Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian with Pakistan army chief Syed Asim Munir in Tehran. (August 24)
Day 181 | Iran says US sanctions will achieve nothing
Iran's president insisted on Wednesday that the United States would achieve nothing with its new sanctions campaign after Washington laid out plans to collapse the country's economy.
Almost six months into their war, the two sides are locked in a stalemate, with Iran keeping the key Strait of Hormuz shut and Washington persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iran.
Under political pressure at home over the impacts of the conflict, US President Donald Trump has pivoted away from military action to economic levers, expanding sanctions and warning of consequences for countries that do not join.
But Iran -- which has already weathered decades of sanctions -- has remained defiant, with officials saying they have a two-year plan to counter the pressure.
"America will not achieve anything with economic pressure at this stage, just as it was unable to achieve anything in the war," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday, according to the country's ISNA news agency.
"We will stand firm against economic pressures, as we have done so far and will continue to do."
Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia, meanwhile, told state television Wednesday that the military had restored its combat capabilities degraded during the war, with the reconstruction of all damaged weapons systems and the import of new equipment from abroad.
On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had claimed the US had "dismantled Iran's military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 percent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear programme".
Announcing the new economic measures, Bessent said expanded secondary sanctions would target Iran's digital assets and its technology, gold, aviation and shipping sectors.
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Read more: Day 182 | US to push economic pressure on Iran at G20 finance talks
Trump says won’t meet Iran who’s “begging to make a deal”
US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran is “begging to make a deal”, as the Mideast war enters its seventh month.
“Jonathan Hunt of FoxNews did a particularly inaccurate report on the Failing Islamic Republic of Iran. I don’t want to meet, they do. In fact, they are begging to make a deal. Bret Baier should straighten out his flunkies, for a change!” Trump said on Truth Social.
Iran, Qatar hold Hormuz talks as US blockade chokes Iran oil imports
Iran's top diplomat met his Qatari counterpart on Thursday in Tehran for talks on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as a US naval blockade squeezes oil supplies to Iran amid a domestic shortfall.
The visit by Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani follows a week of intense diplomacy in Iran involving separate meetings with Oman's top diplomat and senior Pakistani officials seeking ways to end the Middle East war and reopen Hormuz.
It also comes as Washington threatens wider secondary sanctions against countries, banks and companies that continue doing business with Iran, part of a broader campaign it has called "economic asphyxiation".
Iranian state television said Al Thani, who is also Qatar's prime minister, had met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, without providing details.
In a statement after the talks, Al Thani said they focused on efforts to de-escalate tensions and boost security in the region.
"Qatar believes that dialogue and diplomacy remain the best way to overcome crises," he wrote on X.
Qatar's foreign ministry said they discussed the proposed framework for Hormuz between Iran and Oman.
"Talks stressed the importance of respecting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law," Al Thani added.
Alongside mediator Pakistan, Qatar had played a key role in securing an April ceasefire and June deal between Iran and the United States, but those deals have since collapsed.
Fuel shortage
Since war with the United States broke out on February 28, Iran has maintained tight control over Hormuz, a vital global energy conduit, with Washington imposing a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
On Wednesday, Iran's Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said the blockade had prevented his country from importing enough petrol to cover a shortfall in domestic production.
"Petrol production is insufficient, and because of the US naval blockade, we cannot import it," he was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.
In recent days, many Iranians have been seen queueing outside petrol stations. Presidential chief of staff Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei said petrol quotas would be reviewed, without elaborating.
Iran, a major oil producer with some of the world's cheapest fuel, has for years heavily subsidised petrol, making changes to pricing politically sensitive.
As the US seeks to strangle Iran's economy, Iranian officials have dismissed the measures as "failed policies" that will not force Tehran to change course.
"The country is in an all-out economic war," said Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in a statement carried by local media.
"We will see that the government... will defeat the enemy on this ground as well," he added.
Even before the war, Iran's economy was battered by decades of international sanctions, and has long suffered from chronic inflation and a weakening currency.
Talks on Hormuz
Iran has for weeks been in talks with Oman, which also overlooks the Hormuz strait, over a framework agreement that would establish a "temporary corridor" for shipping and provide for clearing mines Tehran says were laid during the war.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday said the two countries had agreed on each country's share of the waters and any revenues collected from managing the waterway.
Tehran has nonetheless insisted that the strait will not be reopened unless Washington meets its demands, including lifting its naval blockade, unfreezing Iranian assets abroad and removing oil sanctions.
