continues to profit off Americans’ pain – including the senseless war he started in Iran.“Pure corruption.” Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 04:45China warns about US sanctions threat disrupting its cooperation with IranChina has warned that expanded US sanctions targeting entities and individuals linked to Iran, including some based in China, “should not disrupt” or “undermine” its cooperation with Tehran.Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China-Iran cooperation has complied with international law.China is one of Iran’s biggest trading partners and buys most of the country’s oil exports.The warning came after the US treasury department announced sanctions on nearly 60 Iran-linked entities on Monday, including several in China, although it stopped short of imposing secondary sanctions on countries trading with Iran.Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 04:30Iran and Oman working towards reopening and managing ship traffic through Strait of HormuzOmani foreign minister Badr al-Busaidi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi discussed a framework in Tehran on Tuesday that includes a “joint temporary navigational corridor” and efforts to clear mines from the waterway.Iran said ships entering the Persian Gulf would initially pass entirely through Iranian waters, while outbound vessels would use both Iranian and Omani waters, with the two countries negotiating over the next 30-60 days to “reach an understanding on a new permanent and sustainable route”.The talks follow an attack that disabled an oil tanker off Oman.It remains unclear whether the US will accept the proposed arrangement, with Donald Trump having threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of efforts to reopen the strait. Maroosha Muzaffar26 August 2026 04:15USS Lincoln to dock in Thailand next week, says Thai officialThe USS Abraham Lincoln, a US aircraft carrier, will dock in Thailand next week, a Thai official said on Tuesday, following a prolonged deployment in the Middle East and reports of mental health concerns and deteriorating conditions aboard.The Lincoln, which left the Middle East on Saturday, has not made a port call in more ⁠than ​200 days, setting a modern-day record for consecutive ​days at sea, according to Democratic lawmakers.The ship, which has roughly ​5,000 sailors and Marines aboard, will be in Thailand for "rest and recreation after their long sea journey", the official said, asking not to be named.Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 August 2026 04:00