Latest news on the war. Bessent: ‘Anyone who facilitates money laundering for Iran will be excluded from the dollar system’

The United Nations has today offered to facilitate the trade in fertilisers, which has been severely disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the war with Iran. “The aim is simple: to reduce immediate risks, support a more orderly and reliable passage, and help rebuild the trust necessary for diplomacy and de-escalation,” said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, emphasising that the UN “would not authorise passage” through the strait or “alter the rights or obligations” of states as set out under international law, but would act as a “neutral facilitator”, recording and verifying the passage of ships carrying fertilisers. “Obviously, this can only be done if all the countries involved in this conflict accept this mechanism,” he added, explaining that the coordination of this mechanism would be entrusted to Oman.

The new secondary sanctions announced by the United States against Iran will target “five of the key vital resources that Tehran exploits in other countries: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and maritime transport”. This was stated by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as he outlined the Trump administration’s new economic offensive against the Islamic Republic. “The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is also imposing sanctions on more than 60 entities, individuals and vessels worldwide that enable the Iranian regime to illegally procure nuclear and missile technology, conduct cyber operations and generate oil revenues,” said Bessent “This is a sustained campaign aimed at eliminating every last option available to Iran.” “There must be no ambiguity regarding the United States’ position: any form of economic relationship with this murderous regime will expose those responsible to the full force of American power,” he added.

“No one is above US secondary sanctions” against Iran. This was stated by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in response to a question about the implications of secondary sanctions against China. “Anyone who facilitates transactions” with Iran “will be targeted”, he added.

The US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, has announced sanctions against “60 entities, individuals and vessels worldwide that are helping the Iranian regime to unlawfully acquire nuclear and missile technology, carry out cyber-attacks and generate revenue from oil”. According to Bessent, there are five key sources of support for Iran: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated this evening in an interview with Channel 14 that Iran had attempted to kill one of his sons. “Iran targeted one of my sons; it tried to kill him. Therefore, their security measures are not a luxury; without them, they might have succeeded. ‘We must remain vigilant even during an election campaign,’ said Netanyahu. The Israeli media report that this information had been under a publication ban for months.

Donald Trump spoke last week with the head of the Pakistani army, Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose country is mediating with Iran: a source close to the talks told AFP today. This conversation took place before the influential field marshal travelled to Iran today and whilst the US president maintains that all communications with Tehran have been cut off. Pakistan played a very active mediating role in the drafting of a memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June, intended to end the conflict but which quickly fell through. Washington is also expected to unveil a new economic offensive against Iran and its trading partners today.

“For four years we’ve achieved great things together with Netanyahu... it hurts me that there are probably times when they don’t want to be photographed with me”. This was stated by far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir to Ynet after the Prime Minister chose to record a video on his own, without Ministers Ben Gvir and Amichai Eliyahu, to comment on the discovery, at a depth of 500 metres, of the Altalena, a ship carrying weapons to the Irgun which was bombed by the newly formed IDF in 1948. Following the Prime Minister’s statement, Ben Gvir (wearing a lapel pin featuring a noose) and Eliyahu were able to hold their press conference, half an hour later than scheduled precisely because Netanyahu “did not want a photo with Ben Gvir during the event”. Ben Gvir’s entourage described the incident as “an embarrassing affair” and commented on the Prime Minister’s behaviour, arguing that “this demonstrates his intention to side with Eisenkot”. They then added: “Ben Gvir has been useful to Netanyahu for four years, and now, of all times, to resort to boycotts and even avoid being photographed with him?”

Il primo ministro israeliano Benjamin Netanyahu esprime il proprio voto alle primarie del suo partito, il Likud, in vista delle elezioni generali israeliane di ottobre, a Gerusalemme, lunedì 17 agosto 2026. (Foto AP/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool)

Iran will carry out “heavy attacks on energy ‘chokepoints’ and the vital interests of the United States” should Iranian infrastructure be attacked. This is the warning issued by Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guards, as quoted by the state broadcaster IRIB, who stated that “contrary to the enemy’s perception that the Iranian army has limited reserves, the production of our smart and guided missiles continues”.

“We hope that diverse and practical solutions will be found to ensure that fundamental rights are respected.” So said Father Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, in response to a question about the situation in Taybeh, the only Christian village in the West Bank. “I believe the answer is quite obvious,” he said at a press conference at the Rimini Meeting, “I do not believe that (the closure of the village, ed.) is the only way forward. Every day we face new challenges and also new forms of suffering, which are truly profound. I say this sincerely: when these communities – and not just the Christian ones, because this is a struggle that does not concern only the Christian community – are affected, the pain one feels, the sense of powerlessness and the cry for justice that wells up inside are truly very strong, very great. “We must find realistic, concrete solutions,” he added, “but also effective ones, so that the fundamental rights of every person and every people are respected.” “We are facing a particularly tense, particularly sensitive historical moment,” he concluded, “where every word, every sentence, every expression can be interpreted or exploited, but we cannot turn a blind eye.”