Since the war broke out, Iranian forces have required vessels to obtain permission to transit the waterway and struck ships that failed to comply.
Tehran has also sought to impose service fees on ships using the strait -- a move strongly opposed by Washington and regional countries.
On Thursday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an "unknown projectile" had struck a tanker in Hormuz this week, causing a fire that was later extinguished.
“Historic blow”: Iran warns US of strike on military & economic interests if it attacks
Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaee, said Thursday that “if the US acts aggressively, we will inflict a blow on it that will go down in history.”
The comments came during a meeting with Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to Iranian state media.
“We do not trust the United States. It has repeatedly betrayed diplomacy and negotiations,” he added.
“We warn that if the United States launches any hostile action against Iran, we will strike its military and economic interests in a way that will go down in history,” Rezaee continued
“The United States must first take practical steps to meet Iran’s conditions. Only then will Iran take action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.”
Tanker hit by unknown projectile, UK maritime mission says
A tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire that was later extinguished, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The incident was reported by local authorities on August 25, with UKMTO issuing a warning Thursday. All crew members were reported safe and accounted for.
Authorities are investigating the incident. UKMTO advised vessels transiting the strategic waterway to exercise caution and report suspicious activity, while maintaining the regional threat level at severe.
US reroutes 75 vessels to enforce Iran blockade
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had rerouted 75 commercial vessels and disabled three others as of August 27.
It also said US forces boarded two vessels as part of efforts to ensure compliance with the blockade imposed on Iran.
Ghalibaf stresses need to de-escalate tensions in meeting with Qatar’s PM
Iranian Parliamentary Speaker and top negotiator Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf emphasized the need to de-escalate regional tensions during a meeting with Qatar’s prime minister in Tehran, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.
The two discussed the latest regional developments and efforts to reduce tensions, according to the report.
They also exchanged views on creating suitable conditions for resuming dialogue amid ongoing regional tensions.
Iranian oil sales and deliveries have not stopped despite reduction, oil minister says
Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said the country’s oil sales have not stopped, despite a decline in volumes.
He said oil deliveries are continuing in distant waters, indicating that Iran’s crude exports remain active despite pressure on its oil sector.
'Israeli' military chief says ’empty coffers’ undermining readiness
‘Israeli’ military chief of staff Eyal Zamir said the army is dealing with “empty coffers” as it faces ongoing pressure over its budget.
In remarks published on the army’s official platforms, Zamir said the military is “in a campaign over the budget” as its personnel remain stretched across multiple fronts.
“At a time when the IDF and its servants are stretched thin in all sectors, we must deal with empty coffers,” Zamir said.
“Such a situation undermines the readiness of the IDF,” he added.
Iran targets Persian-speaking Western media
- Iran warns Persian-language Western media could become military targets.
- Tehran accuses foreign outlets of serving Western intelligence.
Iranian Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi warned that foreign-based Persian-language news organizations could be treated as military targets and accused them of serving Western intelligence agencies, Mehr News Agency reported Wednesday.
In statements reported by the Iranian agency, Shekarchi said that channels such as BBC Persian, Iran International, and Radio Farda “are directly linked to Mossad, the CIA, and enemy intelligence agencies, receiving their operational directives and support from them.”
Reiterating Tehran’s stance that foreign-sponsored Persian media function as psychological warfare units rather than journalistic institutions, Shekarchi claimed these platforms actively promote global violence and civil instability.
"Individuals working for these outlets are considered soldiers of Zionism and criminal America," Shekarchi added. "They can even be included in the list of potential military targets because, in our view, these are not media outlets."
Read more: Iran calls US Iran policy “pure parody”
The statement comes as Iran faces heightened regional tensions and ongoing US economic sanctions.
Iranian authorities have historically viewed foreign-funded, diaspora-directed news outlets as operational arms of Western hybrid warfare aimed at inciting domestic unrest, undermining national cohesion, and facilitating espionage.
By categorizing these networks as combatants rather than civilian media, Tehran’s military leadership signals a hardening posture against foreign outlets, framing cognitive and media operations as active fronts in the broader regional confrontation with the US and 'Israel'.
Iran, Qatar discuss ‘joint project’ to clear mines in Hormuz
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Qatar and Iran have discussed an agreement to implement a “joint project” to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement followed a meeting between the foreign ministers of Qatar and Iran in Tehran on Thursday.
Pakistan says it’s not bound by US sanctions on Tehran
Pakistan said Thursday that it does not consider itself bound by unilateral US sanctions imposed on Iran.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Taher Andarab told reporters in Islamabad that Pakistan does not believe Washington’s sanctions against Tehran comply with international law.
