Romanian defence minister said an F-16 fighter jet destroyed an unmanned surface vessel en route to the Neptun Deep offshore gas project in the Black Sea.

On Aug. 19 at the White House, President Trump said the US has "a lot" of areas it can sanction and that it holds "very severe" measures, adding "we'll see." He also said the US "owns" and "fully controls" the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran's occasional drone launches "do cause trouble." Earlier Aug. 19 he said talks with Iran might resume "at some point" only if Iran fully abandons nuclear weapons; on Aug. 18 he said there were no talks or dialogue, contradicting his prior claim that negotiations were underway — a position Tehran has repeatedly denied.

Citigroup says supply–demand in core Chinese cities has improved and robust transaction volumes should accelerate developers’ September sales. It notes the State Council widened housing provident fund withdrawal uses to include home renovation and property-management fees, supporting property-management revenue and value-added services. Citigroup expects more new project launches in September that could propel an Aug–Oct sector upswing; top picks: China Overseas (00688.HK), C&D International (01908.HK), CHINA RES LAND (01109.HK), KE Holdings-W (02423.HK) and China Jinmao (00817.HK).