The Israeli air force has carried out strikes against the Al-Shati refugee camp, in the north of the Gaza Strip. According to Al Jazeera, there have been casualties. The attacks followed strikes in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City targeting a mosque and a water desalination plant.

Houthi forces have claimed to have struck a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea with a ballistic missile, according to a statement issued by the Yemeni rebels themselves. “The attack was precise and direct, causing a fire on board the vessel and forcing several other ships in the target area to flee,” reads the statement, which specifies that this attack forms part of the enforcement of the maritime navigation ban “against the Saudi enemy”. The Houthi claim came after the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had stated that an oil tanker struck by an “unknown projectile” had caught fire off the Saudi coast in the Red Sea. “The company’s security officer reported that an oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile, causing a fire on board the vessel on the main deck”, the statement read, adding that “the entire crew is safe” and that no environmental impact had been reported as a result of the attack. According to the UKMTO statement, the incident took place 63 nautical miles west of the Saudi city of Yanbu. The Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers come against the backdrop of hostilities between the two rivals, which erupted in July after the rebels – supported and armed by Iran – welcomed an Iranian aircraft to the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, triggering a series of retaliatory strikes. As well as striking several oil tankers in the Red Sea – a route that Riyadh uses as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz to export its hydrocarbons – the Houthis have also repeatedly targeted Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and airports.

A Palestinian girl, Amal Nash’at Abu Khater, has died a short while ago from serious injuries sustained after being hit today by gunfire from Israeli forces in the centre of Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Medical sources quoted by Wafa report that four Palestinians have been killed by IDF fire in various areas of the Gaza Strip since this morning. The IDF today claimed responsibility for the killing of two Hamas militants in Deir el Balah, in the centre of the Strip. Regarding the shots that struck the young girl Amal Nash’at Abu Khater, the IDF spokesperson stated that they were verifying the reports.

Le foto scattate a ridosso del valico di Kerem Shalom, al confine con la Striscia, sono di una nuova base logistica legata al piano di Trump per Gaza.La struttura, denominata LSA Endurance - Logistics Support Area è destinata a diventare il cuore operativo della Forza internazionale di stabilizzazione (Isf) prevista dal piano Usa. Karem Shalom, 24/08/2026, ANSA/NIZZA

The windfall profits generated in Europe in the first half of 2026 by eight major oil companies (Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, Eni, Orlen, Repsol, OMV, Moeve) in the first half of 2026 following the outbreak of the conflict between the United States and Iran on 28 February 2026. Globally, windfall profits amounted to approximately 17.9 billion (3.7 billion euros in the first quarter and 14.2 billion in the second). This figure was calculated in a study by T&E (Transport & Environment), the European Federation for Transport and the Environment, which brings together non-governmental organisations promoting sustainable transport. The windfall profits attributable to the EU-27 – 7.495 billion – account for 42 per cent of the global total (just under 18 billion). Of this, 1.6 billion was generated in the first quarter (which included only one month of the war) and 5.9 billion in the second quarter (the first to be entirely during the war), according to the study’s calculations.

Iran has threatened to fine or seize dozens of ships in the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the economic sanctions announced by the United States against Tehran. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, established by Iran, stated on X that 46 vessels had breached “Iranian protocols” for transit through the waterway, and added that the vessels – which include ships owned by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Sinokor – “will face restrictions on future transits, including fines, detention or confiscation”. These threats are merely the latest chapter in the standoff over control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passed prior to the conflict between the US and Iran. Negotiations over its management have been at a standstill for weeks and, following the breakdown of the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, traffic in the waterway has fallen to its lowest levels since the start of the conflict (there were just 16 transits in the past week, according to the analysis firm Windword). Now this further source of tension, coming on top of the attacks suffered by some vessels, is likely to make shipping operators more reluctant to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Most of the ships threatened by Tehran are oil tankers, tankers carrying petroleum products and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers engaged in so-called ‘shuttle services’, which have been increasingly used by Gulf countries in recent weeks to transport oil. Many are owned by ADNOC or Sinokor, a South Korean shipping company that purchased oil tankers worth $5.9 billion just before the outbreak of the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.

The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for an attack on a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of Yanbu, a strategic Saudi port on the Red Sea, as part of the blockade they had announced against the Saudi fleet. The attack, carried out with ‘a ballistic missile’, ‘caused a fire on board the ship and forced several other vessels in the targeted area to move away’, said the Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, in a statement.

