US-Iran tensions rise over Donald Trump’s Strait of Hormuz territory claim

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Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has categorically denied reports that Iranian pilots were being detained, expressing surprise at what it described as misleading statements at a time when intensive diplomatic efforts are under way to de-escalate tensions in the region.

The ministry said attempts had been made to contact the pilots after they violated Qatari airspace and their flight paths were verified.

It said Qatar’s rules of engagement were followed and attempts were made to communicate with the pilots, but no response was received. The necessary measures were then taken to defend Qatari territory in accordance with international law, the ministry said, adding that this had been officially clarified at the time.

The Ministry also said its search-and-rescue teams had carried out operations to locate the pilots’ remains.

It said Qatar had contacted Iran to coordinate the handover of the remains of one pilot who had been found, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The ministry added that it had formally invited an Iranian team to visit Qatar in April to review details of the search-and-rescue operation, but had not received a response.

Iran has effectively stopped importing gasoline because of the US naval blockade, parliament Energy Committee spokesman Reza Sepahvand told the ILNA news agency on Saturday.

“Now that we are facing a naval blockade, gasoline imports have stopped,” Sepahvand said, warning that a proposed national ID-based fuel allocation plan could eventually force the government to buy gasoline at international and Arabian Gulf FOB prices, increasing costs and widening the budget deficit.

“We are facing problems supplying fuel given the number of vehicles,” he said.

Sepahvand said Iran was producing about 130 million litres of gasoline a day, which he described as the country’s peak output, while daily consumption stood at around 137 million litres.

“Even with all this, we are still facing a fuel-supply problem,” he said.

Iran's Intelligence Ministry on Saturday said that two French diplomats were detained over alleged foreign interference during a national security investigation before being handed over to the French ambassador, according to the state news agency IRNA.

In a statement, the ministry said intelligence units encountered the two diplomats while carrying out a judicial order to arrest two suspects as part of an investigation into "foreign infiltration and interference".

After verifying the diplomats' identities, authorities notified the Iranian Foreign Ministry before handing them over to the French ambassador to Iran under diplomatic police escort, IRNA reported.

The ministry said that while it was investigating the suspects and examining documents and evidence seized from the meeting point, the French side launched a "media campaign aimed at deflecting attention from its confirmed violations".

It said a preliminary examination of the documents seized during the inspection of the site revealed details of a broader "project involving foreign infiltration and interference", including efforts to "identify individuals, establish covert contacts inside and outside Iran, and build networks with individuals of interest to foreign parties while observing secrecy".

The ministry added that contracts uncovered as part of the project bore the signature of France's former ambassador to Iran, saying the French government must "answer for its illegal and interventionist activities and explain the plan".

It said the project constituted "clear interference in Iran's internal affairs, particularly during wartime", and a "blatant violation of Iranian laws and diplomatic norms".

The Intelligence Ministry warned that it "will not allow foreign diplomats to engage in illegal and interventionist activities in Iran", stressing that "if such conduct is repeated, those responsible would face an appropriate response", according to IRNA.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday expressed Kuwait's strong condemnation and denunciation of the Iranian attack against a vessel affiliated with the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement carried by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the ministry stressed that this attack constitutes a blatant violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2817.

The ministry stressed that the repeated attacks pose a direct threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation, global energy supplies and international trade. It renewed its call for an immediate halt to all escalatory actions and adherence to international law governing freedom of navigation.

The ministry reiterated Kuwait's full solidarity with the sisterly United Arab Emirates and its support for all measures taken by the UAE to safeguard its sovereignty and protect its security and interests.

Bahrain expressed strong condemnation and denunciation of the Iranian attack targeting a vessel affiliated with UAE's ADNOC while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, in a flagrant violation of international law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and UN Security Council Resolution 2817.

In a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed Bahrain's solidarity with the UAE in all measures it takes to protect its sovereignty, security, stability, and interests, stemming from the depth of the longstanding relations between the two countries.

