Here's the latest
• Scuppered talks: US President Donald Trump said no talks are underway or scheduled with Tehran, after saying his administration had established a back channel with the Revolutionary Guards, which Iran denied. Iran’s parliament speaker accused the US of “squeezing” Tehran for concessions.
• Control of Hormuz: Iran has lost significant control of the Strait of Hormuz, data shows. More than 80% of vessel transits through the strait over the past two weeks have taken the Omani route, according to data-tracking service Kpler. Trump posted an image showing the waterway as “New US Territory,” after Iran reiterated key demands for its reopening.
• In the region: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged an Israeli strike on a military airport in northwestern Syria, which the US earlier condemned as an “unnecessary escalation.”
US military releases footage of USS George Washington en route to the Middle East
The US military has released footage of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington transiting the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia and conducting flight operations in the Indian Ocean.
The time lapse video, which the military said was recorded on August 13, shows the deck of the warship as it travels through one of the world’s busiest waterways.
The George Washington is en route to the Middle East to relieve the troubled USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for an extended deployment due to the Iran war, raising concerns among lawmakers and military families.
A sailor went overboard earlier this month off of the Abraham Lincoln, three US officials told CNN, amid reports of worsening mental health for crew members on the ship.
Additional footage from the military purported to show aircraft conducting night flight operations aboard the George Washington on Tuesday in the Indian Ocean.
The vessel’s rotation to the Middle East leaves the US without an aircraft carrier in the Pacific theater.
Read about being aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln here.
Iranian parliament speaker praises “unbreakable” bond between Iran and Iraq ahead of visit
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf praised the “unbreakable” bond between the people of Iraq and Iran ahead of his departure to Baghdad on Wednesday, according to Iranian state media.
“Our neighborly relationship is based on brotherhood, even in the most difficult times, resistance against foreign interference, and a belief in a shared destiny for both countries,” Press TV reported.
Ghalibaf said the visit would strengthen the “internal and shared security of both countries.”
The visit comes at a tense moment for the region with the framework diplomatic agreement between the US and Iran, which was meant to end the war, expiring Monday and no resolution to the conflict in sight.
Iraq has frequently been caught in the crossfire between the US and Iran, including in Trump’s first term when he ordered the assassination of Qasem Soleimani at the Baghdad International Airport.
The US military and Saudi Arabian forces said they conducted joint strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq in late July, in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities.
Some powerful militias within Iraq’s security forces have close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and form part of Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance” in the region, along with groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen. These Tehran-backed groups have frequently launched attacks against the US and its allies in the Middle East.
Iran’s latest warning signals the hardliners are just getting started
Iran’s hardline leadership is devising and promoting its own strategy for continued confrontation with Washington.
The strategy emphasizes “offensive operations” as well as defensive action to neutralize enemy threats, according to one Iranian official.
The more assertive stance comes as a US-Iran agreement intended to end the war, the Memorandum of Understanding, expires with control of the Strait of Hormuz still in dispute.
Iran’s military leaders believe they are in a strong position to extract concessions from the US and can further adapt Iran’s weapons systems to bridge the gap with their more powerful adversaries, according to analysts.
It also likely means greater mobilization of Iran’s allies in Yemen, Iraq and elsewhere.
The starting gun for the new posture in Tehran sounded with decrees reorganizing Iran’s security leadership last week issued in the name of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Read the full story here.
US-Iran talks are stuck at an impasse. Catch up on the latest
Negotiations to end the war between the US and Iran remain at an impasse, after President Donald Trump said that no talks are taking place or scheduled, and maintained that the US maritime blockade of its foe remains in effect.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of “squeezing” Tehran for concessions. “Americans think squeezing Iran harder will win concessions that were never part of the agreement,” he said.
Here are the latest headlines:
- Control of Hormuz: Iran is losing significant control of the Strait of Hormuz, data shows. More than 80% of vessel transits through the strait over the past two weeks have taken the Omani route – a UN-authorized shipping channel that Iran vehemently opposes – according to tracking firm Kpler. Commercial vessel traffic through the strait remains low.
- Oman-Iran talks: Qatar has voiced support for ongoing efforts between Oman and Iran to reach an agreement over the strait, despite Trump’s threat to attack Oman if it interferes with efforts in the strategic waterway. A regional source told CNN that an agreement and a middle ground will be reached in the next couple of days.
