Donald Trump says the US Navy has cleared mines from the Strait of Hormuz and now has “100 per cent” control of the key waterway, which Iran says will remain closed until Washington meets its demands.
Trump told reporters: “It’s open now”. He also claimed the US was “the only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now”.
It comes amid reports that the president hid in a catering trolley to escape an Iranian assassination threat when he attended the Nato summit in Ankara last month.
Trump, meanwhile, has demanded war compensation from Iran in a shocking reversal of the six-point ultimatum presented to Washington as Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s top security official said earlier this week that they would allow traffic to pass through the channel only once the US meets six terms, including “payment in full” for damage inflicted during the war.
But Trump snubbed the proposal in a Truth Social post, saying: “It is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran,” Trump said, adding: “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.”
Key Points
- Trump demands war reparations from Iran after Tehran called for compensation
- Donald Trump says ‘it always works out’ as plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz stalls
- Trump used elaborate ruse to fly out of Turkey following summit because of Iran threat - report
- Iran president says supreme leader shared message of ‘unity and cohesion’
Talks between Oman and Iran in 'advanced stage' now, says Qatar
11:45 , Maira Butt
Qatar’s foreign ministry has said that negotiations between Oman and Iran are now in an advanced stage, in a statement on Monday.
Both nations have been working on a deal to organise control over the Strait of Hormuz after US-Israeli strikes prompted Tehran to shut down the vital waterway through which one fifth of the world’s energy passes.
Houthis attack cargo ship in the Red Sea, sources say
11:13 , Maira Butt
A deck cargo ship was attacked on Tuesday by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, killing three of its crew members, two sources from the Yemeni coast guard and two military officials in the government said.
Maritime security sources told Reuters a cargo ship was believed to have been targeted in the Red Sea, but the fate of the crew was unclear.
What are Patriot missiles – and why are supplies dwindling worldwide?
10:33 , Maira Butt
Demand for the US Patriot air defence system has increased this year as Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has depleted supplies of interceptor missiles.
Ukraine is seeking further Patriot interceptors to defend itself against Russian ballistic missile attacks, while the Iran war has drained stores in the US and the Gulf.
Meanwhile, some European countries are hanging onto missiles that they may require for their own defence.
Here, The Independent takes a look at what Patriot missiles are, and why they are important to Ukraine.
What are Patriot missiles – and why are supplies dwindling worldwide?
Lebanese health ministry says two people wounded in Israeli drone strike on Nabatieh
09:48 , Maira Butt
Lebanon's health ministry said on Tuesday that an Israeli drone strike in the city of Nabatieh wounded two civilians.
The ministry added that a second strike targeted a rescue team from the Al-Risala Association, damaging an ambulance.
Shipping traffic through Strait of Hormuz drops
09:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to just six vessels on Monday, down from a 10-day average of about 11, as hopes for an immediate US-Iran peace deal faded.
Kpler data showed four vessels entered and two exited the strait. Before the war, around 130-140 ships typically passed through each day.
Traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait remained stable, with 25 vessels passing on Monday compared with a 10-day average of nearly 24.
Trump demands compensation from Iran in snub to six-point ultimatum
08:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Trump secretly switched planes to leave Turkey due to Iran assassination threat
08:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar
US president Donald Trump was secretly transported away from last month’s Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, using a secondary military plane while an elaborate deception made it seem he was aboard Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post on Monday.
The newspaper reported that the covert movement was triggered by an assassination threat from Iran targeting Mr Trump. Reporters and several White House personnel were left believing they were travelling on the same aircraft as the president as his return journey to Washington commenced following the annual gathering of Nato leaders.
The newspaper based its account on reviewed documentation, a US official aware of the operation and another individual familiar with the president’s travel arrangements.
Read more here:
Trump secretly switched planes to leave Turkey due to Iran assassination threat
Who are Iran’s new wartime commanders?
07:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has appointed six senior commanders to key military and security posts, reshaping the wartime leadership after several top commanders were killed.
The appointments came a day after former IRGC chief Mohsen Rezaee was named secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
- Ali Abdollahi: Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, overseeing coordination across the military.
- Kioumars Heydari: Deputy Chief of Staff.
- Ahmad Vahidi: New IRGC commander, tasked with boosting deterrence and readiness for “powerful offensive operations”.
- Mostafa Izadi: Vahidi’s deputy, responsible for operational readiness.
- Ali Ozmaei: New IRGC Navy commander, a key role amid tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
- Hossein Taeb: New Basij commander, focusing on mobilisation and domestic intelligence. Basij is Iran's paramilitary volunteer militia within the IRGC.