He said disputes should instead be addressed through dialogue and diplomatic engagement.
The comments came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new sanctions on Iran on Monday.
The Trump administration has sought to increase economic pressure on Tehran as part of efforts to push Iran toward concessions.
Iraq foils drone manufacturing attempt
A spokesperson for Iraq’s National Security Service said authorities had foiled an attempt to manufacture drones in Baghdad.
The spokesperson also said border forces continue to secure the country’s borders using thermal cameras and concrete barriers.
The spokesperson for Iraq’s commander-in-chief of the armed forces said the government is committed to organizing the process of placing weapons under state control.
He also reaffirmed Iraq’s “strict commitment” to the withdrawal of the international coalition by the end of September, while announcing that a new air defense system is expected to arrive in the country soon.
The Popular Mobilization Forces’ media director said there are ongoing contacts with various bodies over ensuring that weapons remain under the control of the state and its security institutions.
The head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell said authorities are taking “steady steps” to regulate weapons held by armed factions through dialogue.
Iran’s nuclear industry is world-class, says Iranian chief
Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said the country’s nuclear industry continues to advance despite US sanctions and military strikes.
“Today, Iran’s nuclear industry is moving alongside and on a par with the leading countries in this field,” Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, said Wednesday.
He accused Tehran’s opponents of using allegations about Iran’s nuclear program to undermine the country’s progress.
Iran maintains that its nuclear activities are solely for civilian purposes, including energy production.
US President Donald Trump has said the US, alongside ‘Israel’, launched the war on Iran to prevent Tehran from weaponizing its nuclear program.
However, US intelligence previously assessed that Iran was not planning to build nuclear weapons. Reports following the war have suggested that the conflict could strengthen arguments inside Iran for pursuing a nuclear deterrent.
‘No Muslim country’s territory should be used against another’: Pezeshkian
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran did not start the war in the region, but “stood firmly against the aggressors,” as he addressed the 40th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran.
“The US and the Zionist entity launched a war on Iran,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iranian state media.
Pezeshkian also reiterated Iran’s position that neighboring countries should not allow their territory to be used to launch attacks against Tehran.
“No Muslim country should pursue its security in the insecurity of its neighbours,” he said.
“No Muslim country’s territory should be used against another Muslim nation,” he added.
US military sends aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt to Mideast as Iran war drags
Families of US navy sailors assigned to the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group are preparing for a deployment in the Middle East lasting more than seven months as the US conflict with Iran continues with no clear end in sight, according to the US Naval Institute.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), its escorts, and embarked Carrier Air Wing 11 are expected to depart San Diego in the coming weeks for US Central Command.
There, the strike group will relieve the Japan-based USS George Washington (CVN-73), which entered the US 5th Fleet area last week.
Since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, the US has maintained a continuous carrier presence in the Arabian Sea.
From there, forces have conducted strikes over Iran and enforced a naval blockade of Tehran.
The open-ended commitment has pushed carrier deployments well beyond traditional lengths, averaging about 8.5 months since the broader regional tensions that intensified after the events of October 7,
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman, both about a year into their roles, addressed the strain during remarks to reporters on at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Virginia.
“We’ve been in conflict pretty much the whole time I’ve been in the seat, and that’s certainly stressed the force,” Caudle said.
He added that the Navy is working to improve the extension process for greater planning certainty: “If we know we’re going into harm’s way, we should be able to project with a little bit more fidelity how long the carrier and the strike group is going to stay on station. We do these extensions in little chunks, and the families don’t see any endpoint so they can plan their own lives. That creates a lot of stress for sailors.”
The Navy has already seen record-length deployments. USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) returned in May after a 326-day deployment—the longest since the Cold War—though it included several port visits.
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is on track for more than 300 days and spent about eight-and-a-half months without a port call, a far more taxing experience.
“That fundamentally has made that a better experience for [Ford] sailors than the Abe’s experience,” Caudle noted.
“It’s not the operations – they’re nearly identical in the combat sortie process that they were conducting. It’s really the port calls and the ability to reset and take a knee.” Caudle prefers seven-month deployments and resists extensions, but acknowledged: “The enemy gets a vote.”
US allies warn Hormuz is still mined despite Trump claim: report
US allies are privately cautioning that the Strait of Hormuz remains likely mined, challenging President Donald Trump’s assertion that the US Navy has fully removed and detonated Iranian explosives from the vital waterway.
