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  US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally for U.S. Senator Darline Graham (R-SC) at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, US, August 21, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/Evan Vucci) US President Donald Trump said that Iran will be “totally wiped out as a country” if Tehran retaliates for renewed US strikes on Tuesday, during a phone call with Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst. “If they do respond, they’ll be hit much harder,” Trump told Yingst. “This is a very big hit today. If it goes a third time, they’re going to be totally wiped out as a country.”

  The US Embassy in Jerusalem (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST) The US Embassy in Jerusalem issued a security warning for American citizens in the Middle East due to tensions in the region and the “potential for unforeseen escalation” on Tuesday. The embassy warned Americans to stay vigilant and watch for potential airspace closures, which may disrupt travel or cause flight cancellations. Those planning to travel to or from the Middle East were cautioned to monitor information regarding airline operations. This is a developing story.

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 17, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER) Two supertankers carrying Saudi oil were struck by unknown projectiles within minutes of each other while transiting outbound through the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, according to shipping intelligence and tracking firms Marisks and Kpler. "The near-simultaneous incidents represent a further escalation in the threat environment within the Omani corridor," Marisks said. The tankers each loaded 2 million barrels of Saudi crude at the Juaymah terminal last week, Kpler data showed. Saudi Aramco resumed oil loadings and sales from inside the strait in August.

Illustration of ISIS terrorists. (photo credit: Corbis/Medyan Dairieh, Wikipedia) Islamic State's official media has not confirmed or denied the raid or Abu Hudhayfa al-Ansari's death at the time of writing. The internationally recognized Yemeni government's counterterrorism force, known as "Task Force 22," killed Abu Hudhayfa al-Ansari, the chief spokesperson of Islamic State and the reported head of the terror group's Yemen cells, Yemen's Central State Security Agency said on Tuesday. The counterterrorism force was aided by forces from the Saudi-led anti-Houthi coalition, the statement noted. According to the statement, the operation caused no civilian casualties.

  An Aqeeq (agate) ring is pictured next to Iraqi dinar and US dollar banknotes are laid out on a table as members of the Shia Muslim community arrive at a centre in Iraq's southern city of Basra accepting charity donations to aid people affected by the ongoing war in Iran and Lebanon. (photo credit: Hussein FALEH / AFP via Getty Images) Iran has sufficient foreign currency reserves despite US sanctions, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said on Tuesday, after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tehran was lashing out because it was losing the economic war . The central bank was ready to inject up to $2 billion into the foreign exchange market to calm recent volatility, Hemmati said, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. “I am telling the President of the United States: Iran has (foreign) currency and it has enough,” he added.

  Youths ride vehicles while waving flags of Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Hezbollah in Baghdad on June 15, 2026, during celebrations following the announcement of a deal to end the war between Iran and the US. (photo credit: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images ) Iraq has sentenced a man to fifteen years in prison for kidnapping American journalist Shelly Kittelson in late March, the victim announced on social media on Monday. Kittelson was kidnapped on March 31, when she was targeted by Iranian-backed militias , and released in early April. “Iraq's Central Criminal Court has sentenced Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim to 15 years in prison under the Anti-Terrorism Law after convicting him of being one of several armed men who took me hostage in Baghdad on March 31,” read her X/Twitter post.