• The memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran in June is set to expire as talks to end the US-Israel war on Iran remain deadlocked.
• US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to scale back its annual drills with South Korea, saying Seoul declined to join in “the denuclearization” of Iran.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is a priority.

IRGC commander says Iran’s military doctrine shifting from defensive to offensive

A senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says Iran’s defensive posture is poised to shift to an offensive one, warning Tehran’s enemies to “anticipate strategic surprises”.

Brigadier General Yadollah Javani told state media that the shift marks a significant transformation in the military’s strategic doctrine and a clear signal to adversaries that Iran’s approach is evolving to meet and exceed the challenges of modern warfare.

He highlighted the mandate given to the new commander-in-chief, Major-General Ahmad Vahidi, who he said has emphasized “maximum deterrence”. Under this approach, he said, any defensive action taken by the armed forces will inherently take on an offensive shape to proactively neutralize threats.

“The enemy should know that it cannot catch us off-guard,” Javani said. “Instead, it is the enemy that must anticipate strategic surprises.”

“Whatever is necessary to defend this land, ensure security, and neutralize enemy threats will be executed at the appropriate time,” he added.

Even if Trump wanted to walk away from war on Iran, ‘he can’t’

Alan Eyre, a former senior US diplomat who served as a key member of Washington’s negotiating team for the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement, says Trump is stuck in an impossible situation with the war on Iran.

“Trump can’t escalate because he realizes that if he does, Iran will counter-escalate against Gulf energy infrastructure, and that is something he’s not willing to accept at this point,” Eyre said.

But Trump doesn’t have many options left, Eyre said, because the negotiations with Iran aren’t a business deal. “If this were business, he’d declare bankruptcy and move on to something else, but that’s not going to open the strait. So even if he wanted to walk away, he can’t.”

Iran, meanwhile, does not trust Trump to follow through on any deal he signs with them.

This is one reason “Iran wants more money upfront, because it doesn’t trust the US administration”, Eyre said.

“Iran doesn’t think the US administration will ever lift sanctions, so it wants unblocked assets,” he said. “It wants to be able to monetise traffic to the strait, and it wants it now, because it doesn’t think this process will continue past an initial agreement – much like US agreements in Gaza haven’t gone past Phase 1.”

Shipping traffic in Hormuz slows to a near halt

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed over the weekend, with no ships transiting the waterway on Sunday, Reuters reports, citing ship tracking data from Kpler.

Five commodity vessels transited the waterway on Saturday, and none were recorded sailing through on Sunday, marking a significant drop compared with the previous weekend when 31 vessels transited the waterway, the data showed.

The drop in numbers this weekend came as the UAE said three vessels operated by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company were attacked in transit last week.

The attacks follow claims by Trump that the US is in complete control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters on Saturday that the US must agree to Iran’s conditions for shipping ⁠to resume through the waterway.

US, South Korea’s differences on Iran ‘a symbol of a larger problem’

Scott Uehlinger, a US Navy veteran and former senior CIA officer, says Trump’s decision to scale back military exercises with South Korea comes amid concern over Seoul’s ties with Beijing.

“I’m a little surprised at the timing. However, this has sort of been developing for almost a year now,” Uehlinger said.

“Despite the fact that South Korea has not been cooperating with the United States on Iran, there have been other policy divergences, and that’s been caused by the election in 2025” of President Lee Jae Myung, he said.

“The US administration is unhappy with [Lee’s] accommodation moves toward China. South Korea has been getting too friendly with China in the US assessment. And that’s why this move is being made now,” he said.

Seoul’s policy differences with the US on Iran are “just a symbol of a larger problem”, Uehlinger said, adding that South Korea’s “too friendly” ties with China have worried regional allies like Japan, the Philippines, Australia and Taiwan.

Uehlinger also downplayed the military significance of the drawdown, noting that the US runs other regional exercises involving South Korea throughout the year.

“It’s not about awarding or rewarding North Korea… it’s more about mildly scolding South Korea,” he said, adding that North Korea has, in fact, “been better behaved” recently, despite continuing to test missiles and supply Russia with troops and weapons for its war on Ukraine.

Iran slams Canada for backing US’s war

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, has criticised Canada’s support for the US-led war on his country, using ice hockey as a reference.

In a post on X, he referred to Canada as Washington’s “farm team” – a minor-league ice hockey affiliate team partnered with a national-league parent club, whose role is to provide training and experience for younger players.

“Washington calls Canada its 51st state; Washington imposes tariffs on Canadian goods; Washington insults Canada and threatens to punish it over wildfire smoke; Ottawa’s response: ‘Understood, Sir!'” Baghaei wrote.

“Meanwhile, Ottawa participates in the U.S.-led unlawful war of choice against Iran, to appease Washington,” he said.

