Iran-US war latest: Tehran ‘threatens to attack targets in Europe’ if Trump escalates conflict

Iran has reportedly drawn up plans to target US military assets in Europe if Donald Trump escalates the conflict, as the US president claimed the Strait of Hormuz as American territory. Tehran has considered strikes on US assets in south-eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, which last month approved the use of its Bezmer air base by US refuelling aircraft, two Iranian regime insiders told the Financial Times. Cyprus has also been identified as a potential target, one of the insiders said. A British air base on the island was struck by a drone in March. Iranian forces have separately examined the possibility of targeting subsea fibre-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz if the conflict escalates, according to the sources. It came as Trump said there were “no talks or conversation” going on or scheduled with Iran. Calling Hormuz as “New US terriotary” he shared a crude map of the region with a large blue circle over Hormuz. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has imposed an indefinite trade embargo on Iran after it accused Tehran of firing two ballistic missiles at the country. Iran's foreign ministry ⁠spokesperson rejected the UAE’s claims as "baseless”.Ship traffic drops significantly in Strait of Hormuz Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly last week, with confirmed crossings falling 19.5 per cent to 95 transits. Only three vessels made it through the waterway on Sunday, according to shipping data platform Kpler. The ships used the Iranian-designated route through the strait, with no crossings recorded through the Omani routes. Crossings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait increased 6.7 per cent to 254 transits, while so-called dark transits, in which ships turn off the transponders that broadcast their location, fell from 40 to 16, Kpler said. Shweta Sharma19 August 2026 08:30Iran weighs strikes on US targets in Europe - report Iran is considering attacks on US military targets in Europe if Donald Trump escalates the conflict, according to people close to the Iranian regime. Two regime insiders told the Financial Times that Iranian forces have assessed potential strikes against US assets in south-eastern Europe, including Bulgaria. The country approved the use of its Bezmer air base by refuelling US aircraft last month, making it a potential target in any renewed escalation. Cyprus, which houses a major British base, has also reportedly been considered as a possible target for retaliation. Bulgarian Army soldiers take part in a military anti-terrorism exercise at the Novo Selo training base near Sliven, some 300 kms east of the capital Sofia (AFP/Getty) Iran is considering attacks on US military targets in Europe if Donald Trump escalates the conflict, according to people close to the Iranian regime. Two regime insiders told the Financial Times that Iranian forces have assessed potential strikes against US assets in south-eastern Europe, including Bulgaria. The country approved the use of its Bezmer air base by refuelling US aircraft last month, making it a potential target in any renewed escalation. Cyprus, which houses a major British base, has also reportedly been considered as a possible target for retaliation. Shweta Sharma19 August 2026 07:45Gaza was deadliest place for aid workers in 2025, UN says A record number of humanitarian workers were attacked last year, ⁠driven partly by increased use of armed drones, the United Nations said on Wednesday, calling the trend "appalling". Some 907 aid workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2025 versus 833 the year before, according to the Aid Worker Security Database, a ⁠platform funded by Canada and Australia that ​compiles ⁠major security incidents affecting aid workers. Of those, 350 were killed, down slightly from a record 387 in 2024. James Henderson was one of seven aid workers killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza (PA Media) United Nations ⁠secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the level of violence was appalling and urged ​states ⁠to respect the rules of war ‌and hold perpetrators accountable. "Serving others has become more dangerous than ever," he said, ahead of UN ceremonies planned for World Humanitarian Day with ‌flags at half-staff in New York and ‌Geneva in honour of those killed. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the proliferation of cheap and adaptable armed drones in conflicts has increased the risks. In March, drone strikes ⁠hit Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least three people including a French aid worker, while aid convoys in Sudan and Ukraine have been repeatedly hit. Gaza was by far the most deadly place for aid workers in 2025 with 186 humanitarians killed there last year, the database showed, followed by Sudan. The UN Palestinian refugee ‌agency has reported at least 393 staff killed there since ​the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7, 2023. Shweta Sharma19 August 2026 07:00Hamas accuses Israel of undermining talks with new strikes Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have accused Israel of undermining the stalled peace process in Gaza after an airstrike killed six people. Leaders of the groups said the strike was “in clear defiance of the mediators’ efforts to solidify the ceasefire agreement and ensure its implementation”. Hamas called for stepped-up efforts to “put an end to these violations and compel the occupation to cease them completely.” The Israel Defence Forces, however, said it had “struck several Hamas commanders” in the attack. The Israel Defence Forces, however, said it had “struck several Hamas commanders” in the attack. An Israeli plane fired two missiles at a small cafe inside the ⁠fishing harbour in western Gaza City on Tuesday. The seaport has turned into a large displacement ⁠camp for Palestinian families during the war that began in October 2023. A 13-year-old boy and his father were among those killed, while more than a