It affirmed that the security of the UAE is an integral part of the security of the Kingdom of Bahrain, stressing the need for the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities by taking deterrent measures to ensure the safety and freedom of maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, prevent maritime piracy, compel Iran to halt the attacks it is carrying out against commercial vessels and oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and fully and unconditionally reopen the Strait, in a manner that safeguards regional security and stability and ensures energy security and food supplies.

Israel wants new and more ambitious US-brokered talks with Lebanon after carrying out deadly strikes targeting Hezbollah, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.

The Israeli strikes against Hezbollah "should jumpstart the talks and make them much more serious, not do the opposite", Netanyahu spokesman Doron Spielman told AFP.

"And I think it will. It will hopefully move these talks along because the enemy here is clear and the enemy is Hezbollah," he said.

Israel said that it carried out the strikes after Hezbollah attacked inside what Israel calls a security zone inside southern Lebanon. Three Israeli soldiers were seriously injured, Netanyahu's office said.

Spielman said Israel was still upholding a US-brokered agreement that calls for Lebanon's fledgling security forces to take gradual control and remove Hezbollah, a Shia movement backed by Iran's clerical state that has long played a central role in Lebanon.

"We believe in the agreement. We very much hope that the Lebanese Armed Forces are going to be able to step into the foray, and together we're going to remove Hezbollah from the picture," Spielman said.

Israel said it responded by attacking a headquarters of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force, killing commander Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan.

It acknowledged that Hassan's family members were with them and said they were not the target. Lebanese authorities said seven people were killed including several children in the Ansar strike, as well as four more people in a separate strike.

Flights at the port city of Bandar Abbas resumed on Saturday after repeated interruptions during hostilities with the United States, state media reported.

Kazem Tavassoli, director general of airports in Hormozgan province, said "scheduled flights at Bandar Abbas International Airport on high-traffic domestic routes resumed today," according to the IRNA state news agency.

The reopening comes "following limited flights in recent days", Tavassoli said, adding that passengers can now buy tickets for the Tehran-Bandar Abbas, Mashhad-Bandar Abbas and Bandar Abbas-Isfahan routes, in both directions.

The airport "handled 35 to 40 domestic and international flights per day" before the war, Tavassoli said. The airport has been repeatedly closed since the conflict with the United States began in February.

Hezbollah said that Israeli attacks on Lebanon would be met with an "appropriate" response after deadly strikes on the country's south on Saturday, urging authorities to halt "humiliating" negotiations with Israel.

Israel "must clearly understand that its attacks, violations and attempts to impose a fait accompli cannot continue, and will be met with an appropriate response", the Iran-backed group said in a statement, adding that Lebanese authorities "must not insist on continuing along the humiliating path of direct negotiations and providing the enemy with free concessions".

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people Saturday, in the deadliest attacks since a precarious truce between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on June 20.

Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency said one of the airstrikes that targeted a home on the edge of the village of Ansar killed seven people, including three children, and wounded two. The second, on the village of Deir Al Zahrani, killed four and wounded 17.

Iran and Oman have reached an understanding on a maritime navigation map for the Strait of Hormuz, marking progress in three weeks of talks aimed at establishing safe routes for vessels through the strategic waterway, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Saturday.

Baghaei described the negotiations between Tehran and Muscat as “positive”, adding that discussions were continuing on several outstanding issues and technical details.

The talks are focused on arrangements to ensure the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.

Baghaei also accused Washington of creating “obstacles” to efforts to reach a broader understanding.

Iranian authorities on Saturday called for the release of three pilots they say were captured in Qatar during the Middle East war.

"Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war," said General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces, Fars news agency reported.

"Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian have been held by Qatari forces for six months," he said in a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In the letter, Bagherzadeh called for their release, saying the pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families.

Last month, Iran's army said it had retrieved the body of Iranian pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed during an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March.

Iran had previously said the other pilots were missing but news of their alleged capture was not publicised at the time.

Kuwait has condemned what it described as an “Iranian aggression” against a vessel affiliated with the UAE’s ADNOC while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the incident was a clear violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2817.

The ministry warned that repeated attacks on commercial vessels pose a direct threat to the safety of maritime navigation, global energy supplies and international trade.

