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 Saturday's top developments here:
- Yemen condemns Iran's targeting of UAE oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz
- Qatar welcomes Security Council condemnation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
- Iran’s new governance of Strait of Hormuz is irreversible: Army spokesperson
- US trying to maximize amount of oil, gas coming out of Hormuz: JD Vance
- Saudi Arabia condemns attack on UAE tanker
Trump says US 'low-keying it' with Iran
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 22:52 GMT | by AFP
US President Donald Trump signaled Sunday he is prepared to let economic pressure mount against Iran, apparently backing away from ordering more military strikes even as Tehran issues tough demands.
"We are low-keying it," Trump said, according to the news outlet Axios, which said it spoke to him in a brief phone call.
Only a week ago Trump made the latest of his series of threats to hit Iran hard, only to back off, as he presses for a deal to end the war he started along with Israel on February 28.
Axios said Trump did not express any frustration Sunday with Iran's delaying an agreement to open up the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has demanded that the US first end its blockade of Iranian ports and lift oil sanctions, as per the memorandum of understanding the two countries signed in June.
The strait's blockage by Iran since the war started has sent fuel prices soaring and rattled the world economy, putting pressure on the Trump administration as midterm elections in November grow nearer.
"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," Trump was quoted as saying.
Gaza plan rejected by Netanyahu 'only way forward': Trump board head
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 20:52 GMT | by AFP
The US-backed plan for Gaza rejected on Sunday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains the "only way forward" to prevent a repeat of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, the head of President Donald Trump's implementation board said.
"The option we are offering today is the only way forward that ensures this tragedy does not happen again," Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, said in an interview with Israel's Channel 12 television.
He said that further talks were underway and, "I hope these discussions will lead to a positive outcome for everyone."
Netanyahu earlier told his cabinet that he rejected the plan, under which Hamas would hand over weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing body and Israel would start a withdrawal from the war-ravaged territory.
Mladenov described the current stage of the agreement as a commitment involving the United States, Hamas and the Board of Peace -- notably leaving out Israel.
Iran names new head of top national security body
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 20:46 GMT | by AFP
The former commander in chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezaei, has been named head of the country's highest national security body, the Iranian presidency announced on Sunday.
"In light of the resignation of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr from his position as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and his appointment to new functions, President Masoud Pezeshkian has named Mohsen Rezaei as the head of this body," presidency spokesman Mehdi Tabatabaei said on X.
Rezaei, 71, led the Guards from 1981 to 1997 -- a tenure that included almost all of the Iran-Iraq war -- before going on to occupy several high-ranking political posts. He then served as military adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
Rezaei declared in July that control of the Strait of Hormuz, now at the centre of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States, was "more important than dozens of atomic bombs".
His predecessor, Zolghadr, was also a former Guards commander and took up leadership of the council in March.
He will now become a political adviser to Khamenei, according to a statement released by the supreme leader's office on Sunday.
Netanyahu rejects Gaza plan in new break from Trump
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 14:41 GMT | by AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected a US-led Gaza plan endorsed by Hamas, putting distance between himself and President Donald Trump as he tries to shore up his base ahead of close elections.
After more than a week of gradually escalating criticism of the plan, and despite receiving assurances that Israel would not need to start withdrawing in Gaza immediately, Netanyahu explicitly opposed the deal following pushback from his right-wing allies.
"Israel rejects the 15-point document," Netanyahu said, referring to the plan Hamas agreed to in late July.
The Israeli military "will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens", he told a cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu described Trump, who had hailed the Gaza deal as a milestone for peace, as "our greatest friend in the White House" -- but quickly made clear he was willing to challenge him, saying Israel was raising its objections with the United States.
"They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters," he said.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, is running even or trailing in some polls ahead of the Oct 27 elections, the country's first since the devastating October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that sparked the Gaza war.
Polls show that the Gaza plan is unpopular with Netanyahu's right-wing base, and far-right members of his cabinet have urged him to kill it.
Hamas, days after selecting a new leader, Khalil al-Hayya, announced it supported the Gaza plan, and has since called on Washington to push Netanyahu to accept it.
"We expect the mediators and the American guarantor to pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap, and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons," Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau, told AFP.
Hamas in a statement said it was still committed to the plan.
Friction with Trump
Netanyahu until recently campaigned on the strength of his relationship with Trump, who has taken unprecedented steps to back Israel, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Trump joined Netanyahu in late February in launching a war against Iran, but the two diverged when Trump sought a ceasefire and subsequent settlement to the conflict as it sapped his popularity and sent oil prices soaring.
Netanyahu told his cabinet that "with an agreement or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons", a goal he has long alleged Tehran is pursuing.
