US president Donald Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" on Tuesday with Iran, characterising the talks positively, while also threatening to hit the country "really hard" if a deal was not reached.
During his cabinet meeting, Trump told reporters that the Strait of Hormuz was “going to be open very soon”. But he warned if that did not happen, Iran would be hit hard.
Iran had previously claimed Trump could “ignite the spark of World War III” after the US warned it was Tehran’s “last chance” to make a deal. The US president claimed the Iranian regime had “begged” for negotiations and that talks are currently ongoing.
“We will not allow a second corridor to be opened in the Strait of Hormuz, and any warship or military force that approaches it will be hit,” Mohsen Rezaei, an advisor to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, told Iranian television, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
Read MoreDid Trump reveal a weak hand in reported crowdsourcing memo seeking ‘creative’ ways to punish Iran?
Cargo ship reports being struck in Strait of Hormuz as US, Iran claims about talks diverge
Trump sounds like he’s been stood up for a date in whiny Truth Social tirade against Iran
As the midterms loom, is Donald Trump’s love-in with Big Oil going up in smoke?
Key Points
- Trump says US having 'very good discussion' with Iran
- Oil prices slip below $80 a barrel
- Yemen condemns 'terrorist attack' on Indian ship
- Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz and in Red Sea
- Trump says 'all-day negotiation' was held with Iran
- Yemen's Houthis fire at airport in Saudi Arabia
Yemen condemns 'terrorist attack' on Indian ship
07:36 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarYemen's foreign ministry this morning issued a statement condemning the Houthi attack on an Indian commercial tanker on the Red Sea.
The Yemeni coast guard rescued the 14 crew members of the MSV Faize Noore Oliya, 13 of them Indian, and took them to the port of Mokha, India’s shipping and waterways minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said.
Yemen said the attack "constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the rules of international maritime law, and poses a direct threat to the security and safety of navigation and the freedom of trade along international waterways".
India condemns ‘unprovoked attack’ after projectile sinks ship
07:25 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarAn Indian vessel sank in the Red Sea after it was struck by a projectile off the coast of Yemen, officials confirmed.
The Yemeni coast guard rescued the ship’s 14 crew members, 13 of them Indian, and took them to the port of Mokha, India’s shipping and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal said.
Sonowal described the incident involving the MSV Faize Noore Oliya as an “unprovoked attack” and said the directorate general of maritime administration had been instructed to coordinate with relevant agencies to safeguard Indian seafarers in the region and give assistance to the rescued crew members.
More here.
India condemns ‘unprovoked attack’ after projectile sinks ship off Yemen’s coast
The seven times Trump threatened Iran before pulling back
07:17 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPresident Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he had called off planned US strikes on Iran, saying renewed negotiations had raised hopes of easing the conflict and reopening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement follows a familiar pattern in Trump's handling of the five-month conflict, with repeated threats of military action followed by abrupt pauses as diplomatic efforts resume. Several previous ceasefires and negotiating windows have collapsed within days, leading to fresh rounds of US strikes.
More here.
The seven times Trump threatened Iran before pulling back
US officials suggest strait deal imminent
06:53 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarSenior US officials struck an optimistic tone, suggesting a deal to reopen the strait could be reached soon.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio confirmed there has been progress made in talks between Iran and Oman, "but not finality yet."
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that "there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict."
The Strait of Hormuz is the crucial waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas passed before the war. It has been effectively shut by Iran's attacks on shipping since the start of the war in February.
Spike in antisemitism in UK after Iran war began - report
06:12 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarAntisemitism in the UK spiked in the immediate aftermath of the US and Israel launching their war on Iran and following a double stabbing of two visibly Jewish men in London, according to a report.
Data from the Community Security Trust (CST), showed there were 1,926 antisemitic incidents recorded across the UK in January to June of 2026 – up by a fifth on the first half of last year from 1,598.
It is the second-highest total reported to CST in the first six months of any year, exceeded only by the 2,019 incidents recorded in the first half of 2024.
The statistics have been branded “appalling” by policing and crime minister Sarah Jones, who said each incident represents “people living in fear just for being who they are”.
Trump says 'all-day negotiation' was held with Iran yesterday
05:31 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS president Donald Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" yesterday with Iran, characterizing the talks positively while also threatening to hit Iran "really hard" if a deal was not reached.
Oil prices slip below $80 a barrel
05:10 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarOil prices fell below $80 a barrel after US official said there was progress in talks with Iran and Oman about ships moving through Strait of Hormuz.
However, US secretary of state Marco Rubio yesterday said a final agreement had yet to be reached. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent earlier said that a deal with Iran to reopen the strait could come as soon as yesterday or today.
Brent crude futures fell $4.41, or 5.3 per cent, to settle at $79.36 a barrel, the lowest since 13 July.
US West Texas Intermediate futures dropped $4.57, or 5.7 per cent, to settle at $75.77 a barrel, also a three-week low.
Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz and in Red Sea
04:50 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA cargo ship reported being "hit by an unknown projectile" while traversing the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center.
The center said the reported strike damaged the vessel at around 2 am local time while it was about 37km northeast of Al Khasab, a port city in Oman.
On the Red Sea, meanwhile, an Indian-flagged commercial ship sank off Yemen after being struck by an explosive-laden boat, Yemeni and Indian authorities said.
Yemen's coast guard rescued the crew, which included 13 Indians and a Yemeni.
