Morning update

Live Blog Update| War on Iran 1 September 2026 07:05 BST Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments: US Vice President JD Vance said that Washington is now focused on "free flow of commerce" through the Strait of Hormuz. He also accused Tehran’s leadership of acting "not with a whole lot of strategic wisdom" in attempting to cut off oil and gas exports. Israeli forces reportedly advanced further into Syria’s Daraa province, according to Al Jazeera. There were at least 10 military vehicles spotted alongside reconnaissance aircraft overhead near the village of Jumla, located in the province's western suburbs. US army secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The move comes after months of tension between Driscoll and defence secretary Pete Hegseth over the ousting of several top army generals amid a controversial push to shrink the number of high-ranking army generals in the US army. A tanker was struck by three projectiles while sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said. The hit occurred 17 nautical miles east of Oman's Khasab, and no casualties or environmental impact have been reported. Yemen’s military says launched drone attacks targeted Houthi positions across several fronts. The army’s media centre shared footage showing drones dropping bombs in the Baqam district, north of the Yemen’s Saada governorate. The Yemeni navy also indicated that four Houthi drone boats were destroyed near the islands of Hanish and Zaqar in the Red Sea. The US State Department said it approved a military sale of helicopters to Iraq for $800 million. According the department, the principal contractor will be Bell-Textron, located in Fort Worth, Texas. Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, 31 August, 2026 (Stringer/Reuters)