Last UpdateAugust 15, 2026, 2:15 PM EDT

President Donald Trump said Friday that he could soon declare the Strait of Hormuz “a territory of the United States” following the war against Iran. An Iranian official vowed afterward that the strategic waterway “cannot be seized.

WHAT TO KNOW

• Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Friday accused the media of intentionally misrepresenting conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, defending sailors and Marines following the carrier’s extended combat deployment in the Middle East.
• President Donald Trump said the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for more than 260 days and has supported Operation Epic Fury, is “being replaced with another very similar ship.” 
• The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said early Saturday that one of its vessels was attacked while crossing the Strait of Hormuzon Friday evening, marking another security incident involving the United Arab Emirates’ energy giant in the critical waterway. The UAE previously blamed Iran for similar incidents involving vessels affiliated with ADNOC.
• U.S. Central Command announced that as of Friday, the ongoing U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports has redirected 62 commercial ships.

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Bahrain slams ‘aggressive Iranian attack’ on ship in Strait of Hormuz

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned what it described as another “aggressive Iranian attack” on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz that was affiliated with the UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

The attack, which unfolded Friday evening, was a “flagrant violation of international law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and U.N. Security Council Resolution 2817,” according to the foreign ministry. 

It once again called on the U.N. Security Council “to assume its responsibilities in taking deterrent measures to ensure the safety and freedom of maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and prevent maritime piracy, and to compel Iran to stop the aggressive attacks it launches against commercial ships and oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and to fully and unconditionally reopen the strait, in a way that preserves regional security and stability and ensures energy security and food supplies.”

Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond

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Fighter jets take off from USS George H.W. Bush in new photos released by CENTCOM

A U.S. Navy aircraft prepares to take off from the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush. (CENTCOM)

U.S. Central Command released new photos Saturday showing U.S. Navy aircraft taking off from the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush as the ship sailed in the Arabian Sea. 

The aircraft carrier has been deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury against Iran. 

The USS George H.W. Bush has been deployed to the Middle East during Operation Epic Fury. (CENTCOM)

CENTCOM previously said the USS George H.W. Bush has enforced the naval blockade of Iranian ports. 

Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond

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Huckabee says ‘Iran’s proxies are pure evil’ following Hezbollah attack on Israeli troops

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee listens during a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on April 23, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described Iran’s proxies as “pure evil” on Saturday after the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of violating ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking Israeli soldiers in a security zone. 

“Hezbollah severely wounds IDF soldiers knowing Israel will respond. Hezbollah rounds up children to put in the military zone [because] they want them to be in harm’s way,” Huckabee posted on X about the Iran-backed terrorist group. 

He added that Netanyahu’s office “affirms what U.S. observes in Lebanon [and] in Gaza [with] Hamas.” 

Three Israeli soldiers were “seriously injured” in the attack, according to Israel.

“The IDF responded by striking the Hezbollah terror headquarters which ordered the attack,” the office added in a statement. “Only later did the IDF learn that Hezbollah deliberately put civilians in that military compound.” 

Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond

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Israel’s military eliminates Hezbollah commander who allegedly used his family as human shields

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that strikes it carried out overnight against Hezbollah killed a commander of the terrorist group’s Radwan Force special operations unit, who allegedly used his family as human shields. 

“Overnight, the IDF struck a central headquarters of the Hezbollah terror organization in the Ansar area in southern Lebanon, in response to an action carried out by the Hezbollah terror organization against our forces operating in the security zone in accordance with the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF said on X. 

“In the strike, the terrorist Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in the Hezbollah terror organization’s ‘Radwan Force’ unit, was eliminated,” it continued. “Along with him, several additional terrorists who operated to advance terror plots against IDF forces operating in the security zone were also eliminated.” 

“At the time of the strike, Hassan’s family was also present with him in the military headquarters, and according to the claim, was harmed in the strike. It should be emphasized that they were not the target of the strike,” the IDF also said. “The strike was aimed in a targeted manner at Hassan, who was a lawful target for striking in accordance with international law. The terrorist used his family as human shields and hid with them inside the military headquarters.” 

Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond

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Israel says Hezbollah violated Lebanon ceasefire, seriously injured 3 IDF soldiers

Israeli soldiers are seen along the Israel-Lebanon border on April 10, 2026. (Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images)

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Hezbollah violated a ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking Israeli soldiers in a security zone along the border, leaving three “seriously injured.” 

“The IDF responded by striking the Hezbollah terror headquarters which ordered the attack,” the office added in a statement. “Only later did the IDF learn that Hezbollah deliberately put civilians in that military compound.” 

“Hezbollah is willing to do anything, including using its own civilians as human shields, to falsely accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, which the IDF clearly did not,” it also said. 

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier Saturday that it struck infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.   

“The strikes were carried out following an action by the Hezbollah terror organization against our forces in the Ali Taher ridge area, which is located within the security zone where IDF forces operate,” the IDF wrote on X. 

Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond

19 mins ago

Another Iranian official insists Tehran controls Strait of Hormuz despite US claims

The Chief Justice of Iran, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, attends a ceremony at the shrine of Iran’s late leader and founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in southern Tehran, Iran, on June 4, 2026. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Iran’s Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i said Saturday that the “owner and ruler of the Strait of Hormuz is Islamic Iran,” following comments from President Donald Trump that the U.S. could make the waterway its territory after the war. 

“The nonsense and fabrications of the criminal President of America regarding the Strait of Hormuz stem from the delusions of this featherbrained individual,” the Iranian official wrote on X. “In the real world, the owner and ruler of this vital global waterway is Islamic Iran.” 

“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said on Friday during a speech in New York. 

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this post. 

Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond