UAE air defence systems detected a missile threat targeting the county. Please remain in a safe location and follow warnings and updates issued through official channels. pic.twitter.com/aobFA9WRdw

رصدت منظومات الدفاع الجوي تهديد صاروخي على الدولة، يرجى متابعة التحذيرات والمستجدات من المصادر الرسمية.وتوضح وزارة الدفاع أنه في حال سماع أي أصوات، فإنها ناتجة عن عمليات تصدي واعتراض منظومات الدفاع الجوي.وتؤكد الوزارة أنها على أهبة الاستعداد والجاهزية للتعامل مع أي تهديد، بما… pic.twitter.com/a15FEqUevH

The UAE's defence ⁠ministry ​said its ​air ​defence systems ⁠detected a ‌missile threat on ⁠Tuesday, according ⁠to an X post ​by ‌the ministry. The ministry wrote, "UAE Air Defence Systems have detected a missile threat directed towards the country. Kindly follow warnings and updates issued through official channels. The Ministry of Defence clarifies that, if any sounds are heard, they are the result of air defence interceptions."

pic.twitter.com/MxwhOXd4uv

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared an AI-generated map on his Truth Social platform that declared the Strait of Hormuz as America's "NEW US Territory" amid continued tension with Iran.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of actively sabotaging diplomatic efforts and said that it was the primary obstacle to a lasting ceasefire agreement with the United States, according to , IRNA news agency.

“The Zionist regime was and remains the biggest opponent and obstacle to the implementation of the memorandum of understanding. They made every effort to prevent such an agreement from being reached, every effort to make this agreement fail, and every effort to prevent it from being implemented,” he said.

He further said that Trump's demand for Iran's “unconditional surrender” did not materialise, as Tehran accepted a ceasefire and negotiated with Washington on its own terms.

Who “sought an unconditional surrender, within a short time of the war’s commencement, were begging for negotiations,” Araghchi said.

“It was us who said we would not accept a ceasefire and continued the war until we reached a point where they accepted a ceasefire and negotiations on Iran’s terms,” he said.

Russia's Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday (Aug 18), said that it had strongly protested to Japan’s ambassador to Moscow over "anti-Russian ⁠remarks" by Prime Minister ⁠Sanae ‌Takaichi in ​a ‌dispute over ‌a ​group ​of Russian-controlled ​islands off ​Japan.

Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad's ousted cousin Wassim al-Assad sentenced to death after being convicted of crimes during the country’s nearly 14-year war.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered former Prime Minister Imran Khan to be moved from jail to a hospital on Tuesday, according to his party.

Khan has been in jail since August 2023, after he was convicted in a string of cases that he claims were politically driven following his ouster.

"It's a very welcome ‌order, and we wish it had happened sooner so his eye and general health would not have deteriorated this much," spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said, according to news agency .

"He should remain in hospital until all doctors are satisfied," he said.

The top court directed the former Pak PM to be moved to Shifa International Hospital ⁠within 48 hours and remain there until September 16, Khan's spokesperson Naeem Haider Panjutha ⁠said on ‌X.

Chinese shipping giants COSCO and CMES have stopped sending oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb, news agency reported, citing sources.

US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level of his current presidency, with Americans increasingly concerned that the US-Iran war could drag on, according to a /Ipsos poll.

Just 33 per cent of respondents approved of Trump’s performance in the White House, while 64 per cent disapproved, the four-day survey showed. The approval rating was down from 35 per cent in a poll that concluded earlier this month and is the lowest recorded during Trump’s current term.

It matches the lowest point of his first presidency, reached in December 2017.

Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s eyesight has improved considerably and is now close to normal, prison authorities told Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday, a day ahead of a hearing on his request to be treated at a private Islamabad hospital.

The plea, filed on Khan’s behalf, seeks his treatment at Shifa International, a leading private medical facility in the capital.

Khan, who founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and has been in jail since August 2023, has been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad several times for treatment of his eye condition — right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) first reported in late January.

