The US will announce unprecedented economic measures against Iran next week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, as the Trump administration steps up pressure on Tehran after nearly six months of war.

Bessent said the measures would be part of a “one-two punch” alongside the continued blockade of Iran’s ports. Fighting that began on February 28 has disrupted oil and other commodity flows from the region, while talks aimed at a lasting peace have stalled, Bloomberg reported.

Iran’s economy has been hit by the US blockade, with industrial capacity damaged and crude exports severely curtailed. President Donald Trump has also renewed his push for economic pressure on Tehran.

Fires broke out in Bani Hayyan in southern Lebanon’s Marjayoun District following continued Israeli artillery shelling, the country’s National News Agency reported.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has condemned what it called the “reprehensible Iranian attack” on two Emirati vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the incident “endangers the security of maritime navigation, the stability of energy supplies, and international trade”.

The ministry called for an end to actions that could escalate regional tensions, respect for freedom of navigation and safe passage in international waterways, and the “full and unconditional reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian forces intercepted and brought down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over Hormozgan province, Iranian state television reported.

The drone was shot down using what the report described as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) “new advanced defence system”. The MQ-9 Reaper has been used for surveillance and bombing operations across the region for years.

The report said the United States has lost dozens of MQ-9 drones since the war began in February.

The United Arab Emirates has blamed Iran for firing drones at two tankers operated by a state-owned oil company as they sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, calling the attacks acts of piracy.

The attacks caused no casualties but highlighted the risks faced by vessels carrying cargo through the critical waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the open oceans as Iran maintains a firm grip over the passage, PTI reported.

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker during a meeting in Islamabad that implementing the Islamabad MoU “in letter and spirit is the only way forward”.

According to a statement shared by Dar on X, the talks covered Pakistan-US bilateral ties and recent regional developments. Dar welcomed what he described as the “positive trajectory in Pakistan-US relations” and said dialogue and diplomacy were essential for achieving lasting peace.

Baker “appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability”, Dar’s office said.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, strongly condemned the Iranian attack on two ADNOC tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported.

Albudaiwi said the GCC “strongly condemns the brutal Iranian attack” and emphasised that the repeated targeting of navigation, facilities and property is “an unacceptable escalation and a grave violation of international law”.

A tanker was struck by an uncrewed aerial vehicle while sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said.
While the crew is safe, the vessel sustained minor damage.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will travel to New Delhi for the BRICS summit, ANI reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger discussed bilateral ties and the latest regional and international developments in a phone call, Iranian state media IRNA reported.

Human Rights Watch has urged the UN Security Council to retain an international force in southern Lebanon, warning that UNIFIL’s planned withdrawal could leave civilians vulnerable amid renewed Israel-Hezbollah tensions.

“Pulling the plug on UNIFIL without a robust international force in place would effectively abandon millions of Lebanese civilians,” HRW’s UN director Louis Charbonneau said, according to Al Jazeera.

The USS George Washington carrier strike group is heading to West Asia to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, CNN reported, citing a US official.

The George Washington completed a port visit to Vietnam on August 5. The official said the carrier rotation had been planned earlier and was not prompted by a new development. It was not immediately clear when the warship would arrive in the region.

The Lincoln has operated in West Asia since January and supported US military operations against Iran after the war began on February 28. Its crew has been at sea since November 2025, according to Reuters.

The planned replacement comes amid growing concern over conditions aboard the Lincoln.

Democratic lawmakers have sought answers from the Pentagon following reports of shortages of essential supplies, water contamination, plumbing problems and deteriorating mental health among its roughly 5,000 personnel.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, told Reuters that reports of poor conditions aboard the carrier had been “completely misrepresented”. The Pentagon has also denied recent claims about deaths and a rise in suicidal thoughts among the crew.

• Did Iran plot to assassinate Donald Trump?

Israel repeatedly warned the US over the past year that Iran was planning to assassinate President Donald Trump, Reuters reported, citing current and former US officials. However, American intelligence agencies could not independently verify several of the specific threats.

• What alleged attack plans did Israel flag?

The warnings included possible plots to shoot Trump with a sniper or recruit someone to stab him at a large public event.

The alerts began before the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June 2025 and intensified ahead of Washington’s decision to enter the war against Iran in February.

• Was Trump allegedly targeted aboard Air Force One?

The most detailed warning came before a NATO summit in Ankara in July. Israeli officials reportedly told the White House that Iran could try to attack Trump while he travelled aboard Air Force One, potentially using a shoulder-launched missile.

The warning contributed to an elaborate security operation in Turkey, during which Trump secretly switched aircraft before continuing his journey.

• Did US intelligence confirm the Israeli warnings?

Not all of them. While US intelligence has long assessed that Tehran wants to avenge Trump’s 2020 order to kill top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, the CIA was unable to corroborate some of the specific assassination warnings from Israel, Reuters reported.

The oil leak originating from the Russian oil tanker Caroline Bezengi reached the coast of Oman weeks after the vessel was attacked weeks earlier Al Jazeera reported. The tanker contained over 800,000 barrels of Russia sanctioned crude oil.

The UAE’s Foreign Ministry “strongly condemned” the Islamic Republic’s attack on two ADNOC oil tankers as they transited the Strait of Hormuz, saying no one was hurt in the attack.

الإمارات تُدين بأشد العبارات استهداف ناقلتين تابعتين لأدنوك أثناء عبورهما مضيق هرمز

UAE Strongly Condemns Targeting of Two ADNOC Vessels While Transiting Strait of Hormuz pic.twitter.com/dGL9pt8RaW

— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) August 13, 2026

Harlan Ullman, a retired senior naval officer and chairman of the Killowen Group, told Al Jazeera that the USS Abraham Lincoln requires routine onshore maintenance given the complexity of its systems, saying nuclear-powered carriers with advanced weapons systems have upkeep needs that “you cannot do… under way.” He said extended deployments, such as the carrier’s nine months at sea, “erode the readiness and capability of that ship the longer it’s at sea,” due to its limited ability to carry out repairs and maintenance while deployed.