“Iran is completely collapsing.” Donald Trump made this statement on his social media platform Truth ahead of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s eagerly awaited press conference to outline Iran’s economic “D-Day”. According to reports, Bessent is expected to announce an expansion of the scope of secondary sanctions against countries and entities that do business with Iran.

The governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Abdolnaser Hemmati, has stated that the depreciation of the national currency against foreign currencies is “temporary”. Rises in foreign exchange rates “are temporary, that is to say, subject to fluctuations”, Hemmati said in a video broadcast on state television. “These (economic) shocks that are being created are essentially attributable to American political propaganda,” he added, expressing his certainty that “the situation will improve and the problems will be resolved”.

His comments come as the rial was trading at over 2 million to one US dollar on the black market today, according to websites that monitor such exchange rates, and ahead of Washington’s detailed announcement of an economic pressure campaign against Iran, expected later today. Officially, Iran applies fixed exchange rates, but online sources are generally used as a reference for unofficial rates. Shortly before the war in the Middle East, triggered by an Israeli-American offensive against Tehran on 28 February, one US dollar was trading at 1.65 million rials.

- “Make America Hungry Again”. The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and Tehran’s chief negotiator in the talks with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted an image on X – the caption of which pokes fun at Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” - featuring some statistics on malnutrition and food insecurity in the US, in what appears to be an indirect response to a Newsmax article reposted by Donald Trump on Truth Social. The article’s headline attributed the following words to Ghalibaf himself: “We are hungry; we cannot survive”. According to the figures shown in the image posted by Ghalibaf, 47 million Americans go hungry every day and one in eight US citizens faces food insecurity. “These figures are not as false as your words. You cannot hide your defeats with lies,” reads the post by the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament. Ghalibaf had already attacked Trump in recent weeks on the same issue, accusing Washington of portraying Iran as a starving country despite tens of millions of Americans relying on food aid programmes.

Iran has rejected the US threat of an ‘economic D-Day’, describing it as an ‘admission of defeat’ on the part of the United States, which is expected to set out the details of this campaign later today, almost six months after the start of the war in the Middle East. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced in an opinion piece published in the Financial Times that today would be an ‘economic D-Day’, a reference to the Allied landings in France in 1944, aimed at severing Iran’s last ‘lifelines’. He also stated on X that the United States had “dismantled Iran’s military capabilities, destroyed almost 100 per cent of its military factories and put an end to its nuclear programme”.

“His argument doesn’t hold water,” replied Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, asking why, if Washington had achieved those objectives, it would have been necessary to carry out “the greatest financial invasion in history” and mobilise “all the institutions and powers” of the United States.

The Israeli army has stepped up its artillery bombardments and air strikes against towns and villages in southern Lebanon, hitting homes and civilian infrastructure. This was reported by a military source in Beirut.

“The Israeli army has stepped up its attacks in southern Lebanon. Heavy artillery shelling has hit Mansouri, Meiss El Jabal, the outskirts of Aadchit El Qsair, Majdal Zoun, Srebbine, the outskirts of Baraachit, Beit Yahoun, as well as Ali Al Taher Hill, Ed Debch and Qantara,” the source said.

US President Donald Trump spoke with the head of the Pakistani army, Asim Munir, last week, ahead of Munir’s trip to Tehran today, according to three Pakistani sources, one of whom stated that the US’s main request was for Pakistan to use its influence to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.

According to Reuters, last week’s phone call – which had not been reported until now – was reportedly initiated by Trump, according to two Pakistani sources.

The United States has cancelled a major joint amphibious landing exercise with South Korea, scheduled for next month, due to reduced troop availability linked to the war with Iran. Seoul made the announcement, adding that the two countries are nevertheless considering the possibility of rescheduling the ‘Ssangyong’ exercise. This is a biennial exercise involving South Korean and US Marines, aimed at strengthening their ability to conduct joint operations. The manoeuvres normally involve the deployment of warships, aircraft and ground forces engaged in simulated amphibious landings. “The US Marine Corps officially informed us in June that its ability to deploy forces for this year’s ‘Ssangyong’ exercise would be limited due to the situation in the Middle East,” said South Korean Marine Corps spokesman Han Seung-jeon, said during a press briefing. The cancellation comes just days after US President Donald Trump’s decision to reduce the duration of the annual ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield’ exercises between the United States and South Korea from 11 to five days. Trump justified the decision on the grounds of the high costs of the manoeuvres, describing them as an “inappropriate and hostile” signal towards North Korea. The decision is part of Trump’s attempt to reopen dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with whom the US president held three meetings during his first term. “It is important to get on well” with Kim, Trump said last week, emphasising that Pyongyang possesses 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons. According to Seoul’s estimates, however, North Korea’s arsenal is believed to contain between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has warned that there will be “consequences” for countries that join the US campaign of economic pressure against the Islamic Republic. “The necessary warnings have certainly been issued, because any complicity with America in carrying out its aggressive actions against Iran will undoubtedly have consequences,” said ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai during the weekly press conference, ahead of the announcement expected today in Washington of new measures to isolate the Iranian economy.

