Trump says US has no talks planned with Iran and other news from the
Middle East
[August 19, 2026]
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. has no talks planned
with Iran but insisted the Strait of Hormuz remains “open and
operating,” despite limited traffic and a reported strike on a ship
exiting the waterway.
Earlier this week, Trump also threatened to bomb Oman as the country
sought a deal with Iran to manage shipping traffic through the strait,
two regional officials said Tuesday, a day after Trump reportedly
leveled the threat if Oman "gets in the way.” Iran says the waterway
will not be reopened until the U.S. meets its conditions.
As talks between Iran and Oman continue, a projectile hit a ship in the
strait and Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they fired drones at an oil
refinery in Saudi Arabia.
Here’s a look at the latest developments Tuesday in the Iran war and the
wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Trump looms over negotiations to reopen Strait of Hormuz
As Oman and Iran say they are nearing a deal to reopen the Strait of
Hormuz, Trump said on social media Tuesday that the U.S. blockade of
Iranian ports remains “in full force and effect,” but asserted that all
water mines have been removed and that other marine traffic was free to
pass.
Trump posted a map depicting the strait as U.S. territory.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to respond to
Trump’s post.
“Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf,
soon his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be
corrected or we will correct the delusions of this deluded man," he
wrote on X.
The Trump administration has told Oman it opposes parts of the
yet-to-be-announced deal, according to officials briefed on the U.S.
position. Those include joint Iranian and Omani management of the
passage's exit route and the collection of voluntary fees from vessels,
even if the money is used for security and maritime environmental
protection.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to talk to journalists.
The White House on Tuesday referred to Trump’s remarks in the Oval
Office and declined to comment further about Oman.
— By Samy Magdy in Cairo
Egypt says Iran-Oman agreement could open door to Iran-US deal
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Iranian-Omani deal
could pave the way for Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations
for a “comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and
enhances regional security and stability.”
The statement came after a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister
Badr Abdelatty and Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi. But it did not
address Trump’s latest threat against Oman.
The 60-day negotiating period ended this week between the U.S. and Iran
with no clear end to the war in sight.
Ship traffic drops significantly in Strait of Hormuz
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly last
week, with confirmed crossings falling 19.5% to 95 transits. Only three
vessels made it through the waterway on Sunday, according to shipping
data platform Kpler.
The ships used the Iranian-designated route through the strait, with no
crossings recorded through the Omani routes.
Crossings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait increased 6.7% to 254
transits, while so-called dark transits, in which ships turn off the
transponders that broadcast their location, fell from 40 to 16, Kpler
said.
Projectile damages ship in strait causing a casualty
An unidentified projectile damaged the engine room of a ship in the
Strait of Hormuz near Oman and “resulted in a crew casualty," according
to the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center.
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Dark oil residue covers parts of the shoreline at Shib Deraz Beach
on Qeshm Island, Iran, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, amid ongoing wartime
attacks on vessels and infrastructure in and around the Strait of
Hormuz, though the spill’s source has not been independently
determined. (Amirhosein Khorgooei/ISNA)
The maritime monitoring agency did not release any details about the
ship or its cargo, and it was not clear whether the crew member was
killed or wounded.
No environmental damage has been reported and the agency said the Omani
Coast Guard was assisting other crew members and authorities were
investigating.
Iran-backed Houthis claim an attack on a Saudi oil refinery
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they fired drones at an oil
refinery in neighboring Saudi Arabia, the latest attack threatening to
reignite Yemen’s civil war and open another front in the Middle East.
The attack targeted a facility run by Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s
state-owned oil company, according to a report by the Houthi-run SABA
news agency. There were no immediate reports of damage or comment from
Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis have escalated attacks against government forces in Yemen
and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni
government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea, an important
alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel strike on Gaza City kills 6 people
An Israeli strike hit Gaza City on Tuesday, killing six people,
including a child, and wounding 14 others, according to Shifa Hospital,
where the casualties were taken.
The Israeli military said it struck Hamas commanders in the Shati area
who it said were planning to carry out attacks against Israeli forces.
The heaviest fighting has subsided since a ceasefire in the more than
two-year war took hold in October. Israeli forces have carried out
repeated airstrikes since then, killing at least 1,266 Palestinians,
according to health officials in Gaza.
The Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government,
maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable
by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it does not give a
breakdown of civilians and militants.
Missiles fired at the United Arab Emirates
The defense ministry of the United Arab Emirates said two ballistic
missiles were launched from Iran toward the UAE on Tuesday.
One landed outside of the country’s waters, and the other landed within
them, the Emirati Defense Ministry said. It was unclear whether the
missiles were shot down by air defenses or fell. No damage or injuries
were reported.
Iran early Wednesday rejected the UAE’s claims that it launched missiles
toward the country.
In a post on social media, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign
Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, said Dubai’s accusations were “detrimental to
ongoing efforts to strengthen trust among the countries of the region
and prevent a further deterioration of security.” He called on the
nations in the region to not make “baseless accusations” against Iran.
In the weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on
Feb. 28, the UAE was frequently targeted by Iranian missiles and drones,
but Tuesday’s reported attack was the first in weeks.
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