Trump says US has no talks planned with Iran; other Middle East news
Iran says it is finalising a deal with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, despite Donald Trump’s latest threat to bomb the sultanate.
Source: Associated Press · August 18, 2026 at 8:01 PM · AI-assisted report
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WASHINGTON, 19 AUGUST 2026 —
Iran says it is finalising a deal with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, despite Donald Trump’s latest threat to bomb the sultanate.
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Trump said on social media that the US has no talks planned with Iran, posted a map of the strait under an American flag, and insisted the waterway remains “open and operating” even though traffic has fallen 19.5% in a week to just 95 transits. He added that mines had been removed and vessels were free to pass, while warning Oman that US opposition to a pending joint management plan could provoke a strike.
The Trump administration told Oman it opposes two central provisions of the draft accord, according to officials briefed on the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to journalists. One is joint Iranian-Omani control of the strait’s exit route, the other is the collection of voluntary fees from passing ships—even if the proceeds are earmarked for maritime security and environmental protection.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded to Trump’s post by saying the US president had correctly written the name of the Persian Gulf but that his view of the strait would either be corrected soon or Iran would do the correcting. Earlier on Tuesday, a projectile damaged the engine room of a ship in the strait near Oman and caused a crew casualty, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre.
Shipping data from Kpler showed traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait rose 6.7% to 254 transits, while dark transits—where vessels switch off their tracking beacons—dropped from 40 to 16. Only three vessels passed through the Hormuz transit lanes on Sunday, all using the Iranian-designated route; no traffic was recorded on the Omani side.
In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they fired drones at a Saudi Aramco refinery in Jeddah, the second attack on Saudi oil infrastructure in a week. The Houthis said their missiles targeted the kingdom’s state-owned oil company, but Saudi Arabia has not commented. The rebels have intensified strikes on Yemeni government positions and on Saudi Red Sea shipping since the collapse of a ceasefire in October.
Israel carried out an air strike on Gaza City that killed six people, including a child, and wounded 14 others, according to Shifa Hospital. The Israel Defence Forces said it targeted Hamas commanders in the Shati refugee camp who were planning attacks. The Gaza Health Ministry, whose casualty records are regarded as reliable by UN agencies, said at least 1,266 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the October truce ended.
The United Arab Emirates said two ballistic missiles fired from Iran landed outside and inside its waters on Tuesday without causing casualties or damage. The Emirati Defence Ministry did not say whether the projectiles were intercepted or fell, and Iran has not responded. The UAE was a frequent target of Iranian missiles and drones in the opening weeks of the war but had seen no attacks for several weeks until Tuesday.
The 60-day negotiating window for a US-Iran peace deal expired this week with no extension and no sign of progress, leaving the Strait of Hormuz—a chokepoint for 20% of the world’s seaborne oil—partially closed and the region on edge.
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