dozen others were injured, medical officials at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital said. Shweta Sharma19 August 2026 06:22Azerbaijan sues CNN in US over report on Israeli forces deployed during Iran war Azerbaijan’s government has sued CNN over alleged defamation following the American network’s 5 June report that said Israel deployed elite military and intelligence personnel to Azerbaijan for operations against Iran. The lawsuit has been filed in a US federal court, accusing CNN of “falsely reporting” that Israeli forces used Azerbaijani territory for military and intelligence operations against Iran, reported Politico. Baku is seeking damages and a retraction, according to the court filing. The report cited four unnamed sources to claim that Israel has sent several dozen personnel, including special operations forces and Mossad operatives, to locations near the Iranian border. (Getty) Baku denied allowing its territory to be used for such operations. According to the report, Azerbaijan contacted CNN before filing the case and demanded a retraction, but the network declined, saying it stood by its reporting. Shweta Sharma19 August 2026 06:00UAE imposes trade embargo on Iran after missile attack The United Arab Emirates' defence ministry imposed an indefinite trade embargo on Iran after saying that two ballistic missiles launched on Tuesday were fired by Iran. The ministry said the missiles targeted "maritime traffic" based on its assessments. Both missiles fell into the sea, it said. “All trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice,” it said. "The defence ministry affirms ⁠its full readiness to deal with any threats and firmly confront anything that aims to destabilise the state's security," it added. On Tuesday, some residents received an alert warning of a missile threat. Later, the alert was lifted, and residents were asked to resume normal activities. The first missile fell outside the country's territorial waters, while the second fell within territorial waters, according to the ministry of defence. Iran's foreign ministry ⁠spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected early on ​Wednesday ⁠the statement by the UAE, describing it as "baseless” and a “false flag operation”. Shweta Sharma19 August 2026 05:45US military official blames Biden administration after reports of dwindling weapons stockpile US Under Secretary of War Michael Duffey has blamed the Biden administration following reports of the military’s dwindling weapons stockpile. As the Iran war drags on, there have been multiple reports of the US military burning through long-range missiles and interceptors. US President Donald Trump has maintained that the military has “massive amounts” of munitions. “We would always like to have more weapons than we have right now, which is why we are so focused on engaging with our industrial partners, entering these deals, and ensuring that we ramp the production of these key missiles as quickly as possible”, Duffey told Fox News. “We are making up for lost time. The Biden Administration did not deliver — they did not focus on developing the industrial base that we need in order to ensure that we have munitions for the foreseeable future. President Trump and [US Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth are delivering”, he added. Rachel Dobkin19 August 2026 05:31Oil prices rise for a fourth consecutive day Oil prices extended gains for a fourth consecutive session on Wednesday, with Brent crude futures up 26 cents, or 0.29 per cent, at $91.28 a barrel as of 0.04am GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 37 cents to $85.31 a barrel. The gains came after prices closed on Tuesday at their highest levels since 24 July, as fading hopes of a peace deal between the US and Iran fuelled concerns over supplies. Investors were also weighing conflicting statements from Washington and Tehran over the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Shweta Sharma19 August 2026 05:20US envoy for Syria says Israeli strikes on airbase ‘unnecessary escalation’ Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria ​and Iraq, said ⁠on X that Washington was very concerned by Israel’s bombing of an airbase in Syria on Tuesday. He said the confirmed Israeli ‌airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase "constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability." "The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritise logical discourse over further military incidents," he added. Syrian foreign minister Assad al-Shibani called for the attacks to stop, saying ‌Israel should recalculate its position toward Syria because it was confronting not only Damascus, but also ‌Syria's allies. Shweta Sharma19 August 2026 05:01Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian airbase Israel bombed an airbase in Syria on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, drawing condemnation from Turkey. Syria's state-run Ekhbariya television, citing a military source, said Israel carried out eight ⁠airstrikes on the runway and storage facilities at the Abu al-Duhur base near Aleppo in northwest Syria. A separate military source and a civilian who lives near the base said there were no casualties. The attack appeared to be Israel's first strike on Syrian government assets since March. The Turkish foreign ministry said the attacks violated Syria's territorial unity and integrity. "We call on the international community to take a more decisive stance to end Israel's escalating aggression against Syria," it said in a statement. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said late Tuesday ⁠that Syria was on the "verge" of violating a "status quo agreed with Israel in security ​matters" by ⁠allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the airbase. "Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings," Netanyahu's office said. "Israel will not tolerate threats to its security," yet "would welcome a return to the status ⁠quo". Turkey's statement did not say if its troops were at the Syrian base. Shweta Sharma19 August 2026 04:45