US-Iran war news Highlights: Trump says no Iran talks underway, claims Strait of Hormuz ‘open and operating’

US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, left Jerusalem after talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu failed to resolve key disputes over the Gaza peace plan.

The two sides remain split over the sequencing of a ceasefire, Israeli troop withdrawal and Hamas' disarmament.

Trump’s envoy held nearly four hours of discussions with Netanyahu after meeting Hamas political leader Khalil Al-Hayya in Egypt.

The US and Israel want Hamas to give up its military capabilities before major reconstruction of Gaza begins.

Despite the lack of a deal, Kushner said Hamas representatives had conveyed positive positions and suggested progress could still be possible.

France Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Paris will expel two Iranian diplomats in the coming days.

France said the expulsions come after Iran barred two French diplomats from returning to Tehran.

The two French diplomats were briefly detained and questioned by Iranian officials last month over allegations of interference in Iran's internal affairs.

Barrot said the detention violated diplomatic immunity and described it as an "extremely serious act of intimidation."

France says one of the detained diplomats was physically abused during the incident.

Tehran rejected France's allegations, saying the diplomats were only briefly questioned.

Iranian authorities accused the French diplomats of interfering in the country's internal affairs while engaging with civil society.

The UAE Interior Ministry told residents the situation was safe and advised them to resume normal activities after an earlier missile warning.

The UAE said Iran launched two ballistic missiles toward its territory.

According to the UAE, one missile fell outside its territorial waters, while the second fell within its territorial waters.

Residents were briefly instructed to seek shelter in the nearest secure building because of a potential missile threat.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: "There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated."

Oil prices rise for third session. Brent crude gained 0.22% to $91.07 a barrel, while US WTI rose 0.58% to $84.99.

Brent and WTI earlier reached their highest levels since July 30 and July 31, respectively.

Markets reacted to fading hopes for an agreement to end the Middle East conflict.

Qatar said an agreement between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz could help revive stalled negotiations between Tehran and Washington aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said progress on the strategically important waterway could create conditions for the resumption of broader US-Iran talks.

Iraq will investigate drone attacks targeting several locations in Erbil and take legal action against those responsible, Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi said on Tuesday.

In a phone call with Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Zaidi condemned attacks on Barzani’s private office and the residence of the regional security agency chief. He said the strikes threatened Iraq’s security and sovereignty, adding that any threat to the Kurdistan Region was a threat to national security.

The Kurdistan Region’s security agency said on Monday that two drones launched from Iran had targeted the KRG prime minister’s office. Zaidi said Iraq would not tolerate attacks on its territory, institutions or citizens.

Officials from Iran’s Basij militia can be heard in a leaked recording discussing concerns over a possible new wave of protests and the risk of members being identified online.

The recording offers a rare glimpse into anxieties within the force, which is frequently deployed by the Iranian state to confront and suppress demonstrations. The officials reportedly discuss the risks of renewed unrest and the growing possibility of their identities being exposed on social media.

Qatar said on Tuesday that Iranian aircraft shot down by its forces had been engaged in “aggression”, with Qatari forces responding under their rules of engagement, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Qatar remains in direct contact with Iran over three missing Iranian military pilots and has invited an Iranian delegation to visit, but Tehran has yet to respond. The spokesperson also dismissed Iran’s request for the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene in the pilots’ case as a “media ploy”.

Meanwhile, mediators are waiting for Iran and Oman to reach a bilateral agreement on the Strait of Hormuz before resuming broader US-Iran negotiations. The spokesperson said an agreement on the waterway would significantly ease efforts to restart talks between Tehran and Washington.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared an image on Truth Social describing the Strait of Hormuz as “new US territory”.

The graphic featured a map of the strategic waterway between Iran and Oman, with the strait highlighted beneath a banner that read “NEW U.S. Territory.”

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will lead a high-level parliamentary delegation to Iraq on Wednesday, state media reported. The delegation is expected to meet senior Iraqi officials to discuss bilateral ties, border security, counterterrorism, economic cooperation and regional stability.

The visit comes amid heightened regional tensions after the diplomatic framework between Iran and the US expired without a resolution to the conflict. It also follows Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s accusation that Iran launched drone attacks targeting his office and the residence of a Kurdish intelligence chief. Tehran denied the allegation and called it a possible “false flag” operation.

Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US fulfils the terms of an interim deal with Iran.

He said the conditions include lifting the naval blockade and oil sanctions, releasing Iran’s frozen assets, and ending threats and military operations.

Tehran officials have yet to find a suitable location in the capital to name after former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, city council chairman Mehdi Chamran said on Tuesday.

He said Mehrabad Airport and Velayat Park were among the proposals, with several streets and public sites also under consideration.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned attacks targeting the office of Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, calling them a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry rejected attacks on political figures and sensitive facilities, and opposed interference in Iraq’s internal affairs. It called for respect for sovereignty, good-neighbourly relations and international law.

The UAE on Tuesday condemned an alleged Iranian drone attack targeting the office of Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the residence of the region’s security chief in Erbil.

The UAE Foreign Ministry said the two-drone attack violated Iraqi sovereignty and threatened the security and stability of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. It expressed solidarity with Iraq and the KRG and backed measures to protect their security.

A fuel tanker trying to enter the Persian Gulf has made an erratic series of turns and come to a halt near Iran’s Qeshm Island, as the country steps up efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz.

The Philippines does not expect a reduction in military activities with its treaty ally the United States amid redeployment of some U.S. defence assets to the Middle East, an official said on Monday.

Even as Iran projects resilience in the war with the United States, its leaders are worried that a threat of more economic punishment by Donald Trump could increase hardships, reignite unrest and further erode the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy, Reuters reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has utilised the period of relative calm following a June memorandum of understanding with the United States to prepare for a wider confrontation, including formulating plans for pre-emptive strikes and potential operations on enemy territory, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing Iranian and Arab officials.

The rise in France’s unemployment rate last quarter was a result of the war in the Middle East and the heat waves that have struck the country, according to Labor Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou.

Joblessness reached 8.3%, the highest in almost six years, and up from 8.1% in the previous period, the national statistics agency said on 7 August.