Live: Trump posts map labelling Strait of Hormuz as 'new US territory'
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The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received a report on Tuesday that a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while it was transiting in the Strait of Hormuz.
The hit resulted in damage to the engine room as well as crew casualty. Remaining crew are being assisted by the Omani Coast Guard, UKMTO added.
Yemen’s armed forces announced that they carried out 133 military operations against Houthis over the past day.
In a post on X, spokesperson Majed al-Nuzaili said that troops used rocket artillery, field artillery and drone aviation to target Houthi what he called "sources of threat".
"The operation was carried out with the participation of army units stationed along front-line positions," he added.
An Iranian military official has warned that shipping companies involved in "meeting US military needs" against the country will face consequences, Nournews reported.
"Iran is closely monitoring the commercial and maritime network supporting US operations, and any company, ship owner, or service provider that knowingly plays a role in meeting US military needs against Iran will face legal, economic, and counter-sanctioned consequences," the Iranian news outlet cited the official as saying.
The official said the transport of fuel, ammunition, equipment, food, and other items needed by US troops will not be seen by Tehran as "merely a commercial activity", but it would be viewed as supporting Washington in its war on Iran.
Maersk, Schuyler Line Navigation, Crowley Government Services, Overseas Shipholding Group, Seabulk Tankers and Patriot Contract Services were named by the official as some of the companies being examined by Iran for their connection to the US.
"War is not only costly on the battlefield... Those who, knowing the nature of the mission, provide the commercial and logistical infrastructure for military operations against Iran cannot expect their role to remain hidden from Iran," the military source said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner that the army will continue targeted killings in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli channel Channel 15.
Kushner opposed the continuation of Israeli assassination operations in the besieged enclave, one source was cited as saying.
"There was no agreement between Netanyahu and Kushner on the continuation of the assassination operations," the source said. "Netanyahu made clear that he will continue the assassinations, while Kushner expressed his opposition to them."
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that "nothing justifies the reckless attack" that targeted the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister's office overnight.
"Kurdish friends should be vigilant against false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbors," he said in a post on X.
"We protected our Kurdish friends against Saddam and DAESH, and we're thankful for security they've provided on our border."
Nothing justifies the reckless attack on PM Barzani's office. Kurdish friends should be vigilant against false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbors.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) August 17, 2026
We protected our Kurdish friends against Saddam and DAESH, and we're thankful for security they've provided on our border.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Mecca Agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is also open to other countries such as Egypt.
Erdogan made the comments during an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic's Al Muqabala aired on Sunday after he was asked about whether other countries in the region could join the recently signed agreement.
Erdogan said "the doors will be open to Egypt", seemingly debunking reports that it had been been excluded from the trilateral agreement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Mecca Agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is also open to other countries such as Egypt. pic.twitter.com/aOuvpXECJE
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) August 17, 2026
A woman and a child have been injured after the Houthis shelled southwestern Yemen’s Al-Dhale governorate, according to Yemen’s state-run Saba News Agency.
The report quoted local sources as saying that the targeted area was residential, adding that Houthi attacks have intensified in the Hajar and Murais districts of the country.
Two young Palestinian men sustained injuries on Monday night after being assaulted by Israeli settlers in the town of Beita, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news reported, citing local sources.
Both men were subsequently taken to a hospital for medical treatment, the sources added.
Meanwhile, Wafa also reported that Israeli settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, set fire to Palestinian-owned agricultural lands in the town of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held a call with US President Donald Trump to urge the US to continue talks with Iran and de-escalate tensions, offering Ankara's support in peace efforts, according to the Turkish presidency.
In a statement, the presidency said Erdogan and Trump also discussed the war in Gaza, a defence pact signed between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, and bilateral ties, adding that Erdogan told Trump that Israel's attacks on Palestinians in Gaza had increased during the second phase of Trump's peace plan.
Neil Hope, the Chargé d’Affaires of the US embassy in Yemen, signalled his support for the Saudi-backed Yemeni government’s fight against the Houthis in a meeting with the vice president of the Presidential Leadership Council, Abdulrahman al-Mahrami, in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on Monday.
Hope condemned what he described as “deliberate attacks targeting Yemeni civilians” and said that al-Mahrami leads “one of the most effective forces in the fight for freedom against Iranian hegemony through its proxies in Yemen”.
Israeli forces conducted a raid on the premises of the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation Hospital on Monday, inciting panic among patients and visitors and physically assaulting individuals within the facility's courtyard, Wafa news reported, citing local sources.
In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned the raid, emphasising that it constitutes a violation of international law and directly compromises the integrity of health services and patients' fundamental right to receive care in a safe environment.
Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to discuss the drone strikes on the Kurdistan prime minister's office in Erbil.
According to a statement from Iraq’s Foreign Ministry, Hussein asked for clarification of Iran’s official position on the attack on the residence and personal office of Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, saying the attack “will have negative repercussions on Iraq’s security and the stability of the region”.
Araghchi “expressed his surprise at the occurrence of such an attack, explaining that he does not have information that the attacks were launched from Iranian territory”, stressing “there is no justification for such actions, in light of the positive and strong relations between the Iranian government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, especially with the two main parties in the region”.
This comes after Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the drone attack on Barzani’s residence, calling it “a highly suspicious development that requires a vigilant and precise response”.
The president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, hosted a meeting with Oman’s Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq, in Abu Dhabi to discuss “developments in regional and international affairs”, according to a post from the Royal Oman Family on X.
This comes after US President Donald Trump repeated his threats to bomb Oman, as it finalises a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
📹 جلالةُ السُّلطان المُعظّم /حفظهُ اللهُ ورعاهُ/ يقوم بزيارةٍ أخويّةٍ خاصّة إلى دولة #الإمارات العربية المتحدة الشقيقة، التقى خلالها بأخيه صاحب السمو الشيخ #محمد_بن_زايد آل نهيان رئيس الدولة. https://t.co/bSO16pxW8V pic.twitter.com/w2bMRyRl34
— Royal Oman Family (@RoyalOmanFamily) August 17, 2026
US Central Command (Centcom) said on Monday that the US Navy has redirected 64 commercial ships during its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since mid-July, two more than in its last announcement on Friday.
It added that three vessels have been disabled and two were boarded “to ensure compliance”.
A U.S. Navy MH-60 Sea Hawk hovers over the flight deck of USS Mason (DDG 87) as the ship enforces America's 🇺🇸steel wall blockade against Iran. As of Aug. 17, CENTCOM forces have redirected 64 commercial vessels, disabled 3, and boarded 2 to ensure compliance. pic.twitter.com/6DRDqmX3v3
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 17, 2026
US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and Gaza envoy Jared Kushner said on Monday that he had a "very cordial" meeting with Hamas and that getting the group to disarm and move forward with Trump's peace plan could materialise in about a month.
“Our meeting with Hamas was very cordial, and they said all the right things, so we’re going to give them a chance to prove it,” Kushner said, adding that “it will depend on Hamas’ actions and practical steps and I hope they are sincere in that”.
"We could be seeing progress... in as little as 30 days, hopefully starting to take some of the weapons out, and hopefully, you know, filling in some of the tunnels as well," Kushner told Fox News while in Tel Aviv.
"If Hamas voluntarily surrenders its weapons and tunnels within the next 60 to 90 days, it will mean the removal of a major security threat, an almost unimaginable achievement," he said.
However, he added that Trump's "Board of Peace" will "not restrict Israel’s right to defend itself if there are any imminent threats".
Kushner said if Hamas doesn’t fulfil its commitments now, "everyone will see that it’s not serious about peace, and then Israel will have much greater support from the United States and other countries to move forward and finish the job properly".
