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:
- US strikes three Iranian tankers after attacks on warships
- Hegseth threatens further US strikes on Iranian oil tankers
- Iran vows resistance as economic pressure from Washington intensifies
- Regional violence escalates across Lebanon and Yemen
- Huckabee calls for action against West Bank settler violence
Israel army says striking southern Lebanon, orders evacuation
Published: Sept 6, 2026 | 03:45 GMT | by AFP
The Israeli military said on Sunday it was carrying out strikes in southern Lebanon, ordering residents of the town of Arab Salim to evacuate.
The Israeli military claimed Hezbollah “launched two drones towards IDF soldiers operating in the Security Zone in southern Lebanon... In response, the IDF is now striking in southern Lebanon.”
It added that there were no reports of Israeli soldiers wounded.
Iran Guards say attacked US naval drone: State media
Published: Sept 6, 2026 | 03:16 GMT | by AFP
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday that they had attacked a US naval drone that was trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, hours after Tehran and Washington traded strikes.
"The heroic Naval Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked an American military unmanned surface vessel (remotely operated vessel) that was attempting to enter the protected area of the Strait of Hormuz," the Guards said in a statement carried by Iranian state television IRIB.
Türkiye, Iran discuss latest US-Iran negotiations
Published: Sept 6, 2026 | 02:45 GMT | by Web Desk
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi discussed the latest developments in ongoing negotiations during a phone call on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Turkish diplomatic sources.
According to the sources cited by Anadolu, the two ministers discussed “comprehensively” the latest developments in the ongoing negotiations.
The call came amid renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington following the latest military exchanges. US Central Command said its forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles toward two US Navy warships.
Iranian sources, meanwhile, reported that US forces had attacked Iranian vessels and said Tehran had responded against US-linked targets. The competing accounts could not be independently verified.
The latest escalation has added pressure to diplomatic efforts to revive the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, a framework reached by the United States and Iran in June with Pakistan’s facilitation. The memorandum provided a broader basis for ending military operations and pursuing further negotiations, while also addressing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
According to Anadolu, implementation of the arrangements for the strategic waterway has stalled amid disagreements over security measures in the Strait of Hormuz.
Fidan’s conversation with Araghchi highlights continued regional diplomatic engagement as efforts to keep the US-Iran negotiating track alive face renewed challenges following the latest military escalation.
Fewer ships, higher risks threaten global energy flows
Published: Sept 6, 2026 | 02:11 GMT | by Web Desk
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply amid renewed US-Iran tensions, with preliminary data showing only four commodity vessels transited the waterway on Tuesday, September 1, compared with 10 the previous day and a 10-day average of about 13. The Kpler data, cited by Reuters, included a very large crude carrier, a Panamax tanker, a Kamsarmax bulk carrier and an intermediate tanker. Kpler cautioned that the figures could change because some vessels switch off their transponders during voyages.
The decline has continued in subsequent days. Kpler data reported by Dawn showed only four vessels entering or leaving the waterway on Thursday, September 3, with the monitor noting the figure was preliminary because additional “dark” crossings could be identified later. Al Jazeera, meanwhile, found that actual vessel movements appeared substantially below US claims that Washington was helping around 30 ships cross the strait each day, underscoring the gap between official claims and independently tracked commercial traffic.
The latest escalation has also brought commercial oil vessels directly into the conflict. On Saturday, September 5, US Central Command said its forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles toward two US Navy warships. CENTCOM said two tankers were “permanently disabled” and a third was “completely destroyed,” while stressing that the vessels were part of what it described as an Iranian shadow network funding the IRGC and its regional proxies.
Iran, however, gave a different account of the escalation. The IRGC Navy said it had targeted three oil tankers using what it called an “unauthorized route” through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three US-linked vessels elsewhere, and warned other ships against making what Tehran considers unauthorized movements. Iranian state media also reported warnings that attacks on US military vessels would become more severe if Washington continued interfering with Iranian shipping.
For energy markets, the significance extends beyond the number of ships physically crossing the strait. Repeated attacks, restrictions and uncertainty can make the movement of Gulf crude and other commodities more expensive by increasing security, insurance, freight and financing costs, even when oil remains available at export terminals. Kpler has previously estimated that the Strait of Hormuz normally carries a substantial share of global seaborne oil flows, while its latest assessment said crude flows remained at only about 40 percent of 2025 levels after the 60-day Islamabad MoU expired on August 17.
The immediate market reaction reflects that risk: Brent crude rose to around $96 a barrel on September 5 as the latest exchange of fire raised fears of further supply disruption. The broader concern for Asian economies is therefore not only whether physical oil supplies are cut, but whether increasingly difficult and risky shipping through the world’s critical energy chokepoint pushes up the delivered cost of crude, LNG, freight and ultimately imported goods.
Egypt backs Islamabad framework for US-Iran talks
Published: Sept 6, 2026 | 01:46 GMT | by Web Desk
Egypt on Saturday called on the United States and Iran to resume negotiations based on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, highlighting Pakistan’s diplomatic framework as a possible pathway toward resolving outstanding issues through dialogue.
