This live blog follows the latest developments across the Middle East crisis, including regional diplomacy, maritime security, ceasefire negotiations, and economic fallout.
Catch up on Tuesday's top developments here:
- US helicopter fired on ship that tried to break Iran ports blockade
- Oil flows through Hormuz reach 9 million barrels per day
- Brent North Sea oil tops $90 as Iran-US deal hopes fade
US says new round of Israel-Lebanon talks in September in Rome
Qatar condemns Colombia’s recognition of Golan Heights as Israeli territory
Israel seeking to 'remove Palestine from world's agenda': Erdogan
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 18:07 GMT | by AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said that the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to "remove Palestine" from the world's agenda.
"The aim of the Netanyahu government is to remove Palestine from the common agenda of humanity by profiting from chaos and new conflicts in the region," Erdogan said at a joint news conference with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas.
"No matter what they do, they will not succeed. The Palestinian cause will continue to grow in people's hearts as they try to destroy it," he said, vowing Turkey would fight for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Lebanon condemns 'systematic' Israeli destruction in south
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 17:05 GMT | by AFP
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday condemned Israel's "systematic destruction" in the country's south as a violation of international law, as Israel's defense minister said its military was "destroying all the houses" there.
Salam said Israeli "attacks, incursions, demolitions and the systematic destruction of homes", infrastructure, government buildings and places of worship "represent a serious violation of the principles and rules of international law and international humanitarian law".
Claiming that villages and towns "are entirely 'military facilities' does not stand up to any logic and cannot be used as an excuse for destroying them, displacing their inhabitants and preventing them from returning," he said in a statement.
Israel defense minister vows troops to stay in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 15:55 GMT | by AFP
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz visited southern Lebanon on Wednesday, vowing to destroy infrastructure and keep troops in a "security zone" as well as in Syria and Gaza.
Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly vowed not to withdraw from the "security zone" in southern Lebanon -- a strip of territory where Israeli forces operate that reaches around 10 kilometres (six miles) into Lebanon.
"As the prime minister and I have clearly stated, we are not withdrawing from this security zone," Katz said during a visit to troops, according to a statement from his office.
In southern Lebanon, Katz said the military was "destroying the underground infrastructure" in the area and "destroying all the houses".
Trump says US will 'keep' Hormuz strait control
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 14:53 GMT | by AFP
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States is in control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and will "keep it."
"The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, 'A WALL OF STEEL,' and there is nothing Iran can do about it."
Israeli settlers keep up siege of Palestinian homes despite army intervention
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 14:40 GMT | by AFP
The Israeli military failed in an attempt on Wednesday to remove occupied West Bank settlers who for days have blockaded Palestinian homes, an eyewitness and an AFP photographer reported.
The siege began on Sunday, when a group of settlers set up a makeshift tent near houses in the Palestinian village of Qusra, just south of Nablus, blocking essential supplies from entering.
US consumer inflation falls to 3.4% year-on-year in July: Govt
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 12:42 GMT | by AFP
US consumer inflation slowed slightly to 3.4 percent in July despite turbulent oil prices due to the Iran war, government data showed, with the data likely giving the Federal Reserve room to breathe on interest rates.
The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.1 percent from a month earlier, but fell on a year-on-year basis, according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data was in line with analyst expectations.
IEA cuts 2026 oil demand forecast again as Hormuz remains shut
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 8:22 GMT | by AFP
The International Energy Agency on Wednesday sharply reduced its forecast for global oil demand this year, as supplies remain crimped by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and high prices deter buyers.
Demand is expected to slump by 1.6 million barrels per day (mb/d), compared with its forecast slump of one million barrels in its previous monthly report in July.
Crude prices have remained well above levels seen before the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February, sparking a war that has seen oil infrastructure damaged in several Gulf countries.
"The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz and elevated fuel prices continue to weigh on oil consumption," the Paris-based IEA said.
The IEA said global supplies rose by 2.4 million barrels per day in July, to reach 101.5 mb/d, but that was still 6.3 mb/d lower than a year ago.
But "renewed hostilities and maritime disruptions in July and early August undermined the recovery efforts," the agency said.
