Preliminary shipping data showed that the number of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz decreased yesterday, Thursday (August 20, 2026), compared to the previous day, amid growing concern about the risks threatening shipping traffic in the Middle East and the stagnation of talks between the United States and Iran. Data from Kpler Analytics stated that the total number of cargo ships reached seven yesterday, which represents half the number recorded on Wednesday.
Of these ships, four entered the waterway and three left. There were no oil or liquefied natural gas supertankers among these ships. However, data showed that one VLCC carrying propane and butane transited the Strait of Hormuz via the Iranian route.
On Thursday (August 20, 2026), the United States announced new sanctions targeting what it said was a Lebanese Hezbollah financing network, highlighting its close ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement that the administration had amended a legal text that classifies the party as a “terrorist organization,” to confirm that it “serves the Iranian regime under the command of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
The United States designated Hezbollah a “foreign terrorist organization” in 1997, then a “specially designated terrorist organization” in 2001.
A State Department official, who requested to remain anonymous, said that the new designation identifies Hezbollah as a proxy of Iran and not an independent entity, as it moves “with little or no attention paid to Lebanese sovereignty, the Lebanese people, and the Lebanese state.”
This amendment came as the United States sponsored direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, which are officially at war, and these talks were rejected by the party.
The US State Department official added that the US decision “is based on years of classification decisions that have repeatedly highlighted the operational, financial and logistical integration between Hezbollah and the Quds Force,” noting that the Lebanese party “acts as an extension of the Quds Force.” He continued, "It is not a Lebanese resistance movement."
The sanctions announced on Thursday target 10 individuals accused by Washington of belonging to a network responsible for transferring money to Hezbollah.
The US Treasury Department added that the network uses “couriers traveling on commercial flights between Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran” to move hundreds of millions of dollars, allowing Hezbollah to “circumvent” existing sanctions.
Many countries consider Lebanese Hezbollah, or its military wing, a terrorist organization. These countries include the United States, the European Union, Britain and other countries. Germany also banned the party's activity on its territory in 2020 and classified it as a "terrorist organization."
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent said Thursday (August 20, 2026) that the plan to escalate economic sanctions on Iran reduces the possibility of the United States resorting to intensive military operations against the Islamic Republic.
He added in a statement to CNBC, "If we exert maximum economic pressure, this likely means that there will be no return to large-scale military actions, but I stress that this applies only at the present time."
He explained to CNBC, "It is a double blow. We have the blockade on Iran, and we will impose the harshest sanctions in history. This will work in Iran and we will topple this regime." He went on to say, "It is time for our allies and the rest of the world to make a decision."
Speaking about his message to the allies, Besant said, “We are addressing them by saying: You are either with us or against us” on the issue of isolating Iran economically, which was announced by President Donald Trump.
Regarding whether the United States would put pressure on China, he said, “Many talks would prefer to be held in private,” but he called on Beijing to “go along with the plan.” He added, "We are confident that everyone wants the Strait (of Hormuz) reopened and energy prices to fall again. It must be taken into account that China obtains 50 percent of its energy needs from within the Gulf, so joining this path will greatly serve its interests."
Yesterday, Wednesday, US President Donald Trump warned of economic consequences against any country that provides “any kind of vital support to Iran,” at a time when the United States seeks to end the war that it started alongside Israel about six months ago.
Iran expressed its condemnation of Trump's announcement of an unprecedented campaign of "economic war and isolation" against Tehran, while warning Beijing against imposing more sanctions.
The military spokesman for the Yemeni Houthi group, Yahya Saree, said in a statement today, Thursday (August 20, 2026), that their forces carried out “two military operations with two drones, the first targeting a sensitive target of the Saudi enemy at Najran airport, and the other targeting Aramco Najran... in response to the Saudi enemy’s violation of the airspace of Saada Governorate with its drones.”
This comes two days after the Houthis, allied with Iran, announced that they had targeted an Aramco oil refinery in Jizan overlooking the Red Sea. In recent weeks, the rebels have repeatedly announced targeting energy and oil facilities in this region.
In July, the Houthis joined the regional escalation fronts, with the renewed confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in the wake of the war between the United States and Iran.
The escalation between the two parties began after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Sanaa Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing there, before they announced the imposition of a naval blockade on the Kingdom and resumed targeting its tankers and oil facilities, which put a practical end to a truce that had been concluded in the year 2022.
In statements published earlier today, Thursday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard spokesman said that Saudi Arabia would not be able to contain the Houthi rebels.
In recent weeks, the Houthis have claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and oil facilities.
They also targeted the coastal city of Mokha near Bab al-Mandab, in addition to military sites near the strait and islands under the control of the Yemeni government in the Red Sea.
The Minister of Information in the internationally recognized and Saudi-backed Yemeni government, Muammar Al-Eryani, told Agence France-Presse this week that the rebels are planning to control coastal areas in Yemen adjacent to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which would threaten another vital shipping lane after Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard considered on Thursday (August 20, 2026) that Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, will not be able to contain the Houthis supported by Tehran, at a time when the conflict between the two parties is escalating. In July, Yemen joined the regional escalation fronts, with the renewed confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in the wake of the war between the United States and Iran.
“It is certain that Saudi Arabia will not be able to contain Yemen and Ansar Allah or remain safe from their attacks,” Revolutionary Guard spokesman Hussein Mohebi told the Iranian Sacred Defense news website. He added, "As we have seen in recent days, the more Saudi Arabia attacks, the more blows it receives in return."
The escalation between the two parties began after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Sanaa Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing there, before they announced the imposition of a naval blockade on the Kingdom and resumed targeting its tankers and oil facilities, which effectively put an end to a truce that had been concluded in the year 2022. In recent weeks, the Houthis have claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and oil facilities.