Seoul’s Incheon Airport became the world’s busiest for international passenger traffic in the first half of 2026, handling 38.39 million travellers, as disruption from the US-Iran war shifted transit flights away from West Asian hubs toward East Asian routes. Preliminary Airports Council International data showed Incheon’s transit passengers rose 18.1% year-on-year to 4.24 million, with European transit traffic up 63.2%. London Heathrow ranked second with 37.79 million passengers, and Singapore’s Changi third with 34.53 million. Incheon operator officials said flight capacity to the Middle East fell 16.5% amid regional tensions, while Asia-Pacific traffic rose 7.9%.

Russia’s UN representative blamed the US and Israel for escalating violence in Yemen, calling for the “complete lifting of the maritime and land blockade of Yemen” and removal of restrictions on food, medicine and essential goods, delegate Yulia Zhdanova told the Security Council, according to Al Jazeera. She said prolonged stagnation in Yemen’s peace process had forced the Houthis to be “dragged into a regional confrontation initiated by the US and Israel,” calling for negotiations that consider “the fair interests of all of the leading political forces,” including the Houthis.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X that addressing environmental damage in the Strait of Hormuz must be central to any future administration of the waterway, citing recent oil pollution documented at three coastal sites on Qeshm Island, reportedly traced to a foreign bulk carrier. He said the incident reflects decades of environmental degradation across the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, imposing what he called trillions of dollars in damage on Iran’s coastline, and argued that nations benefiting from Gulf shipping — whether energy consumers, insurers, or parties involved in regional military operations — bear legal and moral responsibility to help remediate the harm.

• The US lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper surveillance and strike drones during the war with Iran according to the Washington Post
• These accounts for roughly 25% of the US military fleet, potentially costing the taxpayer more than $1.3 billion.

CENTCOM announced the establishment of Task Force Falcon Strike, a multi-domain, multinational drone unit combining one-way attack drones operating in the air, on and beneath the sea, with personnel from the US and regional partners via X. It follows Task Force Scorpion Strike, the US military’s first dedicated one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East, which achieved milestones including the first aerial drone launch from a US Navy warship and strikes on Iranian port facilities in July. “Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike’s success given the tremendous innovation happening among our regional allies and partners,” CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said, adding regional partners were being formally invited to join. SOCCENT will lead the task force’s staff.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a call with President Trump that Iran’s possible acquisition of nuclear weapons posed a major threat to the region, describing the call as “sincere and constructive” and stressing “Iran should not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon,” Iran International reported. Albanese said Trump expressed confidence about the war’s trajectory, and noted Iran had attacked several regional countries, including the UAE, beyond its conflicts with the US and Israel. The two also discussed the AUKUS pact, and Albanese said Trump agreed to consider lifting the 12.5% US tariffs on Australian goods in place since July.

• Oil prices slipped again as markets weighed the chances of a breakthrough that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even as fresh strikes on tankers and energy sites unsettled traders.
• Brent crude sat close to $87 a barrel after dropping 2.2% the day before.
• West Texas Intermediate traded around $81.
• Talks between Iran and Oman over reopening the key waterway remained unresolved, even though earlier in the week both sides had appeared close to an agreement.
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Kuwait’s oil industry has been largely crippled after six months of US-Iran war, with sharply reduced exports leaving the country facing its biggest economic crisis since Iraq’s 1990 invasion, AFP reported. More than 90% of Kuwait’s government revenues and nearly all its export earnings depend on crude sales, and unlike Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Kuwait has no pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, leaving it reliant on the waterway to reach global markets.

California lawmakers led by Representative Mike Levin demanded answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao over conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed since leaving San Diego on 21 November 2025. In a letter shared on X and signed by four lawmakers, Levin said plans to relieve the carrier were “not enough,” asking why unsanitary conditions weren’t addressed, why service members lacked adequate mental health support, and why the Navy failed to communicate problems to families and officials. Hegseth rejected the reports of worsening conditions as “completely misrepresented.”

Today, I am sending a letter to Secretary Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Cao demanding answers about what is going on aboard the USS Lincoln and plans to rectify these issues. I’m proud to lead the San Diego delegation on this letter, as we represent one of the largest… pic.twitter.com/gaGldR0YEE

— Rep. Mike Levin (@RepMikeLevin) August 13, 2026

CENTCOM said on X that recent media reports claiming seven sailors died in a brawl aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, and a separate report of rising suicidal ideation among the crew, were false. It said the carrier maintains one of the Navy’s highest reenlistment rates at 84.4%, and that no service members aboard have died, after more than 260 days at sea, 10,000 aircraft flights and 1.5 million pounds of ordnance expended. CENTCOM confirmed one sailor fell overboard on 3 August but was “quickly and safely recovered,” calling the reporting “a disservice” to the crew and their families.

???? CLAIM: Over the past 48 hours, multiple media outlets have reported several false claims related to USS Abraham Lincoln’s (CVN 72) deployment to the Middle East. One report alleged seven Sailors died in a brawl aboard the aircraft carrier and others have recently suggested a… pic.twitter.com/U1Hg6l1pjN

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 13, 2026

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US would soon apply measures “never seen in the history of economic isolation on a country,” telling Newsmax to “watch this space for more announcements coming next week.” He described a combination of unprecedented economic isolation and the continued Strait of Hormuz blockade, which he said would keep “anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports.”