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 Monday’s top developments here:
- Qatar condemns storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremist Israeli minister, settlers
- EU’s surrender to American coercion’ against Iran evidence of incompetence: Baqaei
- Gaza health officials say five killed in Israeli strikes
- PM Sharif meets Iranian President in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
- Iran says two killed in US attack on island in Hormuz
Air alert sirens sound in Bahrain: AFP journalists
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 23:14 GMT | by Web Desk
Air alert sirens rang out early Wednesday in Bahrain, AFP journalists said, as the United States and Iran engaged in tit-for-tat strikes.
Authorities in Bahrain called on residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place, the interior ministry said on X.
Completed a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets: CENTCOM
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 22:51 GMT | by Web Desk
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that forces completed a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets.
“US forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites,” the military said in a post on X.
Kuwait says under attack from missiles and drones: army
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 22:46 GMT | by Web Desk
Kuwait said it had come under missile fire and was facing drone attacks, as Iran retaliated for earlier US strikes on its targets.
"Kuwaiti air defenses are currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks," the army said on X, asking citizens to follow safety instructions.
If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain: FM Saar
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 22:21 GMT | by Web Desk
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said that if UK acted against Israel over the potential expansion of settlements in the West Bank, Tel Aviv will “act against Britain,” BBC reported.
"If they act, I think they will be making a big mistake," he said.
Hormuz ‘will be like a worthless piece of water in two years: US treasury secretary
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 21:15 GMT | by Web Desk
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that the Strait of Hormuz “will be like a worthless piece of water” in two years, Anadolu Agency reported.
“We have to de-risk everywhere in the world. We can see the Iranians are trying to use the Strait of Hormuz as a choke point,” Bessent said.
“It’s not a choke point for the US, but it is a choke point for many, many other countries,” he said.
On the sidelines of meetings with G20 countries’ ministers, Bessent claimed the strategic waterway “will be bypassed in two years.”
“In two years, the Strait of Hormuz will be like a worthless piece of water,” he said.
“The oil will be going on pipelines across land,” he added.
While talking about further sanctions on Iran, Bessent said that the US were “probably going to announce a bank sanction this week, and we will announce one the week after.”
“We have seen great support around the world, and we have zero tolerance. We are going to economically asphyxiate this regime,” he said.
Ballistic missiles originating from Iranian territory intercepted, destroyed: Jordanian military
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 22:47 GMT | by Web Desk
Jordanian Armed Forces has confirmed that air defense systems engaged with 13 ballistic missiles that entered the Kingdom's airspace.
According to a statement issued by the official spokesperson of the armed forces, 10 of the missiles were intercepted and destroyed, while 3 missiles fell in remote areas far from population centers.
The official added that no injuries or loss of life were recorded.
Iran has ‘unforgettable lessons’ for US: Supreme Leader Khamenei
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 22:13 GMT | by Web Desk
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a post on X, has said that Iran has “unforgettable lessons for the American enemy.”
Iran targets US Marine base in Jordan: Report
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 21:03 GMT | by Web Desk
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have said that the US Marine base in Jordan was targeted by ballistic missiles by the military, adding that several American soldiers were injured, the country's national broadcaster, IRIB reported.
Separately, Iranian news outlet Tasnim reported that US Marine Corps base Camp Titin in Jordan was targeted for an "intense ballistic missile attack," Iran's Revolutionary Guards said.
UN chief calls for maximum restraint in the Middle East conflict
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 20:57 GMT | by Web Desk
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the conflicts in the Middle East have had far-reaching effects, appealing to the warring parties to show maximum restraint.
“Agreements and ceasefires are constantly violated, and strikes continue,” the UN chief said in a post on X.
“I appeal for maximum restraint and for agreements and international law to be respected,” he said.
“More than ever, we need negotiations towards a just, lasting peace in line with international law, including the UN charter and relevant UN resolutions,” he added.
Iran Red Crescent says 4 killed, 50 wounded at wedding by US attack
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 20:37 GMT | by AFP
The Iranian Red Crescent said that four people including a child were killed and over 50 people were wounded by a US attack while attending a wedding in the south.
"Following a US missile attack, shrapnel hit a residential home in the city of Kuhestak, in Sirik county of Hormozgan province, where a wedding celebration was taking place," the Red Crescent said in a post on X.
"More than 50 people were injured and four people, including a young child, were martyred."
US will face severe consequences for latest acts of aggression: Iranian military
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 20:22 GMT | by Web Desk
Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces has said that the US army will face severe consequences for its latest acts of aggression, vowing to deliver crushing and devastating blows “upon the vile and evil American enemy,” the military’s command said.