An earthquake ⁠of ​magnitude ​6.1 struck off ​Indonesia's ⁠Sumatra island ‌on Tuesday ⁠at ⁠a ⁠depth ‌of 29 ​km (18 ‌miles), the ‌country's ​geophysics ​agency ​said.

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Mexico's Chiapas region, according to . There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Ship crossings through the Strait of Hormuz stayed in single digits on Monday, only slightly higher than over the weekend, according to preliminary shipping data reported by on Tuesday, as US-Iran peace talks remained stalled.

Nothing justifies the reckless attack on PM Barzani's office. Kurdish friends should be vigilant against false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbors.We protected our Kurdish friends against Saddam and DAESH, and we're thankful for security they've provided on our border.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemned the attack on the Kurdish PM's office on Monday.

"Nothing justifies the reckless attack on PM Barzani's office. Kurdish friends should be vigilant against false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbours."

Oil prices climbed on Tuesday as hopes for a Middle East peace deal faded further, with Iran signalling a shift to a more aggressive military stance and the United States ruling out an extension to a temporary ceasefire, fuelling fresh worries over energy supply.

Asked by a reporter whether there was enough food on the USS Lincoln, Trump dismissed the report as false, calling it a "fake CNN report." He said US ships had stayed deployed for far longer periods in the past, citing an admiral who told him he had served on ships for longer stretches than the Lincoln's current deployment. Trump added that people aboard the Lincoln described the ship as being well looked after.

Reporter: Is there enough food on USS Lincoln?Trump: There is. That was a fake CNN report.Over the years, we had them out there much longer. An admiral told me, “I have been on ships much longer than that, sir.” And people on the Lincoln say it’s beautifully taken care of. pic.twitter.com/qzagDUuaX6

US President Trump criticised South Korea, saying he had personally asked its president for help with Iran and was turned down. He said he pointed out that the US has 39,000 troops stationed in South Korea to guard against North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and called it "strange" that Seoul wouldn't reciprocate on Iran. Trump questioned why the US should keep helping South Korea at all, saying the cost of protecting the country runs into billions of dollars.

Trump blasts South Korea:I called the president of South Korea. I said, “Would you help with Iran? If you would like, we don’t need help.” He said, “No thanks.”I said, “What do you mean? We have 39,000 soldiers over there guarding you from Kim Jong Un, and you are not going… pic.twitter.com/xD1dZ1AANQ

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received a ⁠report ​on Tuesday that ​a vessel was ​struck ⁠by an unknown ‌projectile while transiting outbound in the Strait ⁠of ⁠Hormuz, causing ⁠engine ‌room damage ​and ‌a crew casualty, ‌with ​the ​remaining ​crew being assisted ​by the ⁠Omani Coast Guard.

The vessel was reportedly struck by an "unknown projectile" while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz, causing damage to the engine room.

"The remaining crew are currently being assisted by the Omani Coast Guard. At present, no environmental impact has been reported. Authorities are investigating," said the authority.

"I like the idea of declaring the Strait of Hormuz a territory; we have total control over it," says US President Donald Trump.

VIDEO | Washington DC, USA: "I like the idea of declaring the Strait of Hormuz a territory; we have total control over it," says US President Donald Trump.(Source: The White House YT)(Full video available on Videostps://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) pic.twitter.com/K3Z1MZXLN5

Venkata Vasamsetty, an Indian-origin US green card holder who has lived in the country for 27 years, has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in North Carolina. Her detention came months after an immigration judge dismissed a deportation case against her.

Vasamsetty, a grandmother who works with special-needs students, was detained during a scheduled inspection and is currently being held at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, according to ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System.

The detention came months after an immigration judge dismissed the Trump administration’s earlier deportation case against her, New York City-based news organisation Newsweek reported. Read more

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has won a second five-year term, according to the Associated Press, after the country's Electoral Commission declared him the outright winner of last week's presidential vote. He cleared the 50 per cent threshold needed to avoid a run-off, AP reported, in an election that was marked by a temporary halt in vote counting and a security crackdown on opposition figures.

