Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran is committed to defending its borders but has no intention of further expanding the ongoing war. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported his remarks on August 4, 2026. He spoke at the launch ceremony for the second phase of the national family medicine and referral system plan.

Pezeshkian said Iran should place greater emphasis on internal strength and national unity under the current circumstances. He said the country should seek to build a society in which enemies cannot exploit temptation, infiltrate, or divide and destroy the social structure. He also described public unity as important to preserving national security and stability.

His comments came amid continuing tensions between Iran and the United States. Tehran has previously said it will take action to defend its territory and interests, while maintaining that it does not seek to spread regional conflict further. The report did not provide further details about specific measures Iran may take or any immediate diplomatic steps.

US President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran are under way and described them as Tehran’s “last chance” to reach an agreement, despite Iran’s Foreign Ministry denying any talks with Washington. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said he had agreed to continue discussions at the request of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and several other countries.

Trump identified reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian nuclear disarmament as the two main issues in the discussions. He said reopening the waterway could perhaps happen as soon as the next day, while nuclear disarmament could take longer to implement. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is entirely civilian, while Western countries allege it is secretly pursuing nuclear weapons.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran is discussing safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman and is close to an acceptable arrangement. He said a full reopening of the strait is not likely immediately. On Tuesday, UKMTO reported that a cargo vessel near Oman’s coast in the strait was struck by a missile from an unknown source; the incident is under investigation.

Iran cancelled a planned attack on three sites in Ukraine at the last minute after Kyiv expressed regret, according to Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Supreme Leader Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei. The report, published on August 4, said Rezaei disclosed the decision during an interview with Iranian state television the previous day. He said preparations for the operation had been fully completed before it was called off.

Iran had accused Ukraine on July 25 of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, an incident in which one sailor was killed, according to the report. Following that incident, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to provide compensation. Ukraine did not immediately comment on Rezaei’s statements.

In the same interview, Rezaei said Iran would not allow vessels to travel outside its designated maritime route in the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that any hostile warship attempting to use an illegal route would be targeted. Rezaei also claimed that Iranian missile and drone attacks during a recent 17-day conflict had thwarted US military plans and caused major losses to US forces.

Iranian senior military official Mohsen Rezaei criticized the continuing US naval blockade of Iranian ports and warned that US ships and forces could face major risks and casualties if it persists. The report, published on August 4, 2026, identifies Rezaei as military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.

In a post on X, Rezaei said the United States must change its behavior or Iran would not accept the situation. He also said Iran would never permit the opening of a second route in the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States resumed the naval blockade of Iranian ports in July after a memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington in June collapsed over disagreements about control of the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said it had redirected at least 44 vessels, disabled two ships, and carried out operations on two others. The report notes that military tensions in the strategically important waterway could affect international trade and energy markets.

US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States had a plan for a major military strike against Iran but decided not to authorize it after requests from several regional countries. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he chose restraint, confirming reports published late last week about a Pentagon plan for broad attacks on targets in Iran.

The reported operation could have been the largest possible US military action so far in the ongoing war that began on February 28. Trump said approving the attack could have resulted in the deaths of possibly thousands of people inside Iran. Discussion of a possible US military response had intensified amid continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Trump said Iran's government must make the right decisions and agree not to pursue nuclear weapons. He also said Iran should refrain from seeking sole control over the Strait of Hormuz. His remarks indicate that, while Washington has considered military options, it is currently placing greater emphasis on diplomatic pressure and negotiations.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, has claimed it downed an MQ-9 Reaper drone in the Strait of Hormuz. The report, published on August 3, 2026, said the drone was brought down while flying over Hormuz. It did not identify where the aircraft had come from.

According to Sepah News, which is affiliated with the IRGC, an active IRGC air-defense system in Hormuz struck the drone. The report provided no further details on the drone’s ownership, mission, or the circumstances following the reported strike.

The report also said Iran had previously downed several dozen Reaper drones belonging to the US military. The current account attributes the claim to the IRGC and cites Al Jazeera as its source.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Strait of Hormuz was not closed because of differences with Oman, according to remarks to journalists in Tehran on August 3, 2026. He asserted that US and Israeli military aggression had instead put the waterway in crisis.

Baghaei said an agreement on a designated route is needed to ensure safe navigation through the strait. He described defining such a route and guaranteeing secure vessel movement as necessary conditions for reopening the waterway.

However, the spokesperson said those measures alone would not be sufficient to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He again rejected the claim that disagreements between Iran and Oman were responsible for its closure, while attributing the current problems affecting the waterway to military aggression by the United States and the Israeli government.

The US military is seeking new ways to pressure and punish Iran, according to a CNN report cited by Amar Desh. Military personnel have been asked to develop creative and unconventional plans as part of the effort. The report did not identify specific measures under consideration.

Citing sources, CNN said an officer from the intelligence branch of US Central Command, or CENTCOM, sent a message on Wednesday to a large group of military analysts. The message said the command was looking for new, creative and non-traditional ways to exert pressure on Iran and punish the country.

A second source said a senior US military official sent the message last week seeking fresh ideas and proposals on what actions could be taken against Iran. The report provided no further details about the possible actions, any decisions made, or a timetable for implementation.

