Middle EastLiveUS vows ‘toughest sanctions in history’ on Iran, urges China to cooperate

For context, the Iran war continues to evolve against the backdrop of a growing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, with Washington and Tehran offering sharply different accounts of the waterway's status and the prospects for negotiations.

Key points

• The US Treasury Department remarked Hezbollah operates in "service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, " particularly the elite Quds Force.
• Iran War: Macron to host Saudi Crown Prince for discussions on Middle East stability.
• Bacon remarked President Donald Trump's objectives were to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remained open.
• The USS George Washington has arrived in the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln.
• Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree remarked the strikes were rolled out in response to what the group described as Saudi drone violations of Yemeni airspace over Saada province.

US lawmaker urges strikes on IRGC, economic pressure on Iran.

US Representative Don Bacon on Thursday pressed military strikes against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and stronger economic pressure on Tehran, saying the preferred outcome of the war would be for Iranians to "get their country back."

"Until then, we should strike at the heart of the IRGC and choke their economy to death to destabilize the regime, " Bacon wrote on X.

He described Iranians as "the most pro-American people in the Muslim world" and remarked they were seeking freedom.

US vows 'toughest sanctions in history' on Iran, urges China to cooperate.

As Beijing stated sanctions would not support resolve the conflict, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday remarked Washington would impose what he called the "toughest sanctions in history" on Iran and called on China to cooperate with the US.

Bessent remarked he would hold a press conference on Monday to provide details of the measures.

"It is a one-two punch. We have the blockade (on Iran), and we are going to have the toughest sanctions in history, " Bessent informed CNBC. "It ⁠is ⁠going to work in Iran and we are going to collapse this regime."

His remarks came a day after President Donald Trump cautioned of economic consequences for countries providing "any type of lifeline to Iran" as Washington seeks to end the war with Iran. It began alongside Israel almost six months ago. Houthis claim drone strikes on Saudi airport, Aramco facilities.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on Thursday asserted they carried out two drone attacks targeting a site at Saudi Arabia's Najran airport and facilities belonging to oil giant Aramco, the Houthi-run Saba news agency noted.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the documented attacks or their impact. US tightens Hezbollah sanctions, notes group operates under Iran's command.

In practice, the United States confirmed fresh sanctions targeting an alleged Hezbollah financing network and revised its designation of the Lebanese militant group to emphasise its ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department remarked Hezbollah operates in "service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, " particularly the elite Quds Force.

In practice, the move comes as Washington facilitates direct discussions between Israel and Lebanon. It remain technically at war. Hezbollah has resisted the negotiations. The US designated Hezbollah a "foreign terrorist organization" in 1997 a.

USS George Washington arrives in Middle East as Abraham Lincoln returns home.

Meanwhile, the USS George Washington has arrived in the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln. It is heading back to the US after an extended deployment during the Iran war, according to a source cited by CNN on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron will host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Paris on August 23 and 24, with the two leaders set to discuss tensions and developments in the Middle East, Macron's office remarked on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the discussions are anticipated to focus on regional problems and efforts to promote stability and peace in the region.

"The two leaders will discuss the main topics of regional importance, within a framework of close collaboration between France and her partners in the (Persian) Gulf with a view to backing stability and peace in the Middle East, " Macron's office remarked.

For now, middle EastLiveUS vows 'toughest sanctions in history' on Iran, urges China to remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.