“What’s the reward?”

Iran urges tighter market oversight to win US’s ‘economic war’

Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, has warned that Washington is now leaning on economic pressure against Tehran to make up for its military failures.

Speaking at a meeting of the Market Regulation Headquarters, he said Iran will overcome the “economic war” just as it prevailed on the battlefield.

“The enemy now wants to compensate for its defeat on the military front through economic warfare, and the government must stand firm against this approach with proper planning,” he said.

Aref said that while the US may possess greater resources, the experience of recent wars has proven that maintaining national unity and cohesion can lead to victory.

He urged officials to set aside “factional, political, and partisan perspectives” for the sake of the national interest, and called for tighter market oversight, telling regulators to crack down on price gouging, short-weighing, and hoarding.

The US-Iran MoU expires

The memorandum of understanding aimed at ending fighting between the US and Iran is set to expire on Monday, with little sign that either side is willing to extend the agreement, which both sides have accused the other of violating for weeks.

“We have not yet made a decision to restart negotiations with the United States,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on Telegram on Saturday.

Meanwhile, mediators from Qatar and Pakistan continued to exchange messages with Iran. Araghchi added that Iran was working on a separate agreement with Oman to hash out new shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, but emphasised that this was only possible if a political solution was reached.

On the US side, Trump told supporters in New York on Friday that the US would soon claim the critical waterway for itself.

US senator slams Trump, urges end to war on Iran

US Senator Chris Van Hollen has slammed Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a post on X, saying their “disregard for American servicemembers is disgraceful”.

“This war isn’t making our country safer,” Van Hollen wrote as he went on to criticise Trump’s handling of concerns about the mental health of personnel on USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for nine months.

“Our military men and women & their families deserve better. The best way to protect them is to end this war,” he said.

The USS Abraham Lincoln is set to be relieved by the USS George Washington, which has departed the Da Nang port in Vietnam.

Oil prices maintain gains made last week

Oil prices remained steady at the start of trading this morning, maintaining gains made last week, according to Reuters.

Brent crude futures were unchanged at $88.55 a barrel by 01:28 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 14 cents to $82.26 a barrel around the same time.

Brent and WTI gained more than 5 percent last week following attacks on UAE tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and on Saudi Aramco’s Red Sea refineries.

“Oil prices have now rebounded almost completely from the lows seen in early August, as hopes for a more permanent resolution between the US and Iran have faded and geopolitical risk premiums have returned to the market,” said Priyanka Sachdeva, head of market insights for Phillip Nova in Singapore.

“However, I see limited upside from here unless we get clear evidence of renewed aggression in the Strait of Hormuz, particularly material damage to tankers or oil infrastructure,” she told Reuters.

Iran’s top security official praises Khamenei’s ‘wise’ military shake-up

Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), has praised Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s recent military appointments, saying they would strengthen the country’s defence capabilities.

In a message to Khamenei, Rezaei said the appointment of six senior commanders to key positions in the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was “wise” and “time worthy”.

He said the appointments have “disrupted the calculations of the enemies” of Iran, especially the leaders of the US and Israel.

The letter comes after Khamenei appointed Major-General Ali Abdollahi as chief of the General Staff and Major-General Ahmad Vahidi as commander-in-chief of the IRGC. He also named Rear Admiral Ali Ozamaei as Commander of the IRGC Navy, and Hossein Taeb, a high-ranking cleric with years of experience in the IRGC’s intelligence branch, as the head of the IRGC’s Basij force.

Analysts say the move was aimed at equipping Iran’s wartime security establishment with battle-hardened figures.

Democratic senators demand answers about conditions on board the USS Lincoln

A group of 15 Democratic senators has written to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers about the situation on board the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.

The letter, posted on X by Senator Mark Kelly, read: “The American people deserve honest answers.”

“Our sailors and Marines signed up to serve and to be treated with respect. They did not sign up to be kept at sea indefinitely with no announced return date and, by multiple accounts, without reliable food, hot water or working plumbing,” it said. “That is not how we treat the men and women we ask to carry out this mission.”

The senators called for answers to a series of questions, including a timeline for the USS Lincoln’s relief and return to homeport, as well as whether there have been suicides on board the ship during the deployment.

They also asked about the medical resources available to the crew, as well as the situation regarding hygiene and food on board the ship.

“As the Secretary of Defense, you are accountable to the men and women who serve our nation,” they wrote to Hegseth. “It is time for you to demonstrate leadership, rather than peddle excuses. The servicemembers we send into harm’s way deserve nothing less.”

 

Trump wants ‘somebody to blame’ for inability to win war on Iran

Robert Kelly, a professor of International Relations at South Korea’s Pusan National University, says Trump’s decision to scale back planned military drills with South Korea is linked to his failure to win the war on Iran.

