Hormuz traffic slows amid uncertainty over waterway, stalled US-Iran talks

Live US-IRAN CONFLICT: WAR AND DIPLOMACY  Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 10:47 AM Iran's parliament speaker arrives in Iraq for talks on regional developments By: Web Desk Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, where he was welcomed by Iraqi officials at Baghdad International Airport, Press TV reported.Ghalibaf…

PoliticsAugust 19, 2026News Info Wire6 min read

Hormuz traffic slows amid uncertainty over waterway, stalled US-Iran talks

Key points

Last month, the French Foreign Ministry said the two French embassy staff members had been detained and physically intimidated by…
Barrot's comments came a day after Iran's Foreign Ministry said two French embassy employees involved in a diplomatic dispute in…
Ghalibaf also stated the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the naval blockade was lifted and sanctions on Iranian…
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are committed to rebuilding the military, revitalising the defence industrial base, so that now and…

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Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 10:47 AM

Iran’s parliament speaker arrives in Iraq for talks on regional developments

By: Web Desk

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, where he was welcomed by Iraqi officials at Baghdad International Airport, Press TV noted.

Ghalibaf travelled from Tehran with a high-level parliamentary delegation for an official visit aimed at discussing regional developments and issues of mutual interest.

During the visit, he is anticipated to hold talks with Iraqi leaders on strengthening strategic cooperation and enhancing relations between Tehran and Baghdad.

Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 10:39 AM

Pentagon says US military ready to defeat ‘any threat’ amid weapon shortage

By: Web Desk

As Washington was focused on regaining weapons stockpiles against the backdrop of the Iran war and expanding America’s arsenal.

“President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and Chairman Caine have all stated clearly, we are ready,” Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey said during an interview with Fox News on “Special Report”.

“The US military can defeat any threat at the time and place of our choosing, and I think that remains true today,” Duffey went on.

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A top Pentagon official said that the US military has the firepower to defeat any threat.

“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are committed to rebuilding the military, revitalising the defence industrial base, so that now and for the future we will have the weapons that we need,” he said.

Duffey said the administration nevertheless wants to accelerate production and build larger reserves.

“We would always like to have more weapons than we have right now, which is why we are so focused on engaging with our industrial partners, entering these deals, and ensuring that we ramp up the production of these key missiles as quickly as possible.”

“We’re making up for lost time. The Biden administration did not deliver. They did not focus on developing the industrial base that we need to ensure that we have munitions for the foreseeable future,” he added.

Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 08:30 AM

Hormuz traffic slows as uncertainty over waterway persists

By: Reuters

As most shipowners avoided the key waterway as of a lack of clear signalling on a reopening.

Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, according to Kpler data as of 0258 GMT on Wednesday, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day daily average of 11.

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Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed on Tuesday, data showed.

Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 08:17 AM

Trump drill cut appeared aimed at pressuring Seoul over Iran, says South Korea minister

By: Reuters

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Wednesday US President Donald Trump’s message ordering the scaling back of joint military drills appeared to include pressure on Seoul to become involved in the Iran war.

Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 04:06 AM

Ghalibaf says US pressure will not force Iran to make concessions

By: Web Desk

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf has rejected the US strategy of increasing pressure on Tehran to secure concessions, saying Washington cannot obtain concessions that were never part of the understanding between the two sides.

In a post on X, Ghalibaf criticised US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying they were “way out of their league”.

He also mocked the US administration as a “clown crew”, saying office-holders should stop waiting for them to “pull a rabbit out of their hat” and resolve a crisis he said Washington had created itself.

Ghalibaf also stated the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the naval blockade was lifted and sanctions on Iranian oil were removed, Iranian assets were released and military operations ceased.

Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 04:04 AM

Iran’s Rezaei dismisses Trump’s claim of US control over Strait of Hormuz

By: Web Desk

Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei has mocked Trump’s declaration of the Strait of Hormuz as a US territory.

Rezaei, Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, wrote on X: “The gap between America’s inability to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and its claim to own it is greater than the 7,000-mile [11,265km] distance between Washington and the Strait itself”.

“Welcome to the post-American order in the Persian Gulf,” he added.

Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 02:47 AM

Iran rejects UAE claim of ballistic missile attacks as ‘baseless’

By: Web Desk

Iran has rejected accusations from the United Arab Emirates that it had launched two ballistic missiles at the country, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei calling the claim “baseless”, Al Jazeera noted, citing a statement.

Baghaei said he “completely rejected” the UAE’s allegation and expressed regret over what he described as accusations against Iran, saying such behaviour “is contrary to the principle of good neighbourliness” and undermines efforts to build trust and prevent escalating insecurity in the region.

“Accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran contradicts the principle of good neighborliness and hinders efforts to build trust among the countries of the region,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry remarked in an official note on its official Telegram channel.

Baghaei called on “all regional parties” to refrain from making unsubstantiated accusations against Iran. “We call on all regional parties to avoid baseless accusations against Iran,” the ministry said.

The spokesperson stated any assessment of the situation must account for what he called the continued “malicious actions” of the United States and Israel against regional peace and security, pointing to what he described as a history of false-flag operations in the region.

Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 02:44 AM

UAE suspends all trade and financial exchanges with Iran

By: Reuters

The United Arab Emirates has suspended all trade activities, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice, the UAE Foreign Ministry said in an official note on Wednesday.

The ministry cited regional escalation that it said had undermined regional and international peace and security.

Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 01:10 AM

Syria says gas export pipeline hit by deliberate sabotage

By: Reuters

An explosion occurred at dawn on Tuesday at a gas export pipeline at the Al-Jabsah gas plant in northeastern Syria, the state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company stated, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.

The firm stated initial investigations indicated that the blast was the result of a “deliberate act of sabotage”.

No injuries were reported among workers, it went on.

Wednesday Aug 19 2026 | 01:01 AM

France hits back at Iran with expulsion of two diplomats

By: Reuters

France will expel two Iranian diplomats over the next few days, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday in a post on X.

Barrot’s comments came a day after Iran’s Foreign Ministry said two French embassy employees involved in a diplomatic dispute in Tehran in July would not be allowed to return to Iran.

Last month, the French Foreign Ministry said the two French embassy staff members had been detained and physically intimidated by Iranian security services in Tehran.

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