LIVE: ​​​Iran president says country in 'full-scale war' with US

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 says service member killed in controlled detonation in north Iraq
• UN watchdog calls for restraint as Iran says US attacked unfinished
• Iran says US attacked under-construction nuclear power plant

• US embassy says Jordan evacuates Aqaba airport, seaport over threat

• Iran says stopped two ships trying to transit Hormuz strait

US military says new round of strikes launched on Iran

Published: July 20, 2026 | 21:18 GMT | by AFP

US forces launched a new round of strikes against Iran on Monday, US Central Command said.

The strikes, which began at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT), are "designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said.

Saudi Arabia voices 'strongest condemnation' of Houthi maritime blockade

Published: July 20, 2026 | 20:42 GMT | by AFP

Saudi Arabia on Monday condemned an announcement by Yemen's Houthis of a maritime blockade of the kingdom, as the Iran-backed rebels threatened the top oil exporter's ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement the Gulf monarchy's foreign ministry said it "expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's strongest condemnation of the statements made by the so-called military spokesman of the terrorist Houthi militia... imposing a maritime blockade on the Kingdom," adding that Riyadh "continues to support the brotherly Yemeni people and their legitimate government".

Yemen's Houthis declare maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia

Published: July 20, 2026 | 20:08 GMT | by AFP

Yemen's Houthi rebels announced a maritime embargo of Saudi Arabia on Monday, stepping up the US-Iran war as the rebels threatened the top oil exporter's ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iran-backed group did not say how it planned to impose the embargo, whose declaration came as Iran said it was back to a "full-scale war" with the United States, and as Washington and Tehran battled to control the strait.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis traded fire last week for the first time in years, threatening a 2022 truce that has held despite expiring.

The exchange of strikes was set off when an Iranian plane attempted to land in Sanaa, challenging Saudi Arabia's hegemony over Yemeni skies.

Sirens sound in Jordanian capital: AFP correspondent

Published: July 20, 2026 | 18:43 GMT | by AFP

Sirens sounded in the Jordanian capital Amman on Monday evening, an AFP correspondent said, as the United States and Iran exchanged attacks in the region.

The state-run Al-Mamlaka channel also said that sirens had sounded in the kingdom.

UK maritime agency says vessel struck off UAE coast

Published: July 20, 2026 | 17:28 GMT | by AFP

A ship was struck off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a British maritime agency said on Monday as Iran and the United States traded strikes over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

"A vessel reports being struck by an unknown projectile causing damage to the steering gear. All the crew are reported as safe. There is no environmental impact," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said, adding that the incident occurred 17 nautical miles east of Dibba, near Hormuz.

Iran's interior minister lands in Pakistan amid Gulf escalation

Published: July 20, 2026 | 17:20 GMT | by Web Desk

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad where he was received by his Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi, said a video statement on Naqvi’s WhatsApp.

Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam was also present, while Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry presented a bouquet to the visiting dignitary.

The video statement, quoting Naqvi, said, "We hope that the Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni  has brought good news."

It added that "There is also hope for progress on the regional situation."

Trump warns Iran will pay 'many times over' for US troop deaths

Published: July 20, 2026 | 17:01 GMT | by AFP

President Donald Trump warned Iran on Monday that it would pay "many times over" for every US soldier it killed after Washington announced over the weekend three new military fatalities and one service member missing in action.

"Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!" Trump posted on his platform, Truth Social. "This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military."

Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza rises

Published: July 20, 2026 | 16:32 GMT | by Web Desk

Three Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours with 22 others injured, AL Jazeera reported.

Israel’s genocidal war has killed at least 73,283 people and wounded 173,864 since October 7, 2023, according to AL Jazeera.

US gasoline costs back at $4 a gallon as Mideast war reignites

Published: July 20, 2026 | 14:30 GMT | by AFP

US gasoline prices jumped back to an average of $4 per gallon Monday, according to the AAA motor club, as Iran said it was fighting a "full-scale war" with the United States while both sides intensified attacks.

Prices at the pump breached this threshold in March after US-Israel attacks targeting Iran sparked Tehran's retaliation in virtually closing off the Strait of Hormuz -- a key waterway for energy transit.

