Morning update

Live Blog Update| War on Iran 14 August 2026 08:02 BST Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments from across the regon: US Vice President JD Vance said that keeping oil and gas prices low for Americans is now "goal number one" for Washington in its war on Iran. He added that the next primacy focus for the US is to "ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon". US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington is going to apply measures that have "never been seen" on Iran. "It will be a combination of economic ​isolation like ​the ⁠world has never seen before, and the ​continued blockade in the ​Strait ⁠of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in ⁠or ​out of ​the Iranian ports," he said during an ⁠interview on Newsmax's Rob Schmitt Tonight programme. Air defence systems intercepted drones over the northern Kurdish province of Erbil early on Thursday, Iraqi security sources told Al Jazeera. Footage circulating online showed the remnants of drones falling over a residential area near Erbil international airport. There have been no reported injuries or casualties so far. The United Arab Emirates on Friday condemned an Iranian attack it said targeted two vessels linked to state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Adnoc confirmed "two of its vessels were attacked while transiting" the waterway on Thursday evening, adding the situation was "brought under control", the official WAM news agency reported. The US Central Command (Centcom) has rejected reports surrounding the death of soldiers onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during its deployment to the Middle East. "One report alleged seven Sailors died in a brawl aboard the aircraft carrier and others have recently suggested a spike in suicidal ideations. These reports are FALSE," a post by Centcom on X read.