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11:46
Trump: War With Iran Will End 'Pretty Soon'
U.S. President Donald Trump signs executive orders at the Oval Office in Washington on August 6.
US President Donald Trump said on August 6 that he believed the war with Iran would end soon, while saying negotiations were continuing over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he believed Iran could not sustain the conflict much longer.
I think its going to end pretty soon. I dont think they can go much longer, Trump said, referring to Iran.
Trump's comments came as Iran and Oman were working on a proposed agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, although key details remained unresolved. Reuters reported on August 5 that the proposed arrangement could give Iran control over inbound maritime traffic through the strait, while issues including fees and the management of outbound traffic remained under discussion.
The United States has promoted a southern shipping route through Omani waters as an alternative route through the strait. The route was established after the central channel was considered unsafe because of reported naval mines.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, and the conflict has continued for more than five months. Iran has repeatedly attacked commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, including vessels using the southern route through Omani waters.
Trump also acknowledged that the US military was experiencing shortages of some types of ammunition.
Asked about the status of US munitions stockpiles, Trump said some weapons were available in almost unlimited quantities but that supplies of others were more constrained.
We have certain types of munitions that are very powerful, that we have unlimited, virtual unlimited supply. We have others where its a little bit tighter, Trump said.
Trump said US defense companies were building additional production facilities, including plants for Patriot and Tomahawk missiles.
His comments followed a Reuters report published on August 4 that the US Army had used up much of its global stockpile of highly accurate, long-range missiles during war with Iran. The missiles include Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, and Precision Strike Missiles, or PrSMs. Two sources told Reuters the military had used virtually all of those weapons.
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11:27
Oil prices Continued Volatile Trend, Jumping 3 Percent
Oil prices jumped again on August 6, continuing their volatile trend, while global stock markets faltered and investors evaluated corporate earnings reports.
As traders awaited developments related to the Strait of Hormuz, the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil rose 3 percent to around $82, while West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2.3 percent to near $77.
"The rise in oil prices has capped some of the optimism at the start of the week. But prices are still well below where they were a week ago, and that provides some positive momentum as we enter the second week of August," said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at trading platform IG.
Kathleen Brooks, director of research at trading firm XTB, also said: "Today's caution in the oil market shows that the market needs confirmation from the White House that all of this is real and that the prospect of reaching an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is not a fleeting mirage."
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23:47
6.8.2026
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
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20:28
6.8.2026
Kuwait Orders Closure Of Iranian-Funded School
Kuwait has ordered the closure of an Iranian-funded school in the small Persian Gulf nation, according to state media.
Iran has fired thousands of ballistic missiles and combat drones at US allies in the Persian Gulf, including Kuwait, during the five-month war with the United States.
Iran has accused the Gulf states, many of which house US military bases, of aiding the American war effort, an allegation they deny.
Kuwaits Education Minister Seyyed Jalal Tabatabaei on August 6 revoked the Iranian schools license and ordered its closure, reported Kuwait's state news agency, KUNA. Authorities did not disclose the reason for the decision.
The school is one of the largest Iranian-funded education institutions abroad. Around 1,600 students were enrolled at the school, according to Irans Embassy in Kuwait City.
In March, the United Arab Emirates cracked down on Iranian-linked institutions in the country, closing a social club and several schools.
Authorities also closed the Iranian Hospital, a state-affiliated health facility in Dubai. Employing around 700 people and run by the Iranian Red Crescent Society, the hospital was one of the oldest health facilities in the country.
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19:26
6.8.2026
UN Experts Call On Iran To End 'Escalating Targeting Of Ethnic Minorities'
UN experts have urged Iran to end what they say is the escalating arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and execution of members of ethnic minorities in the country.
In a statement issued on August 6, the UN experts said the plight of ethnic minorities has worsened since mass anti-government protests in January thatposed the most serious threat to Irans clerical rulers in decades.
During the demonstrations, the authorities killed thousands of people and detained thousands of others, many of whom were subjected to torture, according to human rights groups.
Western Iran, home to the Kurdish and Azeri minorities, were the scene of some of the biggest protests and harshest government crackdowns.
The Islamic republic has long been accused of suppressing and discriminating against the countrys ethnic minorities.
Reports point to a significant increase in arbitrary arrests, and what appears to be politically motivated sentences, including against individuals from ethnic minorities, who are often arrested under broadly defined national security charges, the UN experts said.
