President Trump said shifting to economic warfare against Iran does not mean US military options are constrained.

A maritime theft monitoring group said Somali coastal piracy has risen after two new attacks this week. The incidents come as two major regional conflicts are diverting and depleting naval resources: Houthi forces last month announced a blockade on Saudi ports and have attacked several vessels, forcing many ships to avoid the area, while fighting linked to Iran has produced attacks on dozens of merchant ships in the Persian Gulf and nearby waters. Two vessels were reported hit by Somali pirates, reinforcing concerns about an uptick in Somali incidents this year. An International Maritime Bureau official, Cyrus Modi, said naval deployments remain but higher-priority threats have likely created an opening for Somali pirates, who had been effectively suppressed over the past decade; Somali piracy peaked in 2008–2010 when hundreds of ships were attacked and some owners rerouted around Africa.

Aug 21 — Iranian parliament speaker Ghalibaf, visiting Iraq, said in Karbala that, as Iran and Iraq have "defeated the US and made it taste failure" in the US-Israel-Iran conflict, the two countries will continue to resist "hegemonic forces." He warned attempts to sow division will only draw Iran and Iraq closer, called for plans to overcome "unjust sanctions," and said the two nations will stand side by side and not allow other countries to decide their fate.