New attacks on shipping as Iran war talks hit fresh impasse

The US and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, as prospects for ending the Iran war appeared to dim. Tehran stated the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions.

The attacks, occurring in the Gulf of Oman leading to the strait and at the entrance to the Red Sea, both vital chokepoints for global oil supplies, come as the war shows no signs of ending. This renewed pessimism about a quick end to the conflict led to oil prices gaining, with Brent crude futures climbing 1.4 percent to settle at US$88.91 per barrel, and US crude rising 1.3 percent to US$83.20.

At the southern end of the Red Sea, four crew members were killed in a suspected Houthi attack on a small cargo vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Yemen's Transport Ministry confirmed the fatalities, which would be the first deaths on shipping attributed to the Houthis since the Iran war began. The Houthi-run news agency Saba reported the group attacked a Saudi ship carrying military equipment in the strait, though no immediate Saudi response was available.

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The Strait of Hormuz shipping route will remain closed unless the US accepts Iran's conditions to end the war - the release of Iran's frozen assets and an end to conflicts throughout the region, including in Lebanon and Gaza.

Meanwhile, the US military reported that an MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles to disable the steering gear of a Panama-flagged cargo ship. The US Central Command stated the vessel ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Maritime sources indicated the ship was hit off Pakistan while sailing into the Gulf of Oman.

Both Iran and the United States have intensified their rhetoric. Iran's top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, declared on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz shipping route will remain closed unless the US agrees to Iran's conditions: the release of frozen assets and an end to regional conflicts. This follows a new demand from US President Donald Trump on Monday for Iran to compensate for people killed in 50 years of wars, attacks, and protests. Trump, who has alternated between threats of escalation and claims of an imminent peace deal, suggested in an interview that the uncertainty could persist, stating he might "bop along" and let Tehran fail economically, or hit them "really, really hard."

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I'm sort of negotiating. They're very devious negotiators.