Global oil prices soared in the wake of the conflict, sending US gasoline costs higher as well.

Kuwait army says responding to Iranian missiles, drones

Published: July 20, 2026 | 14:15 GMT | by AFP

Kuwait's military said on Monday it was responding to renewed missile and drone salvos as Tehran pressed its attacks against Gulf countries and the United States expanded its strikes across the Islamic republic.

"Kuwaiti air defences are currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks," the Gulf state's army said in a statement blaming Iran, while an AFP journalist confirmed hearing explosions in Kuwait City. In neighbouring Bahrain, air raid sirens also sounded, according to the island kingdom's interior ministry.

Lebanon army begins taking over southern 'pilot zones': US

Published: July 20, 2026 | 13:40 GMT | by AFP

A deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground Monday, as the Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, Washington said.

The United States said operations had started in "pilot zones" in Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya "in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon."

Iran president says country in 'full-scale war' with US

Published: July 20, 2026 | 12:30 GMT | by AFP

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday said his country was in a "full-scale war" with the United States and that Tehran should accept the repercussions of the conflict.

"The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war," Pezeshkian said, adding that "we must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance," he said, according to a presidency statement.

"The most important battlefield today is the economy and the livelihoods of the people," said the Iranian president in a meeting in Tehran with judicial officials.

Bahrain says Iran targeted air navigation systems, traffic unaffected

Published: July 20, 2026 | 12:13 GMT | by AFP

Bahrain's civil aviation body said that Iran had targeted its air navigation systems with drones on Monday, though traffic remained unaffected.

"As a result of a hostile Iranian act of aggression against the Kingdom of Bahrain, civil air navigation systems serving the Bahrain Flight Information Region were targeted by hostile drones. However, air navigation operations remained unaffected," it said in a statement, adding that "flights and air traffic" were proceeding normally.

Hamas says Khalil al-Hayya elected as group's new chief

Published: July 20, 2026 | 11:30 GMT | by AFP

Palestinian fighter movement Hamas announced that it had elected Khalil al-Hayya, the group's lead negotiator in indirect ceasefire talks with Israel, as the new head of its political bureau.

"The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announces the election of brother mujahid Khalil al-Hayya as head of the movement's political bureau, succeeding the martyred leader Yahya al-Sinwar," Hamas said in a statement. Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024 in Gaza.

Palestinians say Israeli forces kill two during settler attack

Published: July 20, 2026 | 08:55 GMT | by AFP

The Palestinian health ministry said Monday that Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian men when a group of Israeli settlers attacked a village in the occupied West Bank overnight.

The military said its troops opened fire after Palestinians threw stones at them. 

The Ramallah-based ministry identified the two as Odeh Abdul Rahim Odeh Farakhna, 53, and Ahmad Adel Rashid Abu Mkhou, 26.

"They were killed by (Israeli) occupation gunfire in the town of Deir Jarir," it said.

In a separate statement, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said its teams evacuated one other person wounded during a settler attack on the town late on Sunday.

Iran calls on IAEA to condemn strikes on under-construction nuclear site

Published: July 20, 2026 | 08:35 GMT | by AFP

Iran urged the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday to condemn US strikes that it said targeted the Darkhovin nuclear power plant under construction in the country's southwest.

"Iran... expects the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Board of Governors and the Director General of the IAEA, who from time to time makes political statements regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, to clearly state their position on this matter in condemning the US crime," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP.

Iran says will not allow Hormuz strait to be used to threaten country

Published: July 20, 2026 | 08:17 GMT | by AFP

Iran said on Monday that it would not allow the vital Strait of Hormuz to be used by its foes to threaten the country's security, as the United States and the Islamic republic battle for the waterway's future.

"We must not allow this waterway to be misused again to threaten Iran's security and national interests," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP, adding the country was "determined to take the necessary measures" to safeguard its sovereignty.

Iran says diplomatic exchanges with US ongoing via mediators

Published: July 20, 2026 | 08:17 GMT | by AFP

Iran said on Monday that diplomatic exchanges with the United States via mediators were ongoing despite US military strikes on the country.

