The US military fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman yesterday after accusing it of trying to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports.
The military said the vessel had ignored warnings to stop, prompting an American helicopter to fire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova, disabling the ship.
Details of the incident emerged as the US president told reporters late on Tuesday night that “we totally control the Strait of Hormuz ... Nobody else, only us”. "At some point, maybe they'll do something and then they get blown away," he added of Iran.
Iran was resolute on Tuesday it continued to exert power over the strait, and that the US must end the war before they will allow normal shipping to be restored.
Mohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on social media that the “message is clear” that the strait will remain shut until the US agrees to terms and pulls back.
Earlier this week, Trump snubbed Iran’s six conditions for reopening the strait, which included “payment in full” for damage inflicted on Iran throughout the war.
Read MoreTrump secretly switched planes to leave Turkey due to Iran assassination threat
Just 29% of expected midterm voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of Iran
US fires missiles at ship it says sought to violate Iran blockade
Key Points
- Trump warns Iran could be 'blown away'
- US fires on ship it said was trying to break blockade of Iran
- Tehran hits back at Trump’s claim of ‘complete control’ over Hormuz
- Oil nears $90 a barrel amid doubts over US-Iran deal
- Trump secretly switched planes to leave Turkey due to Iran threat
- Trump says his plane faced 'greater risk' in secret flight change
Israeli military 'mistakenly' launches interceptor in Lebanon
06:56 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe Israeli army said an interceptor was mistakenly launched in Southern Lebanon this morning.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the interceptor had been launched at a target that was later confirmed to be IDF fire from operations carried out within the Security Zone.
Trump demands reparations from Iran for ‘all the people they have killed’
06:52 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPresident Donald Trump is demanding that Iran pay compensation to American victims of Iranian-backed attacks as he responds to Tehran's own demand for war reparations.
In a Monday post on Truth Social, Trump said he had "instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations" — casting Iran's compensation demand as a novel idea he was happy to borrow.
More here.
Trump demands reparations from Iran for ‘all the people they have killed’
US ambassador claims Iranian regime weakest since 1979
06:10 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe US ambassador to Israel has claimed that the Iranian regime is the "weakest they have been since they took over in 1979” amid Donald Trump's war on Tehran.
“The operation between the United States and Israel did an enormous level of damage,” Mike Huckabee told Newsmax, praising the US president's bid to “bankrupt them”.
US fires on ship it said was trying to break blockade of Iran
06:10 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe US military said that its forces fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports. The move came as president Donald Trump tries to keep economic pressure on the Islamic Republic.
US Central Command said the vessel had ignored warnings to stop, prompting an American helicopter to fire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova, disabling the ship.
The statement did not say whether the ship's crew suffered any casualties.
Pakistani official returns to Iran hoping to ease tensions with US
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPakistani interior minister Mohsin Naqvi traveled to Tehran for meetings with Iran's foreign minister and other officials.
Naqvi's visit aimed to encourage Iran to resume negotiations with the US under an interim peace deal brokered by Pakistan in June, two officials said.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted photos from his meeting with Naqvi on his private Telegram channel.
It is Naqvi's sixth trip to Iran as part of Pakistan's diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Iran and the US.
Just 29% of expected voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of Iran
05:40 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA cable TV polling expert claims that numbers from two surveys conducted two years apart show just how deeply president Donald Trump has disappointed America's voters when it comes to Iran.
A July poll of people extremely motivated to vote in November's midterm elections shows that just 29 per cent now approve of how Trump is actually handling Iran.
More here.
Just 29% of expected midterm voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of Iran
Watch: Trump reiterates America's 'complete control' over Hormuz
05:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIran to become member of Brics bank
05:20 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIran will become a member of the Brics bank, announced the governor of the central bank of Iran.
“The most important outcome of cooperation among Brics member states is the establishment of the New Development Bank, and our country will soon become a member of this bank,” Abdolnaser Hemmati said.
The New Development Bank, a Brics-backed financial institution, is a "multilateral development bank established with the purpose of mobilising resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries," according to its website.
Trump says his plane faced 'greater risk' in secret flight change
05:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS president Donald Trump admitted late last night that he secretly switched planes in Turkey last month at the direction of the US Secret Service, but that the plane he ultimately flew on was still more vulnerable than Air Force One.
"I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk," Trump told reporters.
"I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for."
Following a Nato summit in Ankara, Trump was transferred from Air Force One to a military plane via a catering truck in an extraordinary deception prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, US media reported.
"Well, it's only up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they'd like to do, so I go by Secret Service and the military," Trump said.