According to the Egyptian State Information Service, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made the call during a phone conversation with his Omani counterpart, Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, focused on efforts to ease regional tensions, revive US-Iran negotiations and protect maritime navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Abdelatty called for an end to the current escalation and urged all sides to avoid actions that could further threaten regional security.
He stressed that “diplomacy should be allowed to address the causes of the crisis and prevent further escalation.”
He also called for the United States and Iran to “return to negotiations based on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” and use it “as a framework for resolving outstanding issues through dialogue.”
The two ministers also discussed developments in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the need to ensure the “safety of maritime navigation” through the strategic waterway and maintain the uninterrupted flow of international trade and energy supplies.
Barrack challenges Israel’s Syria approach
Published: Sept 6, 2026 | 01:29 GMT | by Web Desk
US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack on Saturday urged restraint in the southern Druze-majority Sweida province after prominent local figure Atef Hunaidi left the region amid tensions involving supporters of Druze leader Hikmat Al-Hijri.
In a post on X, Barrack said, “Where governance is absent, gangs fill the void, and today a very few with toxic motives are turning on their own.”
Referring to Hunaidi, he said men such as him were “arbitrarily detained and driven from his home.”
Barrack said his team was in contact with Hunaidi “and with others caught in this campaign of intracommunal violence,” urging “restraint in action, and communication in earnest.”
He also backed a “roadmap for peace” for Sweida, describing it as “a path to the dignified reintegration of the province into Syria, with the full rights and the full obligations of citizenship for its Druze community.”
The US envoy called it “the only one that leads anywhere but back to grief.”
Barrack also said the Syrian government had begun confronting “the grave crimes committed by its forces last July” and holding those responsible accountable before its courts. “That is the direction of hope, and it must continue,” he said.
CENTCOM releases footage after US-Iran tanker strikes
Published: Sept 6, 2026 | 00:36 GMT | by Web Desk
US Central Command released new footage on Sunday showing what it said was the sinking of an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, a day after US and Iranian forces exchanged fire in waters around Iran.
In a post on X early Sunday, CENTCOM said the M/T Kylo had sunk in the Gulf of Oman, adding that it had “joined Iran’s navy at the bottom of the sea.” The command had earlier released footage of strikes on three Iranian crude oil carriers following what it said were Iranian missile attacks on two US Navy warships.
According to CENTCOM, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles toward a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer operating in the region on Saturday.
The command said both vessels evaded multiple attacks and that no American personnel were injured.
CENTCOM said US forces subsequently “permanently disabled” the M/T Downy off Iran’s Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask. It said the unladen M/T Kylo, also known as the Noxen, was struck at several critical points in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was ordered to abandon the vessel.
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper described the strikes as a response to the Iranian attack, saying: “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours.” He said the US would defend its forces and, if necessary, destroy Iran’s “limited and exposed oil fleet.”
Iran, however, gave a different account of the escalation. Iranian state media reported that US forces had attacked Iranian tankers near the Jask area and later reported a strike on a tanker near Kharg Island. Iranian officials also said the country had carried out retaliatory attacks, while warning that US military actions against Iranian vessels would bring a stronger response. The Iranian claims could not be independently verified.
The exchange came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran over military operations, Iranian oil exports and maritime security around the Strait of Hormuz. The latest confrontation has raised concerns that attacks on military and commercial shipping could further disrupt traffic through one of the world’s most important energy routes.
Both sides have blamed the other for the latest escalation. While CENTCOM says its tanker strikes followed Iranian attacks on US warships, Iranian authorities have described the US strikes on Iranian vessels as an escalation requiring retaliation. Independent verification of some battlefield claims remains limited.
Saturday at a glance
Published: Sept 6, 2026 | 00:00 GMT | by Web Desk
The US-Iran conflict saw a sharp escalation Saturday as Washington said it had destroyed three Iranian oil tankers after what it described as failed Iranian attacks on US warships. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth separately warned that Washington would destroy Iranian oil tankers if Tehran attacked US vessels, while Iranian media reported attacks on two tankers near Jask and explosions near the major oil hub of Kharg Island.
Iran meanwhile signaled it was preparing for a prolonged confrontation, with First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref saying Tehran had overcome successive military, economic and political pressures and was ready for what he described as a new phase of “economic warfare.” The United States also continued its sanctions campaign, warning that countries and financial institutions facilitating Iranian financial activity would face “serious consequences.”
Elsewhere, violence continued across the region. Israeli strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon killed at least four people and wounded dozens, according to Lebanese authorities, while fresh fighting in Yemen killed more than 60 people, including civilians, according to military and medical sources. In Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Palestinian casualties, Israeli military activity and settler violence continued, as the UN warned of concerns over forcible displacement and the US ambassador to Israel called for “severe consequences” over West Bank violence.
Washington also signaled it was considering a broader postwar Middle East strategy, with Axios reporting that US officials were discussing future security and diplomatic arrangements involving Israel, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. The discussions remain preliminary, with no final policy announced.
For earlier developments, read our Sept 5 live blog here.