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 Thursday's top developments here:
- UAE condemns attack on two vessels in Hormuz strait
- Israeli strikes in Gaza kill two including senior policeman
- Iran calls for compensation after Hormuz oil spill
- Iran FM says US has 'long miscalculated' over Strait of Hormuz
- US ambassador to Israel denounces settler siege on Palestinians as 'terror'
Hormuz remains under Iran control: Official
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 21:20 GMT | by Web Desk
Iran will decide when the Strait of Hormuz is opened or closed and will continue its blockade until the United States accepts what Tehran described as its “strategic defeat,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Friday.
His remarks came after US President Donald Trump said he would declare the strategic waterway US territory following what he described as Iran’s defeat.
“Accept the reality: up to this point, you have suffered strategic and heavy defeats,” Gharibabadi said in a post on X. “The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.”
He added that the waterway “will only be closed and opened under Iran's command,” warning that Tehran would continue enforcing the blockade until Washington “accept[s] the reality of defeat” and abandons what he called its “fanciful delusions.”
UAE state oil company says vessel attacked in Hormuz strait
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 21:20 GMT | by AFP
United Arab Emirates' state-owned oil giant ADNOC said Saturday one of its vessels came under attack in the Hormuz strait, the latest incident in the waterway at the center of the US-Iran conflict.
Tehran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait, a vital shipping route for global energy supplies, carrying out strikes on commercial ships since the war began in February.
The Islamic republic has said it wants to charge users for passage, which Washington fiercely opposes.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) "confirmed that one of its vessels was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on the evening of Friday, August 14", according to the official WAM news agency, but reported no injuries.
In its statement, ADNOC stressed the importance of protecting seafarers and safeguarding freedom of navigation and maritime security.
Trump says will 'soon' declare Hormuz Strait US territory
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 20:26 GMT | by AFP
US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz waterway part of US territory after defeating Iran.
"After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated -- pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," he said with a chuckle during a political rally at a police academy in New York state.
Trump, together with Israel, launched a war against Iran on February 28.
Iraqi daily oil exports in August highest since start of war: minister
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 16:44 GMT | by AFP
Iraq's average daily oil exports since the beginning of August are the highest since the outbreak of the Middle East war between Iran and the United States choked off the Strait of Hormuz, the oil ministry said Friday.
Iraqi Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair told a press conference that "exports since the beginning of the month have reached a rate of two million barrels" per day, for a total of around 26 million barrels.
He said the daily rate had been achieved "for the first time since the crisis began" on February 28 after US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which retaliated by blocking the waterway crucial for global oil and gas trade.
UAE says Iran attacked two ADNOC vessels in Hormuz
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 13:56 GMT | by AFP
The United Arab Emirates on Friday blamed Iran for attacks on two vessels linked to its state-owned oil company as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.
The UAE foreign ministry denounced what it called "the hostile Iranian attack" targeting two vessels affiliated with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), "with no injuries reported."
ADNOC confirmed that "two of its vessels were attacked while transiting" the waterway on Thursday evening, adding the situation was "brought under control", the official WAM news agency reported.
Vice President Al-Sheikh condemns Israel’s move to expand police powers in the West Bank
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 11:23 GMT | by Web Desk
Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al-Sheikh on Friday condemned an Israeli decision to transfer law-enforcement powers in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank to the Israeli police, saying the move amounted to an attempt to impose Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian territory.
In a statement, Al-Sheikh said the move constitutes a blatant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions and signed agreements, and represents a new attempt to impose Israeli law and sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
Pakistan, US officials discuss bilateral cooperation, regional peace
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 09:23 GMT | by Web Desk
DPM/FM appreciated the positive trajectory in Pakistan-US relations and underscored the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for lasting peace.
He emphasized that the implementation of the Islamabad MoU of 18 June in letter and spirit is the only way forward.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and security while safeguarding its national interests.
Israeli forces detain Palestinian child as settlers attack residents near Hebron
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 07:23 GMT | by Web Desk
Israeli forces detained a 14-year-old Palestinian boy Friday in a village southwest of Hebron as Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian residents in the area, according to WAFA news agency.
Israeli forces detained Mohammad Ziad al-Rajoub while he was at a vehicle repair workshop in the village of al-Kum.
Pakistan urges Yemen de-escalation
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 05:23 GMT | by Web Desk
Pakistan has condemned recent Houthi missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, warning that renewed escalation could reverse the relative calm achieved since the UN-brokered truce of April 2022.
Speaking at a UN Security Council briefing on Yemen, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, expressed concern over the risk of renewed conflict and reaffirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
“Escalation would only inflict more suffering on the Yemeni people and further narrow the space for diplomacy,” he said.
Iftikhar also condemned attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb, including the August 11 attack on the vessel Tihamah that killed three Pakistani and one Indonesian crew members and injured seven others. “The safety and security of international maritime shipping and protection of seafarers must be respected in accordance with international law,” he said.
Pakistan called for restraint, the immediate release of detained UN and humanitarian personnel, and a resumption of good-faith negotiations under UN auspices. It said a Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political process remains the viable path to a durable settlement based on Yemen’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
US threatens Iran with 'economic isolation, like the world has never seen'
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 01:23 GMT | by AFP
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened Thursday to subject Iran to economic isolation "like the world has never seen before," adding that new measures are expected next week.
"It will be a combination of economic isolation, like the world has never seen before," Bessent told conservative television network Newsmax, adding that "the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz... will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports."
Vance says low oil prices are top US goal in Iran conflict
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 00:23 GMT | by AFP
Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the top US priority in the Iran war was keeping oil and gasoline prices low for Americans, with preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon ranking second.
The remarks contrasted with President Donald Trump's repeated framing of the fight: that entering the war had the sole objective of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, even if that meant short-term economic sacrifices for Americans.
Vance's comments also underscored the growing reality that the war now centers on control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has forced to the top of the negotiating agenda.
"I know that oil is down today and it's way down from the highs in the early days of the conflict," Vance said on Fox News. "That's goal number one -- keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country."
"And then obviously goal number two is to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon," he added.
Thursday's developments at a glance
Published: Aug 14, 2026 | 00:05 GMT | by Web Desk
The US-Iran standoff over the Strait of Hormuz remained at the center of global attention on Thursday, with Iran warning Washington against making an “ever bigger miscalculation” over the strategic waterway. The UAE condemned an Iranian attack on two vessels linked to state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) as they transited the strait, while Iran called for compensation over an oil spill that reached its southern Qeshm Island.
In the Middle East, Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least two people, including Gaza City's police governor Jamal Abu Kamil, according to Palestinian health and civil defense officials. Israeli forces also detained Palestinian journalist Mohammed Awad, who has worked for AFP, in the occupied West Bank. Separately, Israeli forces took control of a Palestinian home in Ya'bad, southwest of Jenin, forcing two families comprising 15 people to leave.
The situation in the occupied West Bank also drew criticism from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who described a settler siege of Palestinian homes near Nablus as “terror” and condemned the actions as an attempt to intimidate and harass a Palestinian family.
On the diplomatic front, Norway praised Pakistan's “important and constructive role” in efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide made the remarks during talks with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, where the two sides also discussed trade, investment, climate change, maritime affairs and education.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of repeated strategic miscalculations caused by intelligence failures and warned Washington against a potentially bigger mistake over the Strait of Hormuz.
On the economic front, Britain's economy grew 0.4% in the second quarter, slowing from 0.6% growth in the first quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics. The ONS said output remained robust despite domestic political unrest and the economic fallout from the US-Iran conflict.
For earlier developments, read our Aug 13 live blog here.