Latest war news. The US-Iran truce expires today. WSJ: Tehran has used the agreement to prepare for war

“The number one objective is, and always will be, that Iran must not, under any circumstances, possess a nuclear weapon”: Donald Trump wrote this on Truth on the day the 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran expires.

Il presidente Donald Trump saluta i giornalisti mentre si dirige dal Marine One alla sua limousine al suo arrivo all’Ellisse, proprio davanti alla Casa Bianca, domenica 16 agosto 2026, a Washington. (Foto AP/Jose Luis Magana)

The meeting in Jerusalem between Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s envoy, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has begun. This was reported by the Times of Israel, citing an official familiar with the matter, adding that senior envoys from the Board of Peace, Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair, are also taking part in the talks. The meeting is taking place whilst the Board, backed by the United States, works to advance the 15-point roadmap for implementing Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which Hamas has said it supports, but which Netanyahu has publicly rejected, stating that the organisation must completely disarm before any Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.

Il primo ministro israeliano Benjamin Netanyahu interviene durante una cerimonia per commemorare il 50° anniversario dell’Operazione Entebbe presso la residenza presidenziale a Gerusalemme, il 12 luglio 2026. EPA/ABIR SULTAN

Demand for oil is suffering as a result of high prices and, to some extent, the growing uptake of electric vehicles – particularly in China – which is reducing fuel consumption. However, this is not enough, except to a very limited extent, to offset the prolonged slump in supply. Nor are increases in production in areas not affected by war – particularly in the Americas – sufficient.

With the crisis in the Persian Gulf now dragging on for over five months and the escalation of the Ukrainian offensive against the Russian oil industry – which has also hit exports from Kazakhstan – the outlook for the energy markets is looking increasingly bleak. And it is difficult to see how the market can regain its balance until geopolitical tensions ease.

The “unprecedented measures” that Washington is set to announce this week against Iran, as stated in recent days by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, “will not affect Iran’s position”. This was stated by the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, in response to a question during a press briefing. Baqaei stated that “over the last 50 years, the United States has become trapped in a vicious circle of war, discrimination, sanctions and pressure”.

Talks between Tehran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz are continuing. This was stated by the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, at a press conference reported by Al Jazeera, explaining that discussions on a maritime transit route are continuing against the backdrop of what the Islamic Republic has described as security complexities. “The drafting of the plan for maritime transit routes with Oman has proved to be a lengthy and complex process due to security issues arising from the actions of the United States and the Israeli regime, the number of actors involved, and the obstructionism of destabilising elements,” said Baghaei.

Navi nei pressi dello Stretto di Hormuz, viste da Musandam, in Oman, il 10 agosto 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/Foto d'archivio

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei, stated today that the 60-day timeframe set out in the memorandum of understanding signed last June with the United States has become completely meaningless following Washington’s breaches. “There is no 60-day deadline in the text of the memorandum of understanding, and the Islamic Republic of Iran never formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums or time limits ,” said Baqaei at the press briefing, “all decisions are taken solely on the basis of assessments of national interests and national security. What was provided for in the memorandum was simply a 60-day timeframe for talks on two fronts – the easing of sanctions and the nuclear issue – which could have been extended should no outcome have been reached”.

Suhaib Labad, a 15-year-old Palestinian, described by sources close to Hamas as a member of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades – the military wing of the Islamist movement – is reported to have taken part in fighting against Israeli forces, using an anti-tank weapon against a military vehicle. Following his death, Hamas released a video “in his honour”, presenting him as a “martyr” and constructing a narrative in which Labad is described as a fighter who fell in battle. This case forms part of a wider context characterised by years of military and paramilitary training programmes targeting young people and teenagers in the Gaza Strip.

A delegation of senior US officials is due to visit the village of Qusra in the West Bank, which is under siege by Palestinian settlers, in the coming days to assess the situation first-hand: Channel 12 reports this without specifying whether the ‘senior officials’ in question include Trump’s envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu today. According to reports, the US officials have asked senior Israeli defence officials to join them in the village south of Nablus to explain what is happening there and how they intend to tackle the growing phenomenon of violence by Jewish settlers. Last week, the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, condemned the violent settlers in Qusra, calling them “Israeli terrorists”.