According to officials familiar with internal assessments who spoke to Bloomberg, American forces have made progress clearing mines in international waters, but have not eliminated all of an estimated 80 to 150 devices Iran laid.
The assessment directly undercuts Trump’s repeated recent statements that the strait is clear.
On Wednesday, he described Hormuz as “a very functioning strait” and told The Glenn Beck Program: “The mines are gone. You probably saw that — we put it out yesterday — all the mines, we got rid of the mines.”
A day earlier, Trump posted on Truth Social that the Navy had informed him “all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that Iran had been warned any vessel placing new mines would be “immediately and systematically destroyed” and that the Space Force was monitoring “every square inch” of the waterway under a “Zero Tolerance policy.”
US officials pushed back against the allies’ view.
One person familiar with the American position said the 80-to-150 figure was outdated.
Centcom spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins stated that “internationally recognized transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz are free of Iranian sea mines.” Centcom declined further comment on mine estimates.
Allied officials noted that demining has grown more complicated because many mines—even those previously identified and laid in clusters—have likely drifted from their original positions due to sea currents.
They argued that restoring commercial shippers’ confidence requires a broader international effort combining sophisticated de-mining equipment with air and naval protection, and that Iran should grant Oman permission to operate in its waters to safeguard vessels.
“It is highly unlikely that all the mines in the strait have been cleared,” said Becca Wasser, Bloomberg Economics defense lead.
“Even if the mine threat was reduced, Iran could still escalate. Numerous commercial vessels are well in range of Iranian drones and short-range missiles—and many are outside the range of US air defense cover.”
Hours after Trump’s announcement, the Joint Maritime Information Center warned of a “continued risk of drifting or uncharted mines” near the traffic separation scheme.
Iran rejected the US claim.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the strait remains closed despite a temporary transit agreement with Oman, insisted “no one except Iran knows the location of these mines,” and dismissed Trump’s comments as aimed at calming markets while warning that US mine-detection vessels would become “very good targets.”
Iran and Oman simultaneously announced plans for a joint project to clear mines as part of a framework for a temporary navigation corridor.
The dispute comes nearly six months into the US-‘Israel’ war with Iran that began in late February 2026.
Pre-war, roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed through Hormuz; traffic has since fallen sharply, contributing to volatile energy markets.
Trump has pressed claims of restored safety partly to stabilize those markets ahead of November midterm elections, while Admiral Brad Cooper of Centcom earlier reported that US strikes destroyed more than 90 percent of Iran’s estimated inventory of around 8,000 mines in storage.
Tanker hit by unknown projectile in Strait of Hormuz: UKMTO
An "unknown projectile" has struck a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire that has since been put out, a British maritime agency said early on Thursday.
"Local authorities have reported a tanker has been hit by an unknown projectile causing fire to the vessel which has since been extinguished," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
VIDEO - ‘Israeli’ army carries out detonation in Bani Hayyan, Southern Lebanon
Footage of detonations and explosions carried out by the ‘Israeli’ military in the town of Bani Hayyan, located in the Marjayoun District of southern Lebanon.
Iran calls US Iran policy “pure parody”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Wednesday dismissed recent US sanctions against Tehran as “pure parody,” saying Washington is “sanctioning the already sanctioned and calling the empty space a coalition.”
In a post on X, Baqaei, wrote that the US turned to Bahrain—which he called a country with “virtually no meaningful economic exchange with Iran”—to demonstrate that its coalition is working.
He added that the US then moved to “stop” Iranian sports and academic exchanges “that had already been effectively dead for years.”
Washington’s Iran policy has reached pure parody.
— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) August 26, 2026
It turns to Bahrain - a country with virtually no meaningful economic exchange with Iran - to prove that its “coalition” is working.
It then “stops” Iranian sports and academic exchanges that had already been effectively dead…
The comments came a day after the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control indefinitely suspended several general licenses under Iran sanctions regulations.
These included General License F, which had authorized certain professional and amateur sports activities and exchanges, and General License G, covering academic exchanges and related educational services.
Other suspended authorizations covered some third-country educational activities, conference services, and noncommercial personal remittances.
A temporary wind-down license runs until September 8.
The suspensions formed part of a broader package of new US economic measures announced around August 24, which US officials described as an “economic D-Day” or “Operation Economic Outcast.”
The steps expand pressure on Iran’s oil, banking, digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping sectors and threaten secondary sanctions on entities dealing with Tehran. Bahrain’s finance minister discussed the measures with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to Bahraini state media.