"We have been informed by mediators, we have received messages -- without going into details -- but the main point is that the diplomatic apparatus has been active in recent days and ideas have been conveyed to us by certain mediators," said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP.

Crew abandons vessel on fire attacked in Hormuz: UK maritime agency

Published: July 20, 2026 | 07:25 GMT | by AFP

Sailors safely abandoned a vessel set alight after it was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said Monday, as the United States and Iran vie for control over the vital waterway.

"The vessel was struck by an unknown projectile. The crew safely abandoned the vessel and have been recovered by a tug boat. The fire has not been extinguished and the vessel is currently adrift. There is no reported environmental impact," UKMTO said in a an update to their earlier statement.

Earlier, the agency had reported the ship was "on fire" eight nautical miles northwest of Kumzar, Oman.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that two oil tankers trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz "exploded and were brought to a halt".

US strikes hit Iranian city home to nuclear plant: State media

Published: July 20, 2026 | 07:23 GMT | by AFP

US strikes hit several locations in Iran's southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant, state media reported Monday.

"A few minutes ago, several locations in Bushehr city were hit by American enemy's projectiles," said Bushehr governor Mohammad Mozaffari, as quoted by official state news agency IRNA.

Iran hits out at Gulf neighbors as US presses on with strikes

Published: July 20, 2026 | 06:27 GMT | by AFP

Washington and Tehran traded strikes on Monday as US deaths in the renewed fighting climbed to three and more ships came under attack in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices surged to a one-month high as the United States and Iran tussled for control of the vital strait, with Brent crude rising above $91 a barrel -- the highest price since June 11.

Since the start of the war on Feb. 28, Iran has struck back by targeting US allies and military assets in its own neighborhood, and by virtually blocking the waterway through which a fifth of world oil supplies transited prior to the war.

US strikes kill one in northwest Iran: State media

Published: July 20, 2026 | 06:21 GMT | by AFP

US strikes overnight in northwestern Iran killed at least one person and wounded several more, state media reported Monday.

"One person was martyred and several others were injured in a terrorist and aggressive American attack on an area southwest of Tabriz on Monday morning," said Majid Farshi, head of crisis management of East Azerbaijan province, quoted by state news agency IRNA.

New Mideast fighting keeps eurozone rate-setters on edge

Published: July 20, 2026 | 06:05 GMT | by AFP

Fresh fighting in the Middle East and renewed energy price rises have thrown a curveball at the European Central Bank as policymakers mull whether to hike interest rates again this week.

The ECB lifted borrowing costs in June for the first time since 2023 in response to the jump in eurozone prices triggered by the conflict.

After Washington and Tehran struck a deal towards ending the war and inflation started easing back towards the ECB's two-percent target, a hold in rates at the central bank's meeting this Thursday looked like a done deal.

But fighting has flared between the two sides again, with Iran declaring key energy route the Strait of Hormuz closed, and oil prices have risen anew.

Most analysts however still believe the likeliest outcome is that policymakers will keep the benchmark rate on hold at 2.25 percent.

"We don't expect any change to interest rates at this meeting," Berenberg bank senior economist Felix Schmidt told AFP.

Ryanair quarterly profit slides on Mideast war impact

Published: July 20, 2026 | 06:03 GMT | by AFP

Irish no-frills airline Ryanair on Monday said net profit slumped 34 percent in its first quarter as the Middle East conflict sent jet-fuel prices soaring and impacted ticket sales.

Profit after tax dropped to 538 million euros ($616 million) in the three months to the end of June, from 820 million euros one year earlier, the carrier said in a statement.

Ryanair, which is Europe's biggest airline by passenger numbers and flies mainly across the continent, said the cost of its fuel not insured by price spikes had soared owing to the US-Iran war.

"Operating costs rose 11% to 3.81 billion euros as the price of our 20-percent unhedged jet-fuel more than doubled" in the first quarter, chief executive Michael O'Leary said in the earnings statement.

While passenger traffic grew six percent, fares dropped six percent.

