US-Iran conflict: Trump says Iran situation is ‘so good’; UAE rejects visa, aid rumours

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A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard figure has dismissed President Donald Trump as “short-sighted” and “childish,” saying he would place more faith in a taxi driver’s word than in the US leader’s statements — a pointed sign of the distrust now shaping Tehran’s approach to Washington.

Brig Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, an adviser to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), made the remarks in a video circulated widely online this week as tensions persist over US-Iran diplomacy, military pressure and the Strait of Hormuz.

“The current president of the United States is extremely short-sighted and childish,” Naqdi said. “He has no long-term vision.” He added that Trump’s statements had “no foundation or consistency,” arguing that “I trust a taxi driver much more than I trust him.”

Canada has deported a former senior Iranian official who served as a key government spokesman during the deadly nationwide protests of November 2019, marking the second removal under Ottawa’s 2022 policy that bars senior Islamic Republic officials from entering or staying in the country.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed that Syed Salman Samani — who held the posts of deputy interior minister and official spokesperson for Iran’s Interior Ministry — was removed from Canada after a federal court rejected his final appeal against deportation.

Samani entered Canada on a tourist visa after resigning from his government role, but immigration authorities determined he was “inadmissible” as a “prescribed senior official in the service of a designated regime.” In his bid to stay, he told the Immigration and Refugee Board that returning to Iran could expose him to “torture, execution or suicide,” according to media reports.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said Washington has "very draconian sanctions" available against Iran and indicated that further measures could be announced, while asserting that the Strait of Hormuz remained open and the naval blockade had been "extremely effective".

While addressing tech leaders, Trump, when asked about possible sanctions on Iran, said: "We have things that we could sanction. We have very draconian sanctions, and we'll see what happens."

He said the US would decide its next course of action based on developments, adding that the situation could either lead to a major drop in oil prices or a continuation of the current measures.

"It'll either be extremely good, and oil prices are going to drop like a rock or we'll continue to do exactly what we're doing," Trump said.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Trump claimed that a US naval blockade had been successful and that oil shipments were continuing despite tensions.

"Right now the Strait is open. A lot of boats are coming through. People aren't reporting that," he said.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was launching a major new campaign to target Iran's economy, threatening "tremendous" punishment on any country that helps or does business with the Islamic republic.

Axios, citing two US officials, reports that the US military has quietly established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, helping move about 10 million barrels of oil a day to global markets.

Gaza health officials said an Israeli strike on the municipal police headquarters in Gaza City killed nine people including a child on Wednesday, while the Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas commander.

Attacks have continued in the Palestinian territory in recent days, despite a renewed push by the United States to advance a long-term Gaza peace plan.

Gaza City's Al Shifa Hospital reported the arrival of nine bodies, including a woman and a 13-year-old girl, Dana Haitham al-Jamasi.

It said it also received at least 20 wounded people following the strike in Gaza City.

The territory's civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas, confirmed the death toll.

France has expelled Iran’s cultural adviser in Paris, Niloufar Shadmehri, Iranian news agency Mehr reported, as a diplomatic dispute between Paris and Tehran escalates.

Shadmehri is reportedly one of two Iranian diplomats ordered to leave France. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on Tuesday that two Iranian diplomats would be expelled following Tehran’s decision to bar two French embassy staff from returning to Iran.

US forces have redirected 65 commercial vessels since enforcing a blockade against Iran, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

CENTCOM said on Wednesday that its forces had also disabled three vessels and boarded two others to ensure compliance with the blockade.

The command shared the update alongside an image of a US Navy sailor standing watch aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones as it operates in regional waters.

The latest figures were provided as of August 19.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that Israel sent a message to Turkey against setting up a base in Syria, tacitly acknowledging a strike the day before.

"We will not tolerate a Turkish military entrenchment moving southward, because it threatens us," Netanyahu told an army radio podcast.

He said that Israel had initially sent a message "in general terms" against a Turkish military presence at an airfield near Aleppo, close to the Turkish border.

"Apparently they didn't hear it, so we made sure they understood it more clearly," he said.

Netanyahu's office on Tuesday stopped short of claiming Israeli responsibility for the strike, but said that Turkish forces had recently toured the base and warned that Israel would not tolerate a "threat" from a Turkish presence.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to discuss the latest regional developments, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.

The two officials discussed the current situation and efforts to pursue “political and diplomatic solutions”, according to the report.

Munir has been playing a key role in mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.

The United Nations rights chief on Wednesday slammed Washington's decision to slap fresh sanctions on International Criminal Court officials as "unacceptable", urging countries to protect court officials against such "reprisals".

"Unacceptable new sanctions imposed by the USA against the International Criminal Court's President and a prosecution staff member must be lifted," Volker Turk said on X.

