Sailors and Marines line the deck of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as it deploys from San Diego. (Photo: AP)Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday rejected claims that conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have deteriorated, calling recent reports “completely misrepresented.” Speaking to Newsmax, he did not directly respond to accounts of supply shortages, water contamination, or declining mental health among sailors, some of whom families say have attempted to jump overboard during the ship’s long deployment since leaving San Diego in November. Hegseth said every crew is given full support and that he wants sailors home “as soon as everybody else” does, adding that Pentagon leadership and President Trump share that goal.UAE condemns Iran over Hormuz tanker attacks: Tensions in the Gulf escalated after the UAE condemned Iran for attacking two oil tankers owned by Abu Dhabi’s national oil company, ADNOC, in the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE’s Foreign Ministry said the strikes violated a UN Security Council resolution protecting free navigation, calling the action “piracy” by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. No injuries were reported, and the UAE urged Iran to halt the attacks and honour the current ceasefire, warning of risks to regional stability.Story continues below this adFollow The Indian Express Global Desk for live coverage of the day’s top world news.Live UpdatesAug 14, 2026 05:37 AM ISTTrump orders the Navy to return to an older system of launching jets off aircraft carriersUS President Donald Trump is ordering the US Navy to remove the advanced system used to launch fighter jets from its newest type of aircraft carrier and return to using older steam catapults that he has long said he prefers, according to a directive issued Thursday.The new mandate would likely cost billions of dollars and revert the Navy’s most advanced ships to a system that takes more sailors to operate and is more difficult to maintain.The memo directs the Pentagon and the Navy to present Trump with plans to remove the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, also known as EMALS, within two months. It also says the Ford-class carrier's electromagnetic weapons elevators should be replaced.The move comes after years of Trump railing against the new, magnetically powered catapult system that shoots fighter jets off the deck of the carriers. It also comes at a time when the US military is trying to find funding from Congress for all its desired equipment and as the Navy is struggling to fill its ships with enough sailors.Trump's ire with the new technology goes back to at least 2017 in his first term, when he claimed the new system is “not good” and “doesn't have the power” of the older, steam systems in an interview with Time magazine.“You're going to goddamned steam,” Trump said at the time.Aug 14, 2026 05:09 AM ISTPete Hegseth dismisses reports of deteriorating conditions on USS Abraham LincolnDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted reports of deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln were "completely misrepresented," pushing back against growing congressional pressure over the carrier's record-breaking, nearly nine-month deployment. His remarks came a day after Senator Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to Pentagon leadership raising serious concerns.Key points from Blumenthal's letter:Deteriorating conditions onboard: sailors reported shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues and deck safety concernsMental health and morale: increasing worries over declining wellbeing amid the extended deployment, with reports of sailors attempting to jump overboardCommunication breakdowns: mail disruptions left care packages and correspondence lost in transit for monthsFormal accountability demanded: Blumenthal posed six questions to Pentagon leadership, including what metrics the navy uses to track fatigue and morale, and set a deadline of 27 August for a responseAug 14, 2026 04:58 AM ISTBessent says US to apply measures never seen on IranUS Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that the United States is going to apply measures that have "never been seen" on Iran."Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country," Bessent said in an interview on on Newsmax's "Rob Schmitt Tonight" program."It will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before, and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports," Bessent said.Aug 14, 2026 04:56 AM ISTUAE condemns Iranian attacks on two ADNOC vessels in Strait of HormuzThe Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs has “strongly condemned” Iran’s targeting of two of Abu Dhabi’s energy vessels while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.The ministry said the attacks constitute a “flagrant violation” of UNSC Resolution 2817, which affirms freedom of navigation and rejects the obstruction of international maritime routes.It added that the “targeting of commercial shipping” and the use of the strait as a tool of “economic coercion or blackmail” represent an act of “piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps”.The UAE called on Iran to “halt these unprovoked attacks” and ensure full commitment to “the cessation of hostilities” – which it said are a “threat to the stability of the region and its people”.The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said no injuries were reported in the attacks and the situation was brought under control.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Iran US tensionUS Iran