Iran has not received any official invitation to join the trilateral defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, known as the Mecca Agreement. This was stated by the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, in response to questions about the possibility of an offer being made to Tehran. “We have not received any official invitation in this regard,” Baghaei clarified, as quoted by the official IRNA news agency. The spokesperson added that the proposals put forward by countries in the region were aimed solely at “dialogue and consultation” with Iran on matters relating to collective security.

Military officials from Uganda and Burundi travelled to Israel last week to discuss the deployment of troops to Gaza as part of an international security force envisaged by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. An official from the Board of Peace told the Associated Press that the Ugandan officials had joined a Burundian military delegation and that Uganda is finalising the details of its participation after parliament approved the deployment of troops earlier this month. “We have shared significant information amongst ourselves, and the Burundian representatives have expressed an interest in our mission,” the official said. A Burundian military officer told the AP that three other senior military officers had led the delegation to Israel and that Burundi appeared keen to join. A Ugandan military officer familiar with the forthcoming deployment said that troops are being selected to be sent to Gaza.

“Nobody has a crystal ball, but it seems to me” that the risk of stagflation linked to the war in the Middle East and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz “is rather remote”.

ATUF (Jordan Valley) – The new wall does not yet exist. But it can already be felt. In Atuf, as in so many places in the Jordan Valley, people have learnt to imagine the future imposed on them by ‘others’. Everyone admits it will happen. They promise to resist, even in the most isolated villages. They wouldn’t know where to go. But they know that this time, many will abandon the lands their families have inhabited for generations. Life, in this part of the West Bank, is already very difficult. Once the “Scarlet Line” is built, it will become unbearable.

Under the resigned gaze of Palestinian farmers, Israeli bulldozers began digging a few weeks ago. From these trenches will rise the security road that will wind its way along the 22 km of the new barrier designed to cut across the northern part of the Jordan Valley. The Israelis have called it ‘Scarlet Thread’ (Ḥut HaShani). For now, only trenches cut into the dark soil, one of the most fertile in the West Bank. Yet the Palestinian communities living in this area are already feeling the effects: the expropriation of thousands of hectares of pastureland and farmland, the destruction of irrigation water pipes, and the confiscation of tractors and cars.

Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr Albusaidi, will be in Tehran tomorrow to meet with a number of Iranian officials. This was reported by the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Ministry in a statement released by the IRNA news agency.

The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baghaei, stated that Albusaidi will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues. He added that the visit forms part of the ongoing political dialogue between the two countries, which share responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have now reached the decisive stage. This is economic D-Day, the largest financial offensive ever launched against an adversary” – Iran. This is according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking to the Financial Times. “Countries that believe a policy of appeasement towards the regime is the safer option should reconsider their position,” said Bessent, adding that “for those who choose to tie their fate to that of Tehran, the alternative is the closure of all paths to lasting prosperity. Becoming a haven for terrorism means becoming a global pariah.”

Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton are among a group of stars from the Marvel universe who have called for the release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, who has been held in an Israeli prison since 2002.

More than 20 actors – including many British actors – from famous film franchises based on comic books, such as the X-Men and the Avengers, have signed a petition calling on the UN and governments around the world to put pressure on the State of Israel to secure their release.

Fewer than 20 merchant ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, due to the blockades imposed by Iran and the United States, which continue to restrict traffic through this strategic chokepoint for energy shipments. The shipping data was published on Monday by the vessel-tracking service Kpler, showing that four vessels passed through the strait on Sunday, compared with 13 on Saturday. The figures may rise as some vessels switched off their transponders whilst passing through the strait.

“We are warning Hamas that if the attacks on Israel do not cease immediately, the Israeli army will step up its operations against those responsible.” This was stated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who added that Israel will order the forced evacuation of Palestinians from areas of the Gaza Strip used to “launch drones, balloons and kites”. As stated in a joint statement issued by Netanyahu’s office and Defence Minister Israel Katz, the Israeli Prime Minister added that the Gaza Strip will not return to the situation that existed prior to 7 October 2023, and relations between Israel and the Palestinian enclave can never again be as they were before the Hamas attack. Netanyahu and Katz carried out an assessment of the threat posed by the launching of drones, balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. The discussion was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the head of military intelligence and senior IDF officers.

According to reports by the Syrian television channel “Alikhberiya”, Israeli forces equipped with military vehicles are said to have advanced into the village of Maariya, in the Daraa countryside in southern Syria.