I palestinesi usano i loro telefoni mentre coloni israeliani e militari si trovano davanti a un'abitazione palestinese a Qusra, nella Cisgiordania occupata da Israele, il 15 agosto 2026, in questa immagine tratta da un video. VOBR/via REUTERS

Hamas has informed Jared Kushner that it will only begin implementing the disarmament plan agreed with the Board of Peace if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly commits to accepting it. An Arab diplomat told the Times of Israel this, reporting on the meeting held yesterday in Egypt between US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser and Hamas, as well as the mediators of the agreement for the Gaza Strip. The Israeli newspaper notes that Netanyahu has spoken out publicly against the agreement, arguing that “he is unlikely to change his position before the 27 October elections”. According to information obtained by the American website Axios from a source with direct knowledge of the matter, the 90-minute meeting in Egypt was “very productive” in ensuring that Hamas makes “concrete efforts” to honour its commitments. Kushner landed in Israel last night and is expected to discuss the “corresponding measures” for implementing the plan with Netanyahu today.

Iranian leaders have viewed the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States as an Israeli-American attempt to ease pressure on the global economy and buy time for a larger-scale attack. For this reason, according to Iranian and Arab sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Tehran has spent the last two months preparing for a wider confrontation. The memorandum of understanding signed in June provided for a 60-day period, which expires today, to negotiate a final agreement to end the war.

A senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Yadollah Javani, has stated that Iran’s defensive posture is ready to shift to an offensive posture, warning of “strategic surprises”.

“The enemy must know that it cannot take us by surprise,” said the general in an interview reported by Press TV, “on the contrary, it is the enemy that must expect strategic surprises.” Javani went on to emphasise that the recent decrees appointing Pasdaran commanders, in particular the mandate conferred on the new Commander-in-Chief, General Ahmad Vahidi, are not merely administrative changes, but a sign that Iranian military doctrine is evolving to meet the challenges of war. According to the general, the mandate given to Vahidi has placed the emphasis on “maximum deterrence”, meaning that from now on any defensive action by the armed forces will inherently take on an offensive character in order to proactively neutralise threats.

“I am very pleased to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have recently – and finally – signed the Joint Defence Agreement for Mecca.” Donald Trump wrote this on his social media platform, Truth. ““This shows how the Middle East is coming together and how these countries will finally be able to defend themselves more effectively. Congratulations to the great leadership of the three nations mentioned. IT IS AN IMPORTANT, COURAGEOUS AND SIGNIFICANT FIRST STEP: WOW!”, concluded the US President.

US envoy Jared Kushner is meeting the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, following a series of talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving the US-backed peace plan for Gaza, which Israel has so far rejected. The meeting comes two weeks after Hamas approved the final phase of the plan promoted by Trump, which Netanyahu continues to reject, reiterating that any agreement must ensure the group’s “genuine disarmament”. Hamas has stated that it has asked the mediators and the Trump administration’s so-called Peace Council to “compel” Israel to “approve the roadmap” and “begin setting a timetable for its implementation”. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is among the members of the Peace Council. Qatar and Turkey, key mediators alongside Egypt, also took part.

Jared Kushner, inviato e genero del presidente degli Stati Uniti Donald Trump, incontra il presidente egiziano Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in una località indicata come El-Alamein, in Egitto, in questa foto fornita dall’ufficio stampa e diffusa il 16 agosto 2026. Foto fornita dalla Presidenza egiziana/Foto fornita tramite REUTERS

The US-Iran truce under the Islamabad agreement expires today, and the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz continues. US President Trump, speaking about the strait, has declared: ‘I will declare it US territory.’ Tehran’s response has been harsh: ‘A tweet is not enough’, and the ayatollahs have offered a bounty for anyone who captures or kills American soldiers.