“Trump started that war. He expected it to go pretty quickly,” Kelly said. “It’s pretty clear he expected a kind of drive-by-conflict of the sort that he had in Venezuela back in January, and it sort of blew up into this big thing – this kind of weird slow motion, sort of tit for tat kind of spiral.”

The conflict is now “beginning to look like what Americans call a forever war”, with Trump “stuck” and searching for someone to blame, according to Kelly.

“US allies have been convenient for that purpose. Trump has attacked NATO in the past for this purpose,” he said. “The South Koreans, of course, didn’t really participate in the war, and they weren’t consulted.”

“I think Trump is basically sort of looking to shield or sort of cover up this stumble, this problem that he has in the Gulf,” Kelly added. “He doesn’t really know how to get out of it.”

“Trump started that war"

We're amazed to see that there are still people who say that Trump started the war. He did not. He joined the war after being promised in a phone call by Netanyahu, that the war will bring the Iranian regime to a collapse. Trump then declared war on Iran while Netanyahu was already bombing Tehran to have Khamenei assassinated.

US Democrats have repeatedly said that the war is not his but Netanyahu.

South Korea to continue discussions with US on military cooperation on Iran, Strait of Hormuz

The South Korean presidency has issued a statement on Trump’s decision to scale back the annual military drills between the two countries.

⁠The presidential Blue House said it was reviewing Trump’s comments, adding that it hoped a favorable relationship between Washington and Pyongyang could lead to meaningful talks.

It also said it would continue discussions on US-South Korea ⁠military cooperation related to Iran and ⁠the Strait of Hormuz.

As we’ve been reporting, Trump had ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which begin today, claiming Seoul declined to join in the “denuclearisation” of Iran.

US lawmakers criticise Trump’s decision to scale back South Korea exercises

Three Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern over Trump’s decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea.

In a post on X, Senator Andy Kim said Trump’s social media post “suggests a disregard” for the relationship with South Korea.

He said such decisions must be worked out directly with allies through official channels, not online. Calling South Korea an “essential partner”, Kim warned that venting online damages regional security and promised to keep pushing for stronger defence, trade, and technology ties.

Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot, also sharply criticised Trump’s decision, saying “hollowing out these joint exercises is shortsighted and a mistake”.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal meanwhile asked whether Trump, “our US wannabe authoritarian ruler”, has ditched democratic South Korea for the “authoritarian” ruler in North Korea?

“This is very dangerous to stability in the region,” she wrote.

Iran’s top negotiator declares victory in war against the US and Israel

Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has declared both a military and political victory in the war against the US and Israel.

Ghalibaf’s remarks came on the day the 60-day Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran is set to expire.

Pakistan’s Sharif welcomes Trump’s support for Mecca defence pact

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has thanked Trump for his support for the “Makkah Joint Defence Agreement” between Islamabad, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.

Sharif said the three countries would play a “constructive role” in ensuring the defence of their own countries and the wider region, while praising Trump’s “courageous and decisive leadership”.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said he was “very happy” that Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan had “finally” signed the agreement, describing it as a “big, bold and important first step”. The US president said the pact showed that the Middle East was “coming together” and that countries in the region would be able to defend themselves “in a more meaningful way”.

The agreement, signed on August 7, commits the three countries to treat an armed attack against any one of them as an attack against all three.

The push to strengthen security cooperation among three of the largest economies in the Muslim-majority world comes at a time of escalating military tensions and conflicts across the Middle East.

Iran reiterates ‘sovereign rights’ over Hormuz

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said existing legislation already covers the country’s “sovereign rights” in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

Speaking at his weekly news conference, Baghaei said the Foreign Ministry would continue cooperating with parliament on legislation concerning Iran’s rights in the region.

“The Foreign Ministry has always taken into account both the current laws and developments on the ground,” he told reporters.

“The position of Parliament is clear and explicit under the Constitution, and the Foreign Ministry considers itself obliged to cooperate with Parliament as necessary throughout all legislative processes.”

Baghaei said the ministry had already provided its expert views on the relevant bill and would do so again if requested by lawmakers.

Iran says 60-day deadline ‘entirely moot’ after US violated memorandum

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said there is no longer any relevance to the 60-day deadline following the June 17 memorandum between Tehran and Washington, saying the US had violated the agreement weeks after it was signed.

“There is no provision in the Memorandum of Understanding referring to a ‘60-day deadline’, and the Islamic Republic of Iran never formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums or time limits,” Esmail Baghaei said.

He said the memorandum had envisaged a 60-day period for talks on two issues – “the lifting of sanctions” and “the nuclear issue”, adding that the period could have been extended if no agreement was reached.

