Tensions between the US and Iran are escalating after Tehran announced plans to establish an 'exclusion zone' outside the Strait of Hormuz, days after fighting resumed following weeks of relative calm.
Iranian officials said the zone would target vessels attempting to transit the strategic waterway, while the US dismissed Tehran’s claim that an American vessel had tried to enter a restricted area as 'a total lie'.
The latest developments come after the US struck three Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for ballistic missile attacks on US Navy warships. Iran has vowed that its response will be 'faster, heavier and more painful' as both sides continue trading blows.
Follow our live blog for the latest developments from the US-Iran conflict.07:01 AM, 8 September 2026We are closing this live coverage. For the latest updates, click here.04:21 AM, 8 September 2026Baghaei assails Canada for supporting US-Israel military campaign against IranIranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Monday launched a scathing verbal assault against Canada, accusing it of "strategic confusion" and endorsing US-Israel military aggression after Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne condemned Tehran's "destabilising activities" in the Middle East. Baghaei’s remarks come amid escalating tensions over maritime navigation and international sanctions, with Tehran sharply questioning Canada’s commitment to diplomacy and its standing as an independent sovereign state.In a strongly worded post made on X, Baghaei claimed Canada chose to "appease their bullying neighbour" by backing military actions and sanctions against Iran rather than calling for de-escalation."Canada cannot credibly present itself as a champion of 'peace and security,' 'freedom of navigation,' and 'international law' while simultaneously backing US military aggression and Washington’s illegal, interventionist actions in our region," Baghaei stated.04:09 AM, 8 September 2026Oil prices spike: Brent rises to $97 as US-Iran conflict threatens Gulf supplies Oil prices climbed to a six-week high as renewed fighting between the US and Iran intensified concerns about disruptions to crude supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, with Brent crude moving toward $97/barrel, as of 8.01 am in Beijing on Tuesday (Sept. 8, 2026).US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $92.53. Murban crude, the UAE benchmark, was around $106.80. Brent reached an intraday high of $98.06 a barrel on Monday, its highest level since July 24, before settling at $97.31. WTI also reached a six-week high.The latest rally reflects growing concern that the escalating US-Iran conflict could further disrupt oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy chokepoints.The latest jump followed a series of attacks involving commercial and military vessels. US forces on Saturday struck 3 Iranian oil tankers after Iran launched ballistic missiles toward two US Navy warships, according to US Central Command.03:15 AM, 8 September 2026Iran says upgraded ballistic missile, ready for preemptive action against threatsIran state media on Monday said a ballistic missile with improved capabilities was demonstrating a new doctrine: Tehran “will take action against any threat, even before it is carried out.”The report by Iran’s state news agency repeatedly cited comments aired on state TV the day before by the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, who boasted of new missile capability and claimed it had been “tested” against a US warship. It was not clear whether what was tested was the missile the new report described, the solid-fueled Qassem Basir, unveiled last year, when it was described as having at least a 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) range.The US on Saturday said ballistic missiles were launched at US warships and it struck three Iranian oil tankers in response. Experts called the launch an "escalation", noting that until then Iran's attacks at sea had targeted commercial shipping during six months of war. The US said the warships evaded the attacks.Iran’s messaging in recent days has become more assertive, and Monday’s report said the Qassem Basir marks “a turning point in Iran’s defense strategy.”02:16 AM, 8 September 2026US warships enforcing blockade are now targets: Iran generalIran has warned that it can strike US Navy vessels enforcing Washington's blockade of Iranian shipping, escalating an already dangerous confrontation in the Arabian Gulf after a series of tit-for-tat attacks on military and commercial vessels.Iran's acting defense minister, Brig. Gen. Majid Ibn Reza, said late on Monday that Iranian forces possess the ability to attack US warships enforcing what Tehran calls an "economic blockade", Tehran-based Press TV reported.Ibn Reza claimed the country's military capabilities are "sufficient" to target American naval forces. The warning came two days after the US struck three Iranian crude-oil carriers following Iranian missile attacks on two US Navy vessels.The exchange has pushed the conflict into a new phase in which Iran's oil exports, commercial tankers and US naval forces enforcing the blockade are increasingly becoming interconnected military targets.10:03 PM, 7 September 2026Board of Peace's Mladenov says Gaza, West Bank escalation makes two-state solution 'impossible'A top official within the US-backed Board of Peace on Monday said a failure to move forward in Gaza paired with rising violence in the West Bank were making a two-state solution "impossible".Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza under the US-backed "Board of Peace" tasked with implementing an October ceasefire plan, was speaking at the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi."I would say that if Gaza continues the way it is now, or does not move into implementing... the plan that we have under the comprehensive plan, the two-state solution will become practically impossible," he said."Because, with everything that is happening in the West Bank, and with more than 50 per cent of Gaza now under the control of the Israeli army and less than 50 per cent under the control of Hamas, there is no credible pathway forward to a political resolution of the conflict," he added."The only way that we can build back to that is if we have transitional governance, if we have decommissioning of weapons, if we have withdrawal in Gaza," he said.09:20 PM, 7 September 2026Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz at lowest level since MayTraffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to its lowest level since May, with shipping data showing an average of 10 vessels a day transiting the waterway on Sunday, Reuters reported, citing analytics firm Kpler.Only two vessels passed through the strait on Saturday and six on Sunday, mostly using the Iranian route, according to Reuters. The 10-day average stood at 13 vessels on Saturday, down from more than 15 on Friday.Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.08:34 PM, 7 September 2026Israel threatens war with PA in case of Oct 7-style attackIsrael on Monday threatened a "full-scale war" against the Palestinian Authority if it prepared an attack against Israeli forces or settlements similar to the one launched by Hamas from Gaza on October 7, 2023.The unusual warning, denounced by Palestinian authorities as an attempt to fuel the conflict during the Israeli election season, comes as violence surges in the occupied territory.The remarks from Defence Minister Israel Katz followed a stabbing attack that wounded an Israeli settler in the northern West Bank, with the military saying it had shot and killed the Palestinian assailant."If... the Palestinian Authority's security mechanisms and related bodies initiate, or we know with certainty that they are about to initiate, a terror attack in the style of October 7 against IDF forces and Jewish settlements -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have instructed the IDF to prepare for the opening of a full-scale war," Defence Minister Israel Katz said.06:11 PM, 7 September 2026Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of airstrikes as fighting escalates across YemenYemen's Houthi group on Monday accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes and cruise missile attacks across several provinces of the war-ravaged country, as an escalating battle with government forces spread to multiple fronts."The Saudi enemy targeted the provinces of Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Marib and Taiz with several airstrikes and cruise missiles," Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah TV reported, without giving details on casualties or damage.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group had "managed to shoot down a Saudi CH-4 reconnaissance drone" over Khabb wa ash-Sha'af district in the northern province of Al-Jawf on Monday.06:10 PM, 7 September 2026Iran says talks with Oman on Hormuz Strait reach final stageIranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Iran-Oman negotiations on the designation of a temporary route for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz have reached their final stage.The understanding between the two countries regarding the route's designation would likely be registered with the International Maritime Organisation in the coming days, Baghaei said at a weekly press conference in Tehran, Xinhua News Agency reported.The insecurity in the waterway is a consequence of the US-Israeli "military aggression" against Iran, he said, noting, "Vessels will not be able to travel this route with confidence and a sense of security by the time this situation continues."05:24 PM, 7 September 2026Oman navy rescued 16 crew members from Saudi vessel struck by IranOman's navy on Monday revealed that it had rescued 16 crew members from a Saudi-flagged oil tanker that Iran attacked one week ago in the Strait of Hormuz."A Royal Navy of Oman vessel provided logistical support to the tanker's 25-member crew and evacuated 16 crew members while ensuring that the necessary medical care was provided," Oman's Maritime Security Centre said in a statement.The statement did not elaborate on the fate of all the crew members but confirmed two seamen on the vessel, the SIDR, had been killed in the incident.04:54 PM, 7 September 2026Israeli rubble-clearing in Gaza could erase 'atrocity crimes' evidence: UN expertA UN expert warned Monday that large-scale rubble removal in parts of Gaza under Israeli control risked erasing traces of "atrocity crimes", and preventing the recovery and identification of human remains.Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, warned in a statement that the implications of Israel's "ongoing removal, crushing and relocation of rubble in Gaza" were "profound"."Gaza's rubble contains human remains and physical evidence relevant to the investigation of alleged international crimes, including genocide," she said, pointing to estimates from Palestinian authorities that more than 10,000 people remain buried under the debris in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.The Italian-born independent expert has faced harsh criticism from Israel and some of its allies over her long-standing accusations that Israel is committing genocide and other war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.03:42 PM, 7 September 2026Israel strikes Lebanon, accuses Hezbollah of truce violationsIsrael conducted a wave of deadly airstrikes in south Lebanon, Lebanese state media said Monday, as it accused Hezbollah of violating a ceasefire agreement that had brought a period of relative calm.The strikes overnight killed 11 people in a south Lebanon village, including two infants, Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said, a day after separate raids left seven dead.Israel has been intensifying strikes in the southern Nabatieh area after saying on Thursday that it had seized the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge from Hezbollah, a claim the Iran-backed group has not commented on.03:28 PM, 7 September 2026South Korea 'in talks with intl community over Hormuz security'South Korea is closely communicating with relevant countries and the international community to help ensure the free passage of all vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry said on Monday.The statement came after Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi warned that Tehran could regard Seoul as an enemy and target South Korean assets in the region if Seoul joins a US-led effort to secure navigation through the strait, according to the London-based Middle East news website Middle East Eye."We are closely communicating with the international community, including relevant countries, to help restore peace and stability in the Middle East as soon as possible and to ensure the free passage of all vessels, including those of our country, through the Strait of Hormuz," the ministry said in a release, Yonhap news agency reported.03:01 PM, 7 September 2026
