Portal:Current events/2026 August 25

August 25, 2026 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    - 2026 Iran–Oman negotiations
      - Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani foreign minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi say that Iran and Oman have discussed a proposal to establish a temporary joint shipping route for ships in the Strait of Hormuz. (CNBC)
    - 2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign
      - United States president Donald Trump and the United States Navy say that all mines have been cleared from the Strait of Hormuz. (Al-Monitor)
    - The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reports that an oil tanker has been struck by a unknown projectile off the coast of Oman near the strait. No casualties are reported. (AFP via Arab News) (Gulf News)
  - Analysis of the 2026 Iran war
    - The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. president Trump launched Operation Epic Fury in February despite warnings from U.S. vice president JD Vance and then-intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard. (Middle East Monitor)
- Aftermath of the Syrian civil war
  - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announce they have officially dissolved and completed a merger with the Syrian army following the end of the civil war in 2024. (AP)
- Gaza war
  - The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet say that they have struck five Hamas weapons storage systems and a launch site in Gaza, including in mosques. (Ynetnews)
Operation Southern Spear
- United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
  - The U.S. military launches a strike against a vessel in the Caribbean Sea allegedly carrying drug smugglers, killing four people. (The Guardian)
Sudanese civil war
- Kordofan campaign
  - Around 27 people, including four children, are reported to be killed by Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) militants in the South Kordofan areas of Kadugli and Abu Hitan. (Middle East Monitor)
- War crimes in the Sudanese civil war
  - Sudan’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare reports that 224 cases of child sexual violence have been documented since the conflict. (Sudan Tribune)

Arts and culture

AI boom, Artificial intelligence in music
- The Australian Recording Industry Association bans wholly AI-generated music from appearing on its charts starting in September 2026. The ruling aims to distinguish fully AI-generated music and AI-assisted music, where the track is human-created but uses AI as a supporting tool. (DW)

Business and economy

Canada–United States relations
- 2025–2026 United States trade war with Canada and Mexico
  - Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on about US$20 billion worth of U.S. annual imports in response to the 50% tariffs by U.S. president Donald Trump and his administration. (Reuters)
Economic consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian war
- Boycott of Russia and Belarus, Belarus–Latvia relations, Latvia–Russia relations
  - Latvia's cabinet ministry announces that the country will ban imported goods from Belarus and Russia starting September 1. (LIGA)
South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company reaches a deal to end a month of walkouts by workers. (AFP)

Disasters and accidents

2026 Flores earthquake
- The toll from the earthquake in Flores, Indonesia, ten days ago, increases to 103 people dead and 1,666 injured. (Detik News)
2026 Venezuela earthquakes
- The death toll for the earthquakes in Venezuela this June exceeds past 6,500, with a total of 6,509 deaths reported. (The Straits Times)
At least 40 people are injured and over 300 homes are damaged in a tornado in Pomas, Occitania, France. (DW)
El Salvador declares a nationwide red alert for meteorological and agricultural drought, while Panama declares an El Niño emergency as severe dry conditions damage crops and reduce traffic through the Panama Canal. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)

International relations

Russia–United States relations
- U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director John Ratcliffe visits Moscow, Russia, on an unscheduled military flight to meet with Russian intelligence officials, marking the first known visit by a U.S. CIA director to Russia since 2021. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News)
- The Wall Street Journal reports Ratcliffe's visit was to formally warn Russia against attacking NATO after military intelligence suggested Russia is preparing for a "limited assault" on a NATO member state. (AFP via CNA) (The Wall Street Journal)
Israel and the United Nations, Israeli occupation of the West Bank
- The Israel Defense Forces take control of the UNRWA's vocational training centre in Qalandia, East Jerusalem, West Bank, and begin removing the United Nations agency under legislation banning its operations in Israel. (AFP via France 24)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
- Hungary foreign and deputy prime minister Anita Orbán files a criminal complaint against the government of former prime minister Viktor Orbán (no relation) over its purchase of 300 billion Ft (US$965 million) in ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (AP) (Reuters)
Lawsuits involving TikTok
- Brazil's national data protection authority fines TikTok R$153.7 million (US$29.9 million) for inadequate child-safety measures and orders its developer, ByteDance, to delete improperly collected data and strengthen protections for users under 16. (AFP via France 24)

Politics and elections

Hijab and burqa controversies in Europe
- The Grand Council of Aargau votes 78–54 to ban Islamic hijabs for girls aged under 16 in the Swiss canton of Aargau. The motion was sponsored by the Radical-Liberal Party. (Swiss Info)
Emmanuel Nchimbi announces his resignation as the vice president of Tanzania. (Africanews) (Reuters)

Sports

2026 WNBA season
- In basketball, the Women's National Basketball Association's Chicago Sky bans Enes Kanter Freedom from attending home games following his altercation with Natasha Cloud. (ESPN)