“Due to the gross and widespread violation of the memorandum by the United States just a few weeks after it was signed, no talks were initiated,” he said.

“As a result, the issue of a 60-day deadline became entirely moot,” Baghaei added.

Iran, Oman talks continue on secure maritime transit route, Tehran says

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei said talks with Oman on a maritime transit route are continuing amid what Tehran described as security complexities in the Strait of Hormuz, the global chokepoint through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass.

“Drawing up the maritime transit route plan with Oman has been time-consuming due to security complexities arising from the actions of the US and the Israeli regime, the number of actors involved and obstruction by disruptive elements,” Baghaei said.

“The issue is inherently complex,” he added. “The insecurity imposed on the Strait of Hormuz, the region and the world has resulted from the illegal military action by the United States and the Israeli regime.”

Baghaei said the proposed mechanism would seek to protect the interests of both Iran and Oman while maintaining commercial shipping.

“This is the first time that a mechanism is being developed to simultaneously safeguard the sovereign rights of the two littoral states and ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels,” he said.

“Despite previous US reneging on its commitments, intensive talks between Iran and Oman to finalise a joint statement and establish a secure mechanism that safeguards mutual interests are continuing in earnest,” Baghaei added.

Tehran says US-Iran problems not due to lack of mediators

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says the main obstacle to resolving disputes between Tehran and Washington is not a lack of mediators.

Baghaei noted that countries, including Pakistan and Qatar, are already “making efforts and playing a role” in Iran-US relations.

“It is also entirely natural for some European countries to express their views and indicate their readiness in bilateral contacts to offer their ‘good offices’,” he said.

“But this does not mean that a new mediator has emerged or been accepted in the course of Iran-US relations,” Baghaei added.

“Essentially, the main challenge between Iran and the US is not a matter of mediation,” he said.

“Rather, it stems from the outlook, miscalculations and insistence of the US administration on methods and approaches whose failure has been demonstrated hundreds of times.”

US military presence caused trillions of dollars in environmental damage across region, Iran says

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei says decades of US military presence and recent attacks by the US and Israel have caused “enormous environmental damage in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman”, which he said amounts to trillions of dollars.

“The damage inflicted on the environment of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman is not limited to the past six months or one year,” Baghaei said.

“Rather, our region has faced the military presence of the United States and its allies continuously over the past five decades,” he added.

“This continued presence, accompanied by the deployment of the most advanced weapons, numerous military exercises and the imposition of various wars on the region, has caused enormous environmental damage amounting to trillions of dollars,” Baghaei said.

Iran rejects US sanctions, land blockade plans

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei says proposed US sanctions against Iran, including a reported land blockade, would have no impact on Tehran’s position.

“These measures have no effect on Iran’s position,” Baghaei told reporters.

He accused Washington of being trapped in a “vicious cycle of war, discrimination, pressure and sanctions” dating back to the 1953 coup in Iran.

Baghaei said previous US campaigns, including “crippling sanctions” under Democratic administrations and the “maximum pressure” campaign during Trump’s first presidency, had failed.

“They cut off medicines for our people and tried every possible means of putting pressure on Iran,” he said, adding that the US ultimately “resorted to an illegal military aggression”.

“From now on as well, rest assured that such methods, methods that have been tried before and produced no results, are not going to produce a different outcome,” the spokesman said.

For Iran, MoU implementation, not text, is main sticking point

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baghaei says that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was supposed to pave the way for a ceasefire for 60 days.

That was basically path-dependent dynamism: several stages, initially designed for the two countries to have further diplomatic engagement on the so-called remaining issues.

But just a few days after it was signed and announced, there was another round of escalation: the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and then again, further escalation between Washington and Tehran, deteriorating the already complicated situation.

The Iranian side is saying that it’s not the memorandum itself but its implementation, which is a key point of concern for the Iranians.

And that’s something that we heard, even from the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), when he was talking about the Strait of Hormuz.

He said that as long as the United States does not fulfill its commitments based on the Islamabad MoU, Iran is not going to reopen the Strait [of Hormuz]. On that, there are talks between Muscat and Tehran.

However, Iran is saying that even if a deal is reached between Muscat and Tehran at the end of the day, it’s not going to necessarily result in the reopening of this trade route, as it is interrelated to the United States, particularly to the naval blockade that the Americans are imposing on Iran, putting a huge impact when it comes to the oil exports of the country.

But coming to the bigger picture, it’s not just the naval blockade and the Strait of Hormuz as the only sticking points.

There are remaining points of contention when it comes to sanctions, when it comes to frozen assets of the country, when it comes to the nuclear dossier, when it comes to Iran’s regional relations, and most importantly when it comes to the security assurances that Iran is looking for to make sure that it’s not going to get into the trap of a vicious cycle of war, peace, and then another round of confrontation.

