Iran said it will not allow the United States to determine the timing of either peace or war. The position emerged from remarks by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson at the country’s weekly press conference on July 28. Tehran also said it is fully prepared for any future conflict situation.

Iran’s army chief delivered a similar warning, saying that if the United States launches any attack, Iran’s response would be more destructive than before. At the same time, Iran has not completely closed the door to diplomacy, presenting a position that combines readiness for confrontation with limited openness to talks.

The Iranian government said it has not requested any formal meeting with the United States. However, indirect communication continues through mediation by Qatar, Pakistan and other countries in the region. Iran says the path to negotiations is neither fully open nor fully closed, but remains partially open. Its senior leadership is seeking what the report describes as a cautious and pragmatic position while maintaining deep distrust over improving relations with Washington.

More than 600 US troops have been wounded since the Iran war began in February this year, according to newly released Defense Department figures reported on July 28. The updated tally puts the number of injured US service members at 624 and the number killed at 18.

The Pentagon introduced a new reporting system last Sunday to record casualties, dividing the overall total into “Operation Epic Fury” and “Overseas Operations.” The change has prompted allegations of opacity and concealment of information. Democratic senators criticized the separation of deaths and injuries, while former US forces commander in Europe Lieutenant General Ben Hodges questioned the integrity of the official count. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie called the division a “ridiculous trick.”

Since July 7, 207 US military personnel have been injured, including 182 service members, the figures show. Officials said at least 96 percent of personnel injured after that date had recovered and returned to duty. Administration officials described the controversy as a temporary information-related disruption and said they were working to address the procedural problem. US forces have also paused military strikes in Iran for the past three days amid concern over shortages of weapons and ammunition.

The Trump administration faces growing strategic, economic and political pressure over the prolonged conflict involving Iran, according to the report published on July 27, 2026. The White House said it paused air strikes for three nights after 13 consecutive nights of attacks to create space for diplomacy, while warning that the United States is ready to intensify military operations if necessary.

Iran said deputy foreign minister-level talks had taken place through Omani mediation, but Tehran gave no indication it would retreat from its position on controlling shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict began about five months ago and was expected to end within weeks, but analysts cited in the report said US military pressure has not produced the intended concessions from Iran.

Options under consideration include deploying ground forces, attacking Iranian transport infrastructure and power plants, and imposing tougher sanctions on Iranian ships and ports. The report says each carries risks, including US casualties, civilian hardship and disruption to global energy markets. A poll found that 76 percent of Americans believe the war has become more difficult than the administration expected.

Iran has not asked the United States to resume talks to end the war, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said at a news conference in Tehran on Monday. He also said there had been no change in the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Baghaei said Washington had believed Iran would fall and Tehran would surrender within three days of the start of the war. He said several months had now passed and that the United States had been stuck in a “quagmire” for five months, while continuing to take pride in what he described as its crimes.

The spokesperson said protecting national interests was Iran’s main objective. He said Iran’s security and national interests were important, and that decisions on such matters were made through a specific process. His remarks reiterated Tehran’s position that it had not made a request for renewed negotiations with Washington.

Iran’s military has pledged a harsher response if the country is attacked again, saying it is more vigilant than before and prepared to confront any threats and plots by its enemies. The statement was published in a report by the semi-official Tasnim news agency and was reported on July 27, 2026.

In the statement, the military reaffirmed that it would continue defending Iran’s independence and territorial integrity. It said it would deliver a tougher response to enemy aggression. The statement did not identify a specific attack, adversary, or incident.

Separately, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said no agreement between Tehran and Washington would be possible until Israel stops attacks in Lebanon. In a Sunday post on X, he said Iran had set protection of Lebanon’s territorial integrity and the complete, unconditional end of what he called Zionist regime aggression as principal conditions for any agreement to end the war imposed by the United States.

Iran blocked at least six ships in the southern section of the Strait of Hormuz for allegedly violating international navigation rules, Iranian state media reported on Monday, July 27, 2026. Citing IRIB, the report said the incident occurred early Monday morning, according to an Iranian official.

Iranian media said the vessels had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and attempted to cross the strait through what was described as an “illegal and dangerous” route. One ship was involved in an accident during the incident, while the remaining vessels were forced to return to the Persian Gulf following what Iran called “firm and effective action.”

Tehran claimed the ships had tried to enter the dangerous route at the instigation of the US military. The report did not identify the vessels, specify the nature of the accident, or provide details about any damage or casualties. The account was carried by Iranian state media citing the state broadcaster IRIB.

Iran will keep its military operations suspended if the United States stops its attacks, a senior Iranian official told Reuters. The report, published July 27, said US air strikes had continued for 13 days before operations were temporarily paused on Friday night. Since then, neither side has launched a new attack.

The administration of US President Donald Trump said the pause was intended to create room for diplomatic efforts. US military officials, however, warned that preselected targets had nearly been exhausted during the prolonged campaign and that pressure was building on weapons stocks.

The Iranian official said Tehran does not view the pause as a permanent shift. Iran considers it potentially a tactical break and still has limited trust in the United States. Recent tensions centered on the Strait of Hormuz have raised concerns over regional security and global energy supplies. The halt in attacks has created the possibility of a diplomatic solution, according to the report.

Diplomatic talks between Iran and the United States on the future management of the Strait of Hormuz have made some progress, Al Jazeera reported. An Omani delegation recently visited Tehran and held discussions with Iran to help determine an effective strategy. The report was published and updated on July 27, 2026.

Despite mediation efforts, Iran has shown no major change in its core position on the strait. It has continued to reject proposals to create an alternative corridor. Diplomatic sources said Oman proposed forming a regional joint forum to manage the Strait of Hormuz.