Netanyahu last week also ordered fresh strikes on Lebanon in response to what Israel called a ceasefire violation by Iran-backed Hezbollah, just as Israel and Lebanon were holding US-mediated talks.
The Gaza plan was the latest stage in a US-brokered ceasefire announced in October that has reduced, but not ended, Israeli operations there.
Hamas said it would surrender weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing body. The plan said Israel would begin pulling out forces in tandem with the disarmament, a timeline it adamantly rejected.
After meeting Netanyahu last week, Trump's body implementing the deal, dubbed the Board of Peace, backtracked and said Israel would only need to withdraw after "complete" disarmament, but it was apparently not enough for Netanyahu.
"We are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament," he said Sunday.
Israeli offensive
Egypt, a key mediator, called on all sides to "honor their commitments" and refrain from action that could jeopardize progress, in a call between Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov.
Despite Netanyahu's stance, Israel appears to have decreased operations in Gaza since the deal was announced, but hasn't halted them completely.
Israeli gunfire on Sunday injured a child who was taken to hospital in Khan Younis, civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said
Israeli operations in Gaza have killed 1,258 Palestinians since the ceasefire, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
The Israeli army has reported five deaths in its ranks during the same period.
Houthi attacks kill 11 in Yemen, target Saudi refinery
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 13:32 GMT | by AFP
Strikes by Houthi rebels on Sunday killed at least 11 people, a medical source in the Yemeni port city of Mokha told AFP, after an earlier drone salvo targeted a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea coast.
A medical source in Mokha, held by Yemen's internationally recognized, Aden-based government, said three civilians and eight military personnel had been killed in the Houthi attacks.
A further 32 individuals were wounded, six of them civilians, the source added, explaining all the civilian casualties had been a result of strikes on Mokha's port.
Iran president, supreme leader discuss economic, defense strategy
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 12:30 GMT | by AFP
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei at the start of his third year in office to discuss the country’s economic and defense strategies, IRNA reported.
Houthi attacks on Yemen kill 4 government troops: military sources
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 12:06 GMT | by AFP
Attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen on Sunday killed at least four troops from the internationally recognized government forces and injured 20 more personnel, two military sources told AFP.
The initial toll came from strikes on the Yemeni city of Mokha and surrounding areas, as well as Khokha, south of the port city of Hodeida, the sources said on condition of anonymity, after the Houthis announced they had targeted military forces and equipment on the Red Sea coast.
Netanyahu vows Iran will 'not have nuclear weapons' with or without deal
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 11:19 GMT | by AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Sunday to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons, a goal he has long alleged Tehran is pursuing, regardless of the course of diplomacy with Washington and Arab states.
"I want to emphasize once again: with an agreement or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu rejects US Gaza plan, vows no pullout until Hamas disarms
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 11:15 GMT | by AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected the Gaza plan hailed by US President Donald Trump, vowing no military pullout until Hamas is "genuinely" disarmed.
"Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, referring to the Israeli military.
Explosion, shelling reported in southern Lebanon towns
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 10:44 GMT | by Web Desk
A massive explosion was reported Sunday morning in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiya in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
The agency said the explosion occurred at approximately 9:10 am local time and was carried out by the Israeli army.
The area between the towns of Maifdoun and Zawtar al-Sharqiya was also subjected to intermittent artillery fire Saturday morning, the agency reported.
It said Israeli artillery also carried out concentrated shelling on the Ali Al-Taher Heights near the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, as well as the outskirts of Zawtar, Maifdoun and Dawhat Kfarreman, beginning around midnight.
UN Security Council to hold session on West Bank next Tuesday
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 10:21 GMT | by Web Desk
The UN Security Council will hold a session next Tuesday on the situation in the West Bank, the council presidency said Sunday.
The session will be held under the agenda item “The Situation in the Middle East” at the request of some council members.
The council will hear a video conference briefing from Ramiz Alakbarov, deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, and Hanan Suleiman, UNICEF deputy executive director.
Egypt warns Gaza displacement plan remains on table
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 10:15 GMT | by AFP
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty says Cairo will not allow the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, calling it a "red line" and warning that Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank amount to "silent annexation," according to WAFA.
Abdelatty said so-called “voluntary displacement” could not be considered voluntary if conditions were deliberately created to make life in Gaza impossible, arguing that forcing Palestinians to leave would amount to coercion and violate international law.
“The use of force, no matter how great, will not achieve sustainable security for Israel or the region,” Abdelatty said, as long as Palestinian rights remained unrecognized.