"I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats," Trump added.
Trump hid in catering cart in secret Air Force One swap to fend off Iran assassination threat
04:50 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPresident Donald Trump was secretly transported away from Turkey in an extraordinary plan triggered by an assassination threat from Iran, according to a report.
Air Force One, a catering truck and a secondary military plane were all part of an elaborate “deception operation” to safeguard the commander-in-chief when he departed last month’s Nato summit in Ankara, The Washington Post has revealed.
Several White House staffers and journalists remained on Air Force One as unwitting decoys to the threat while Trump was quietly smuggled off the plane and boarded onto a different flight, according to the Post.
More here.
Trump hid in catering cart in secret Air Force One swap to fend off Iran threat
Oil nears $90 a barrel amid doubts over US-Iran deal
04:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarOil prices rose this morning as doubts about a US-Iran peace deal and attacks on two ships fuelled concerns about Middle East supply disruptions, even as industry data showed US crude inventories expanded.
Brent futures gained 72 cents, or 0.81 per cent, to $89.63 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 71 cents, or 0.85 per cent, to $83.91.
Both benchmark contracts settled more than $1 higher on Tuesday, marking their highest closes since 31 July and extending gains after jumping about 5 per cent on Monday as hopes for a peace deal between the US and Iran began to fade.
Israel criticised at UN meeting over West Bank violence
04:15 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarFive European nations on the Security Council called a meeting as Britain's new UN ambassador Sarah MacIntosh condemned escalating violence across the West Bank, calling settler attacks on Palestinian villages, some alongside Israeli soldiers, "appalling".
Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour said Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory is already "underway - brutally and relentlessly".
He urged international action to chart a path for Palestinian self-determination and "freedom."
Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon responded by saying: "Israel condemns all violence against Israelis and Palestinians" and "does not tolerate extremism — we confront it".
Danon said "extremist attacks" by Israelis are declining and accused council members of ignoring "rising" attacks by Palestinians.
Trump warns Iran could be 'blown away'
04:05 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS president Donald Trump has warned that Iran could be "blown away" after claiming that the US military was in complete control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters after a visit to Ohio on Tuesday, Trump said: "Iran is going fine, going just absolutely fine."
"We totally control the Strait of Hormuz ... Nobody else, only us," he said."At some point, maybe they'll do something, and then they get blown away," he said of Iran.
"But right now, we're in a very good position. We have a country that has been the bully of the Middle East for 50 years, really 51 if you think about it ... and they're no longer the bully of the Middle East."
Iranian-backed Houthis kill 6 in attack on vessel
03:53 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarAt least six people were killed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Yemeni authorities said.
Yemen's coast guard said the dead included four crew members and two members of the government-allied National Resistance Forces.
Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the Yemeni commercial vessel, according to Yemen's internationally recognised government.
They are the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting in the Arab country.
Comment: Has Donald Trump begun to plan for life without Benjamin Netanyahu?
03:30 , James ReynoldsNetanyahu’s belated snub of the US-backed Gaza peace plan shows his dilemma ahead of ‘massacre’ election he faces in October – without the Israeli right he is finished, and without Trump’s backing he is toast, says Donald Macintyre
Has Donald Trump begun to plan for life without Benjamin Netanyahu?
Trump says he just does what Secret Service says after reports of switching planes
02:31 , Rachel DobkinDonald Trump has said he just does what the Secret Service says to do, following reports that he went on a catering truck to a military jet instead of Air Force One while departing from the Nato summit last month amid a threat from Iran.
“I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane...I do what they say”, Trump told reporters.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats”, he added.
Watch: Trump says he's the 'last person to trust Iran'
02:21 , Rachel Dobkin.@POTUS: "I don't trust Iran. Why — are you saying I trust Iran!? I'm the last person to trust Iran. They've lied to me constantly." pic.twitter.com/vvQLEiu7Qv
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 12, 2026
Recap: Tehran hits back at Trump’s claim of ‘complete control’ over Hormuz
02:00 , James ReynoldsIran was resolute on Tuesday that the United States must end the war before they release their grip on the Strait of Hormuz after Donald Trump said the military was in complete control of the channel.
Mohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on social media that the “message is clear” that the strait will remain shut until the US agrees to terms and pulls back.
”The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the US ends the war and blockade, releases Iran’s frozen assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza,” he said.
“Until all conditions are met, the Strait will remain closed.”
It came after president Trump on Monday snubbed Iran’s six conditions for reopening the strait, which included “payment in full” for damage inflicted on Iran throughout the war.