British couple jailed in Iran over espionage end their hunger strike
07:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar
British couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who have been jailed in Iran on widely criticised espionage charges, have ended hunger strikes lasting 93 and 84 days respectively.
The East Sussex couple, who deny the charges, were arrested in January last year while travelling by motorcycle from Europe to Australia and sentenced to 10 years in prison in February.
Craig Foreman’s sentence was later reportedly extended after he spoke to the media.
They began the hunger strike in May after prison authorities stopped them from contacting their families.
They agreed to end it after guards promised they could resume direct contact, though their family said Monday that contact had not yet been restored.
Oil prices rise as US-Iran negotiations over Strait of Hormuz seem to stall
06:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Oil prices rose as US-Iran negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz stalled. Brent climbed to $88 a barrel and US crude to $82.45, both their highest levels since 31 July, after a roughly 5 per cent jump on Monday.
The latest escalation came after Donald Trump rejected Iran’s terms for reopening the strait and instead demanded compensation from Tehran, raising fears that the crucial shipping route will remain disrupted.
He later wrote on Truth Social: “Iran should be responsible for the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza!”
Chuck Schumer attacks Trump over Iran war
06:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar
US Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has called Donald Trump’s handling of the Iran war a “complete and total failure”.
“Donald Trump got us into an illegal war, is losing his illegal war, and has no way out of his illegal war,” Schumer wrote on X.
“His lack of strategy, discipline, and any ability to seriously negotiate is endangering our troops and raising prices for everyday Americans,” he said.
Donald Trump got us into an illegal war, is losing his illegal war, and has no way out of his illegal war.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 10, 2026
His lack of strategy, discipline, and any ability to seriously negotiate is endangering our troops and raising prices for everyday Americans.
Trump’s leadership is a… https://t.co/yn41W4KQmO
“Trump’s leadership is a complete and total failure. We must end this war and begin to repair the damage he has wrought,” he added.
Trump demands war reparations from Iran after Tehran called for compensation
05:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Donald Trump has said he will demand war reparations from Iran for the deaths and injuries of US soldiers and civilians over decades.
He made the demand after Iranian negotiators called for compensation for the destruction caused by the war, which has killed thousands and severely damaged Iran’s military and economy.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts, for which they are famous, as led initially by Gen Soleimani, including the families of those killed on the USS Cole, and thousands of others killed in combat.
“Additionally, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protesters that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months.”
Catch up: Trump says ‘it always works out’ as plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz stalls
05:15 , James Reynolds
Donald Trump has declared that it “always works out” as he said the US will scale down the intensity of its efforts to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Talks to end their war and reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to have stalled, after Tehran demanded a series of conditions, including the payment of compensation, before it reopens the waterway.
"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," he told Axios. "It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game.”
Tehran is in negotiations with Oman to partially open up the Strait, but set out six conditions the US must meet, including a permanent end to the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq.
Trump used elaborate ruse to fly out of Turkey following summit because of Iran threat - report
04:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Donald Trump secretly switched from Air Force One to a smaller military jet after last month’s Nato summit in Turkey amid an Iranian assassination threat, The Washington Post reported.
After publicly boarding an older Air Force One, Trump was reportedly moved via an airport catering truck to an Air Force C-32A and flown to the UK, while journalists were led to believe he remained on Air Force One.
The US has not independently confirmed the report.
“As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
During a gaggle with reporters aboard the aircraft, Trump was asked directly if there was any credible threats on Air Force One by Iran, according to the Associated Press.
“Well, I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list before you,” Trump said. He added to the travelling reporters, “But if I go, you go.”
Iran president says supreme leader shared message of ‘unity and cohesion’
04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had a message of “unity and cohesion” during a recent meeting that lasted seven hours.
Pezeshkian said Khamenei, who hasn’t made an appearance since becoming supreme leader, was in perfect health.
On Monday, Khamenei’s office announced several key appointments, including the selection of a former wartime commander and veteran political insider to lead the country’s highest security body.
In pictures: Life goes on in Iran despite continued conflict with US
04:00 , James Reynolds
Reports claim Trump could end Iran war without nuclear agreement but people have come with receipts
03:00 , James Reynolds
Reports suggest that US president Donald Trump could walk away from his Iran war without a nuclear deal – and some people are posting receipts.
Trump launched the US into a war with Iran in February of this year with a range of reasons cited for why. One rationale posed by Trump’s administration was that it was to keep Iran from having nuclear weapons, even as back in August 2025 it claimed to have done significant damage to Iran’s nuclear capabilities via strikes.