Result and vote count:Hichilema secured just over 2.96 million votes against roughly 1.86 million for his closest rival, opposition leader Brian Mundubile. Electoral Commission chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis formally named Hichilema president-elect on August 18, 2026.

Disruption and opposition crackdown:Vote counting was suspended last Friday after officials reported attacks on polling station staff and the theft of ballot papers, before resuming hours later under tighter security. AP also noted that several senior opposition figures were detained on election night, with police citing state security concerns, while Mundubile said his home was raided by police and claimed his life had been threatened.

President Trump has once again threatened military action against Oman if the Gulf nation stands in the way of his push to end the US-Israel conflict with Iran. The renewed threat came as a two-month deadline for a negotiated settlement with Tehran passed on Monday with no deal reached, underlining how Trump's blunt approach to diplomacy has strained ties with US partners without delivering the resolution he had promised.

The foreign ministers of Qatar and Kuwait have underscored their joint commitment to regional de-escalation and the ned to fully implement the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, including provisions to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a phone conversation on Monday, Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah discussed bilateral cooperation and avenues to strengthen ties, according to a statement by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry.

The ministers also exchanged views on the latest regional developments, with a particular focus on diplomatic efforts and joint coordination to ease tensions and promote stability.

Sheikh Mohammed stressed that all parties needed to adhere to diplomacy and honour commitments under the memorandum, which he said was vital to preserving regional security and safeguarding recent gains.

India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar recently asked the US administration how elections in America can be held without a valid photo identification card, President Donald Trump said, making a case for mandatory photo IDs for every US voter to curb "electoral fraud".

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, further said less than one per cent of voters in India used postal ballots in the recent general elections, and every voter had a valid photo identity document.

The US president made these remarks to drum up support for the SAVE America Act which would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to register to vote, impose a nationwide voter identification requirement and severely limit voting by mail.

"Earlier this month, India's Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked our Administration - How can you have Elections in the US without a valid Photo ID," Trump wrote. "India's last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than one per cent voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document." "We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now," he asserted.

Trump has been insisting on passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, claiming the move would curb electoral fraud.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held a phone conversation with Trump, discussing bilateral relations, the wars in Iran and Gaza, and the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the Turkish presidency says.

Erdogan told Trump it was important to continue talks with Iran, and that Turkiye was ready to contribute to the process.

Erdogan also raised Gaza, telling Trump that Israel was attacking Palestinians in the enclave at a time when the second phase of the ceasefire plan was supposed to be taking effect.

The US and Iran aren't fighting only with missiles. Alongside strikes and the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, a quieter battle is playing out online, where unverified claims are being amplified across borders and, in some cases, entering the political discourse around fragile ceasefire talks.

The New York Times traced one recent example in detail. A claim about Iran's nuclear programme began on an obscure corner of the internet and, within hours, spread to prominent media outlets in Israel and the US. It was later cited in a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and shared online by Mike Waltz, the Trump administration's ambassador to the United Nations.

US President Trump has demanded that Iran "surrender," telling Fox News on Monday that Tehran should raise the "white flag" in the five-month US-Israel war, just as the US-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending hostilities expired without renewal. While claiming his administration opened a direct backchannel with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Trump said he's in no rush to strike a deal despite the approaching November midterms even as he threatened to bomb US ally Oman if it "gets in the way" of reopening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

Welcome to our live blog covering all the top global updates for today

Stay tuned for real-time coverage of major developments from around the world. Today's key stories include President Trump demanding Iran's surrender as the US-Iran memorandum of understanding expires, escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, Turkish President Erdogan's diplomatic push urging talks between Washington and Tehran, and continued fallout in Gaza and the wider Middle East.

We'll also bring you updates on other major international developments as they break throughout the day from politics and diplomacy to conflict, economy, and beyond.

Follow this blog for live updates, analysis, and reactions from world leaders as the day unfolds.