It now expects global supply to fall by 4.3 mb/d on average this year, before recovering next year.
On the demand side, the IEA is projecting a return to growth in the fourth quarter of this year.
Oil prices rise as markets await key US inflation data
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 08:30 GMT | by AFP
Oil prices rose Wednesday while global stock markets were mixed as investors awaited key US inflation data that could influence the Federal Reserve’s next moves on interest rates.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose about 0.9% to $89.67 a barrel, while US crude gained a similar amount to $83.98.
Oil prices have climbed in recent sessions as continuing tensions involving Iran and disruptions around key shipping routes have raised concerns about global energy supplies.
Israeli forces close Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque, bar Muslim worshippers
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 7:30 GMT | by Web Desk
Israeli forces on Wednesday closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and barred Muslim worshippers and visitors from entering the site, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
WAFA reported that Israeli forces closed the mosque and prevented access to the religious site, under the pretext of security arrangements for Jewish holidays. The closure was reportedly intended to allow settlers access to the site during the holidays.
Israeli forces also raided and searched several homes across Hebron governorate, according to WAFA.
US helicopter fired on ship that tried to break Iran ports blockade
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 2:32 GMT | by AFP
A US helicopter fired missiles on Tuesday into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran's ports, the United States military said.
The US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired on and disabled the M/V Vela Nova "after the ship's civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X, adding that the vessel "is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the US blockade."
It was the third time the United States, in a months-long war against Iran, has forcibly halted a vessel since reinstating the ports blockade on July 14.
CENTCOM said it has redirected 55 ships that tried to run the blockade and boarded two others as of Tuesday.
Tuesday’s developments at a glance
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 00:28 GMT | by Web Desk
The United States and Iran remained locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz as a US Navy helicopter fired missiles at and disabled a Panama-flagged cargo ship attempting to reach Iran, while Washington said it had redirected 55 vessels since reinstating its ports blockade.
Oil prices climbed above $90 a barrel amid fading hopes of a US-Iran deal to reopen the key waterway, although the US energy secretary said nearly 9 million barrels per day were flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, with additional supplies moving through alternative routes.
At the United Nations, Pakistan warned the Security Council that Israel’s settlement expansion, settler violence and measures affecting Palestinian land were rapidly undermining prospects for a two-state solution. The emergency meeting also drew warnings from several countries over the deteriorating situation in the occupied West Bank.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held talks with his Indonesian counterpart on regional developments, including the evolving US-Iran situation, with Indonesia appreciating Pakistan’s role in promoting dialogue and peace.
Meanwhile, the US announced that a new round of Israel-Lebanon talks would be held in Rome in early September, as Israeli strikes continued in southern Lebanon. A cargo ship was also reported to have been hit by an unknown projectile in the southern Red Sea, causing casualties.
Elsewhere, Colombia’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights drew condemnation from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Syria, while Iran announced changes in its senior military command.
In Gaza, the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s ongoing aggression since October 2023 rose to 73,387, according to WAFA, while tensions continued to escalate in the occupied West Bank, including settlement expansion, land seizures and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Oil prices higher, stocks mixed ahead of inflation report
Published: Aug 12, 2026 | 00:16 GMT | by AFP
Oil prices bounced around before finishing higher Tuesday while global stocks were mixed as markets awaited a key inflation report expected to influence upcoming monetary policy decisions.
Crude prices initially rose more than 2% on hardening rhetoric between the United States and Iran on the prospects for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital to the world's flow of petroleum shipments.
Oil contracts later gave up those gains, before resuming their climb, as investors' expectations of an agreement ebbed and flowed.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that the US military fired on a Panama-flagged ship to stop it as it tried to get past the US blockade of Iranian ports.
"Crude oil has surged over the past few days as hopes of a US-Iran agreement that would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz have faded," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at FOREX.com.
But "we have also heard contradictory messages from Washington and Tehran," he said.
Wall Street stocks weakened as the session progressed. All three major indices ended lower, with the broad-based S&P 500 down 0.3%.
For earlier developments, read our Aug 11 live blog here.