The Omani delegation also advised against imposing any toll or duty on ships using the strait. However, reports indicate that Iran remains committed to a policy of collecting a “service fee” from vessels. Tehran also wants to retain control over the Strait of Hormuz’s main management arrangements.

Another oil tanker suffered a major explosion after striking a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera. Iranian officials confirmed the incident, reported on July 27, 2026. Iranian authorities said the explosion occurred because the vessel had not followed a designated navigation route.

Iran issued a stern warning after the blast, saying any vessel seeking to cross the Strait of Hormuz must maintain full coordination with Iranian authorities. It said Iran would not guarantee the safety of ships that fail to do so. The incident came after two days of calm, during which there had been no US attack on Iran and no reported Iranian response.

Iran announced on June 26 that traffic through the strait could use only routes designated by Tehran. The United States supports free navigation through Hormuz, while Iran says ships must use designated coastal routes under a Tehran-supervised maritime guidance system. On July 8, President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of a memorandum of understanding signed with Iran the previous month, alleging Tehran had violated the agreement.

The Trump administration has suspended attacks on Iranian military targets indefinitely after 13 consecutive nights of strikes, seeking to give diplomatic talks a chance to succeed. The pause remained in place for a second day amid fears that the conflict could spread into a wider regional war in the Middle East. US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz confirmed the decision on Sunday. President Donald Trump and senior Iranian officials also confirmed that the two sides had agreed to halt attacks.

The United States says Iran attacked at least two to three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz three weeks earlier, violating the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries. The reported breach heightened tensions and raised the risk of a major regional conflict. Mediating countries including Pakistan and Qatar expressed concern and urged both Washington and Tehran to step back to avoid a bloody confrontation.

The mediators also called on the United States and Iran to resolve their dispute through direct talks and preserve the ceasefire, described as the core basis of the memorandum signed in mid-June. Their efforts were followed by the agreement to pause attacks. It remains unclear whether the suspended memorandum of understanding will be fully restored through the discussions.

Tensions between Tehran and Kyiv rose after a reported Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, according to a report published on July 26, 2026. Iran said one sailor was killed and another injured. Tehran summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires and described the attack as hostile and criminal.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Ukraine had violated international law and Article 2(4) of the UN Charter by attacking a commercial ship. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that Ukraine’s long-range strike targeted a vessel carrying military cargo linked to Iran and a Russian warship in the Caspian Sea. He did not name the damaged Iranian vessel.

The report said Iran-Ukraine relations have deteriorated since Tehran supplied Shahed drones to Russia in 2022. Kyiv says it has downed more than 44,000 Iranian-designed drones. Iran has not announced direct military retaliation against Ukraine, but said it would take necessary measures to protect national interests. It also said several regional mediators, including Qatar, Egypt and Pakistan, were working on a proposed minimum 10-day ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

Iran has added new equipment to its military, particularly in air defense, Army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminía said in a report published on July 26, 2026. He said the armed forces used the recent ceasefire period to rebuild and strengthen their military capabilities, with a particular focus on air defense.

Akraminía said damaged systems that could be repaired had been restored to service. He also said newly acquired equipment had been incorporated into the army's operational structure, which he claimed had increased Iran's air defense capability many times over.

The spokesman described the three-month ceasefire as a major opportunity for defense planning, especially in the air defense sector. He said Iran's armed forces were fully prepared for any situation. Akraminía also said the United States had failed to achieve its objectives in what he described as an aggressive war against Iran.

Iranian media said an oil tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after failing to follow Iran’s designated route. Mehr News Agency reported that the tanker had moved away from the route prescribed by Iran before it struck a mine in the strategic waterway. The report was published on July 26.

No immediate information was released on casualties, the vessel’s identity, or the scale of damage. Iran had announced on June 26 that ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz could travel only by using sea routes designated by Tehran.

The report comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran in recent weeks. The United States supports free navigation through the strait, while Iran says vessels must use designated routes close to its coast and operate under a Tehran-supervised maritime guidance system. It also cited earlier attacks on three oil tankers in the strait and renewed disagreement over navigation rules.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, has claimed that more than 200 US troops were killed during a 15-day conflict with the United States. IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebi made the assertion in an interview with Iran’s Tasnim news agency published on July 26, 2026.

Mohebi said the actual number of US military casualties and losses from Iran’s retaliatory strikes was far higher than the figures released by Washington. The IRGC said its Operation Victory-2 involved attacks on eight US military bases. It said missiles struck 20 facilities and aircraft hangars at one of those bases.

According to the IRGC, the attacks destroyed 11 US warplanes and helicopters, 17 intelligence and operational drones, one F-15 fighter jet, one P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, one C-17 transport aircraft, and eight aerial refuelling aircraft. The Pentagon had previously said 18 US troops were killed in the conflict, while several international media outlets later reported a revised death toll of 14. The United States released photographs and names of some of those killed.

Iran on Saturday blamed Ukraine for an attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea that killed one sailor and injured another. Citing Iran’s Foreign Ministry, the state news agency IRNA said an explosion struck the ship in the morning. Tehran also warned that it would respond to the incident.

The accusation followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement that Ukraine’s armed forces had achieved a “very powerful success” in long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea. He said the targets included vessels used to transport Iran-linked military cargo and a warship. Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency said on Telegram that drones had struck cargo ships under international sanctions that were used to transport military supplies between Iran and Russia.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the Islamic Republic had never intervened in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. State television reported that Iran summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to protest what it called hostile and criminal actions. The ministry also said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sought a strong response from the European Union and the UN Security Council in a call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.