In 2026, at least 24 members of the Baluch minority and 22 members of the Kurdish minority have been executed, and dozens more are at imminent risk of execution, the experts said.
The UN experts said a 2025 law broadening the definition of espionage and other national security offences, including enmity against God, spreading corruption on earth, and armed rebellion against the Islamic republic have been used, specially against the Kurds, as a tool to repress dissent, said the experts.
The Kurds make up about 10 percent of Iran's 88-million population.
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17:45
6.8.2026
Iran Executed At Least 71 People In July, Says NGO
Iran executed at least 71 people in July, including six who took part in mass anti-government protests at the turn of the year, according to Iran Human Rights (IHR), an NGO based in Norway.
In a report issued on August 6, IHR said that figure brings the total number of executions recorded in the first seven months of this year to at least 444. Hundred more,the NGO said,are currently facing the death penalty.
Iran has witnessed a surge in executions of what human rights groups consider political prisoners -- from demonstrators to alleged members of banned groups and those convicted of spying -- since the start of the war with the United States and Israel on February 28.
Activists say the rise in executions is an attempt by the authorities to create fear among Iranians and prevent a repeat of the nationwide demonstrations that rattled the countrys clerical rulers in January.
We are deeply concerned that the ongoing military conflict between the Islamic republic, the United States and Israel will be used to intensify executions under the pretext of national security, said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of IHR.
The international community must respond with stronger and more coordinated pressure against the Islamic republics use of the death penalty.
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17:24
6.8.2026
US Requests Extradition From Montenegro Of Iranian Cybercrime Suspect
The United States has sent Montenegro a request for the extradition of an Iranian citizen, Amir Barati, who is accused of participating in major cyberattacks, RFE/RL has learned.
Following his arrest by local police and the FBI in Kotor, Montenegro, earlier this summer, Podgorica received a request from the competent US authorities on July 15 to extradite Barati, the Montenegrin Justice Ministryconfirmed to RFE/RL's Balkan Service.
Barati is accused of participating in cyberattacks that caused more than $3.5 billion in damages, with the proceeds allegedly benefiting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The charges against him include attacks on at least 150 US universities, as well as the theft of confidential data and intellectual property.
According to Montenegrin police, Barati holds dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship.
He was not named in any previously published US cybercrime indictments. The US Embassy in Podgorica told RFE/RL that it could not share any details about the case.
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10:57
6.8.2026
Two Iranian Soccer Players Become Australian Citizens After Seeking Asylum
Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, two former members of the Iranian women's national soccer team who sought refuge in Australia at the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran and during the Asian Cup, have been granted Australian citizenship.
After Iranian national team players were accused of "treason" for not singing the national anthem in their first game, which coincided with the first days of the war, several members of the team decided to stay in Australia.
As pressure on these players increased and following reports of their families in Iran being harassed, most of them returned to Iran, but Pasandideh and Ramezanizadeh remained in Australia.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke offered the two players humanitarian visas in March, and they officially became Australian citizens on August 5 at a citizenship ceremony in Brisbane.
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08:20
6.8.2026
2 Explosions Reported Near Oil Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Organization (UKMTO) announced on August 6 that an oil tanker had reported several explosions while passing through the Strait of Hormuz near the coast of Oman.
This comes as officials from Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry say they are in talks with Oman for joint management of the strategic waterway.
"The Master of a tanker has reported hearing two explosions while transiting in the Strait of Hormuz," the UKMTO said on X.
The incident occurred 9 nautical miles southeast of the Omani coast late on August 5.
The organization added that based on the report received, the crew and the ship are safe and no environmental damage has been reported.
Iran, which has closed the Strait of Hormuz on several occasions since the start of the US-Israeli war against it, has previously opened fire on ships that Tehran says did not pass through designated "authorized routes."
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08:15
6.8.2026
Trump: 'I'd Rather Make a Deal' With Iran Than Resort to Military Action
US President Donald Trump said on August 5 that he would prefer to reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran rather than launch further military action, while reiterating that Tehran must not acquire nuclear weapons.
Speaking in Las Vegas, Trump said: "We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job. And it won't be tough to finish the job. I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people."
Trump also claimed Iran had sought talks after the United States was on the verge of carrying out what he described as a much larger military strike, saying continued military pressure had brought Tehran back to the negotiating table.
The remarks came as the Trump administration said it would continue negotiations with Iran, with discussions including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
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