The Independent World
· collected 2026-08-20 · by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar and Maira Butt
Over 750 members of the US military have been injured since the Iran war began, according to data published the department of defence’s website.
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war → injure → website
More than 50 soldiers were added to the Pentagon’s casualty database on Wednesday, bringing the total figures to 757 injured and 18 killed.
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soldiers → add → 757
Iran has dismissed President Donald Trump’s declarations of an “Economic D-Day”, threatening sanctions on any nation offering a lifeline to the Middle Eastern country.
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Iran → dismiss → country
Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that it would only bring “further defeat” to the US and said the leader was using it as a “diversion from America’s own crisis: unprecedented debt and surging interest costs.”
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leader → say → crisis
Trump had warned in a Truth Social post on Wednesday: “ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences.”
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institutions → warn → Consequences
“This will be an ECONOMIC D-DAY, and we need all of our Allies to stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat.”
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all → need → threat
Oil flows tripled before ceasefire deal expired, according to analysis
Ship tracking data by Kpler reveals that oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz had nearly tripled before a 60-day ceasefire agreement expired.
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agreement → triple → Hormuz
Around 374 million barrels transited through the Gulf amounting to around 6.1 million barrels per day, according to a briefing published on Wednesday.
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barrels → transit → Wednesday
Before the MoU was signed this was around 2.3 million barrels.
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this → sign → ?
But despite the halting progress through the agreement period, numbers have not reached the heights of 15 million barrels a day prior to the conflict.
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numbers → halt → conflict
Trump officials worked with Iran on deportation lists as tensions exploded, emails reveal
Newly disclosed emails show U.S. immigration officials worked directly with Iranian representatives to deport Iranian nationals in 2025, even as tensions between Washington and Tehran were escalating.
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tensions → work → Washington
The records, obtained by the National Iranian American Council and released Tuesday, detail cooperation surrounding three removal flights in September and December 2025 and January 2026 that returned more than 100 Iranians.
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that → obtain → Iranians
The emails indicate Iranian representatives requested changes to proposed passenger lists and that U.S. officials sometimes accommodated those requests.
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officials → indicate → requests
Over 750 US service members wounded since start of Iran war
Over 750 members of the US military have been injured since the Iran war began, according to data published the department of defence’s website and analysed by CNN.
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war → wound → CNN
More than 50 soldiers were added to the Pentagon’s casualty database on Wednesday.
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soldiers → add → Wednesday
The creation of a ‘Muslim Nato’ shows Trump is losing his grip in the Middle East
As Donald Trump continued his attacks on Iran earlier this month, a deal that could radically reshape security in the Middle East was quietly being done in Saudi Arabia.
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that → show → Arabia
On 7 August, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence agreement, a Nato-style mutual defence pact that states an attack on any one of the group will be considered an attack on all.
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attack → sign → all
All three countries have been the target of Iranian retaliatory attacks across the Middle East since US-Israeli strikes killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February.
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strikes → kill → February
US military presence in Middle East could be cut back after Iran war ends: report
The Pentagon is considering reducing U.S. military presence in the Middle East following the conclusion of the Iran war, according to a report.
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Pentagon → cut → report
Troops could be withdrawn from the Persian Gulf, officials told The Washington Post, following months of attacks by Iranian forces that have targeted U.S. bases across the region since the war began in late February.
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war → withdraw → February
The Pentagon’s policy office is evaluating U.S. regional presence, with U.S. Central Command (Centcom) and Joint Staff also looking at the situation, a senior Pentagon official told the outlet.
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official → evaluate → outlet
Two Pakistani sailors killed in Houthi attacks repatriated
Pakistan’s deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday that the bodies of two sailors killed in Houthi attacks on a Tanzanian-flagged vessel have been repatriated.
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bodies → kill → vessel
Six sailors injured in the attacks have also safely returned to the country.
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sailors → injure → country
“Pakistan condemns the attack in the strongest terms and reiterates that the safety and security of seafarers must be ensured at all times,” he wrote in a post on X on Thursday.
“
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he → condemn → Thursday
We remain committed to extending all possible assistance to the injured sailors and the bereaved families.”
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We → remain → sailors
A quiet channel between ICE and Iran shaped deportation flights, newly released emails show
U.S. immigration officials worked with Iran to deport Iranians in 2025, newly released emails show, revealing a working relationship between the U.S. and Iranian governments despite tensions mounting between the countries.
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tensions → shape → countries
Hundreds of emails exchanged between U.S. immigration officials, which were obtained by the National Iranian American Council and made public Tuesday, offer the most transparent play by play yet of how the two countries worked together to arrange for more than 100 Iranians to be flown back to Iran on three separate immigration flights in September and December 2025 and January 2026.
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Iranians → exchange → September
The emails show that Iranian officials had some influence over which Iranian immigrants in the U.S. were sent back to their home country, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials apparently heeded some last-minute changes to deportation lists at the request of Iran.
Iran executes man over charges related to January protests, state media says
Iran executed a man on Thursday over charges related to January's nationwide protests, state media reported.
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media → show → protests
State media identified the person as Qaem Hosseini, a foreign national, who, it said, took part in events that led to the killing of security force members during the protests.
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that → identify → protests
Iran says Trump's 'Economic D-Day' will bring defeat to US
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi this morning said Donald Trump's "Economic D-Day" on Iran will only bring "further defeat" to the US.
“The so-called ‘Economic D-Day’ is a diversion from America's own crisis: unprecedented debt & surging interest costs,” he wrote in a post on X on Thursday alongside screenshots of news headlines and graphs pointing to trouble in the US economy.
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he → say → economy
“Doubling down on failed policies will only bring further defeat—and enmity of Iranians.
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Doubling → double → Iranians
US economic terrorism threatens global economy and sovereignty worldwide.”
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terrorism → threaten → economy
Trump yesterday declared an “Economic D-Day” against Iran and threatened sanctions on any nation offering a lifeline to the Middle Eastern country.
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Trump → declare → country
“Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — It all needs to stop NOW.
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It → need → ?
You know who you are," Trump said in a post on X.
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Trump → know → X.