‘No sign’ of reviving the MoU, US diplomat says

Joey Hood, the former acting director of the Office of Iranian Affairs at the US State Department, says the current lull in the fighting between Iran and the US “will not last long” because he believes “both sides are rearming, they’re re-equipping, they’re putting things in place.”

Hood said the June memorandum of understanding “was doomed to fail” because “it was very poorly written and it gave Iran the chance to interpret the MoU as giving it sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Lebanon.”

He added: “If there were professional diplomats involved from the US side, it never would have been written the way that it was. It never would have allowed Iran that wiggle room.”

According to Hood, there is “no sign” of reviving the MoU or reaching a new agreement as “both sides have locked horns.”

He characterized Iran “insisting on having sovereignty over” the Strait of Hormuz as a major obstacle and predicted that “if Iran were to allow ships to go through again freely”, then Trump would reciprocate “by dropping the naval blockade and the oil sanctions”.

Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers reaffirm commitment to dialogue

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, have said dialogue and diplomacy remain the only way to address regional challenges and promote peace and stability.

In a phone call, the two ministers discussed recent developments in the region and exchanged views on issues of shared concern, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation between Pakistan and Turkiye on matters of mutual interest, the ministry added.

Trump renews call for Iran to never posses nuclear weapons in ‘any way’

The US president has reiterated his position that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon.

“The number one goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a nuclear weapon,” he said on Truth Social.

This is one of similar posts Trump has shared on his platform. He only provides more evidence that he admits that his part of Netanyahu's resumption of the 2025 war on Iran, is purely political motivated, which is a violation of the UN Charter, as he infringes in Iran's political sovereignty.

Iran says two French embassy employees barred from returning

Iran says two French embassy ⁠employees ⁠involved in a diplomatic dispute last month would not be allowed to return to ⁠Iran.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the two had violated the Vienna Convention – which defines ⁠the rules and privileges of diplomatic missions – engaging in activities supporting Iranian civil society.

“Insisting that these individuals were engaged in activities related to supporting civil society is ‌itself an admission that the Vienna Convention was violated,” Baghaei told a weekly press conference, without elaborating.

Tehran has long been highly sensitive to what it sees as Western meddling in its internal affairs, especially since the US-Israeli war on Iran began more than five months ago.

Iran’s IRGC claims more than 200 ‘enemy aircraft’ shot down since war began

IRGC Deputy Commander-in-Chief Major General Mostafa Izadi has claimed that more than 200 “enemy aircraft” had been shot down.

“The number of enemy aircraft that have been shot down following this valuable movement by our nation and our efforts in the soft and cognitive domains alone has exceeded 200, and this movement has also had repercussions and consequences at the regional and global levels,” he said.

He described the conflict as a “hybrid war” in which he said Iran’s adversaries sought to destabilize the country both internally and through military operations.

Izadi also rejected suggestions that the conflict had weakened Iran’s political system or fragmented the country.

“Not only was Islamic Iran not fragmented, and not only was the Islamic system not weakened, but the Islamic Republic demonstrated itself to be stronger and more steadfast than before in Iran,” he added.

What does "aircraft" other than those which where shot down in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Southwest Iran on April 3, 2026, mean?

Former US diplomat says Trump ‘lucky’ oil prices have not ballooned

Joey Hood, the former acting director of the Office of Iranian Affairs at the US State Department, said the main goal for the United States now is to ensure that Americans do not pay too much for petrol.

That remains the goal, he said, even as President Donald Trump has encouraged Americans to see higher prices as “a very small tax in exchange for making sure that Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon”.

“But I don’t think any of those objectives have really been reached,” Hood said.

“The Trump administration is very lucky that oil prices haven’t ballooned, because countries around the world have taken measures to try to absorb the shock. There are also still ships getting through the strait, perhaps by turning off their transponders and passing through undetected,” he added.

Trump threatens Oman over Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it gets in the way of efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Monday.

Iran said last week it was in talks with Oman over the reopening of the strategic waterway.

Trump also said his administration had opened a direct backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) but added he was in no rush to end the conflict, according to Fox News.

“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump said of the IRGC. “I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry.”

Trump says Iran should ‘put up the white flag of surrender’

That's what he has been reporting as saying on Fox News.

Trump’s ‘strong language’ for Iran and Oman

The US president, speaking to Fox News Channel, has used very strong language against Iran, but also towards Oman.

Essentially, what we know is that the president said that he would likely bomb Oman if it got in the way of efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, of course, the 60-day memorandum of understanding – that window to negotiate with Iran – is expiring as of Monday, which is today, and it has come with no final settlement.