Iran has executed two Iranian citizens accused of spying for Israel and transferring information on sensitive military and security locations, Reuters reported, citing the state-affiliated Fars News Agency. The report was published on August 3, 2026, and said the allegations concerned actions during an ongoing wartime situation.

According to the report, the two men were accused of sending coordinates of sensitive military and security installations to Israel. The source did not provide their names, the location of the executions, details of the court proceedings, or when the sentences were handed down.

Amnesty International says at least 26 people linked to protests in January this year have been executed so far. Human rights organizations allege that Iranian authorities have used broad and vague national security accusations in such cases, including espionage and cooperation with a hostile state. The source attributes the execution report to Reuters, which cited Fars News Agency, while Amnesty International and rights groups provided broader context on the use of capital punishment.

Former US Marine Corps member and Gulf War veteran Kenneth Nicholas O’Keefe said US sanctions have made Iran more resilient and stronger rather than weakening it. In an interview with Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, he said his military experience fundamentally changed his views on US foreign policy and the Middle East. The report was published on August 3, 2026.

O’Keefe alleged that unconditional US support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza is deepening the humanitarian catastrophe and undermining Washington’s regional influence. He said Hamas and Hezbollah emerged from the realities of occupation and conflict. He also argued that the United States still clings to a unipolar world order even as the international system becomes increasingly multipolar.

According to O’Keefe, military force alone cannot eliminate an ideology or a popular movement, and diplomatic initiatives could be more effective. He said Western countries have failed to properly assess Iranian society’s cohesion and the state’s capacity to adapt. He criticized Western media for often presenting Middle Eastern realities through one-sided narratives that can help legitimize military intervention.

Former US diplomat John Limbert has strongly criticized Washington’s military and hardline approach toward improving bilateral relations with Iran. In comments published on August 3, 2026, he said the United States cannot build good diplomatic relations with Tehran through attacks or assassinations.

Limbert argued that an “iron man” policy, or the use of a heavy hand, would not work in Iran’s case. He said a strategy based on bombing or killing political figures while seeking to establish positive relations with another country is bound to fail.

Citing Iran’s political realities and the historical tensions in US-Iran relations, Limbert said Washington needs to change its policy. He added that military pressure alone cannot bring Tehran into an agreement or normalize relations between the two countries.

Mediators are preparing to travel to Tehran for a new indirect dialogue between the United States and Iran, according to a report published on August 3, 2026. The initiative gained momentum after a major shift in former US President Donald Trump’s position over the past 24 hours. Trump had previously threatened a full-scale military attack on Iranian infrastructure, but later said both sides were very close to an agreement.

Regional diplomatic activity intensified after Trump’s announcement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held meetings and telephone conversations with Pakistan’s army chief, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister and Iraq’s foreign minister. Al Jazeera correspondent Osama bin Javed said a new indirect meeting would take place in Tehran, based largely on discussions held between Iran and Oman in recent days.

Washington and Tehran still have substantial differences over the terms of a final agreement, with both sides remaining far apart on key issues. However, Araghchi and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the talks were making significant progress and expressed optimism about reaching a deal. The proposed agreement’s framework, conditions and possible concessions have not been disclosed.

Adam Ereli, a former US ambassador to Bahrain, said President Donald Trump has no “realistic plan” on Iran as the war continues. In an interview with Al Jazeera cited in a report published on August 3, 2026, Ereli said it was impossible to know whether Trump had cancelled planned strikes this week to keep the path open for diplomatic talks. But he said the lack of a viable plan had become clearer as the conflict lengthened.

Ereli said the Trump administration was seeking the quickest and least costly way out of what he described as a dead end or maze of its own making. He said Trump’s conduct throughout the war had followed a recurring pattern. According to Ereli, Trump convinces himself that sustained heavy US strikes on Iran will force the Islamic Republic into an agreement.

He said leaders of several Gulf countries then call Trump to urge against such strikes, fearing they would face Iran’s retaliation. Trump subsequently steps back and says the United States will give diplomacy another chance, while maintaining threats to be ready to strike if Iran rejects a deal. Ereli said the cycle leaves Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz, with claimed agreements later collapsing.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said a memorandum of understanding signed with the United States will serve as a “main foundation” for Tehran’s foreign relations. In a post on X cited in a report published on August 3, 2026, he described the agreement as a basis for the country’s future external relations.

Pezeshkian said the memorandum was the product of the collective wisdom and foresight of members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. He also said all council members had agreed on the matter. The president said he believed the document would become a foundation for Iran’s foreign relations in the future.

He said efforts must continue to compel the opposing side to honor what it had signed. Pezeshkian added that the agreement would further strengthen the security of Iran, the region, and its allies. The report did not provide further terms of the memorandum or a timetable for its implementation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ongoing talks between Iran and Oman are in their “final stage,” according to a report published on August 2, 2026. In a Telegram post, he said a report presented to the cabinet described discussions between Tehran and Muscat as moving toward completion.

The talks have included extensive discussions on the future management of the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi characterized the negotiations as approaching a final outcome, but the report did not provide details on any proposed agreement, timetable, terms, or decisions.

The Strait of Hormuz is described as one of the world’s most important maritime routes, carrying a large share of global oil and gas trade. Any agreement concerning its management and security is therefore considered important for regional and international commerce.