Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran alone has the authority to decide whether the Strait of Hormuz remains open or closed. He made the remarks in response to US President Donald Trump’s statement that he would soon declare the strait US territory. The report was published on August 15, 2026.

In a post on X, Gharibabadi said Iran was not intimidated by US threats or displays of military power. He said any decision to open or close the strait would be made solely by Tehran. He also said the Strait of Hormuz “was Iran’s, is Iran’s and will remain Iran’s.”

Gharibabadi said the United States had failed to impose its will on the waterway and that it would be opened and closed only under Iranian direction. He said Iran would maintain the blockade as long as the United States refused to acknowledge what he called the reality of its defeat. Trump made his statement on Friday at a police academy on Long Island, New York.

Iran rejected President Donald Trump’s threat to declare the Strait of Hormuz “United States territory” soon. Trump made the statement on Friday at a police academy in Long Island, New York. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the strait “was Iran’s, is Iran’s and will remain Iran’s.”

In a post on X, Gharibabadi said the Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized through tweets, aircraft carriers, executive orders or election speeches. He said Iran is not frightened by threats and is not deterred by displays of strength. He also said the United States had failed to impose its will in the waterway.

Gharibabadi said the route would be opened and closed only under Iran’s direction, adding that Iran would maintain the blockade while the United States refused to accept the reality of its defeat. Trump said the United States had imposed a blockade and that no ship could transit without US permission. It was not immediately clear whether his remarks announced a new policy decision.

An Iranian supertanker began loading crude oil at Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, despite a US naval blockade, according to vessel-monitoring firm TankerTrackers. The loading was detected on Friday, the first such case involving an Iranian supertanker at the island since late July. The report was published on August 15, 2026.

TankerTrackers said a Very Large Crude Carrier operated by the National Iranian Tanker Company was loading at the Azarpad jetty on Kharg Island. About 2 million barrels of crude oil were being loaded onto the vessel. Kharg Island normally handles about 90 percent of Iran’s total crude oil exports, making the activity significant for the country’s export operations.

The United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in mid-July, creating uncertainty over Iran’s oil exports and maritime traffic. TankerTrackers said Iran’s overall oil production is currently broadly aligned with domestic demand. The firm said Iran may therefore not need to export very large volumes of oil.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected European Union statements against Iran made under the pretext of human rights, saying the bloc has no moral right to lecture others because of its own conduct. He made the remarks during a telephone discussion with Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Gerapetritis on bilateral relations and regional and international developments, according to Iranian media.

Araghchi cited what he described as continuing illegal and aggressive US actions against Iran, including a naval blockade and violation of the June 18 agreement. He stressed Iran’s determination to protect its interests and national security. He also outlined the latest bilateral talks with Oman on identifying a safe route for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian minister said insecurity in the strait was a direct result of US and Israeli military aggression against Iran, and called for aggressors and lawbreakers to be held accountable. He criticized what he called the EU’s double standards, citing support by some European parties for Israel and indifference to alleged crimes in Palestine, Lebanon and Iran. Gerapetritis backed diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and offered technical and expert assistance.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy commander Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei said the Strait of Hormuz is closed and under Iran’s complete and firm control. In a report published on August 14, 2026, he said no activity in the strait escapes the attention of IRGC naval forces.

Ozmaei said the reality of the Strait of Hormuz should be assessed through conditions on the ground, rather than statements or notices issued by US officials. Iranian media carried his remarks, according to the report.

Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, called on social media for implementation of a “Hormuz mechanism.” He said an economic-security arrangement independent of Washington’s military guarantees would be the most sustainable way to establish a new regional order after what he described as the United States’ proven inability to protect its allies in the Persian Gulf. Mokhber also said that, if Iran’s conditions are not met, a strategy to take the war to an offensive stage could alter the global balance of power.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian congratulated Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Pakistan’s 79th Independence Day, saying the interests and destinies of Iran and Pakistan are more closely intertwined than ever. In the message, published on August 14, he said this reality had doubled the need for closer coordination and cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad.