According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the statement by the Iranian military emphasized that the more Washington insists on its malicious behavior in the region, the heavier the losses it will be forced to bear.
“We have repeatedly declared and (shown our resolve) that under no circumstances will we compromise the rights of the heroic Iranian nation, and we will impose heavy costs on the American enemy,” the statement said.
Iranian official says 2 killed, others wounded at wedding by US attack
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 20:03 GMT | by AFP
An Iranian official said on Tuesday that two people were killed and several others were wounded by a US attack while attending a wedding in the south.
"A residential home was attacked while people were holding a wedding ceremony," Ahmad Nafisi, deputy governor of Hormozgan province, told state television, adding that "two people were reported martyred and a number of others wounded."
Iran state TV says casualties at wedding ceremony from US attack on south
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 19:25 GMT | by AFP
Iranian state television reported that several people who were attending a wedding ceremony were wounded by a US attack in the country's south.
"A number of residents were wounded in the attack while attending a wedding ceremony," state television reported, adding that the US attack hit a "residential area" in Bandar Kuhestak in Sirik county.
Iran media says military launches 'decisive operation' against US targets
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 18:50 GMT | by AFP
Iranian media reported that the country's military had launched a "decisive operation" against US targets in the region on Tuesday, as Washington carried out a fresh round of strikes.
The Tasnim news agency said a "decisive operation by Iran's armed forces in response to the US enemy has begun. The US bases and interests in the region are being targeted by Iranian missiles and drones."
Fresh explosions heard in Iran along Hormuz, on Gulf island: State TV
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 18:32 GMT | by AFP
Fresh explosions were heard on Tuesday in southern Iran along the strategic Strait of Hormuz as well as on an island in the Gulf, state television reported, as the United States carried out strikes in the area.
"Explosions were heard again in Bandar Abbas city and Qeshm island," state TV said, adding that blasts were also heard on Lavan island, home to one of Iran's oil export terminals in the Gulf.
Trump warns of 'much harder' action if Iran retaliates to strikes
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 17:41 GMT | by Web Desk
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iran not to retaliate against the latest US strikes, saying Tehran faced "much harder and higher" attacks if it hits back.
Trump further added that US attacks near the Hormuz were in response to Iran laying mines and shooting missiles at an American base in Jordan.
"If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!" Trump said on his Truth Social network.
Iran state media says four projectiles hit areas east of Hormuz Strait
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 17:41 GMT | by AFP
Iranian state media said on Tuesday that four projectiles hit parts of the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, east of the Strait of Hormuz.
"Four projectiles had hit areas within the counties of Chabahar and Konarak," said the official IRNA news agency, citing provincial official Ali Khalilabadi, without specifying whether there was any damage.
Several explosions heard in Iran's south along Hormuz Strait: State TV
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 17:08 GMT | by AFP
Iranian state television reported on Tuesday that several explosions were heard in the country's south along the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
"Multiple explosions heard in the east of Bandar Abbas and around Qeshm Island," state television said, adding that "no incidents or damage have been reported" so far in the southern Hormozgan Province.
Iran president thanks Putin for Russia's stance during war with US
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 14:45 GMT | by AFP
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow's stance during the Middle East war, in their first meeting since the conflict broke out.
"We appreciate and thank you for your positions at every stage, both during the period when the fighting and acts of aggression were taking place and under normal circumstances, when the United States was imposing sanctions on us, both at the United Nations and in international forums," Pezeshkian told Putin at a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan.
Israeli settlers try to torch West Bank mosque, Palestinians say
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 12:59 GMT | by AFP
Israeli settlers tried to set fire to a mosque in the north of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinians said, in the latest such attack in the territory.
The Palestinian ministry of religious affairs said that "a group of settlers tried to burn parts of the Nur al-Din Zanki Mosque" in Bazzaryah, near Nablus, describing the incident as a "criminal attack".
"At around 2:45 am, all of a sudden the settlers attacked it. There was a small explosion that caused a fire inside the mosque building," said Majed Nasr, who lives nearby, adding that the settlers then fled the scene.
Qatar urges US, Iran to resume talks after flare-up
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 11:44 GMT | by AFP
Mediator Qatar on Tuesday urged the United States and Iran to return to negotiations after they renewed tit-for-tat attacks.
On Sunday, the US carried out strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran quickly retaliating by attacking US military targets in the Middle East.