Iran Guards say won't reopen Hormuz without US meeting all Tehran's conditions
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 9:30 GMT | by AFP
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, vital to the world economy, until the United States met Tehran's conditions set out the day before, including compensation for war damages.
"Our current strategy is to maintain this strait until the enemy accepts all our conditions," said Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi, as quoted by state TV, adding that "the strait is now actually a theater of war for us and not just a waterway".
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said discussions with Oman over transit and management of the strait were "approaching the final stages", but added that the reopening of Hormuz "is subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation" of the June agreement.
He denied on Sunday that Iran was negotiating with the United States, saying they were merely "exchanging messages" via intermediaries.
Palestinian home set on fire in West Bank
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 5:44 GMT | by Web Desk
A Palestinian home was set on fire early on Sunday in Masafer Yatta, an area in the southern West Bank near the city of Hebron, according to WAFA news agency.
The Palestinian news outlets reported that the house belonged to Mohammad Abdul Rahman al-Jabareen and was located in Khirbet Umm Dureit, east of the Palestinian village of al-Tuwani.
Osama Makhamreh, an anti-settlement activist, told WAFA that a group of armed Israeli colonists entered the area at dawn under the protection of Israeli soldiers before setting the house alight.
The incident highlights increasing violence by Israeli colonists against Palestinian residents in Masafer Yatta in recent weeks, including attacks on residents and their property, arson, land seizures and efforts to restrict Palestinians' access to their land.
US, Iran make 'some' progress in talks, VP Vance says
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 4:46 GMT | by Web Desk
The United States and Iran have made some headway in their negotiations over the past few days, although significant issues remain unresolved, the US Vice President JD Vance said.
Speaking to Fox News, Vance said the Trump administration was continuing to assess whether Iran’s system could meet the requirements Washington considers essential for achieving an acceptable result from the negotiations.
He stated that the talks were also addressing ways to increase the flow of oil and natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance remarked that Washington was also trying to determine whether Tehran was willing to make longer-term changes that could lead to an improved relationship between the two countries.
Turkiye says expects Egypt to join defense pact
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 02:46 GMT | by AFP
Turkiye's foreign minister said Saturday he expected Egypt to join a joint defense agreement with regional partners designed to stabilize the region that is grappling with the Middle East war.
Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the agreement on Friday against the backdrop of war between the United States and Iran, which has drawn in surrounding nations and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
The war has emboldened Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen, both of which have attacked Saudi Arabia, and a drone last month hit US assets at an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told state news agency Anadolu he expected Egypt to join the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", calling the country a "natural partner on all issues".
"I believe that at the next stage Egypt will also be among us in the alliance. We already act toward one another as if we were alliance members," he said in an interview.
"There are a few technical issues. Once these are implemented, there is no reason for Egypt not to be part of it."
Fidan said the agreement does not target a specific country.
"There is no common threat that we have put in writing," he said, according to the news agency.
Pakistan's foreign ministry said Friday the pact meant an attack on any member would be regarded as an attack on all, adding it was "intended to strengthen collective deterrence."
In the interview, Fidan said the agreement was "the most important step toward bringing lasting stability to this region", and suggested the alliance could expand further.
"Under our president's vision, we should not remain limited to three countries. We should grow and, if necessary, bring all countries under this umbrella," he said.
Saturday's developments at a glance
Published: Aug 9, 2026 | 00:15 GMT | by Web Desk
Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz remained high on Saturday as Yemen condemned Iran's targeting of a UAE oil tanker, calling it a serious threat to maritime navigation and commercial vessels. Saudi Arabia also condemned the attack as an assault on maritime security and global energy supplies.
Qatar welcomed a UN Security Council statement condemning Houthi rocket attacks against Saudi Arabia since July 13 and attacks against commercial ships since July 22. Doha renewed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for measures to preserve its sovereignty and security.
Iranian Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said the United States had no choice but to accept Iran's new mechanism for controlling shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, describing the arrangement as irreversible.
US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was seeking to maximize oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz while maintaining pressure on Iran. He said the United States would continue applying pressure to secure oil and gas from the Middle East.
Oman said talks with Iran over the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz were “positive and constructive” but warned against repeated attacks on shipping.
Iranian demands
Iran has set conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, demanding compensation for war damage, an end to the conflict and sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and the lifting of a parallel US naval blockade. Tehran has effectively blocked the strategic waterway since US and Israeli strikes in late February, disrupting global energy and trade.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks with Oman on transit and management of Hormuz were nearing completion but linked reopening to other conditions. The Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, said the strait’s reopening was separate from the Oman talks and insisted that Iran’s demands must be accepted, further complicating efforts to restore free passage through the waterway.
For earlier developments, read our Aug 8 live blog here