US vows toughest Iran pressure, urges China support; sanctions Hezbollah

Hamas remains committed to Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace roadmap and expects mediators and the Board of Peace, led by Trump, to advance the plan, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told CNN.

Naim said Hamas was ready to continue the process to help restore stability and improve conditions for Palestinians. He said US adviser Jared Kushner and other mediators had urged Hamas to consider Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political situation ahead of elections.

Naim rejected the request, saying Palestinians should not bear the cost of protecting Netanyahu’s political interests. He also accused Israel of failing to meet its ceasefire obligations, including allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, while escalating attacks since the framework was agreed.

US Senator Elissa Slotkin has condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over what she described as “violent” and “dehumanising” comments about civilians in Gaza.

Slotkin said Ben-Gvir’s remarks were “abhorrent” and called for his removal from government, urging those concerned about Israeli and Palestinian civilians to condemn him.

Her comments came after Ben-Gvir called for Israeli forces to kill 30 or 40 people in Gaza each night, remarks that have drawn international condemnation from officials and rights groups.

US Vice President JD Vancesaid economic pressure is Washington’s “most effective tool” against Iran, but called the strategy a “delicate dance”. He said Iran is currently feeling greater economic pressure than the US, as Washington seeks to keep oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz while penalising attacks on commercial vessels. Vance said the ultimate goal is to prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear capabilities and push Tehran towards a deal.

The United States announced new sanctions against an alleged Hezbollah financing network, while highlighting the Lebanese armed group's close ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Hezbollah's legal designation as a terrorist organization has been amended to note that it operates in "service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," particularly the elite Quds Force, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

The change comes as the US facilitates direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, which remain technically at war. Hezbollah rejects these talks.

Washington designated Hezbollah as a "foreign terrorist organization" in 1997, and in 2001 updated its label to a "specially designated global terrorist" group.

The new redesignation "specifies that Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy, not a stand-alone operation as implied by the previous designation," a State Department official said.

"This underscores that Hezbollah operates with little to no regard for Lebanese sovereignty, the Lebanese people, or the Lebanese state."

"This action builds on years of US designations that have repeatedly documented the operational, financial, and logistical integration between Hizballah and the IRGC-QF," the State Department official said, calling Hezbollah "an extension" of the latter.

"It is not a Lebanese resistance movement," as Hezbollah describes itself,the official said.

The new sanctions target 10 people who are allegedly part of a network that transfers cash to Hezbollah, which has already been punished with US sanctions many times, the Treasury statement said.

"The network utilizes couriers travelling on commercial airline flights between Lebanon, Turkey, the UAE, and Iran to move up to hundreds of millions of dollars between jurisdictions, providing an avenue outside the formal financial system for Hezbollah to obtain foreign currency and evade sanctions," the statement said.

The United States' debt surpassed a record $40 trillion, a staggering milestone as defense costs, social programs and interest on the burgeoning deficit make up an enormous share of federal spending.

The milestone figure was recorded just five months after the US hit a record $39 trillion debt in March. It reached $38 trillion five months before that, in October.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday said that American forces have redirected 67 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two others as part of efforts to enforce a blockade against Iran amid escalating tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post shared on X, CENTCOM said American forces have continued enforcing a blockade against Iran in the Arabian Sea, with US Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey utility aircraft operating from the USS Boxer (LHD 4) as the ship transits the region.

"U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey utility aircraft take off from the flight deck of USS Boxer (LHD 4) while the ship transits the Arabian Sea and continues to enforce the US blockade against Iran," the post read.

"As of Aug. 20, U.S. forces have redirected 67 commercial vessels, disabled 3 and boarded 2 to ensure compliance," the post added.

The development comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy transit route that has remained a major point of friction since hostilities escalated on February 28.

Day 168: US-Iran conflict: Trump says Iran situation is ‘so good

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