Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said Iran’s defense industry has become a major pillar of national security despite years of sanctions and external pressure. In a message marking National Defense Industry Day, he said the country had chosen to rely on domestic capabilities, domestic knowledge and national will. The report was published on August 22, 2026.

Irani said Iran had built a defense industry that is among the principal pillars of the country’s security and strength. He presented the development as a result of an approach centered on internal resources rather than outside support.

According to Irani, Iran’s domestic defense capabilities have played a decisive role in maintaining the balance of power. He said those capabilities increased Iran’s offensive capacity and frustrated the intentions of its adversaries. The source attributed the report to Al Jazeera.

Iran’s navy chief said the country has strengthened its defence industry despite years of sanctions and external pressure. Speaking on National Defence Industry Day, he said Iran chose to rely on domestic capabilities, internal knowledge and national will to build an industry that has become a major foundation of national security and strength. The remarks were reported by Iran’s Mehr news agency and carried by Al Jazeera on August 22, 2026.

The navy chief said Iran had developed its indigenous defence capabilities under prolonged restrictions, increasing self-reliance in the defence sector. He described domestic defence capacity as playing a decisive role in maintaining the balance of power and said it had also enhanced Iran’s offensive capabilities.

He further claimed that these capabilities had helped thwart objectives set by Iran’s adversaries. According to his statement, the continued development of the defence industry through reliance on domestic knowledge and capacity has further strengthened Iran’s national security despite sanctions and outside pressure.

Iranian army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminiah said on August 22, 2026, that the country’s military strategy is gradually moving from a defensive to an offensive posture. He warned that any attack on Iran would receive an immediate response more extensive and powerful than the aggression, citing lessons from two recent wars.

Akraminiah said the policy change does not mean Iran intends to launch preemptive operations against an adversary. Instead, he said Iran would respond immediately to any aggression. He added that military equipment and systems damaged in previous conflicts have been repaired, while new military systems and technologies have been incorporated into the armed forces.

The spokesperson said Iran is working continuously to ensure it can deliver a more destructive response if an adversary miscalculates again. He also said the Strait of Hormuz has gained greater geopolitical importance after the war. Referring to a recent defence partnership involving Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, he described the initiative as an indication of declining US influence in the Middle East.

Iran has authorized several Iraqi oil-carrying vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. The decision was announced during Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s visit to Iraq on August 22, 2026.

IRNA said Iraqi Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi requested the permission from Iran to safeguard his country’s economic interests. In response, Ghalibaf authorized Iraqi oil vessels to travel through the strait.

The report did not specify how many Iraqi oil tankers would receive permission. It also provided no details on when the authorization would take effect or whether it would have a defined duration. The Strait of Hormuz is described as one of the world’s most important energy transport routes, carrying large volumes of oil and energy products. Restrictions on shipping through the waterway can affect international energy markets.

The Muslim World League (MWL) has strongly condemned Israel’s planned expansion of settlements in the E-1 area of the occupied West Bank, warning that it threatens the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The statement followed Israel’s recent call for tenders to build 1,234 housing units in E-1, according to the report published on August 22, 2026.

Israel’s broader plan seeks to create a continuous Israeli settlement corridor between occupied East Jerusalem and Maale Adumim. The MWL described the E-1 project as a dangerous plan and condemned what it called Israel’s illegal settlement policies across the occupied Palestinian territory.

In its statement, the organization said such actions violate international law and United Nations resolutions while obstructing all peace efforts. It urged the international community to immediately halt Israel’s settlement expansion policy and other measures intended to alter the geographic and demographic character of occupied Palestinian territory. The MWL reaffirmed support for Palestinians’ right to an independent, sovereign state, saying a two-state solution is the only path to just and lasting regional peace.

Iranian Army Chief Major General Amir Hatami said Iran’s armed forces have developed combat capabilities that forced adversaries to revise their strategic calculations. In a Friday message marking Iran’s National Defense Industry Day, he said defense self-reliance ultimately compelled enemies to accept a political solution to war.

Hatami said the Defense Ministry had played an effective role in strengthening Iran’s resistance capacity by designing, manufacturing and modernizing various military equipment and defense systems. He added that a significant portion of these achievements had demonstrated their effectiveness on real battlefields during recent wars.

According to Hatami, the capabilities now available to the armed forces represent more than a collection of equipment and systems. He described them as an expression of confidence in Iran’s capabilities, self-reliance, domestic knowledge and national determination to ensure security and authority. He stressed continued cooperation between the army and the Defense Ministry to meet military needs, modernize equipment, exchange experience and make maximum use of the country’s scientific and industrial capacities.

Iran’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik said on August 22, 2026, that the country’s production of weapons and defense equipment doubled over the past year. Tehran is now pursuing a goal of tripling output, he said, describing the effort as part of strengthening self-reliance under sanctions.

Speaking on state television, Talaei-Nik said production of some strategic military products prioritized during wartime rose more than threefold during the most recently imposed war. He said claims by US and Israeli leaders that attacks would halt Iran’s defense production had been proven wrong. He attributed continued output to ongoing production, strategic stockpiles built over years, and an extensive production network.

According to Talaei-Nik, more than 9,000 private and knowledge-based companies are now involved in Iran’s defense supply system, about 20 percent more than a year earlier. He said 76 percent of research projects succeeded in producing products last year. Iran is producing more than 1,000 types of advanced defense systems and weapons, he added, while some systems remain undisclosed for military secrecy and surprise.

The Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow has rescued Rajon Hossain, one of 30 Bangladeshis allegedly sent to Russia for war after being lured with job offers. He was placed on a flight home at about 9:30 pm Moscow time on Friday, August 21, and is expected to return to Bangladesh on Sunday.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, first secretary for labour at the Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow, said Rajon’s repatriation was confirmed after his immigration clearance was completed. The embassy supervised the entire process following his rescue, according to the official.

Embassy information said Rajon will travel on an Ethiopian Airlines flight via Addis Ababa and is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 9:50 am Bangladesh time on Sunday. Earlier, on June 1, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment revoked the licences and forfeited the deposits of three recruiting agencies accused of fraudulently sending 30 Bangladeshi youths to Russia with promises of high salaries and benefits.

A boat carrying migrants toward Italy capsized near Tunisia’s coast, leaving at least 13 Tunisians missing, according to the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights. The vessel had departed at dawn on Thursday, and the information was reported on Saturday by the observatory’s head, Mostafa Abdelkabir.

Two people were rescued from the boat. One survivor told rescuers that those aboard had been stranded in the sea for several hours after the vessel overturned. The source did not provide further details on the condition of the missing people or the circumstances that caused the boat to capsize.

Tunisia was once one of the main departure routes for migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. However, migrant departures from the country have decreased significantly over the past two years, the report said. The incident occurred during an attempted journey toward Italy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the latest US economic sanctions against Tehran are bound to fail. In a post on X on Friday, he argued that previous US pressure campaigns had not achieved their goals, responding to President Donald Trump’s threat of unprecedented economic measures against Iran.

Araghchi said what he described as the harshest sanctions in history, imposed over the past 14 years, had failed. He also said the “maximum pressure” policy begun eight years ago was unsuccessful, as was a call for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” five months earlier. He said Trump’s new, tougher economic campaign would likewise fail.

Trump had earlier warned of unprecedented economic action against Iran. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, he said he would announce what he called the most devastating economic campaign ever taken against any country. Trump said Iran had failed to take advantage of an opportunity for an agreement and would face economic warfare and isolation at unprecedented levels.

Israeli forces reportedly carried out heavy shelling and widespread destruction in several areas of southern Lebanon early Saturday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The report, published on August 22, 2026, said artillery fire struck Al-Mansouri, areas near Beit al-Sayyad, and the outskirts of Majdal Zoun.

The agency said destruction occurred overnight across locations in the three towns and villages, asserting that no houses in the affected areas remained intact. Similar destruction was also reported in Haddatha, Beit Yahoun and Aita al-Jabal. Machine-gun fire was reported toward nearby valleys.

A correspondent also reported Israeli airstrikes near the Ali al-Tahir highlands in southern Lebanon. Israeli drones were reported flying continuously over towns and villages in the western and central parts of southern Lebanon. Details on casualties or the scale of material damage were not immediately available.

India is closely monitoring Bangladesh’s reported interest in joining the recently signed Mecca Defense Pact among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday. He made the remarks in response to a question at a conference, following comments by Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir in an interview that Dhaka was interested in joining the agreement.

Jaiswal said India was closely watching developments in West Asia and added that this was all he could say on the matter at present. The pact aims to strengthen collective deterrence and defense cooperation among its three signatories.

Under the agreement, an armed attack on any one of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Turkey would be treated as an attack on all three countries. At the same briefing, Jaiswal was asked about a possible visit to India by Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. He said there was no new information on the visit and that the media would be informed once a schedule was finalized.

Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to about 20 percent of its average level in the seven days before the war, according to a report by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. The report, published on August 22, 2026, cited Iranian military activity and continuing maritime security risks as factors behind the sharp decline.

UKMTO research said the number of ships passing through the strait each day remains in single digits. Over the past week, 103 vessels entered the strategically important waterway and 89 left it, for a total of 192 movements. Tankers accounted for 45 percent of all ship traffic in the strait.

The agency said harassment of vessels by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has continued, including drone overflights, VHF radio messages to ships and concerns about navigation through areas at risk from active mines. The route south of the strait through Omani waters remains the highest-risk corridor. Sixteen of 18 recorded missile or other projectile incidents since July 6 occurred along the southern Omani route, UKMTO said.

Georgia has decided not to join the European Union’s latest sanctions against Iran, according to a report carried by the Georgian news agency Interpressnews. The decision was reported on August 22, 2026, with Tbilisi saying its actions in international politics are determined by national interests.

Tengiz Sharmanashvili, a member of parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party, said Georgia would not support policies that conflict with the country’s national priorities. He said the sole criterion for joining a proposal or taking an international political step is whether it serves Georgia’s interests at that moment.

Sharmanashvili added that if a decision runs counter to Georgia’s interests, the country is not concerned about whose interests it may later serve. Georgia’s position comes in the context of the EU’s latest sanctions concerning Iran, with Tbilisi choosing to prioritize its own national interests rather than participate in the measures.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese condemned the latest killings of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and described the Israeli army as “the most immoral” military. In a post on X published in the context of recent incidents, she said the military was continuing genocide and accused those in power of refusing to see victims or recognize their rights to life and self-determination.

Albanese attached an image of another post commenting on the killing of a Palestinian man in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the man was Fathi Khazem, who was killed by Israeli forces at his home in Jenin on Friday.

WAFA reported that Israeli forces had sought to arrest Khazem and shot him after he resisted. It said an ambulance attempted to reach him after he was wounded, but Israeli soldiers prevented it from reaching the site, leaving him to bleed to death. WAFA also reported that Israeli forces later took away his body. Albanese presented the incidents as a serious assault on Palestinians’ lives and right to self-determination.