So, Trump has not only been threatening those regional players, such as Oman, that have been negotiating with Iran in the interim, trying to bring about peace within the area, but has also given a very strong warning to Iran that not only is the US still applying military pressure and threatening further economic pressure, but he also said that it’s time for Iran to give up.

US has only used ‘peanuts’ of weapons stockpile, says Trump

When asked about the US stockpiles of weapons stationed in the Middle East, Trump said: “What we have used so far is peanuts”.

Iran’s victory lies in unity, judiciary chief says

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei says the country must not become complacent about the “enemy’s plots in hybrid warfare”, adding the “key to victory is unity and following the Supreme Leader”.

“Following the defeat of the US enemy against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the beliefs and perceptions of the leaders of US-aligned countries regarding our country’s power have changed,” he said.

USS Lincoln crisis: How it compares to past aircraft carrier deployments

The nearly nine-month extended deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East has triggered a mental health crisis among the crew so intense that some sailors have tried to jump overboard, according to some US media reports.

Family members of the exhausted military crew on board the flagship aircraft carrier, reportedly located in the Gulf region, say there are food shortages, while broken toilets and showers have contributed to unsanitary conditions and poor health.

More than 5,000 staff members have been on board the vessel, which has been conducting maritime security and blockade operations at present around the Strait of Hormuz, for that time. It set sail on November 21, 2025 from its homeport of San Diego for an extended deployment to the Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Since then, the ship has made just one single-day port stop at Naval Base Guam from December 11-12. The lack of port stops is a major issue for a ship the size and complexity of the USS Abraham Lincoln, experts say.

What has happened since the US-Iran MoU was signed?

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran, signed on June 17, expired on Monday as talks between the two sides have stalled.

Earlier today, US President Donald Trump said Washington was speaking directly to IRGC officials through a backchannel, but urged Tehran to wave the “white flag of surrender”.

• The Islamabad-brokered MoU established a 60-day period for negotiations towards a broader peace deal and included provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
• Signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the 14-point agreement called for the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts”.
• The US agreed to end its naval blockade, withdraw forces after a final deal, and begin work on a reconstruction package worth billions of dollars. It also pledged sanctions relief, oil-export waivers and access to frozen Iranian funds.
• Iran agreed to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz and allow ships to transit freely for 60 days. Tehran also reaffirmed it would not seek nuclear weapons and agreed to negotiate over uranium enrichment.
• The agreement quickly ran into disputes over shipping routes through the strait.
• Several ships using the Oman-backed route were targeted in late June. The dispute was followed by the resumption of US strikes on Iran, which lasted nearly two weeks.

Saudi using ship-to-ship crude transfers to supply Asia refiners

Saudi Arabia has been offering crude oil to Asian refiners outside the Strait of Hormuz, in what appears to be a successful move to bypass the stranglehold on the critical waterway.

Two sources told Reuters that Saudi’s Aramco is taking the rare step of supplying refiners via ship-to-ship transfers off the coast of Fujairah in the UAE.

It’s still unclear how the oil cargoes are able to reach Fujairah, however.

Saudi Arabia earlier diverted some crude oil exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu following the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran. However, Riyadh has also faced Houthi attacks in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in that axis.

The conflicts have curtailed Aramco’s market share in key markets, such as India.

IRGC rejects Trump’s claims of backchannel talks with the US

IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohammadi has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim of conducting talks with the Revolutionary Guard.

“There are no talks between IRGC officials and Americans,” Mohammadi told the state-run Tasnim news agency on Monday.

“This lie from Trump is simply fantasies that he is experiencing due to delusions and nightmares resulting from defeat and desperation in the war,” he said.

He added that the IRGC is the arm and voice of the power of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic and conveys its message on the battlefield.

“Currently, no talks are taking place with the Americans in this area either, due to broken promises and the dark experiences of repeated and constant violations of agreements by the United States,” he said.

US awards Raytheon $22.9bn Tomahawk missile contract

The US Navy has awarded weapons manufacturer Raytheon (rebranded as RTX) a $22.9bn contract to boost production of Tomahawk cruise missiles.

US media recently reported that the armed forces have significantly depleted key munitions stockpiles during the US-Israel war on Iran, including critically important long-range Tomahawks.

“We called on industry to rapidly scale up munitions output, and RTX is delivering,” Acting Secretary of the Navy, Hung Cao said on X.

In a statement, RTX said the contract would last for seven years and allow Tomahawk production to increase to more than 1,000 missiles annually, up from 60 per year now.

MoU still has some utility in finding a solution to the war: Expert

Rashid al-Mohannadi, the vice president at the Center for International Policy Research, says the June Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Iran and the US which expired on Monday, still has some utility to find a solution to the war.

“I wouldn’t say that the MoU doesn’t matter, it is still the basis for continuing discussions and it does offer some terms that initially were mutually agreeable between both parties”, al-Mohannadi told Al Jazeera.

