An Iranian army commander has threatened to break Donald Trump’s legs over remarks made about the Strait of Hormuz.
As the US and Iran continue their conflict and dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, the American president has threatened to declare the vital waterway a US territory.
Responding to his remarks, major general Amir Hatami said: “Joking about such remarks is a major mistake, because this is Iran, and it has defenders who will break your legs,” according to Iranian broadcasters IRIB.
He added that the US forces had “effectively been driven out” and no longer had permission to enter the Gulf, the Sea of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz.
Hatami also said US bases would not be allowed to return to their previous status, adding that “Iran will never allow this”.
Iranian officials previously told Trump to “accept the reality of defeat” after declaring that it would not resume talks with the US with the Strait of Hormuz set to remain closed.
His comments come as Jared Kushner, Trump’s envoy and son-in-law, held rare talks with Hamas to discuss the implementation of the Gaza peace plan.
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Recap: Iran says Qatar delaying probe into fate of Iranian pilots
An Iranian military official said on Sunday that Qatar should let an Iranian team in to investigate the fate of Iranian pilots who Tehran says are being held there, Iranian media said on Sunday. Qatar denies holding any pilots.
Mohammad Baqerzadeh, commander of the Committee for the Search for Missing Persons of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff, said the air force and fact-finding team had been waiting for months to enter Qatar, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Baqerzadeh accused Qatari officials of repeatedly delaying the investigation and preventing the pilots' return to Iran. He called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to urgently follow up on the case.
Holly Bancroft16 August 2026 22:11
In full: Jared Kushner holds rare meeting with Hamas chief over stalled Gaza peace plan
In a renewed diplomatic effort to advance the stalled Gaza ceasefire, US negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with the Hamas chief on Sunday.
Kushner is slated to meet with Israel's prime minister on Monday in discussions aimed at saving a 15-point, US-backed roadmap that requires Hamas to disarm in Gaza and Israel to pull back its forces from the war-torn Palestinian territory.
At stake is the survival of approximately 2 million people in Gaza and the rebuilding of the densely populated enclave, which remains mostly under the control of Israeli forces more than 10 months after the ceasefire halted major military operations. A meeting last year between Kushner, fellow envoy Steve Witkoff, and Hamas leaders in Egypt helped secure the original ceasefire, which has since stalled over the key requirement of Hamas’ disarmament.
Read the full story here:
Jared Kushner holds a rare meeting with Hamas chief over stalled Gaza peace plan
Kushner is slated to meet with Israel's prime minister on Monday in discussions aimed at saving a 15-point, U.S.-backed roadmapHolly Bancroft16 August 2026 21:15
Pope renews calls to end to violence in West Bank
Pope Leo XIV issued a call on Sunday for the end of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
In a post on X on Sunday afternoon, Pope Leo said: “I renew my appeal for an end to the ongoing violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank, and I urgently call on the international community to work toward advancing the two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace.”
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White House officials this week pushed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to openly condemn a settler-led siege of a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank.
The pressure comes as settlers pitched another tent in the area before military forces intervened to dismantle it.
For nearly a week, settlers have blockaded homes in the village of Qusra. Human rights organizations report that the siege is part of an organized attempt to claim additional territory intended for a future Palestinian state.
The blockade drew rare public criticism from Washington on Thursday, with Mike Huckabee, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel and a prominent proponent of Jewish settlement in the West Bank, labelling the settlers surrounding a Palestinian residence as "Israeli terrorists.”
Holly Bancroft16 August 2026 21:00
Egypt welcomes Trump's son-in-law for Gaza talks
Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah El Sisi has welcomed US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner for talks on Gaza.
Mr Kushner will also meet a Hamas delegation in Cairo on Sunday, according to reporting from Al Jazeera.
Mr Kushner has made the trip in a bid to advance plans for an end to the conflict in Gaza after a deal recently announced by the Trump administration was rejected by Israel.
According to the Associated Press, Mr Kusner will be joined by Board of Peace high representative Nickolay Mladenov, and executive board member and former British prime minister Tony Blair. However Tony Blair was not pictured in a photo of a meeting in Egypt on Sunday.