Trump said the situation with Iran is currently “so good”, even as talks between Washington and Tehran remain paused and tensions continue around the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reports.

“Right now, I think the situation is so good,” Trump told reporters, suggesting negotiations could resume “at some point”

Trump again claimed that the United States is in “possession” and “complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route that has become a major point of tension in the conflict.

The waterway has effectively been closed since fighting began in late February, disrupting a crucial route for global oil shipments.

Referring to Iran’s disruption of shipping traffic, Trump said: “They shoot a drone every once in a while,” adding that “not everybody’s going to go through”.

US-Iran talks remain paused

Trump has repeatedly said that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains his priority as his administration considers its next steps in the conflict.

His latest comments came a day after he appeared to shift course on diplomacy, with a US official saying administration envoys had been instructed to halt conversations with Iran.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year, in what would be their first encounter of Trump's second term.

"Yeah, I will be," Trump told reporters during a tour of a new helipad he is building at the White House, when asked if he planned to meet Kim later in 2026.

Russia is exploring a possible overland rail link to India and the Indian Ocean to bypass vulnerable maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Bosphorus. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin suggested routes through Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The proposal comes as India increases purchases of Russian oil amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. A direct rail corridor could give Russia an alternative trade route to India and other Global South markets, although experts warn of security and geopolitical risks, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for an official visit.

He was received at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged continued government support for the country’s armed forces, according to state-run news agency IRNA.

Pezeshkian told his cabinet that the government would use all available means within its authority to meet the needs of the armed forces and strengthen Iran’s defence capabilities.

He also stressed the need for all executive bodies to work together to support the country’s defence efforts.

Lebanon said it had received an invitation from France for a meeting to prepare for an international conference on support for the Lebanese army, an event postponed by the Middle East war.

The conference in Paris was supposed to take place in March but was delayed after militant group Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional war by attacking Israel in support of its backer Iran.

Lebanon said in a statement Wednesday that President Joseph Aoun had "received from the French charge d'affaires in Lebanon, Bruno Da Silva, a letter from French President Emmanuel Macron that included an invitation for Lebanon to participate in a preparatory meeting to be held in Paris on September 17".

Aoun thanked Macron for the invitation, praising "the constant interest he shows towards Lebanon and its national institutions, foremost among them the army and the Internal Security Forces".

He said the invitation highlighted the importance of "supporting the Lebanese army with the aim of enabling it to possess the capabilities and resources necessary to carry out its responsibilities effectively".

The army "requires international support and a collective effort to meet its operational needs, logistical equipment, training and capacity building", the statement by the Lebanese presidency added.

Army chiefs from several countries, as well as representatives from governmental and international organisations, along with experts, are expected to attend the meeting, according to the presidency.

France did not announce anything on Wednesday related to the conference.

Israel’s military said it will open internal criminal investigations into the killing of Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza in January 2024 and the deaths of 15 emergency and aid workers in March 2025.

The military said the decisions followed reviews by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism and were among rulings issued on five incidents involving Palestinian deaths.

The military also reviewed the April 2024 killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers. However, it said there was “no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct” to warrant a criminal investigation.

Iraq’s parliament speaker has asked Iran to grant Iraqi oil exports travelling through the Strait of Hormuz “special status”, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency.

Speaker of the Council of Representatives Haibat Al Halbousi made the request during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, in Baghdad on Wednesday.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global crude oil typically passes, has seen shipping traffic fall to a trickle since the war began in February.

Ghalibaf said his visit to Baghdad would help strengthen the “internal and shared security of both countries”.

A NATO official told Reuters that the alliance is prepared to respond to any threat and will “always do what is necessary to defend all allies”.

The comments came in response to a Financial Times report that Iran had allegedly considered attacking US military targets in Europe if US President Donald Trump escalated the war.

“As demonstrated earlier this year, when NATO air defences successfully intercepted ballistic missiles heading to Türkiye from Iran on four separate occasions, our deterrence and defence posture is strong and effective,” the official told Reuters.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf on Wednesday said that the "resistance is now global" and called for greater cooperation among regional countries during his visit to the memorial site of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis in Baghdad, Iranian news agency Press TV reported.

Ghalibaf said the site where Soleimani and Al Muhandis were killed had become a symbol of the confrontation between "truth and falsehood" and credited the two commanders with helping defeat ISIS in the region.

"The resistance is now global," Ghalibaf said, according to Press TV, adding that believers in Iran and Iraq would continue "the path of Soleimani and al-Muhandis".

He also called for greater cooperation among countries in the region, saying, "Islamic countries in the region should go after cooperation."

Ghalibaf said his visit to Iraq was aimed at advancing cooperation among regional countries without foreign interference.

"Relations between Iranian and Iraqi nations are historic, deep-rooted, and unbreakable," he said.