The issue, al-Mohannadi says, is the lack of consensus in Iran on the Strait of Hormuz.

There are “multiple positions on the strait: from the extreme, which is Iran should have full sovereignty and control, to something in the middle where a regional consensus is acceptable to the more softer views, which is that the Strait is being used as a negotiation card”.

Hormuz transits down as Bab al-Mandeb sees increase, says data firm

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz last week fell by 19.5 percent, according to data analysis firm Kpler.

It said 95 vessels transited the waterway in the week of August 10, “reaching just three on 16 August”.

Vessels used the Iranian side of the strait or undermined routes, “while no crossings were recorded through the Hormuz TSS or Omani routes”, Kpler posted on X.

In the region’s other major gateway, the number of vessels using the Bab al-Mandeb Strait increased.

“Crossings increased 6.7% to 254, while dark transits fell from 40 to 16,” said Kpler, despite volatile security conditions.

 

Oman intensifies efforts to contain oil spill from stranded ship

Oman has intensified efforts to mitigate the potential environmental impacts resulting from an oil spill from the grounding of the vessel Caroline Bezengi, according to a statement released by the country’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

The ship has been spilling oil since it got stranded near al-Qibliyyah Island off Oman’s Dhofar governorate after a suspected explosion on June 8.

The statement said there were challenges in containing the spill as the ship lacks a reliable power source “to operate the equipment necessary for rescue operations”. It also noted that some work areas on the ship’s decks were “slippery and unsafe” after being exposed to oil and seawater.

Last week, Oman said it was working to contain the spill, which covers an area of more than 2,000sq km (770sq miles), according to analysis by the country’s environment agency.

Iran’s options becoming limited over time

Iran’s position to use the Strait of Hormuz as leverage will diminish over time, despite the waterway’s importance to global energy supplies, said Rashid al-Mohannadi, the vice president at the Center for International Policy Research.

“Regional states will work on bypassing [the strait] through connectivity projects,” he said.

He said Iran is more likely to escalate compared to the US “because their strategic options are becoming quite limited”.

“The more Iran insists on a high level of control, the less leverage it will have because it’s a depreciating asset at this stage.”

Trump says Iran won’t make the deal he thinks is needed

The US president ⁠has told ⁠reporters at the White House that Iran would ‌not make the type of deal with ⁠the United States ⁠that he ⁠thought was ⁠necessary.

US Senator Schumer calls MoU with Iran ‘greatest foreign policy fiasco’

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has criticised his country’s memorandum of understanding with Iran as “one of the greatest foreign policy fiascos in American history, led by a president who doesn’t know what he’s doing”.

In a post on X, Schumer said, “Trump’s memorandum of misunderstanding with Iran has been an utter failure and complete flop that has delivered no progress towards his stated goals – but has hammered Americans with gas skyrocketing above $4 per gallon”.

“Donald Trump has failed our troops and has failed our nation. We must end this war immediately with serious diplomacy so we can begin to rebuild from the damage he has wrought,” he said.

CENTCOM says 64 ships redirected amid Hormuz blockade

The US Navy has redirected 64 commercial ships during its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since mid-July, US Central Command (CENTCOM) says.

Additionally, three vessels have been disabled and two were boarded “to ensure compliance”, CENTCOM added.

On Friday, it said the US redirected 62 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two. It means that over the past three days, the US redirected two ships.

Since the start of the counter blockade, the US CENTCOM never provided video evidence showing redirections of vessels to Iranian ports. The claims are considered unverifiable.

Leaders of UAE, Oman discuss regional, global affairs in Abu Dhabi

The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has welcomed Oman’s Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.

The Royal Oman Family X account shared video of the meeting in Abu Dhabi, saying the leaders exchanged views on various issues of common interest, including “developments in regional and international affairs”.

On Monday, Donald Trump repeated his threats to bomb Oman, as it finalizes a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran does not want to continue in a ‘no-war, no-peace’ situation

Mohammad Eslami, a research fellow in Middle East and North African Studies at the University of Tehran, has said that the US administration has “no real strategy” for breaking the deadlock in negotiations with Iran, but “they know that this crisis has no military solution”.

From the Iranian perspective, the message is that they do not want to continue and maintain a “no-war, no-peace situation”, he said.

After Iran signed the MoU, they discovered that the US does not believe in a “diplomatic settlement” and that “military confrontation may continue until 2029”, he said.

Eslami added that this means the Iranian establishment will likely include many more “military persons in their decision-making process” and this is reflected in Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment of several IRGC old guard and confidants to key military and security positions last week.

