The Independent World
· collected 2026-08-18 · by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar and Maira Butt
The Strait of Hormuz is to remain closed until the US meet the conditions agreed in an interim deal, according to Iran’s top negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf in comments shared by state media.
uncertain
US → remain → media
Conditions include lifting a marine blockade and sanctions as well as freeing Iran’s frozen assets.
asserted
Conditions → include → assets
President Donald Trump has separately threatened to attack Oman – a US ally – if it "gets in the way" of his efforts to force a peace deal with Iran.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s**t out of them,” Trump told Fox News, after reports that Oman and Iran are working out their own solution to control the strategic waterway.
asserted
Oman → threaten → waterway
A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while leaving the vital shipping route on Tuesday morning, a day after a 60-day memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran expired, according to the UMTO.
uncertain
memorandum → strike → UMTO
The attack comes as Trump told reporters on Monday that Iran would not make the type of deal with his country that he thought was “necessary”.
asserted
he → come → country
Iran said it would shift its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the deadlock in efforts to agree a permanent end to its war with the US.
asserted
it → say → US
Netanyahu puts NYC mayor Mamdani alongside Iran’s Ayatollah on enemies poster
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud’s party has cast New York mayor Zohran Mamdani alongside Iranian and Hezbollah leaders in a campaign advert for the forthcoming Israeli elections.
asserted
party → put → elections
The billboard seen in the country’s capital TV features the new Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hezbollah’s security-general Naim Qassem against a jet black background.
asserted
billboard → see → background
“They want Netanyahu to lose, don’t let them win,” reads a caption alongside it.
asserted
caption → want → it
Netanyahu reposted the image saying: “Don’t let them win.”
asserted
them → reposte → image
Strait of Hormuz to remain closed until US meets deal conditions, says Ghalibaf
The Strait of Hormuz is to remain closed until the US is able to meet the conditions agreed in an interim deal, according to Iran’s parliamentary speaker and top negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf in comments shared by state media.
Conditions include lifting a marine blockade and sanctions as well as freeing Iran’s frozen assets.
Asia shares decline as worries about rising oil prices outweigh perks from strong earnings
Asian shares declined in early Tuesday trading, as rising oil prices and worries about inflation worked as a dampener on some markets, countering the optimism that had come from robust corporate earnings reports.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 1.6% to 68,098.54.
uncertain
Nikkei → remain → 68,098.54
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.2% to 9,088.60.
asserted
S&P → edge → 9,088.60
South Korea's Kospi reversed course after surging earlier to drop 0.6% to 6,933.60.
asserted
Kospi → reverse → 6,933.60
Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.6% to 25,289.88, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.5% to 3,963.53.
asserted
Composite → lose → 3,963.53
Analysts said robust earnings reports in Asia, following those from the U.S., are helping counter worries about what the war in Iran will do to the global flow of crude and its impact on energy prices.
asserted
war → say → prices
Japan, for one, imports almost all its oil.
asserted
Japan → import → oil
Traffic through Strait of Hormuz rises to six vessels
Commodity vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has risen from two ships a day to six, according to shipping data reported by Reuters.
Houthis attack Saudi refinery, says group's news agency
Yemen’s Houthi news agency Saba is reporting that the group has attacked Aramco’s Jazan refinery in Saudi Arabia using drones, according to a military source.
uncertain
group → rise → source
Saudi Arabia is yet to respond to the reports.
asserted
Arabia → respond → reports
Watch: Trump casts doubt on Iran deal, says Tehran ‘cannot have a nuclear weapon’
asserted
Tehran → watch → weapon
Gaza will not be rebuilt until Hamas disarms, says Kushner after four-hour Netanyahu meeting
Israel will continue strikes on Gaza after four-hour discussions on a Gaza Peace Plan between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“We have a plan to rebuild Gaza, but we will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt until the demilitarisation occurs,” Kushner told Fox News on Monday.
asserted
Kushner → rebuild → Monday
“Nobody wants to put more money into a place that’s gone on for so long if it’s just going to be taken over by terrorists or blown up again.”
asserted
it → want → terrorists
Trump again threatens to ‘bomb the s*** out of’ ally Oman over Strait of Hormuz
asserted
Trump → threaten → Hormuz
Donald Trump has threatened to launch an attack on Oman – a Middle East ally – over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely blocked amid the ongoing conflict between Washington and Iran.
asserted
which → threaten → Washington
A 60-day period to negotiate a ceasefire deal expired on Monday with no news of an extension and talks deadlocked in the same position as two months ago.
asserted
talks → negotiate → position
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s**t out of them,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News, after reports Oman and Iran are working out their own solution to control the strategic waterway.
asserted
Oman → get → waterway
Trump told the outlet that the US had a backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding: “They should put up the white flag of surrender.”
asserted
They → tell → surrender
Turkey urges Trump to continue talks with Iran
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his American counterpart Donald Trump that it was important to continue talks with Iran to pursue diplomacy.
asserted
it → urge → diplomacy
The two leaders discussed the Iran and Gaza wars, bilateral ties and the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement during a phone call yesterday.
asserted
leaders → discuss → call
Erdogan reportedly told Trump that Turkey was ready to contribute to the peace talks between Washington and Tehran.
uncertain
Turkey → tell → Washington
Hormuz crossings rise slightly from weekend
Ship crossings through the Strait of Hormuz were still in the single digits, despite a slight rise from the weekend, according to preliminary shipping data.
Six commodity ships transited the strait yesterday, of which three were exiting the Gulf and three were entering, Kpler ship-tracking data showed, compared with the 10-day average of 11 ships.
uncertain
data → rise → ships
Three ships transited on Saturday while two moved through the waterway on Sunday.
asserted
two → transit → Sunday