Read the full story on Indy100:
Reports claim Trump could end Iran war without nuclear deal but people have receipts
The forgotten Iranians caught in the deadly stalemate of Trump’s war
02:00 , James Reynolds
This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Persian
“We’re constantly terrified by the sound of explosions. The electricity and water keep being cut off. We are without jobs and have no food. It feels like no one is coming to help the people of southern Iran. We don’t want war.”
These remarks reflect dozens of messages and firsthand accounts received by Independent Persian from residents of the southern provinces of Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan and Sistan and Baluchestan.
With intermittent US military strikes on southern Iran in recent weeks under a very precarious ceasefire, residents say they are now grappling not only with the threat of explosions but also prolonged power outages, water cuts, internet disruptions, shuttered businesses and a complete lack of meaningful government support.
Read more here:
The forgotten Iranians caught in the deadly stalemate of Trump’s war
Recap: Trump demands compensation from Iran in snub to latest demands
01:00 , James Reynolds
After Iran on Saturday demanded the US meet six new conditions, including compensation for the war, before they reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump on Monday indicated he was surprised by the terms - and demanded compensation from Iran.
“I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict ... even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!” he wrote on Truth Social.
“But it is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran ...”
He concluded: “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.”
Hopes of reopening the Strait appeared less likely in light of the post.
Comment: Has Donald Trump begun to plan for life without Benjamin Netanyahu?
Tuesday 11 August 2026 00:00 , James Reynolds
Netanyahu’s belated snub of the US-backed Gaza peace plan shows his dilemma ahead of ‘massacre’ election he faces in October – without the Israeli right he is finished, and without Trump’s backing he is toast, says Donald Macintyre
Has Donald Trump begun to plan for life without Benjamin Netanyahu?
What to make of Trump's claims for compensation from Iran
Monday 10 August 2026 23:37 , James Reynolds
Donald Trump on Monday responded to Iran's conditions for a peace deal with his own demands that Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests, in a rhetorical escalation likely to complicate efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Iran had never mentioned such terms in their prior meetings. But the Iranian demands were largely in line with the terms of a preliminary peace deal signed in June, which has since broken down.
Referring to Tehran's crackdown on demonstrations in late 2025 and 2026, he also said Iran had killed some 52,000 protesters. The US based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) put the figure closer to 6,500 in February.
Trump also said Iran should compensate families of the 17 U.S. sailors killed in an October 2000 attack in Yemen on the naval vessel USS Cole, which has been blamed on al Qaeda, not Iran.
While Washington continues to insist a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is coming, Iran says its terms must be met first. Also, an agreement with Oman would give Tehran more leverage over the key waterway than it had before the war began, further complicating future talks with the US.
Comment: Trump has lost his war on geography in the Strait of Hormuz. What now?
Monday 10 August 2026 23:00 , James Reynolds
Solving the Hormuz issue without creating a dangerous precedent has become an impossible task, says Anchal Vohra.
If Iran can blackmail the global community into paying for safe passage, what's stopping the Houthis from blocking Bab al-Mandab, the vital 20-mile-wide“Gate of Tears" located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, or anyone else?
Trump might still sing his own praises, but diplomats across the world are holding their heads in their hands, waiting for him to leave the White House and hoping for someone reasonable to come to power:
Trump has lost his war on geography in the Strait of Hormuz. What now?
Trump says Iran responsible for regional wars
Monday 10 August 2026 22:24 , James Reynolds
Quoting his own post on Truth Social, Donald Trump goes on to blame Iran for the casualties inflicted by regional wars.
Catch up: Trump reportedly considers walking away from Iran without nuclear deal
Monday 10 August 2026 22:00 , James Reynolds
Donald Trump is taking a wait-and-see approach to Iran as negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and permanently end the war appear to have once again stalled following reports that the president is reportedly considering walking away from the conflict without securing a nuclear deal.
“We are low keying it,” Trump told Axios on Sunday, claiming the U.S. strategy will eventually “work out.”
“We are only semi-negotiating with them,” he added. “We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money.”
Catch up:
Trump ‘low-keying it’ with Iran after report says he’d walk away without nuclear deal
What are Iran's six demands of the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
Monday 10 August 2026 21:00 , James Reynolds
Iran’s top security official has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain shut until the US meets six demands, including compensation for the war.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, laid out Iran’s terms in a statement on Saturday.
In his words, these were:
1. Never, and in no language, threaten Iran or insult the sanctities of this nation.
2. Permanently end the war and aggression against Iran and Iran’s allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
3. Lift the naval blockade and withdraw its military forces (naval and air) from around Iran.
4. Pay in full, without any reduction, the damages caused to Iran by the two wars of aggression and imposition.
5. Lift the unjust and illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation.
6. Unconditionally release the blocked and stolen assets of the Iranian people.