“It is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran,” Trump said, adding: “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.”
Catch up: Trump claims control of Hormuz as assassination threat revealed
01:00 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump says the US Navy has cleared mines from the Strait of Hormuz and now has “100 per cent” control of the key waterway, which Iran says will remain closed until Washington meets its demands.
Trump told reporters: “It’s open now”. He also claimed the US was “the only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now”.
It comes amid reports that the president hid in a catering truck to escape an Iranian assassination threat when he attended the Nato summit in Ankara last month.
Trump, meanwhile, has demanded war compensation from Iran in a shocking reversal of the six-point ultimatum presented to Washington as Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s top security official said earlier this week that they would allow traffic to pass through the channel only once the US meets six terms, including “payment in full” for damage inflicted during the war.
But Trump snubbed the proposal in a Truth Social post, saying: “It is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran,” Trump said, adding: “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.”
Gold prices rise again as Iran conflict and interest rate fears ease
Wednesday 12 August 2026 00:00 , James ReynoldsThe price of gold has been on the rise once more, reversing a months-long downward trend which saw the precious metal’s value fall by more than a quarter.
Investors have had a tough time predicting what markets will do this year, with uncertainty from the Iran war hitting inflation, currency markets remaining volatile and and growing concerns over the amounts the largest firms are spending on artificial intelligence.
In such times, previously investors might have turned to gold, seen as a safe haven in troubled times - but instead, the precious metal appeared to mirror some of those other markets with a steep decline in the first half of 2026.
Gold prices rise again as Middle East conflict and interest rate fears ease
Has Trump achieved his goals in the war with Iran?
Tuesday 11 August 2026 23:00 , James ReynoldsShortly after the US and Israel attacked Iran, Donald Trump laid out a host of objectives, from destroying Iran's ballistic missile capabilities to ensuring Tehran can never have a nuclear weapon.
Missiles and drones
Roughly one month into the war, U.S. sources told Reuters that one-third of Iran’s arsenal was destroyed, with another third likely damaged, destroyed or buried.
It is unclear how many missiles Iran has left, but the country still has the ability to reach US allies - as evidenced in attacks last month across the Gulf.
Military capabilities
The US says it has degraded Iran's conventional military ability to project power in the region or threaten US operations.
But Iran still claims to have closed the Strait of Hormuz until the US agrees to terms including compensation for the war, forcing up oil prices.
Nuclear programme
Trump has repeatedly said that his main goal is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Tehran has consistently said it has no intention of building a bomb.
But the war has not significantly changed Iran's nuclear capability. US intelligence since the war estimated that Iran would need less than a year to produce a nuclear weapon - the same timeline it laid out following the June 2025 strikes on Iranian facilities.
Iranian proxies
Trump said on March 2 at the White House that Tehran cannot be allowed to continue to arm and fund the armed proxy groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen that Iran has relied on for decades to project power and harass enemies.
US Admiral Brad Cooper said in May that Iran no longer has the ability to reliably supply those groups with advanced weapons, though he did not specify what that meant. Iran is now demanding the US end its wars in countries inhabited by proxy groups.
Regime change
Trump encouraged Iranian protesters to overthrow their rulers before the war began and said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death on February 28 was their "single greatest chance" to seize the government. The war has failed to dislodge Iran’s government, but supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed and replaced by his son at the start of the conflict.
Trump in recent months has refrained from repeating his calls for the toppling of Iranian leaders.
Watch: President Trump suggests he may declare a national emergency around 'election security'
Tuesday 11 August 2026 22:00 , James ReynoldsKhamenei appoints new commander of the IRGC
Tuesday 11 August 2026 21:00 , James ReynoldsIran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has made six new appointments to the Revolutionary Guards and armed forces, according to a message on his social channels.
That includes appointing Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi as commander-in-chief of the IRGC.
Who are Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps?
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were set up shortly after the 1979 revolution to protect the clerical ruling system.
The IRGC’s mandate is to protect revolutionary values and it answers to the supreme leader of Iran, which means it has at times spoken out against the government.
With a huge military force of some 125,000 personnel (prewar), the IRGC provides a counterweight to Iran’s professional army and operates independently of the armed forces.
It controls the country’s ballistic missile arsenal - a target in Washington’s sights as it tries to negotiate demilitarisation with the state.
Since the Iran-Iraq conflict of the 1980s, the IRGC has funded nonstate armed groups in the region. The IRGC also commands the Basij religious militia within Iran, a volunteer paramilitary force loyal to the clerical establishment often used to crack down on anti-government protests.
