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

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

Military helicopters and personnel operate in a location given as the Arabian Sea in this screengrab obtained from a video released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on July 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

The U.S. military has paused its airstrikes on Iran after nearly two weeks of intensifying bombing, while diplomatic efforts have pushed forward to try to avert a return to all-out war. Regional officials involved in the mediation efforts said that concerted diplomacy was under way and that a pause in U.S. strikes and Iranian counterstrikes on neighbouring countries hosting American forces was a “positive signal that helps their efforts to de-escalate.” 

The U.S. naval blockade against Iran remains in full effect, the U.S. Central Command said early Sunday (July 26, 2026).

Also Read | Pickaxe Mountain | Iran’s natural fortress

Despite the lull in fighting, tensions are high in the region. Yemen’s Houthi rebels said on Saturday (July 25, 2026) that they fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida. The Iran-backed rebels say they have closed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which has become even more vital for Saudi oil exports since the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz.

Watch | Iran is prepared for U.S. ground invasion: Mohammad Marandi

U.S. President Donald Trump both has threatened more strikes and said talks are pressing on, all while brushing off concerns that rising gas prices tied to the fighting could hurt Republicans in November’s midterm elections. Adding to the uncertainty is the impact of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned visit with Mr. Trump next week in Washington. 

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Iran-backed Houthi rebels vowed to retaliate against Saudi Arabia on Saturday (July 25, 2026) after they accused the kingdom of targeting civilian infrastructure, as the West Asia war widens across the region.

Riyadh struck Houthi military targets in Hodeida on Friday (July 24), with rebel media reporting two wounded after the Yemeni group announced a maritime blockade of the top oil producer and hit its ships.

The flare-up marks a new front of the war that has engulfed the region following US-Israeli strikes on Tehran in February, and comes on top of Iran’s parallel blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Riyadh’s only other maritime route.

“The Saudi enemy’s targeting of civilian facilities in Hodeida and Kamaran island constitutes a dangerous escalation,” the Houthis’ Ansarollah media posted on Telegram.

“We affirm that these recent crimes will not go unanswered.”

AFP

The number of tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz fell to just one on Thursday (July 24, 2026), the lowest level since May 7, according ‌to shiptracking data, amid ongoing shipping risks in the West Asia and as ⁠oil prices surged back to $100 a barrel.

Only one tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz on July 23, compared with ‌three the day earlier, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.

Very large crude carrier New ‌Giant, loaded with 2 million barrels of Iraqi ‌Basrah ⁠crude, exited the strait on Thursday ⁠and is due to arrive at China’s Rizhao port by mid-August.- Reuters

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is set to meet with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in Washington today, as pressure builds for Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, Israel’s key condition before withdrawing from south Lebanon.

It comes a day after the United States, which has sponsored negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, announced the start of the implementation of an agreement granting the Lebanese army control over “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon.

These zones are primarily located just outside the lands Israel occupied after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the West Asia war in March.

-AFP

Iran’s army said it struck U.S. military targets in Kuwait and Jordan in response to American attacks, according to a statement carried by the Iranian state broadcaster on Saturday (July 18).

In Kuwait, Iranian forces targeted an ammunition depot at the Al-Adiri camp, the headquarters buildings and ammunition depots at the Ali Al-Salem base and several communication bridges.

In Jordan, fuel tanks at the Al-Azraq base were also targeted, the state broadcaster said on Telegram.

Kuwait’s army wrote on X on Saturday (July 18) that explosions may be heard as a result of “air defence systems intercepting hostile targets”.

Air raid sirens were also sounded in Bahrain, which hosts a major U.S. naval base, according to the country’s interior ministry.- AFP

Smoke rises following a strike at an unknown location during what the U.S. military says is its latest wave of strikes on Iran, hitting “Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defence sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities,” in this still image taken from handout video released July 16, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
U.S. Central Command via Reuters

The United States expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran early on Friday (July 17, 2026) by increasingly hitting bridges, part of President Donald Trump’s threats to start striking infrastructure to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

Also read | Bahrain and Kuwait face Iranian fire as U.S. airstrikes expand to target more bridges

The U.S. military’s Central Command said it hit dozens of targets in its latest airstrikes, which concluded at dawn on Friday (July 17), the sixth night in a row of American attacks.

Also read | Iran slams ‘barbaric’ U.S. attack after hospital evacuated due to nearby strike

Iran also launched new missile attacks against U.S.-allied nations in the West Asia and warned that its attacks would escalate. Iranian state media said the U.S. strikes on Thursday (July 16) hit around Tehran and Semnan province, home to Iran’s ballistic missile production and space program.

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Air defences were heard in parts of Tehran on Thursday morning (July 16, 2026), state media said, and explosions rang out in northern and western parts of the country.

“So far, no casualties have been reported in Tehran by official authorities,” state news agency IRNA reported. 

Explosions were heard in parts of the western Lorestan province and Semnan in the north, IRNA and the Mehr news agency reported.

– 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