India's foreign ministry condemned the attack, though no one immediately claimed responsibility. Iran-backed Houthi militants have repeatedly struck ships traversing the Red Sea near Yemen.
Trump says US having 'very good discussion' with Iran
04:46 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarDonald Trump has claimed that the US was having a "very good discussion" with Iran after issuing a "last chance" warning to Tehran to bring them back to the negotiating table.
Trump told Fox News that the Strait of Hormuz "will open very soon" or Iran "will take a very hard hit".
"They called me and asked very politely, 'Please, can we talk?'" Trump claimed.
US military says it has helped over 1,000 ships transit Strait of Hormuz
04:25 , Rachel DobkinUS Central Command has said it has helped more than 1,000 ships transit the Strait of Hormuz over the past three months.
CENTCOM claimed the key oil waterway in the Middle East “remains free and open,” but maritime traffic remains muted.
The southern route through the Strait of Hormuz remains free and open for all commercial vessels seeking to transit the international waterway. Over the past three months, U.S. forces have assisted more than 1,000 vessels in successfully transiting the strait despite unwarranted… pic.twitter.com/TcszH0GimG
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 4, 2026
Yemen's Houthis fire at airport in Saudi Arabia
04:36 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA Yemeni military spokesperson for the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, said a drone hit a "sensitive target" at the airport in the southwestern city of Najran, without providing evidence.
Brig Gen Yahya Saree said the attack was in response to what he described as a Saudi breach of Yemen's airspace over the provinces of Saada and Hajjah. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis recently announced a blockade on Saudi-linked shipping passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia led an international coalition and imposed an air and sea blockade against the rebels after they seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen in a civil war that began in 2014. Major fighting ended in a truce in 2022.
Watch: Trump offers soundbite to recap US shooting down Iranian missiles
04:02 , Rachel DobkinIsrael discusses withdrawal from Lebanon
03:58 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIsraeli and Lebanese officials met in Rome yesterday to continue talks on implementing a US-mediated deal to draw down the Israeli military from southern Lebanon and disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
A diplomat familiar with the negotiations said Lebanon had asked for the next "pilot zone" — where Israeli forces would withdraw and the Lebanese army would take control — to be either in the town of Khiam or Bint Jbeil. Both areas saw heavy fighting in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war and are currently occupied by Israeli forces.
But US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa suggested ahead of the three-day talks that no new pilot zones would be immediately implemented, saying that "moving too quickly risks jeopardizing the very civilians this process is meant to protect."
Did Trump reveal a weak hand in reported crowdsourcing memo seeking ‘creative’ ways to punish Iran?
03:00 , Harriette BoucherThe U.S. military has asked combat experts to think outside the box in a desperate bid for new ideas to end President Donald Trump's war against Iran, according to a report Monday.
In an email last week, an officer in the intelligence branch of U.S. Central Command asked a broad group of military analysts for suggestions, CNN said, citing an unidentified source.
"We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran,” the email reportedly read.
Military officials said the effort to crowdsource a solution to the war by email was highly unusual, CNN reported.
The move came as Trump is considering dramatic, "fireworks"-style airstrikes against Iran that could hit the same or similar sites that the U.S. bombed last year when targeting the nation’s suspected nuclear weapons program, a source told CNN.
Did Trump reveal a weak hand in reported memo seeking ‘creative’ ways to punish Iran?
ICYMI: Hormuz deal could be reached in next two days
02:00 , Harriette BoucherThe US has said a deal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz could be reached with Iran in the next two days.
US secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC: “We are in talks with the Iranians, and I think there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait and move towards a more normalised position in this conflict.”
Donald Trump said the global shipping route could be open as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.
Big oil companies continue to post banner profits as fighting in Iran drives costs higher
01:00 , Harriette Boucher
Big oil companies continue to post banner profits as fighting in Iran drives costs higher
Trump says canceled Iran attack would have been the biggest 'since WWII'
Wednesday 5 August 2026 00:00 , Harriette BoucherTalks with Oman have been positive - Iranian foreign ministry
Tuesday 4 August 2026 23:00 , Harriette BoucherIran has said talks with Oman over transit through the Strait of Hormuz have been positive and focused on establishing safe shipping lanes.
State media reported that Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the route being negotiated was aimed at ensuring the sovereign rights and national security of both Iran and Oman.
Two regional officials told The Associated Press that, under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman.
Service fees would be charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, the officials said, adding that the final agreement could take place in a different form.
Millions join Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq amid regional tensions and fears of US-Iran escalation
Tuesday 4 August 2026 22:00 , Harriette BoucherMillions of Shiite Muslims observed the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage Tuesday in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala, under the shadow of ongoing regional tensions and fears of another round of escalation in the U.S.-Iran war.
Arbaeen is held 40 days after Ashoura, which commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and members of his family, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D.
The operations command overseeing the Arbaeen pilgrimage at the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces said on Monday that more than 4.88 million pilgrims had entered Iraq since the first day of the Islamic month of Muharram, which includes Ashoura and the period leading up to Arbaeen, with arrivals from various countries ongoing for what is considered one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings.
Millions more pilgrims typically come from different regions of Iraq to Karbala for the occasion.
Among the highest- profile foreign visitors was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in the Iraqi city of Najaf Monday and continued on to Karbala to take part in the pilgrimage.
Read more here:
Millions join Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq amid regional tensions and fears of US-Iran escalation
