Day 164 | Trump stresses economic pressure on Iran as strikes pause
The Pentagon has asked US defense companies to ramp up weapons production as stockpiles of key munitions run low during the Iran war, according to sources cited by CNN. The shortage has reportedly frustrated President Donald Trump as Washington seeks to maintain military leverage over Tehran while strikes remain paused.
The Trump administration is also signaling a greater focus on economic pressure against Iran. Trump said in an interview Sunday that Washington is currently “low-keying” negotiations with Tehran, indicating that direct diplomatic engagement is not the immediate priority.
In Tehran, Iranian officials have said direct talks with Washington cannot begin until the US honors agreements reached under an interim deal signed in June. Iran’s national security chief has also outlined a list of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route that has remained at the center of tensions between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues to risk spreading across the region. The Houthi group claimed new attacks targeting Saudi forces in Yemen as well as a major oil refinery. The latest strikes have renewed concerns that groups aligned with Iran could further widen the war and threaten regional security and energy infrastructure.
US envoy says economic pressure will force Iran to make concessions
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Washington’s economic pressure on Iran will eventually force Tehran to make concessions, as negotiations remain stalled.
Speaking to Fox News, Waltz said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s economic campaign is “devastating the Iranian economy,” claiming Iranian negotiators repeatedly seek access to cash and frozen assets.
Economic pressure
“When Iran is coming to the table with our negotiators, they are talking about cash, cash, cash,” Waltz said.
He claimed Iranian officials are more concerned about the country’s currency and inflation than military losses or the impact of the war on the population.
Waltz said the combination of financial pressure and the US naval blockade would eventually force Tehran to change its position.
“The squeeze, coupled with the blockade, that’s what’s going to eventually get the Iranians to move,” he said.
US senator Murphy says Trump has ‘lost’ war on Iran
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said US President Donald Trump has “lost this war” with Iran, arguing that continued fighting is weakening Washington while strengthening Tehran.
Speaking to NBC News, Murphy said he would support even a “bad deal” to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the cost of keeping the strategic waterway closed is increasing.
Calls for an end to the war
“The war needs to end because every day that the war continues, America gets weaker, Iran gets stronger, and people here in the United States get screwed as prices go up and up and up,” Murphy said.
Murphy said he would oppose further funding for the war but support replenishing US military stockpiles after the fighting ends.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that there are no direct talks between Tehran and Washington. He also insisted that the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen until the US meets Iran’s demands, including lifting its naval blockade.
Trump says US ‘low-keying it’ with Iran, playing down urgency over Hormuz
US President Donald Trump signaled Sunday that he is prepared to let economic pressure on Iran intensify rather than order additional military strikes, as Tehran maintains tough demands over the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are low-keying it,” Trump told Axios in a brief phone call, according to the outlet. He said the US was only “semi-negotiating” with Iran while watching its inflation and financial difficulties.
Trump did not express frustration over Iran’s delay in reaching an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios. Tehran has demanded that Washington end its blockade of Iranian ports and lift oil sanctions before reopening the waterway.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is only “exchanging messages” with Washington through intermediaries.
Meanwhile, Iran and Oman are working toward a temporary arrangement to reopen the strait. Araghchi said talks with Oman on managing the waterway are approaching their final stage.
The disruption has sharply reduced maritime traffic through Hormuz, with attacks on vessels contributing to higher fuel prices and renewed pressure on the global economy.
CENTCOM says total 55 vessels redirected to enforce Iran blockade
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it has redirected 55 commercial vessels as part of its naval blockade on Iran.
The figure is up from 53 vessels reported the previous day, marking an increase of two.
CENTCOM said more than 20 US warships are now deployed across the Middle East, supporting military missions including enforcement of the blockade.
WATCH: 'Israeli’ troops demolish houses near 'Pilot Zone' in south Lebanon
‘Israeli’ troops move as excavators demolish houses in Zawtar al-Sharkiyeh, southern Lebanon, seen from the neighbouring "pilot zone" of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, where the Lebanese army was to take over as part of a US-sponsored framework agreement signed with ‘Israel’.
Trump scolds Iran in social media post
US President Donald Trump said Iran has shown “51 years of bad behaviour” in a post on Truth Social.
Trump also shared a chart depicting the decline in the value of Iran’s rial from 2025 to the present. The chart was titled “Iran has no money” and included the phrase “currency is trash.”
'Israel' committed 108 attacks on Palestinian journalists in July, syndicate says
‘Israeli’ forces committed 108 attacks against Palestinian journalists and media workers in July, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate’s Liberties Committee, as reported by Wafa.
The violations included arrests, detentions, beatings and restrictions on journalists’ work, as well as settler attacks, raids on homes and media institutions, and the seizure or destruction of equipment.
Detentions top violations
Detention and obstruction of journalistic coverage accounted for 58 cases, followed by 12 cases involving sound and gas bombs, 11 settler attacks and six beatings.
Four journalists suffered bloody injuries, including shrapnel wounds, while covering events in Gaza, the syndicate said.
The syndicate called for greater protection for journalists and accountability for those responsible for attacks against media workers.
Day 163 of the US-‘Israeli’ war on Iran
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Read more: Day 154 | Iran targets US bases across Middle East; deadly strikes escalate tensions