After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran disrupting traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz with its blockade and the US persisting with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
"We have said from day one that leaving the issue unresolved and trying to normalize the closure of the Strait would lead to escalation," Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told a regular press briefing.
"This is precisely what we have witnessed over the past two days," he said.
"We urge the parties to exercise wisdom and return to the negotiating path, and we continue to intensify our efforts with our mediation partners to ensure a return to that path."
Syria wants diplomatic solution with Israel despite attacks: FM
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 10:58 GMT | by AFP
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Tuesday that his country was working towards a "diplomatic solution" with Israel, with US mediation, despite ongoing Israeli attacks.
"The attacks are still ongoing. We observed 65 incursions in July alone, and 52 in the first 18 days of August," Shaibani told a press conference with his visiting Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
He slammed a "campaign of raids on homes in Quneitra province and the Damascus countryside," and said Syria had registered 147 cases of Israeli troops detaining Syrians so far this year, with "49 of them still detained."
"Despite these challenges, we are still committed to the option of a diplomatic solution, and we are working seriously to achieve this," Shaibani said, adding: "We are engaged in negotiations mediated by the United States of America."
Iran president says US pressure and threats derailing diplomacy
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 10:22 GMT | by AFP
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that a return by the United States to a policy of pressure and threats risked derailing diplomatic efforts to end the war in the Middle East.
"The repeated violation by the United States of its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding showed that... the absence of effective enforcement guarantees and a return to a policy of pressure and threats could derail the path of diplomacy," Pezeshkian said in a speech at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan.
Tanker hit by three 'unknown projectiles' in Hormuz: maritime agency
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 07:34 GMT | by AFP
Three "unknown projectiles" struck a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz overnight, a British maritime agency said Tuesday following a fresh flare-up in the US-Iran war.
"A tanker has reported being struck by 3 unknown projectiles whilst completing an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on X early Tuesday.
The incident occurred 17 nautical miles (31 kilometers) east of the Oman city of Khasab, it added.
No casualties or environmental impact were reported, the agency said.
Maritime security company Vanguard Tech later identified the ship as the Liberia-flagged Senegal Prosperity.
"The rockets impacted the vessel's port side, engine room and ballast tank, resulting in a loss of communications," Vanguard said, adding that the crew was safe.
Iran president says Tehran would 'immediately' reciprocate if US returns to June deal
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 06:10 GMT | by AFP
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Tehran would "immediately" reciprocate if the United States returned to a June deal aimed at ending their war.
"I state explicitly that if the United States returns to its commitments under the aforementioned memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately take reciprocal action," Pezeshkian said at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan, according to the website of the Iranian presidency.
Oil extends gains, stocks drop as Trump issues fresh Iran warning
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 02:41 GMT | by Web Desk
Oil prices extended gains Tuesday amid fears of a fresh bout of military exchanges between the United States and Iran following a flare-up at the weekend and Donald Trump's warning that he will hit the country "hard."
The price of West Texas Intermediate went up by 0.9% to $86.54 per barrel, whereas Brent North Sea Crude went up 0.6% to $91.06 per barrel.
Trump vows to hit Iran 'hard' after first exchange of fire in weeks
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 01:41 GMT | by AFP
US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to hit Iran "hard" after the two foes traded fire for the first time in weeks, as his Treasury secretary vowed to keep up a pressure campaign aimed at hobbling Tehran's economy.
"We're going to hit them hard," Trump said, according to a Fox News reporter who spoke to him briefly. "There will be a response."
Monday at a glance
Published: Sept 1, 2026 | 00:00 GMT | by Web Desk
US President Donald Trump said that the Strait of Hormuz was in extremely good shape, with the US averaging 30 ships a night through the contested waters, adding that a lot of oil was coming out of the strait, which was why oil prices had not gone up.
Iran continued condemning countries and political groups siding with Trump in the Economic D-Day against Tehran. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, said on X that the European Union appeared to be “surrendering its sovereignty, its laws and regulations, its values and its ethics to American coercion.”
“The Union’s endorsement of America’s unlawful economic war constitutes a grave violation of international law, too,” he said, adding that every EU member state should be held accountable for the consequences of its contribution to this “wrongful act.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, where the two leaders reaffirmed the close and longstanding ties between Islamabad and Tehran.
Separately, Iran condemned renewed US attacks on its island of Larak and stated that strikes by Iranian forces on bases in Jordan were "legitimate defense."
Israeli airstrikes killed five people around Gaza City, a local hospital and rescuers said, with the Israeli army claiming it had targeted Hamas operatives.
For earlier developments, read our Aug 31 live blog here.