The Iranian parliament speaker added that Tehran and Baghdad would seek to strengthen security cooperation based on their ties, saying the two countries' "fates are interconnected."

Nearly six months into the war, Donald Trump appears to be settling on a new strategy for Iran: Stop chasing an elusive diplomatic breakthrough, maintain economic and naval pressure and wait for Tehran to bend.

Iran is signalling something very different. It says that if the squeeze continues, it is prepared to fight its way out.

The collision between those strategies could define the next phase of a war that has already inflicted damage on US bases, depleted American weapons stockpiles and severely restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

What’s next in Iran war?

The UAE is focused on navigating regional developments and preparing for what comes next rather than being distracted by false claims, Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said on Wednesday, dismissing reports about cancelling workers’ residency visas and providing financial facilities to Iran.

Gargash said some platforms were circulating false information about the UAE as part of what he described as desperate media campaigns, adding that the country’s response was to focus on tangible results.

Read more here.

Iran's armed forces on Wednesday warned Gulf countries against assisting the US military, saying it would be tantamount to joining American military operations.

"We wish to warn that any assistance or facilitation provided to the aggressor US military amounts to participation in the US military operation," armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi said, according to Iran's Mehr news agency.

War between Iran and the United States broke out on February 28 after US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic, which retaliated with missile and drone strikes including on US bases across the region.

"It seems unlikely that such a large number of military aircraft, particularly refuelling aircraft could be present at regional bases without knowledge of host countries," said Abdollahi.

"The countries bordering the Arabian Gulf, which have issued various statements saying they would not allow the United States to use their territory against Iran, should know that we are fully aware of the situation."

The warning comes as the USS George Washington aircraft carrier is being redeployed to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln following reports of deteriorating living conditions for its crew.

Britain's annual inflation rate climbed in July in line with analysts' expectations, official data showed Wednesday, driven by higher energy bills.

The Consumer Prices Index rose 2.9 percent in the 12 months to July, up from 2.6 percent in June, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

The rise was spurred by a 13 percent hike in the price cap on household energy bills that took effect last month, a consequence of the ongoing US-Iran war.

The ONS called it "the largest rise in gas prices for almost four years".

Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to ease cost-of-living pressures, unveiling measures such as a tax cut on household electricity prices and a cap on bus fares.

"Iran war inflation continues to impact prices here at home, but Britain's economy is resilient," finance minister John Healey said in response to the latest figures.

"There is more to do to restore hope and build a stronger economy where prosperity is shared more fairly across Britain" he added.

Analysts expect inflation to rise towards the end of the year as higher energy costs feed through to bills further, with little signs of a deal to end the Middle East war.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no talks with Iran are underway and none are scheduled, as he posted a map showing the Strait of Hormuz as a new American territory in a fresh jibe at Tehran.

Trump has been pressing his threat to claim sovereignty over the crucial energy waterway as the nearly six-month-old Iran war grinds on with little sign of resolution.

Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner had said on Monday that the United States and Iran were having "very positive and active conversations", but the president denied that was the case.

"There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect," Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.

Turkey rejected on Wednesday Israeli allegations that it posed a threat by preparing to send troops to a base in Syria, which was hit in a strike that the United States blamed on Israel.

The UAE has strongly condemned Israeli raids on the Abu Al Duhur Military Airbase in Syria’s Idlib Governorate, reaffirming its rejection of any violation of Syria’s sovereignty or threats to its security and stability.

In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said continued Israeli attacks on Syrian territory constitute a “flagrant violation” of international law and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel.

The ministry stressed that Israel is obliged to uphold the agreement.

The UAE reaffirmed its support for Syria’s stability and territorial integrity, expressing solidarity with the Syrian people and backing efforts to achieve security, peace, dignity, peaceful coexistence and development.

The UAE called on the international community to take immediate steps to halt repeated attacks on Syrian territory and prevent further escalation.

It warned that actions that heighten regional tensions could threaten regional and international peace and security.

The UAE has ordered a halt to all activities, trade exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice, according to the Strategic Communications Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The directive covers activities and commercial exchanges with Iran, as well as financial transactions, with further details expected from the authorities.

Day 167: Trump says no talks planned; UAE detects Iranian missiles

Day 166: Israel strikes Lebanon; Oman holds Hormuz talks

Day 165: US-Iran tensions rise over Trump’s Hormuz claim

Day 164: Iran demands faster US exit from Middle East

Day 163: 2 ADNOC vessels attacked in Hormuz; no injuries

Day 162: Trump says US has ‘total control’ of Strait of Hormuz

Day 161: Tehran: Hormuz stays shut as US-Iran diplomacy push continues

Day 160: Tehran reshuffles military

Day 159: Netanyahu rejects Gaza plan

Day 158: Trump says Iran can’t ‘go on much longer’

Day 157: Iran says Oman deal alone won’t reopen Hormuz