Tankers attacked as Tehran, Trump battle over control of Strait of Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates said two vessels affiliated with the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company were attacked by Iran as they transited the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the U.S. is in “total control” of the waterway. However, Iran said "the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted."
Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt condemn Iranian attack on UAE-affiliated tankers
Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Bahrain issued statements Friday condemning an Iranian attack on two tankers affiliated with the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned energy company as they transited the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the Iranian attack targeting two UAE oil tankers belonging to [the] Abu Dhabi National Oil Company that were crossing the Strait of Hormuz, considering it a severe violation of international law, the freedom of maritime navigation, and a clear violation of UN Security Council resolution 2817.”
The resolution, signed adopted in March, condemns Iran’s "egregious attacks" against its regional neighbors in the Middle East, according to the U.N.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs renews the State of Qatar's firm rejection of using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage, calling in that regard on reopening the strait without conditions,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry added.
Kuwait said it offered “full solidarity with the sisterly United Arab Emirates, and its standing by its side in all measures it takes to protect its security, sovereignty, and interests.”
Egypt said the attack “constitutes a threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation and the freedom of vessel movement in one of the world's most vital international waterways,” the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain's Foreign Ministry also said it "stressed the need for the U.N. Security Council to assume its responsibilities in taking firm and deterrent measures to compel Iran to immediately cease all hostile acts, respect freedom of navigation, and ensure the safety and security of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and other international waterways, and not to use the Strait as a tool for pressure or economic blackmail, considering this a fundamental necessity for preserving energy security and the stability of food and medicine supplies, ensuring the flow of global trade, and consolidating security, stability and prosperity in the region and the world."
CENTCOM showcases US military helicopter involved in Iranian port blockade
U.S. Central Command released photos Friday showing U.S. sailors and Marines conducting “maintenance on a MH-60S Sea Hawk on the flight deck of USS Boxer” while deployed in the Middle East.
The USS Boxer is one of the American warships enforcing a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports during Operation Epic Fury.
The U.S. Navy says MH-60S Seahawk missions “include surface warfare, maritime interdiction operations, personnel recovery, special warfare support, search and rescue, medical evacuation, vertical replenishment, logistics, non-combat evacuation, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, and airborne mine countermeasures.”
CENTCOM said as of Wednesday, the renewed blockade has redirected 59 commercial vessels.
UN watchdog slams potential election of Iran to panel with human rights sway
Iran's possible election to a major United Nations (U.N.) committee with influence on the shaping of policy concerning human rights, women's rights, and counterterrorism is "Orwellian," the head of a U.N. watchdog group says.
In November, the U.N. General Assembly is slated to vote on whether to admit Iran to the Committee for Programme and Coordination, a 34-member body whose member states serve three-year terms. The upcoming vote is widely expected to pass as a formality.
The committee doesn't draft human rights treaties or issue condemnations of human rights abuses, but plays an influential administrative role in how human rights initiatives are executed across the U.N. system.
The U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) nominated Iran in April despite Tehran’s documented history of systematic human rights abuses, strict crackdowns on women’s rights, mass surveillance and lethal force against political dissenters.
Global bodies also consider Tehran a leading state sponsor of terrorism that funds proxy militant groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. In addition, Tehran has attacked neighboring Gulf states in recent months amid a war with the United States.
"It's the last government in the world that should have any influence," Hillel Neuer, executive director of Geneva-based UN Watch, told Fox News Digital.
"Sadly, at the United Nations today — an organization founded after World War II out of great idealism to bring international peace — it is a case of the lunatics running the asylum," Neuer added. "You have the Islamic Republic of Iran, a regime that beats, blinds, tortures, rapes, and imprisons women for standing up for their rights or showing a few strands of hair."
US-Iran MoU is the ‘only way forward,’ Pakistan tells US diplomat, as ceasefire will soon expire
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker in Islamabad on Friday that the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran is the “only way forward” as a ceasefire is set to expire, Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The June 17 memorandum that Pakistan helped mediate established a 60-day window for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, sanctions and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
An existing ceasefire is set to expire on August 17. There have been conflicting reports this week about the U.S. and Iran engaging with mediators to extend the deadline.
“DPM/FM appreciated the positive trajectory in Pakistan-U.S. relations and underscored the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for lasting peace,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “He emphasized that the implementation of the Islamabad MoU... in letter and spirit is the only way forward. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and security while safeguarding its national interests.”
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Morgan Phillips contributed to this post.
Strait of Hormuz traffic ‘significantly reduced’ as 20 ships struck since July 6: report
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said Friday that vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz “remains significantly reduced” as nearly two dozen ships have reported being struck by projectiles in the area since July 6.
“Despite a brief recovery in late June, vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains significantly reduced, AIS transit information suggests operators increasingly favoring the Northern route following projectile attacks, ongoing security concerns, and heightened enforcement activity,” the UKMTO said in a report issued Friday, referencing an Iran-controlled northern route through the waterway.
The report said the “Southern Omani route remains the highest-risk corridor, accounting for 16 of 18 projectile strike incidents reported by UKMTO since 6 Jul.”
“Behavioral change evident amongst shipping, with multiple vessels aborting planned transits or rerouting North following attacks, indicating risk avoidance rather than route substitution alone,” it continued.
The UKMTO also said overall, there have been “20 UKMTO-reported projectile strike incidents since 6 Jul 2026, resulting in bridge, engine-room, and structural damage across vessels operating in and around the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran attacked two UAE-linked vessels in Strait of Hormuz, officials say
The United Arab Emirates on Thursday said Iran attacked two of its vessels as they transited the Strait of Hormuz, blasting Tehran for what it called “flagrant” maritime violations.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two vessels were affiliated with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), a state-owned energy company and one of the largest oil producers in the world.
The vessels were targeted in “unprovoked attacks,” the ministry said. No injuries were reported.
Citing U.N. Security Council Resolution 2817, the ministry described the attacks as acts of piracy by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The resolution, adopted in March, demanded that Iran halt strikes against Arab Gulf states and shipping lanes.
“The Ministry emphasized that targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and constitutes a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security,” the agency said.
UAE officials further urged Iran to commit to the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and called for the immediate “cessation of all hostilities.”
CENTCOM blasts 'false' reports about conditions aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday pushed back on reports about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during its deployment to the Middle East, denying claims that sailors had died in a brawl or that the carrier had experienced a spike in suicidal ideation.
“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,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “One report alleged seven Sailors died in a brawl aboard the aircraft carrier and others have recently suggested a spike in suicidal ideations.”
"These reports are FALSE," CENTCOM said.
The command pointed to the carrier's crew reenlistment rate, saying the USS Abraham Lincoln has "maintained among the highest crew reenlistment rates (84.4%) of all aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy."
“The Sailors and Marines of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group remain resilient and resolved after more than 260 days at sea, 10,000 aircraft flights, and 1.5 million pounds of ordnance expended,” CENTCOM said.
"No service members aboard the aircraft carrier have died, and the one Sailor who fell overboard Aug. 3 was quickly and safely recovered," the statement continued. "The rampant misreporting on Abraham Lincoln's historic deployment is a disservice to our men and women in uniform and their loved ones."
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also addressed reports about conditions aboard the aircraft carrier Thursday, saying they had been "completely misrepresented."
"We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment," Hegseth told reporters during a visit to Panama. "Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody. What they do in those high seas in those austere conditions with less port calls, it's incredible."
Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.
Live Coverage begins here