Iran live updates: Trump threatens to bomb Oman over Strait of Hormuz

Mon, August 17, 2026 at 1:26 PM UTC

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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.

Latest Developments

Aug 17, 9:25 AMHouthis claim new attacks on Saudi vessels, Yemeni forces

The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen said on Monday they launched a series of new attacks against the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government forces of Yemen.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in statements posted to Telegram that Houthi forces struck several Saudi military boats off the coast of the Red Sea port of Mocha, which is held by the Saudi-backed Yemeni forces.Saree said the group used ballistic missiles to target, "a military landing craft belonging to Saudi enemy forces -- along with four accompanying gunboats."Saree later said that the Houthis had also targeted an arms depot in the Marib region, east of the capital Sanaa, using drones.-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Aug 17, 9:21 AMIranian official denies backchannel US-IRGC talks

Hours before President Donald Trump told Fox News of a backchannel between the U.S. and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei denied a weekend Axios report suggesting that Iraqi Kurdish authorities were acting as mediators between Washington and top IRGC commanders.Baqaei described the report as "a media tactic and psychological operation" intended to sow division among Iran's decision-making bodies. "Such actions are carried out of desperation," he said."The report of a secret meeting between Iran and the United States in Erbil is completely fabricated," Baqaei said in his media presser Monday morning, as quoted by the state-run to the Islamic Republic News Agency.-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

Aug 17, 8:08 AMTrump threatens to bomb Oman over Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump threatened the Sultanate of Oman -- a longtime U.S. strategic partner and traditionally a key interlocutor in Middle Eastern negotiations -- on Monday, saying he will "bomb the s---" out of the country if it "gets in the way" of U.S. objectives in the Strait of Hormuz.Trump also noted that there was no hurry on his part to conclude the war with Iran as the 60-day U.S.-Iranian memorandum of understanding expires.In an interview with Fox News' Trey Yingst, Trump was asked about the status of talks between Iran and Oman over a potential deal regarding the Strait of Hormuz. "If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s--- out of them," the president replied, according to Fox News' write-up.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo - PHOTO: President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One, on, Aug. 16, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md.

A spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Monday that talks between the two countries were "continuing in earnest."Trump's latest comments mark the second time Trump has threatened Oman over control of the Strait. In May, Trump told ABC News' Rachel Scott during a cabinet meeting that the Strait must not come under any nation's control and that he would take military action against Oman if necessary.Trump also told Fox News that the U.S. was directly backchanneling with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "They're good poker players, but they're dying," Trump said of the IRGC. "I have no time schedule. I'm not in a hurry," he added.Trump again dismissed concerns over U.S. munitions stockpiles. "What we've used so far is peanuts," Trump told Fox News.-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr and Justin Gomez

Aug 17, 7:03 AMKushner-Netanyahu meeting underway, sources say

Two sources told ABC News on Monday that the planned meeting between President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was underway in Jerusalem.

Aug 17, 6:52 AMTrump says 'number one Goal' is preventing Iranian nuclear weapon

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President Donald Trump said in a post to social media on Monday that his "number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon."

Aug 17, 6:15 AMMoU 60-day deadline 'irrelevant,' Iranian diplomat says

With the 60-day window for U.S.-Iran talks nearing its end -- as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two combatants in June -- the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that the deadline is now "irrelevant" because the talks never began.Esmaeil Baqaei said that under the MoU, the 60-day period was intended to give the two sides time to discuss "the nuclear issue" and "the lifting of sanctions," according to a readout published by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).Baqaei said the 60-day window could be extended if the parties failed to reach an agreement within that timeframe.However, Baqaei accused the U.S. of violating the terms of the MoU and thus preventing the start of talks. Therefore, he said, "the 60-day discussion is no longer relevant."On Iran-Oman talks over the future of the Strait of Hormuz, Baqaei said the two countries had agreed on a "navigation map," but that the text of the final agreement is still being finalized.-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

Aug 17, 5:00 AMTrump applauds Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani defense pact

President Donald Trump on Sunday applauded a recently signed defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, saying that the deal "shows how the Middle East is coming together.""Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement," Trump wrote, adding that this will allow the countries to "defend themselves in a more meaningful way.""THIS IS A BIG, BOLD, AND IMPORTANT FIRST STEP -- WOW!" Trump wrote.Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement," under which the signatories said they would treat an attack on one country as an attack on all three.The deal builds on a September 2025 mutual defense agreement signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted to X thanking Trump for his "courageous and decisive leadership" that helped in averting "nuclear catastrophe in South Asia and saved millions of lives."Sharif said that all three signatory countries will "continue to play a constructive role in ensuring the defence of our own countries as well as the entire region."-ABC News' Emily Chang and Habibullah Khan

Aug 17, 3:31 AMTehran can adopt 'offensive aspect,' IRGC official says

In an interview with the semi-official Fars News Agency published on Sunday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps political deputy Brig. Gen. Yadollah Javani said Tehran could shift from a defensive to offensive posture."The armed forces will have transformative approaches based on the issued decrees, and every action to defend the country, ensure security, and neutralize enemy threats will be taken at the necessary time," Javani said, as quoted by Fars."The enemy initiated the war and Iran's actions are defensive, although they may also take on an offensive aspect in the future," he added.-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Aug 16, 4:43 PMForeign ministers of 8 countries 'condemn' Israeli rejection' of Trump's 15-point Gaza plan

The foreign ministers of 8 countries issued a joint statement Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the 15-point Gaza plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.The statement, also posted on X, was signed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and said the ministers "condemn the declared Israeli rejection of the Road Map for completing the implementation of U.S. President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, as endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803, and the Israeli rejection of Palestinian statehood."“These positions amount to a direct repudiation of the Comprehensive Plan, jeopardize its implementation, and fundamentally undermine the collective efforts undertaken to achieve a just and lasting peace,” the statement further said.The statement added that Israel’s rejection of the plan “confirms that Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”The ministers also said the decision “threatens to derail the extensive efforts exerted by U.S. President Trump to bring an end to the war in Gaza and establish the conditions for lasting peace.”Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and Middle East envoy, will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel Monday to discuss the situation in Gaza and other regional issues, sources told ABC News Sunday.-ABC News' Jamie Dorrington

Aug 16, 4:12 PMJared Kushner traveling in Egypt and Israel this week, official confirms

A Board of Peace official confirmed to ABC News that Jared Kushner is traveling in Egypt and Israel this week.Kushner will be accompanied by Nickolay Mladenov, the director-general of the Board of Peace, and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair.Kushner and the rest of the delegation met with the Egyptians and other mediators in El Alamein, Egypt, Sunday, where they discussed how to “concretize next steps on Roadmap implementation” and reviewed plans for when a Palestinian technocratic committee assumes authority in Gaza, the official said.

Egyptian presidency/handout/Anadolu via Getty Images - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi discusses developments in the Middle East with Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to U.S. President Donald Trump, in El Alamein, Egypt on August 16, 2026.

Once in Israel, the delegation will “continue the constructive conversations that we are having on how to advance the President’s historic comprehensive 20-Point Peace Plan,” according to the official.Two Israeli sources familiar with the matter previously told ABC News that Jared Kushner will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday to discuss Gaza and other regional issues."The United States and Israel agree on the end state, which is a demilitarized Hamas. We will hear the concerns that have been raised and talk about next steps. What is critical is that we both agree on the desired outcome and are finding ways to accelerate progress,” the official said.-ABC News' Shannon Kingston

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