- Map wars: Iranian diplomats in India posted a map of the United States with California highlighted under the text “NEW TERRITORY OF ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN.” It was in response to Trump’s social media post showing the Strait of Hormuz as “New US Territory,” after Iran reiterated key demands for its reopening.
- Missiles launched: Air defense forces in the United Arab Emirates detected two ballistic missiles launched toward the country from Iran on Tuesday, the UAE Defense Ministry said. Iran foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected the claim as “unfounded,” state media reported.
- In the region: Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad accused Israel of undermining the stalled peace process in Gaza after an airstrike killed at least six people in the embattled enclave Tuesday. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged an Israeli strike on a military airport in northwestern Syria, which the US earlier condemned as an “unnecessary escalation.”
Israel’s Gaza airstrike undermines stalled peace plan, Hamas says
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad accused Israel of undermining the stalled peace process in Gaza after an airstrike killed at least six people in the embattled enclave Tuesday.
Leaders of the militant groups criticised the strike in a statement saying it was “in clear defiance of the mediators’ efforts to solidify the ceasefire agreement and ensure its implementation,” and called for stepped-up efforts to “put an end to these violations and compel the occupation to cease them completely.”
The Israel Defense Forces said it had “struck several Hamas commanders” in the attack. A Hamas source told CNN that the targeted group was a noncombat logistical support team whose members were working on a plan for collecting and storing weapons under the latest ceasefire agreement.
A 13-year-old boy and his father were among those killed, and more than a dozen other people were injured, medical officials at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital said.
The Israeli strike was launched one day after US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to restrain Israel’s near-daily attacks in Gaza, which have killed more than 1,200 people since a nominal ceasefire took effect in October. Kushner urged Netanyahu to “not create obstacles” to a long-stalled ceasefire plan. In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump also said Israel should stop striking Gaza.
After Trump's Hormuz claim, Iran envoys post map claiming California
Iranian diplomats in India have responded to Donald Trump’s statement claiming the Strait of Hormuz as new US territory, posting a map of the United States with California highlighted under the text “NEW TERRITORY OF ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN.”
While the post by Tehran’s consulate in Hyderabad is clearly tongue-in-cheek, California is home to the largest population of Iranian immigrants in the US, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The majority live in the Los Angeles area, with many Persian residents referring to the city as “Tehrangeles,” in a portmanteau of Tehran and Los Angeles.
Opinions among the diaspora have been divided by the US-Israel war against Iran, with some hoping it will lead to the fall of the current government and others wary that it will backfire.
Iranian parliament speaker accuses US of trying to force concessions
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of trying to force more concessions from Iran.
The official also said that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are “way out of their league.”
“Stop waiting for the clown crew to pull a rabbit out of their hat and clean up the mess you made,” Ghalibaf said.
Last week, Bessent said the US would apply measures to Iran that have “never been seen.” US President Donald Trump has also indicated that he plans to apply more economic pressure on Tehran.
Israel acknowledges strike in Syria condemned by US
As scuppered talks between Tehran and Washington roil the region, we’re getting information about an Israeli strike Tuesday on a Syrian air base near Idlib — an attack that sparked sharp criticism from the Trump administration.
Breaking hours of silence, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged an Israeli strike on a military airport in northwestern Syria that was condemned earlier by the US as an “unnecessary escalation.”
Netanyahu said Israel struck the base because of what he asserted was an imminent deployment of Turkish troops to the facility near Aleppo. He said that Israel and Syria, which have no formal relations but have engaged in talks under the auspices of the Trump administration, had a “status quo in security matters.”
In a statement on X, he said Syria risked this arrangement with the potential deployment of Turkish troops to the Abu al-Duhur base.
Netanyahu has been openly critical of Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom he has been engaged in a long-running public feud. Netanyahu has accused Erdogan of supporting Hamas and has opposed the sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Ankara, while Turkish officials have called Israel “a burden that humanity can no longer bear.”
Earlier Tuesday as reports emerged of airstrikes targeting the Abu al-Duhur military airport, US envoy Tom Barrack said, “We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”
He added that Washington was encouraging all parties to prioritize “logical discourse” over further military incidents.