Holly Bancroft16 August 2026 20:05
Jared Kushner pressed Hamas to stick to disarmament – reports
President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner pressed Hamas leaders to stick to disarmament at a meeting in Egypt on Sunday, US media outlet Axios has reported.
Representative of the Gaza board of peace, Nickolay Mladenov, and former British prime minister Tony Blair were also present at the meeting, it has been reported.
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s political leader, Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, Qatari diplomat Ali al-Thawadi and a Turkish official were also reportedly present.
A source told Axios that Mr Kushner had used the meeting to set out “concrete, verifiable steps” demonstrating Hamas’s commitment to disarm.
Holly Bancroft16 August 2026 18:47
In full: US top Middle East commander visits deployed aircraft carrier, and other Mideast news
Adm. Brad Cooper, the top US military commander in the Middle East, visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian Sea during a 10-day tour in the region that concluded on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said.
Israel said its strikes in southern Lebanon, which killed at least 11 people, targeted two Hezbollah commanders. And a Hamas delegation is in Cairo on Sunday for Gaza ceasefire-related talks with Egyptian officials.
Here’s a look at the latest developments on Sunday in the Iran war and the wider Middle East:
US top Middle East commander visits deployed aircraft carrier, and other Mideast news
Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, has visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian SeaHolly Bancroft16 August 2026 18:09
Foreign ministers of several countries condemn Israel's rejection of Gaza peace plan
The foreign ministers of eight countries have issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s rejection of the Gaza peace plan and their rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The statement released on Sunday is from the foreign ministers of the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
It blames Israel for actions that “fundamentally undermine collective efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace”. It adds: “This rejection confirms that Israel now bears the responsibility for obstructing efforts to achieve peace in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory.”
The ministers said that the proposed peace plan would limit weapons in conjunction with the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.
Israel’s refusal to accept the plan “directly threatens to derail the intensive efforts of US president Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza and create the conditions for a lasting peace”.
Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is in Egypt this weekend for talks with Hamas.
Holly Bancroft16 August 2026 18:02
Danger in Saudia Arabia's Jazan province has passed
Saudi Arabia's civil defense said on Sunday that the danger in Jazan province had passed, according to a post on X. It had earlier issued an alert warning of potential danger in the area.
The warning was of “potential danger” in the southern Jazan province along the border with Yemen, an area that has been targeted by Yemeni rebels recently.
Holly Bancroft16 August 2026 17:12
Iranian parliament advances bill to criminalise interviews with 'hostile' media
Iran’s parliament have approved the general principals of a bill that would criminalise interviews and other communications with media deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic, including US or Israeli media and outlets financed by either country, Iran’s Shargh newspaper reported on Sunday.
Osman Salari, a member of the parliament’s judicial and legal commission, said the individual provisions of the bill, which is aimed at countering foreign intelligence influence, have yet to be debated and approved.
He told Mizan news agency that reports of the bill’s details should not yet be considered final.
It has been reported by Iranian media that the proposed bill would ban interviews or participation in discussions with “hostile” media, and violations would be punished with six months to two years in prison.
Interviews with other foreign media would require notification to the intelligence ministry, and contact with foreign embassies or other non-Iranian institutions without notification and permission would be punished with a fine and deprivation of certain social rights.
The move is not the first time Iran has criminalised cooperation with foreign entities. A law passed in 2025 after a 12-day war with Israel imposed tougher penalties for alleged cooperation with hostile states.
Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery was sentenced this month to 15 years under that law over allegations that included giving interviews to media deemed hostile and providing photographs to US and Israel-linked organisations.
Holly Bancroft16 August 2026 16:06
Iran army chief to Trump: Hormuz defenders will ‘break your legs’
Iranian army commander Major General Amir Hatami has criticised US president Donald Trump over remarks about the Strait of Hormuz, according to IRIB.
“Joking about such remarks is a major mistake, because this is Iran, and it has defenders who will break your legs,” Hatami said.
He added that the US forces had “effectively been driven out” and no longer had permission to enter the Gulf, the Sea of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz.
Hatami also said US bases would not be allowed to return to their previous status, adding that “Iran will never allow this”.
Bryony Gooch16 August 2026 15:13NewerOlder