Kuwait called for the immediate end to all escalatory actions and urged all parties to respect international law and the principle of freedom of navigation.

The ministry also reaffirmed Kuwait’s full solidarity with the UAE and support for measures taken by Abu Dhabi to protect its sovereignty, security and national interests.

The US aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, is set to return to the United States after an extended deployment of more than 250 days, Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said, as reports of low morale and mental health concerns among sailors aboard the aircraft carrier have drawn scrutiny from US Congress and families of the sailors.

Cao said the carrier had "crushed their deployment" and would return home soon as part of a planned rotation, while stressing that the safety and security of sailors and Marines remained the Navy's priority.

"The USS Abraham Lincoln crushed their deployment and will return home soon as part of a planned rotation. Details will come, but let me be clear: the safety and security of our Sailors and Marines always comes first. Mission accomplishment. Troop Welfare. This is how we lead," Cao said in the statement.

The carrier's prolonged deployment has come under scrutiny amid reports concerning the conditions faced by sailors aboard the ship.

The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced the hostile Iranian attack that targeted a vessel affiliated with ADNOC as it transited through the Strait of Hormuz, with no injuries reported.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) underscored that this attack constitutes a flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolution 2817, which affirmed the importance of freedom of navigation, and rejected the targeting of commercial vessels or the obstruction of international maritime routes.

The Ministry emphasised that targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and constitutes a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security.

The UAE further stressed the need for Iran to halt these unprovoked attacks, ensure its full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in order to safeguard regional security, and maintain the stability of the global economy and trade.

The repeated targeting of ADNOC vessels will not push the UAE away from a measured approach built around deterrence, diplomacy and international law, Dr Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said on Saturday, following the latest attack on an ADNOC vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The repeated targeting of ADNOC tankers will not deter the UAE from pursuing a balanced and rational policy based on three pillars: deterrence, diplomacy and adherence to international law,” Gargash said in a post on X.

He said the UAE would safeguard its right to freedom of navigation and use of the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law, while defending its sovereignty and national interests.

At the same time, he said, the country would continue to pursue dialogue and give priority to diplomatic solutions.

Gargash also stressed the importance of a unified Gulf position as tensions persist, saying the UAE would make every effort to strengthen a common GCC approach as an essential pillar for protecting regional security and the interests of Gulf states.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said seven people including two women and three children killed in an Israeli strike on Saturday were not military targets, after Israel said it struck Hezbollah "infrastructure".

"The seven martyrs of the Israeli strike on the village of Ansar are not 'military infrastructure' and the women and children who were killed are not military targets," Salam said, adding that "Israel must halt this escalation", which he said was "extremely dangerous and undermines efforts to consolidate stability in the south".

One killed, eight injured in Houthi missile attack on Yemen’s Mocha port

One person was killed and eight others injured after the Iran-backed Houthi group launched six ballistic missiles at Yemen’s Red Sea port of Mocha, Yemen’s Armed Forces said.

According to preliminary information, the attack killed a member of the port’s security forces, Staff Colonel Majed Al Zuraiqi, spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, said.

Eight civilians were also injured in the attack.

Two sailors are reported to be missing following the missile strikes, according to the Yemeni military.

The attack targeted the strategic port of Mocha on the Red Sea, as tensions and security risks continue to affect shipping in the region.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has invoked Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov to criticise US policy towards Iran and the wider region.

Baghaei accused Washington’s governance and foreign policy of becoming increasingly reliant on what he described as “lies”.

In a post, he quoted Dostoevsky’s warning about the consequences of repeatedly deceiving oneself and others.

The quote suggests that a person who continually believes their own lies can eventually lose the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, both within themselves and in the world around them.

Baghaei’s reference to the 19th-century Russian novel comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, with the two sides at odds over the conflict, regional security and the Strait of Hormuz.

His comments reflect Tehran’s broader criticism of US policy and its portrayal of Washington’s claims and actions in the region.

Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike in the country's south early Saturday killed seven people, the worst toll since deals in June saw a lull in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

The National News Agency (NNA) said Israel "escalated its attacks on the south" early Saturday, reporting that "a strike launched by enemy warplanes on a home" on the outskirts of the village of Ansar "killed seven people and wounded three others".

It said the strike destroyed the home and that emergency rescuers were removing rubble and transporting the casualties to hospital.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.

Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanese authorities say have killed more than 4,300 people.

The NNA said "the valley between Ansar and Zarariyeh was also subjected to a strike, the first at this geographical depth since the ceasefire two months ago".

It also said "Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes targeting the Ali al-Taher ridge", a strategic hill overlooking the Nabatieh area, also reporting Israeli shelling there.

The news agency said Israeli forces detonated homes in the town of Bint Jbeil near the border.

The Israel-Lebanon framework deal includes the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in "pilot zones".

This week, Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations to keep an international force in Lebanon after its peacekeepers' mandate ends this year, saying that "the peacekeepers are a crucial deterrent against attacks on civilians and human rights abuses".

A bulk carrier was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday.

In a warning issued on August 15, UKMTO said it had received a verified report of the incident in the waters near Kumzar, Oman. The projectile hit the vessel’s hull.

The crew were reported safe, but no damage assessment was available at the time of the report. The environmental impact of the incident also remained unknown.

UKMTO advised vessels operating in the area to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

The latest incident comes amid heightened security risks in and around the Strait of Hormuz, with several commercial vessels reported attacked or damaged in recent days.

UAE travellers flying today should check their flight status before heading to the airport. Most services continue to operate, but airlines are making changes to selected regional routes, particularly flights to Bahrain and Kuwait, amid the ongoing regional security situation.

Key flight updates

• Etihad Airways: Some Abu Dhabi-Bahrain flights are operating as scheduled, while several services have been cancelled until August 21.

• Emirates: Selected Dubai-Bahrain flights have been cancelled, while the status of some Dubai-Kuwait services remains unavailable.

• Air Arabia: Several flights between the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain have been cancelled or delayed, with some services yet to depart.

• flydubai: Regional services continue to operate, but passengers should check their individual flight status before travelling.

• International airlines: Several carriers continue to suspend or adjust selected UAE and regional services.

With UAE airports entering one of the busiest periods of the summer travel season, passengers should also allow extra time for check-in, security and immigration.

Israeli forces continued to destroy essential infrastructure in Bint Jbeil and several nearby villages in southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported.

At dawn, Israeli troops blew up several homes in the city and fired heavy machine guns towards residential areas along the Kounine-Saff al-Hawa road, according to the NNA.

Shortly before midnight, Israeli warplanes also carried out an air strike on the Al-Mashaa neighbourhood in the town of Al-Mansouri, in the Tyre district, the agency reported.

South Korea's chief trade negotiator has been dismissed from his post, officials said on Saturday, as Seoul faces mounting tariff pressure from the United States amid a series of unresolved bilateral trade issues.

Yeo Han-koo was notified of his dismissal by the Ministry of Personnel Management on Friday, an official at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said, without elaborating on the reason for the decision, reports Yonhap news agency.

The dismissal comes at a sensitive time for bilateral trade relations, as Seoul faces growing U.S. pressure to accelerate its investment commitments under a bilateral tariff deal and a dispute over fines against U.S.-listed e-commerce giant Coupang over a personal data breach.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained at just 17% of the pre-conflict average over the past seven days, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre.

Only 151 vessels entered or exited the strategic waterway during the period, a slight improvement from the previous week, when traffic stood at just 4% of pre-war levels.

The UKMTO recorded 56 reports of damage to vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters since the US-Iran war began on February 28. The figure does not appear to include two attacks reported on Thursday involving vessels affiliated with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

The Southern Omani route, a temporary alternative corridor, remains the highest-risk area, accounting for 16 of 18 projectile strikes reported by UKMTO since July 6.

The US naval blockade continues to prevent ships from travelling to or from Iranian ports, both inside and outside the Strait. Despite the restrictions, one Iranian-flagged vessel was reported entering and another leaving the waterway during the past seven days.

Panama- and Liberia-flagged vessels were the most common, with 12 ships each making the crossing. No US-flagged vessels were recorded.

Product tankers, which typically transport refined petroleum products, remained the most common vessel type using the contested waterway.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stressed Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz "will remain Iranian", after US President Donald Trump said he would "soon" declare the waterway part of American territory.

"The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian," Gharibabadi said on X, adding that the route "will be opened and closed only at Iran's command".

Trump had said Friday that after the United States defeats Iran, "pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States".

ADNOC confirmed that one of its vessels was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening, August 14. No injuries were reported and the situation has been brought under control.

In a statement, ADNOC stressed the importance of protecting the safety and wellbeing of seafarers, while safeguarding freedom of navigation and maritime security.

The company urged the public to rely only on official sources for information and avoid circulating rumours or unverified reports.

"Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet or election speech": Iran hits back at Trump's 'US territory' remark

Tehran [Iran], August 15 : Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Friday rejected US President Donald Trump's remarks that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz "a territory of the United States" after defeating Iran, saying the strategic waterway "cannot be seized by tweet" or military force.

In an X post, Gharibabadi said Iran "neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power", asserting that the Strait of Hormuz "has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian".

"Trump has said that after Iran's defeat, he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory! The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech. Iran neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power," Gharibabadi said.

"Once and for all, accept the reality: up to this point, you have suffered strategic and heavy defeats; the Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian; this strait will only be closed and opened under Iran's command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and cease your fanciful delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade," he added.

His remarks came after Trump, speaking at a rally in Long Island, said he planned to declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory after the conclusion of the war with Iran.

Trump dismissed concerns over the mental health and living conditions of crew aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying the aircraft carrier’s nine-month deployment was “not nearly enough”.

Trump confirmed the ship will soon be replaced by another carrier as the US remains locked in a standoff with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear programme.

Reports have cited deteriorating conditions and several suicide attempts among crew members, prompting calls from Democratic lawmakers for an investigation. The Navy said a small number of mental health cases had been treated without loss of life.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday (local time) that its forces had redirected 62 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two others while enforcing the US blockade against Iran in the Arabian Sea.

CENTCOM stated that the actions were taken to ensure compliance with the blockade.

"A US Sailor directs an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter during nighttime flight operations aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) as the ship sails in the Arabian Sea and enforces the U.S. blockade against Iran. As of Aug. 14, CENTCOM forces have redirected 62 commercial vessels, disabled 3 and boarded 2 to ensure compliance," CENTCOM said.

The development comes amid ongoing tensions between the US and Iran as both countries continue to stake claims of control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Stock markets retreated in sparse summer trading Friday, with the uncertain outlook for the Middle East war and the US economy prompting investor caution ahead of the weekend.

Oil prices turned higher and investors braced for further volatility as US and Iranian officials insisted on control of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely shut to tanker traffic by Iran since the US and Israeli launched strikes nearly six months ago.

On Wall Street, where the S&P 500 hit a new record high on Thursday, stocks slipped into negative territory, and most European indexes ended lower after a mixed showing in Asia.

Weaker than expected US retail sales raised new questions about the prospects for the world's biggest economy.

Total US retail sales were down 0.6 percent in July from the previous month, at $763.6 billion, while a new US consumer sentiment survey by the University of Michigan showed confidence dropped by around eight percent in August, ending two months of gains.

Trump said he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz waterway part of US territory after defeating Iran.

"After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated - pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," he said with a chuckle during a political rally at a police academy in New York state.

"It's true," he added.

Trump, together with Israel, launched a war against Iran on February 28 with the stated aims of ending the country's controversial nuclear program and sparking a popular uprising.

However, Iran struck back by establishing de facto control over much of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway for large amounts of global energy and other commodity shipping.

The United States remains locked in a stalemate with Iran over the strait, with Iran denying access to much of the civilian shipping and the US Navy mounting a blockade of Iranian ports in an attempt to cripple its economy.

"We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to," Trump the cheering crowd of supporters and police.

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