Trump’s approval rating falls amid war concerns

Trump’s approval rating in the US has fallen to 33 percent, the lowest level of his presidency, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

An overwhelming majority of Americans who participated in the poll said they were concerned the war on Iran will last a long time, Reuters reported.

Earlier this month, polls suggested Trump’s approval rating was at 35 percent.

Erdogan, Trump discuss wars in Iran, Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, discussing bilateral relations, the wars in Iran and Gaza, and the Mecca joint defence agreement between Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the Turkish presidency says.

Erdogan told Trump it was important to continue diplomatic talks with Iran to capitalise on the current opening, and that Turkiye was ready to contribute to that process.

Erdogan also raised Gaza, telling Trump that Israel was attacking Palestinians in the enclave at a time when the second phase of the ceasefire plan was supposed to be taking effect.

Pezeshkian draws lessons for present conflict from Iran-Iraq war anniversary

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says “patience, solidarity, and hope are the keys to Iran’s resilience in the face of ever-increasing external pressures and threats”, commemorating the anniversary of the 1988 return of Iranian prisoners of war with Iraq.

Speaking of the eight-year war with Iraq, in which more than 200,000 Iranians were killed fighting against Saddam Hussein’s forces, Pezeshkian said in a post on X: “What befell our free men during the years of captivity is not merely a part of the history of war; it is the narrative of the steadfastness of men who endured suffering but did not relinquish the honor of Iran.”

US will need to get Iran to agree to open Hormuz

Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, says Iran’s comments about pivoting to an “offensive” military posture mean it will attack targets in the Strait of Hormuz more aggressively to exert control and demonstrate to Washington that Tehran won’t back down.

Until now, he noted, Iran has not attacked many ships in the strait, and traffic has also been low as shipping companies are wary of testing Tehran. Now, they’ll likely go after those still managing to pass through, as well as US forces and allies stationed in the region.

Clark said Iran wants to break the current deadlock and force the US to lift its naval blockade and come to a resolution of the conflict.

The US, meanwhile, believes its blockade will yield sufficient pressure, as it has stopped Iranian oil and food shipments, he noted. But Iran has plenty of land borders and can bypass the blockade, he added.

However, the US is facing challenges of sustaining the blockade as its military is now having to take deployments from other regions to support the extended operation, Clark noted.

In the end, he said, Washington will need to get Tehran to agree to allow shipping to resume, which means Iran will push for some kind of payment.

While Trump has said the US will control Hormuz, there’s no evidence this can happen, as ships have been attacked despite US military presence in the strait, Clark concluded.

Qatar, Kuwait foreign ministers discuss regional tensions

The foreign ministers of Qatar and Kuwait have underscored their joint commitment to regional de-escalation and the ned to fully implement the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, including provisions to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a phone conversation on Monday, Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah discussed bilateral cooperation and avenues to strengthen ties, according to a statement by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry.

The ministers also exchanged views on the latest regional developments, with a particular focus on diplomatic efforts and joint coordination to ease tensions and promote stability.

Sheikh Mohammed stressed that all parties needed to adhere to diplomacy and honour commitments under the memorandum, which he said was vital to preserving regional security and safeguarding recent gains.

US, Iran locked in competing ‘maximalist’ positions

Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the US and Iran “are essentially making maximalist demands on each other”.

The Iranians “want to maximize their control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge tolls, and maybe even use that as leverage in their future negotiations with the US on the nuclear program”, while Washington’s position amounts to a demand that Tehran “simply surrender”, he said.

Clark said that both sides now view the lapsed memorandum of understanding “as a dead letter, and have now moved on to just asserting each other’s control over the strait and hoping that the other side will blink”.

“The Iranian government, like any government, has a lot of different communities and factions and stakeholders,” he said about the renewed backchannel talks.

The IRGC “tends to make the calls”, but the US “has had the least progress, or made the least traction, communicating with the IRGC”, he said.

US options for escalation against Iran have become ‘limited’

Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, says Washington has limited room left to escalate its blockade of Iranian ports without significant risk to US forces.

“No real campaign has ever, no war’s ever, been won purely through air power,” Clark said.

He said the US’s only remaining military option would be to “open the [Strait of Hormuz] and use force to basically protect shipping going through it”, which would require naval and air forces to actively defend commercial traffic, something Washington has so far avoided.

“They haven’t really used ships to defend shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, warning that this risks a repeat of the 1980s Tanker War and ships being attacked.

“I think another step beyond that would be ground forces, but I think before ground forces, the US might try to do some, at least limited, escorting of ships in an attempt to show the Iranians that they don’t really have control over the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

Clark predicted that the standoff would ultimately resolve with “the Iranians and the Yemenis controlling the strait with some kind of fee arrangement”, leaving Washington needing “some kind of fig leaf that allows them to at least argue that they’ve resolved it in a way that’s not damaging to US interests”.