War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Friday a drone strike on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier that caused minor damage but no casualties, according to AFP.

“UKMTO has received reports from Military Authorities that a tanker was struck by a Uncrewed Ariel Vehicle (UAV) whilst conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel was subject to minor damage, crew are reported as safe and accounted for and no environmental impact has been reported,” it said in a statement.

In a meeting with US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has underscored that the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding “is the only way forward”, the Foreign Office (FO) says.

In a post on X, the FO says the discussions centered on Pakistan-US bilateral cooperation and recent regional developments.

“DPM/FM appreciated the positive trajectory in Pakistan-US relations and underscored the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for lasting peace,” the FO said.

He emphasised that “the implementation of the Islamabad MoU … in letter and spirit is the only way forward”, it said, adding the deputy PM reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and security while safeguarding its national interests.

Baker appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability and conveyed felicitations to the deputy PM on Pakistan’s Independence Day, the statement said.

At least four Asian refiners bought US crude this week, as the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed and refiners sought alternative supplies for delivery later this year, traders said, according to Reuters.

South Korea’s GS Caltex bought two million barrels of Mars crude from Shell for November arrival. The crude was priced at a premium around $13-14 per barrel above the October Dubai benchmark, traders said.

Japan’s third-largest oil refiner, Cosmo Energy Holdings, bought Mars crude from Trafigura, while Eneos Corp, Japan’s biggest refiner, purchased 2m barrels of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude from Trafigura for November delivery with a premium over $10 per barrel above the October WTI price.

Taiwan’s state-owned CPC Corp bought 2m barrels of WTI via a tender at a premium of around $8 to $9 a barrel to Dated Brent. CPC also purchased crude from West Africa via the tender, the people said.

China will lower domestic retail price caps on gasoline and diesel from August 15, the fifth cut this year, Reuters reports, citing the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Retail ceiling prices for gasoline and diesel will fall by 230 yuan ($34.11) and 220 yuan per metric ton, respectively, the NDRC said.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi has condemned the Iranian attack on the two tankers belonging to the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) national oil company in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on X, he stressed that “repeated targeting of shipping facilities and property constitutes unacceptable escalation and a serious violation of international law”.

Israel continues to carry out strikes across southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

The US said that keeping oil and gas prices low for Americans is its top priority in the war, ahead of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to Anadolu.

“I know that oil is down today and it’s way down from the highs in the early days of the conflict,” Vice President JD Vance said on Fox News.

“That’s goal number one — keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country,” Vance said.

“And then obviously goal number two is to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with his Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis, IRNA reports.

The two exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with his Australian counterpart, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, IRNA reports.

The two exchanged views on the latest developments and issues of bilateral, regional and international significance.

According to NBC News, US military leaders are privately raising concerns inside the Pentagon and the White House about low morale and widespread fatigue among American service members who’ve been deployed for months to support the war with Iran, according to two US officials.

Amid the concerns, the Pentagon plans to replace one of two aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East — the USS Abraham Lincoln — according to a third US official.

Shipping traffic at the Strait of Hormuz fell below the month average towards the end of the week due to volatile sentiment between the United States and Iran, with both countries making competing claims over its control, Reuters reports.

A total of nine vessels transited the strait on Thursday, up from five the previous day, according to Kpler data.

The nine vessels included five entries heading into the Gulf and four exits into the Gulf of Oman, mostly via the Iranian shipping route. Shipping risk persisted.

The US has received several warnings from Israel over the past year that Iran intended to assassinate President Donald Trump, including before a secret Air Force One ruse in Turkiye, that US intelligence officials could not independently verify, according to a current US official and two former officials, Reuters reports.

The warnings, passed to US intelligence agencies and in some cases relayed directly by Israeli officials to senior White House officials, included possible plots to shoot Trump with a sniper or recruit someone to attack him with a knife at a large public event, the sources said.

The tips began in the lead-up to the 12-day war in June 2025 and intensified prior to the US decision to go to war in Iran in February, the sources said.

Drones were intercepted over Erbil in northern Iraq early Friday, with wreckage falling on a residential complex near Erbil International Airport, according to Al Jazeera.

The Qatari-based broadcaster, citing Iraqi security sources, said no casualties were reported after the wreckage fell near the airport, which serves the regional capital.

Local media reports said the incident involved a drone attack targeting a US base near Erbil airport.

Oil prices inch higher after the US threatened to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, reviving crude supply concerns, after prices fell in the previous session on a weaker global demand outlook, according to Reuters.

Brent futures rose 9 cents, or 0.1 per cent, to $87.16 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 4 cents to $81.29 a barrel.

The two benchmarks fell more than 2pc in the prior session, paring gains after a six-session rally for Brent and a five-session rise for WTI, but were on track for weekly rises of around 4pc.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to subject Iran to economic isolation “like the world has never seen before,” adding that new measures are expected next week, AFP reports.

“It will be a combination of economic isolation, like the world has never seen before,” Bessent told conservative television network Newsmax, adding that “the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz … will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports.”

“Watch this space for more announcements coming next week,” he said.

The United Arab Emirates has condemned Iran, saying it had attacked two vessels linked to state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) while they passed through the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced the hostile Iranian attack that targeted two vessels affiliated with Adnoc as they transited the Strait of Hormuz, with no injuries reported,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have reportedly targeted the Bab al-Mandeb strait in the western part of the country with two missiles, Al Jazeera reports citing the Saba news agency, which cited a local source.

The US military has enough assets to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, adding ships could be rotated in and out of the region as needed, reports Reuters.

Hegseth’s comments suggest he is advising US President Donald Trump that the US military can keep applying economic pressure on Iran for as long as needed to help so-far failed negotiations to end the conflict, begun in February.

“Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we’ll continue to,” Hegseth told reporters.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday claimed a drone attack on an Aramco refinery in southern Saudi Arabia, the group’s affiliated news agency Saba reported, according to AFP.

“A military source confirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted an Aramco refinery in the Jizan region using two drones, achieving a precise hit by the grace of God,” Saba reported, referring to Houthi forces.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth says reports about poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier are “completely misrepresented”, Reuters reports.

“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment. Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody. What they do in those high seas in those austere conditions with less port calls — it’s incredible,” he tells reporters during a visit to Panama.

The US is preparing to deploy another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln already in theatre as part of a prior rotation plan, The Wall Street Journal reports citing officials familiar with the matter.

WSJ notes that the Abraham Lincoln has undergone an extended deployment with few port calls.

According to Al Jazeera, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claims that the US military can maintain a blockade on Iranian ports for as long as needed.

“Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we’ll continue to,” Hegseth tells reporters.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed a drone attack on an Aramco refinery in southern Saudi Arabia, AFP reports citing the group’s affiliated news agency Saba.

“A military source confirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted an Aramco refinery in the Jizan region using two drones, achieving a precise hit by the grace of God,” Saba reports, referring to Houthi forces.

Iran has warned of environmental degradation in the Strait of Hormuz after an oil spill reached Qeshm island, calling for compensation from those responsible, AFP reports.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei says the slick has “degraded the waters” of the Gulf and Sea of Oman, claiming “preliminary evidence indicates a foreign bulk carrier as the source”.

Baqaei writes on X that such spills have in “recent decades imposed trillions of dollars in damage on Iran’s coastal areas”, calling for compensation.
“Every party that benefits from commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz carries both a legal and a moral obligation to remediate the environmental harm inflicted,” he adds.