Pezeshkian described the anniversary as a valuable opportunity to recall the achievements of Pakistan’s great nation. He also called it a new juncture for deepening the long-standing and strategic relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Iranian president said the countries’ deep historical, cultural, civilizational and people-to-people ties were valuable assets for opening a brighter horizon in bilateral relations.

The president said Iran remained firmly determined to strengthen relations with Pakistan. He said Tehran was prepared to take more effective steps to reinforce bilateral ties and safeguard the common interests of both nations, based on mutual trust and respect and by using the extensive capacities already available between the two countries.

The United States has lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones in its war with Iran, according to The Washington Post, citing three US officials. Published on August 14, the report said the losses amount to about 25 percent of the US Reaper fleet before the war. The losses have raised concerns about drone availability in any future major military conflict.

One US official said not all of the drones were destroyed by Iranian air-defense attacks. In several cases, communication between the drones and their control-room operators was lost, though the detailed causes were not known. The US Department of Defense declined to comment. In July, a US defense official said Iran had shot down about 30 Reaper drones, while Iran has regularly claimed such shootdowns since the war began.

The Reaper can remain airborne for long periods and carry up to 1,700 kilograms of weapons and other equipment. In May, Air Force Chief of Staff General Kenneth S. Wilsbach said it had probably played the most important role in the war. The Pentagon has also instructed major weapons producers to increase output, making drone stocks and production capacity a significant issue.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the ongoing war against Iran has failed to achieve any of its stated initial objectives and has strengthened, rather than weakened, the “hardline” part of Iran’s governing authority. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he referred to the war launched by the United States and Israel in late February and said its record would be clear in history.

Eide said Norway had opposed the war from the beginning, describing it as neither a smart move nor compatible with international law. He added that many countries were now agreeing with Norway’s position. According to Eide, the conflict did not deliver its original goals despite the military campaign against Iran.

The foreign minister also highlighted disruption to maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. He said the strait had been open before the United States and Israel carried out their first round of attacks on February 28, after which Iran launched retaliatory strikes. Eide called it urgently necessary to end the war and restore the strait as close as possible to its previous condition of free navigation, saying he believed this could be done.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has adopted a strategy to shift the war from a defensive to an offensive phase if Iran’s conditions are not met, according to adviser and associate Mohammad Mokhber. In a social media post on Thursday, Mokhber said the strategy would alter the global balance of power.

In a statement on April 30, Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran was entering a new phase of its course of action regarding the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Mokhber said the new circumstances surrounding the strait, along with the United States’ failure to protect its Gulf allies, had created the basis for the change.

Mokhber said Iran’s conditions include a permanent end to war and aggression, withdrawal of US forces from areas around Iran, compensation, removal of sanctions, and the unconditional release of Iran’s frozen assets. He added that building a new Hormuz-centered economic and security system without Washington’s military guarantees would be the region’s most sustainable path.

As the war approaches six months, Iran remains under growing military, economic and political pressure while showing no clear urgency to stop fighting. The report says Tehran may be seeking to demonstrate that the conflict is not fully controlled by the United States and to raise Washington's military, economic and political costs in hopes of securing concessions. US and Israeli strikes have targeted Iranian defence industry and missile-production facilities, but no independent assessment of the resulting damage is available.

Chatham House says there is no reliable estimate of Iran's remaining missile stockpile. Ballistic missile launches have gradually declined, but drones and cruise missiles can be produced relatively quickly, and Iran's military command structure remains intact after replacements were appointed for commanders killed in the war. Professor Mohammad Ghaedi said Iran could sustain missile launches for a long period, though at lower intensity, and still has the ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz.

Economic strain is worsening. The World Bank said Iran's economy contracted about 2.7 percent in fiscal 2025-26, while the IMF forecast a 5.4 percent contraction and roughly 69 percent inflation in 2026. Annual inflation has reached 62 percent, exceeding 101 percent in Hormozgan. More than one million jobs were affected and about two million people became unemployed, according to the labour deputy minister. Tehran's debate over war duration continues, while a path to an acceptable settlement remains unclear.

