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Photo by ATTA KENARE /AFP via Getty ImagesThe US and Iran exchanged strikes for the first time in about a month as American forces hit an island in the Strait of Hormuz and the Islamic Republic responded by launching attacks on the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorPresident Donald Trump told Fox News on Monday morning that the US would respond to Iran’s attacks on US forces, without giving details.Iranian media also said the country’s authorities seized a bulk carrier near the port of Bandar Abbas in the strait and claimed an oil supertanker trying to go through the waterway was hit by mines early on Monday. US Central Command said in a social media post on Monday that no ships had hit mines in Hormuz.Crude oil prices rose, with Brent climbing 2.4% to above $90 a barrel. European natural gas prices increased too. Pedestrians walk past a wall mural along a street in downtown of Tehran on August 31, 2026. Photo by ATTA KENARE /AFP via Getty ImagesColumnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Channel Israel will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe incidents underline the high tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the countries still at odds over the status of the Strait of Hormuz and neither willing to restart negotiations to end a war now more than six months old. Trump’s comments of further US attacks indicate they may be back in a cycle of military escalation that could bring further volatility to energy and stock markets.Several current and former US and Iranian officials have said they expect the conflict to drag on for months, with the sides essentially deadlocked and bouts of fighting puncturing weeks-long lulls in hostilities.“The state of neither war nor peace cannot be a sustainable solution,” Anwar Gargash, a senior foreign-policy adviser to the UAE’s leadership, said on X soon after the country fended off a drone attack. “What is needed today are realistic and sustainable political solutions that address the political and economic dimensions of the crisis, beginning with overcoming the escalation and returning navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to its normal state.”US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said it fired on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces after spotting them preparing to deploy mines into the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump waves after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on August 28, 2026. Photo by KENT NISHIMURA /AFP via Getty ImagesIt was a “limited, precise action,” Central Command said. “Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce.”Iran said several people were killed in the US strikes, and that they targeted Larak Island overnight. The IRGC retaliated with a missile-and-drone attack on US air bases in Jordan early Monday. Jordan’s military intercepted eight missiles, destroying them before they caused any damage, the Jordan News Agency reported.The UAE’s military dealt with a drone coming from Iran over the country’s territorial waters and said its forces remain on high alert. The Gulf Arab state denied an IRGC claim that the Al Minhad airbase just outside of Dubai was targeted with missiles.Iranian media reported that a vessel carrying sugar was seized near the port of Bandar Abbas, which sits in the strait, because it was polluting the surrounding waters. The ship wasn’t identified.The US attack was the first against Iran since late July, as Trump has shifted toward an economic pressure campaign aimed at winning concessions from Tehran. Countries with ties to Tehran have so far shrugged off sanctions threats. Iran analysts and sanctions experts have largely been underwhelmed by early US actions, including proposing to cut off the UAE branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr from the American financial system. Mourners pray for Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the second day of funeral ceremonies at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran on July 5, 2026. Photo by ATTA KENARE /AFP via Getty ImagesAny sustained return to hostilities risks driving up energy costs and stoking inflation, which would unnerve global investors and complicate Republicans’ efforts to retain control of the US Congress in November’s midterm elections. Polls show growing frustration among American voters with the war and Trump’s inability to bring it to an end.Last week, the US military said it finished clearing mines from shipping routes in the strait, which previously carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. US allies, however, have privately warned that the strait was still likely mined.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Iran remains open to resuming diplomacy with the US, but argued that progress depends on Washington abandoning its pressure campaign.Iran, in particular, wants the US to lift a blockade of Iranian ports. That operation is preventing Iran from getting its oil onto international markets and importing many vital goods, causing inflation to rise. Still, the economic squeeze isn’t powerful enough yet to convince Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and hardliners within the government to accept American demands and allow ships free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.Following what he described as “creative discussions” last week with Qatar, a mediator in the conflict, Araghchi said progress “hinges on US understanding of one simple fact: Pressure doesn’t work.” Scott Bessent, US treasury secretary, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. Photo by Yuri Gripas /BloombergUS Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent promised an “economic onslaught” against Iran and its trading partners. That includes China, which buys 90% of Iran’s oil. He said the White House would discuss with allies their plans to stop buying Iranian products, but so far there have been no agreements to do so.Bessent told the Associated Press ahead of the Group of 20 finance ministers meeting in North Carolina that the US would penalise a second bank that does business with Iran this week.“This is going to be financial violence if we have to,” Bessent said.— With assistance from Patrick Sykes, Jon Herskovitz, Paul Abelsky, Anand Krishnamoorthy, Akriti Sharma and Onur Ant.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.