Fares "required stimulation as the Middle East conflict led to consumer hesitancy, concerns about EU jet-fuel shortages, economic uncertainty and later bookings", O'Leary said.

He added that Ryanair's net profit for the remainder of its financial year "remains highly sensitive to... conflict escalation in the Middle East and Ukraine, the price of unhedged jet-fuel, macroeconomic shocks" and European air traffic control strikes.

Explosions heard in Bahrain's Manama: AFP journalists

Published: July 20, 2026 | 06:01 GMT | by AFP

Explosions were heard in the Bahraini capital Manama on Monday morning after air raid sirens were triggered, AFP journalists said.

"The siren has been sounded, citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," the Gulf state's interior ministry wrote on X.

Kuwait army says intercepting Iranian drone attacks

Published: July 20, 2026 | 06:00 GMT | by AFP

Kuwaiti air defenses were "engaging hostile drone attacks" from Iran, the Gulf state's military said Monday.

"The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks," the Kuwait Army said in a post on its official X account. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said earlier Monday they had hit US military targets in Kuwait.

Iran Guards say hit US military targets in Kuwait

Published: July 20, 2026 | 05:07 GMT | by AFP

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Monday they hit US military targets in Kuwait, including an early-warning radar system that was "completely destroyed", in a statement reported by state news agency IRNA.

Iranian forces "completely destroyed a US early-warning radar system in a drone strike. In a separate attack, they struck an equipment and aircraft parts warehouse and an MQ-9 drone hangar at Ali Al Salem Air Base, setting several drones on fire," the Guards said in the statement.

US says targeted military command centers, communications networks

Published: July 20, 2026 | 04:55 GMT | by AFP

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday its latest strikes on Iran targeted command centers and other military facilities in a bid to prevent Tehran from attacking vessels transiting the Hormuz strait.

"CENTCOM assets targeted Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks to further diminish Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz," the US military said in a statement posted to X.

Rubio says Iran using Hormuz as leverage, calls on other countries to 'step up'

Published: July 20, 2026 | 08:15 GMT | by AFP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that Iran is using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage in the ongoing Middle East conflict, adding that other countries needed to step up pressure to protect global shipping.

"It's clear that Iran, at least some people in Iran, want to control the straits and hold that as leverage against the world," Rubio told reporters ahead of traveling to the Philippines for a meeting of foreign ministers with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"The United States will do and continue to do what it needs to, to protect global shipping, but other countries need to begin to step up and provide, whether it's hardware or finances, to help carry that burden," he continued.

When asked if there was still a diplomatic off-ramp to the escalating conflict, Rubio said: "I think we're always open to diplomacy. It has to be real. It has to be a deal that they're willing to live by."

Vessel on fire in Hormuz strait, says UK maritime agency

Published: July 20, 2026 | 01:02 GMT | by AFP

A vessel is on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Monday as the United States and Iran vied for control over the vital waterway.

"UKMTO has received a report of an incident 8NM northwest of Kumzar, Oman. UKMTO have received information from military authorities that a vessel is on fire," the British organisation said in a statement, adding that the cause of the fire has not yet been verified.

Trump says US hitting Iran 'very hard' to honor Americans killed

Published: July 20, 2026 | 00:48 GMT | by AFP

US President Donald Trump said Sunday the latest military strikes on Iran were being carried out in honor of US service members killed in recent days.

"We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honor of the, probably three, it's probably three great patriots," Trump told reporters as he returned to Washington following the World Cup final.

Trump said "we feel very badly," when asked about the military fatalities, adding that those who died were fighting so that "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."

Air raid sirens sound in Bahrain: interior ministry

Published: July 20, 2026 | 00:48 GMT | by AFP

Air raid sirens sounded in the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, the country's interior ministry said early Monday, as the United States and Iran traded new strikes.

"The siren has been sounded," Bahrain's interior ministry said in a statement on X.

"Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place."

The US Embassy in the capital Manama said it "has information to suggest that Iran may seek to target unspecified locations in central Manama".

"We urge all Americans to remain vigilant, follow local authorities' instructions, and review the latest guidance" from the embassy, it said on its website.

For earlier developments, read our July 19 live blog here.