The United States has warned that it could maintain a naval blockade on Iran indefinitely and said it plans to intensify economic pressure. Speaking in Panama on Thursday, August 14, 2026, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the American military has the capacity to sustain a regional naval presence to enforce the blockade. He said the measure has caused major damage to Iran’s economy.

Hegseth said the US Navy has been regularly stopping ships and would continue doing so. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Newsmax that further announcements on economic measures against Iran would come next week. He said Washington was preparing pressure against Iran on a scale not previously imposed on any country.

After a possible June agreement to end the war collapsed, Tehran has sought to increase pressure on the United States by using control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to the report. UAE state news agency WAM said two Abu Dhabi National Oil Company vessels were attacked while passing through the strait on Thursday evening. The UAE government condemned the incident as an Iranian attack.

Iran is determined to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, viewing it as its most important tool in what it considers an economic war against the United States. Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a professor at Tehran’s University of Applied Sciences, made the comments in an interview with Al Jazeera cited in a report published and updated on August 14, 2026.

Khoshcheshm said Iran would need to pursue asymmetric warfare tactics to defeat the United States, and described the strait as central to that economic conflict. He characterized the waterway as Tehran’s strongest bargaining tool with Washington. According to him, Iran aims to use its closure to pressure the United States into accepting conditions listed in a memorandum of understanding.

Those conditions include releasing Iranian assets that have been seized, ending Israel’s occupation in Lebanon, establishing peace in Gaza, and ending the maritime blockade. Khoshcheshm said Iran also hopes the United States will eventually “admit defeat and leave the region.” He presented Iran’s position around the Strait of Hormuz as a strategy aimed primarily at applying economic pressure to secure its demands, rather than merely creating military pressure.

Michael Stephens, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said Iran wants to prolong the war to make it more painful for the United States. Speaking to Al Jazeera on August 13, he said that nearly six months after the war began, Iran is confident that the United States is unwilling to launch a ground operation.

Stephens said Iran believes economic pressure does not threaten the government’s survival. He said Tehran therefore wants to accelerate the war and make the burden more intense for President Trump, with prolonging the conflict being the best way to do so.

Before the February 28 US-Israeli attacks, it was widely believed that Iran’s government could easily collapse after major protests in late December and January and months of unrest. Stephens said the situation no longer appears that way. He described the current stalemate as painful for Iran but not an existential crisis, and said he was not fully sure the United States has a way to compel Iran’s governing system to act as it wishes.

Iran has demanded compensation for pollution accumulated over recent decades in the Persian Gulf and nearby waters. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei made the demand in a post on X on August 13, saying parties that profit from commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have legal and moral responsibility to address environmental damage in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

On Wednesday, a thick black layer of oil washed onto a beach on Iran’s Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz. A CNN video verified through geolocation showed the oil spreading. Baghaei described the incident as only one visible example of pollution, saying the waters and marine ecosystem of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman have suffered extensive and long-term contamination for decades.

Baghaei said damage to Iran’s coastal areas has reached trillions of dollars. He questioned whether compensation should come from countries using cheap energy, shipping insurance companies, or countries and allies he said had turned the two waterways into sites for military operations and tests of weapons of mass destruction. Oman’s environmental authority said oil from a sanctioned tanker carrying Russian crude had also reached beaches in Ras Madrakah.

Iran wants to take its bilateral relationship with Pakistan to a new level, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Major General Mohsen Rezaei said during a Wednesday meeting with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Rezaei said Tehran is committed to further strengthening security ties and mutual cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

He said the peoples of Iran and Pakistan have deep ties and that the two countries should work more closely to reinforce regional security and unity in the Muslim world. Rezaei also called on Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Indonesia to play important roles in establishing Muslim unity.

The Iranian official emphasized expanding trade and political relations between Iran and Pakistan many times over. In response, Naqvi said Iran-Pakistan relations had reached an unprecedented level in recent months. He expressed hope that the strong will of the two countries’ leaderships would further increase security, peace and mutual cooperation.