U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and described the Strait of Hormuz as “American territory” amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, Al Jazeera reported.

“They want to make a deal so badly, we don’t even know if we want [a deal] because I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now, it’s an American territory,” Mr. Trump said, as per Al Jazeera.

Earlier, speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for Myrtle Beach, Mr. Trump had claimed that the United States had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz and supported the idea of declaring the strategic waterway a U.S. territory.

-ANI

A U.S. official yesterday reported progress between Iran and Oman that could soon reopen the Strait of Hormuz, potentially ‌restoring oil exports that have been disrupted by the five-month-old U.S. war with Iran.

The U.S. official, who declined to be identified, said Washington anticipated an agreement soon between the two countries, which sit on either side of ⁠the strait, so that normal oil traffic could resume.

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More than 10 civilians, including a 4-year-old child, were injured in Saudi Arabia on Thursday after a series of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, according to the Saudi military.

The attacks, which took place in the southern region of Najran, near the Yemeni border, came hours after the Iran-backed rebels claimed responsibility for another series of strikes in central and eastern Yemen that killed at least 30 government troops and wounded at least 50 others.

A Houthi leader said Saudi-backed troops were targeted in the attacks and that “hundreds” were either killed or injured. The assaults hit camps for forces of the internationally recognised government in the provinces of Marib and Hadramout, the Yemeni officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

– AP

Oil prices slipped on Thursday (August 6, 2026) as investors assessed whether progress in Iran-Oman talks could pave the way for a U.S.-Iran peace deal to end the five-month war and reopen the ‌Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures fell 37 cents, or 0.5%, to $79.08 a barrel by 0024 GMT. U.S. ⁠West Texas Intermediate futures declined 53 cents, or 0.7%, to $74.69 a barrel. Brent settled up slightly on Wednesday, while WTI edged lower.

“Some selling pressure emerged following ‌reports that talks between Iran and Oman are making progress,” said Yuki Takashima, economist at Nomura Securities.

– Reuters

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a U.S. military base in Kuwait.Citing a source familiar with the details, The Jerusalem Post reported that the attack was carried out using at least three drones.

Heavy blasts were also heard in Iraq’s Basra province, which lies adjacent to both Kuwait and Iran, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing reports from Iranian and local Arab media.

Meanwhile, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB cited regional outlets noting that a major blaze erupted in Kuwait this morning.

ANI

U.S. forces carried out strikes against Iran for a fourth day in a row and reimposed a naval blockade to prevent ships from sailing to or from the country’s ports.

While U.S. President Donald Trump backtracked on his threat to heavily tax ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, he warned he would expand U.S. strikes on Iran next week to target power plants and bridges if Tehran does not agree to a deal.

“Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News. “We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes were aimed at “degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the strait, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas where Tehran has repeatedly carried out attacks on civilian vessels.

– AFP

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington today, as the U.S. administration piles pressure on Baghdad to curb Iranian influence.

His visit comes against the backdrop of renewed military escalation between the United States and Iran, Iraq’s main allies.

Washington and Tehran’s enmity has long turned Iraq into a proxy battleground and left successive governments struggling to maintain a delicate balance between the two foes.

Mr. Zaidi arrived in Washington yesterday for his first international visit since assuming office — a week-long trip during which he will meet Mr. Trump, U.S. officials and representatives of oil companies.

– AFP

Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday “until further notice” after firing on a vessel it said was taking an unauthorised route, prompting U.S. retaliatory strikes that further undermine an already shaky ceasefire.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they struck and stopped a vessel ignoring repeated instructions to use an approved shipping corridor, according to a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

“Following this incident… the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and until the end of American interventions in this region and no vessels will be allowed to pass through,” the Guards said.

Although Iran called the strike on the ship “warning shots”, the US military said Tehran “blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

A crew member was missing, and the vessel had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

“In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” it said on X.

-AFP

The U.S. military said on Saturday (June 27, 2026) it had struck 10 targets in Iran at President Donald Trump’s direction, continuing a string of attacks that have shaken the war’s uneasy ceasefire.

U.S. Central Command, in a post to social media, said that U.S. military aircraft targeted Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a merchant vessel early on Saturday morning (June 27, 2026). 

It later specified the strikes involved 10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz.

– AP

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reached Tehran on Saturday (June 6, 2026) to push for peace amidst rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran, according to media reports.

It is Mr. Naqvi’s third visit to Iran in recent weeks, as Pakistan leads a diplomatic push to bring the two sides to the table.

Upon his arrival in Tehran, Mr. Naqvi was received by his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni, Iran’s state-run Press TV reported.

During his visit, Mr. Naqvi will hold talks with various top officials, including Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.

– PTI