Catch up: Trump secretly switched planes to leave Turkey due to Iran threat
Tuesday 11 August 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsPresident Donald Trump was secretly transported away from Turkey in an extraordinary plan triggered by an assassination threat from Iran, according to a report.
Air Force One, a catering truck and a secondary military plane were all part of an elaborate “deception operation” to safeguard the commander-in-chief when he departed last month’s Nato summit in Ankara, The Washington Post has revealed.
Several White House staffers and journalists remained on Air Force One as unwitting decoys to the threat while Trump was quietly smuggled off the plane and boarded onto a different flight, according to the Post.
Trump hid in catering cart in secret Air Force One swap to fend off Iran threat
How the Iran war is affected Ukraine's ability to resist Putin
Tuesday 11 August 2026 19:00 , James ReynoldsUkraine is urgently seeking more Patriot interceptors to defend against a nightly barrage of Russian ballistic missile strikes.
But the Iran war has drained arsenals in the US and the Gulf, and some European countries are holding onto missiles they may need for their own defense.
So what are the Patriot interceptor missiles?
Patriot, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defense system built by US weapons maker Raytheon Technologies that can be used in all kinds of weather and at long range.
A typical battery includes radar and control systems, a power unit, launchers, and support vehicles. The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor used.
Why do they matter?
Kyiv has repeatedly asked Western allies for more air defences to protect critical infrastructure and civilian areas from frequent Russian missile and drone attacks.
While effective at intercepting missiles and aircraft, Patriots are a costly way to shoot down low-budget drones. Patriot interceptors are estimated at around $4 million per missile, CSIS says, while Russia can send hundreds of cheap drones a day.
Although not originally designed to intercept hypersonic weapons, in May 2023 the US confirmed Ukraine had used the Patriot system to shoot down a Russian Kinzhal missile, which Moscow claims is hypersonic.
What are the obstacles?
Russia has long said that giving Ukraine interceptors would amount to a direct escalation. They said it would delay the chance of peace.
But Donald Trump’s main line of argument is that the US needs its weapons and cannot afford to give them away to Ukraine. Indeed, the Patriots have been in short supply since the US went to war with Iran in February.
Trump in July offered Ukraine the right to make its own Patriot interceptors, but later reneged, saying the US has “not agreed” to such an arrangement.
US helicopter 'fires on Panama-flagged ship' - report
Tuesday 11 August 2026 18:30 , James ReynoldsA US military helicopter fired at the rudder of a Panama-flagged ship after its crew ignored warnings from personnel working to enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing a US official.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the incident, the report said, adding that the ship appeared to be trying to transfer its crew to another civilian vessel after the attack.
British maritime risk management group Vanguard and a maritime security source said earlier that according to initial assessments, the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was believed to have been hit by a missile when sailing through the Gulf of Oman.
Head of Iran's top security body doubles down on demands for compensation from US
Tuesday 11 August 2026 18:15 , James ReynoldsMohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, doubles down on demands for US to pay compensation for the war before the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.
“IRAN’s message is clear: the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the U.S. ends the war and blockade, releases Iran’s frozen assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza,” he writes on social media.
“Until all conditions are met, the Strait will remain closed.”
Rezaee, the former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was appointed as the head of Iran’s top security body this week.
IRAN’s message is clear: the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the U.S. ends the war and blockade, releases Iran’s frozen assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza. Until all conditions are met, the Strait will remain closed.
— محسن رضایی (@ir_rezaee) August 11, 2026
Watch: Trump demands compensation from Iran in snub to six-point ultimatum
Tuesday 11 August 2026 17:50 , Daniel KeaneFull story: Trump hid in catering cart in secret Air Force One swap to fend off Iran assassination threat
Tuesday 11 August 2026 17:20 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump was secretly transported away from Turkey in an extraordinary plan triggered by an assassination threat from Iran, according to a report.
Air Force One, a catering truck and a secondary military plane were all part of an elaborate “deception operation” to safeguard the commander-in-chief when he departed last month’s Nato summit in Ankara, The Washington Post has revealed.
Several White House staffers and journalists remained on Air Force One as unwitting decoys to the threat while Trump was quietly smuggled off the plane and boarded onto a different flight, according to the Post.
Trump hid in catering cart in secret Air Force One swap to fend off Iran threat
US and Iran close to 'some sort of deal', says Pakistan
Tuesday 11 August 2026 16:50 , Maira ButtIn an interview with Bloomberg News, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said "things are shaping up again in favor of a peace arrangement or a deal” between the US and Iran.
"The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement."
