Recap: Trump’s ‘roadmap’ for peace in Gaza in full as Israel rejects plan

At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israel’s president said it "will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens”.

He insisted that any disarmament by the militant group, which ran Gaza for nearly two decades before ‌carrying out the October ​7, 2023 ‌attack on Israel that ⁠triggered the Gaza ⁠war, must not be a “fictitious” one.

James Reynolds10 August 2026 19:00

Markets appear unconvinced by talks of Hormuz deal

European shares and major Wall Street indexes were lower on Monday as hopes faded over a potential deal between the US and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices jumped after Iran insisted that the United States must satisfy several demands before the Strait can reopen.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.12% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.17%.

The S&P 500 bucked the trend, edging 0.02% higher. Europe’s STOXX 600 index fell 0.16% on Monday.

That came after Iran said on Sunday that a deal with Oman about transit through the Strait of Hormuz was in its final stages, but reiterated that the waterway would only reopen once the United States met other conditions.

Those include compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats.

James Reynolds10 August 2026 18:00

Trump demands compensation from Iran in snub to latest demands

After Iran on Saturday demanded the US meet six new conditions, including compensation for the war, before they reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump on Monday indicated he was surprised by the terms - and demanded compensation from Iran.

“I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict ... even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!” he wrote on Truth Social.

“But it is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran ...”

He concluded: “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.”

Hopes of reopening the Strait appeared less likely in light of the post.

James Reynolds10 August 2026 17:51

Recap: UAE oil tanker attacked by missile in Strait of Hormuz

As we reported last night, the United Arab Emirates condemned an Iranian missile attack on its carrier as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Tehran of "acts of piracy".

State news agency WAM initially reported ADNOC as saying one of its vessels had been targeted by a missile early on Saturday and that the situation was under control.

The UAE Foreign Ministry later condemned what it called "the hostile Iranian attack" on an ADNOC vessel.

Neither statement gave details on the tanker, its cargo or possible damage. No injuries were reported.

The ministry said the attack violated a UN Security Council resolution on freedom of navigation and accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of "acts of piracy" by targeting commercial shipping and using the waterway as a tool of economic pressure.

Alex Croft10 August 2026 17:30

Iran appoints new chief of staff and head of IRGC

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has made six new appointments to the Revolutionary Guards and armed forces, according to his social channels.

Those include:

- Major General Pilot Ali Abdollahi as chief of staff of the armed forces;

- Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi as commander-in-chief of the IRGC.

James Reynolds10 August 2026 16:58

Recap: Iran says deal in 'final stages' - but reiterates conditions before opening Hormuz

Tehran said on Sunday that a new deal with Oman defining new shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz was in its final stages - but reiterated that the waterway would only reopen if the US meets several conditions.

Agreement between Iran and Oman over the strait, which separates the two countries, is seen as vital to a wider deal to end the war.

One of the conditions being demanded by Tehran is compensation from the US following the launch of its war, alongside Israel, on 28 February.

The secretary of Iran's top national security body, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, listed other demands including ending US threats against Iran, stopping aggression against Iran and its Lebanese, Palestinian, Yemeni and Iraqi allies, lifting a blockade and sanctions on Iran and freeing Iranian assets.

Alex Croft10 August 2026 16:29

Watch: Houthis release video claiming ballistic missile and drone attack on Saudi Arabia

Alex Croft10 August 2026 15:30

Yemen's Houthis attack Saudi refinery

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis say they have struck the Jazan refinery in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi energy ministry said a fire had broken out at the refinery but was ⁠later extinguished with no injuries and authorities were dealing with the incident, without ​giving a cause.

The Houthis used a drone to target the refinery, military spokesperson Yahya Saree posted on X. They had struck Aramco sites before in Jazan, which processes 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day in southwestern Saudi Arabia. They had also hit Yanbu on the Red Sea.

The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea last month, citing what they said was a Saudi siege on them, an allegation Riyadh denies.

In a separate statement, Saree said the Houthis carried out missile and drone strikes on the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Mocha.

The port, controlled by the Aden-based government, is close to the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait, which links the southern Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Should it be closed, Saudi Arabia would be deprived of an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

Alex Croft10 August 2026 14:27

The forgotten Iranians caught in the deadly stalemate of Trump’s war

This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Persian

“We’re constantly terrified by the sound of explosions. The electricity and water keep being cut off. We are without jobs and have no food. It feels like no one is coming to help the people of southern Iran. We don’t want war.”

These remarks reflect dozens of messages and firsthand accounts received by Independent Persian from residents of the southern provinces of Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan and Sistan and Baluchestan.

With intermittent US military strikes on southern Iran in recent weeks under a very precarious ceasefire, residents say they are now grappling not only with the threat of explosions but also prolonged power outages, water cuts, internet disruptions, shuttered businesses and a complete lack of meaningful government support.

Read more here:

Alex Croft10 August 2026 13:31

Trump has lost his war on geography in the Strait of Hormuz. What now?

Trump has committed many diplomatic faux pas, insulted allies and embraced dictators, but he may have dug himself into a hole by attacking Iran and believing it would end just as swiftly as his special operation in Venezuela.

He cannot win without deploying troops on the ground and trying to decisively defeat Iran. He won't concede whatever the costs.

Many governments in the world are livid at Iran for blackmailing them into paying for safe passage, but if anything they are even angrier at Trump for creating the conditions that made it possible. They can't tell him off and risk higher tariffs or withdrawal of security assurances, so they have decided to mull their options.

Solving the Hormuz issue without creating a dangerous precedent has become an impossible task. If Iran can blackmail the global community into paying for safe passage, what's stopping the Houthis from blocking Bab al-Mandab, the vital 20-mile-wide“Gate of Tears" located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, or anyone else?

Trump might still sing his own praises, but diplomats across the world are holding their heads in their hands, waiting for him to leave the White House and hoping for someone reasonable to come to power.

"He offered a better deal with Iran. Where is it?" a diplomatic source asked me. Trump picked a fight with geography, and he lost. Even if others foot the bill, the Iranian fee may yet become known as Trump’s toll.

Alex Croft10 August 2026 12:59