US, Iran Trade New Strikes in Fight Over Hormuz Strait

Smoke rises from explosions at an unknown location, following what US Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab from a video released on July 8, 2026. (US Central Command/Handout via Reuters)
Smoke rises from explosions at an unknown location, following what US Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab from a video released on July 8, 2026. (US Central Command/Handout via Reuters)
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US, Iran Trade New Strikes in Fight Over Hormuz Strait

Smoke rises from explosions at an unknown location, following what US Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab from a video released on July 8, 2026. (US Central Command/Handout via Reuters)
Smoke rises from explosions at an unknown location, following what US Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab from a video released on July 8, 2026. (US Central Command/Handout via Reuters)

The United States and Iran traded strikes on Thursday for the second day running as Washington and Tehran battled over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The vital oil shipping corridor is a flashpoint in the Middle East war, with Tehran insisting on control of the strait despite it being open to free passage before the US-Israeli attacks in February.

After the foes traded attacks on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was "over", but left the door open to more talks and added any strikes would end quickly.

US forces said the latest attacks against Iran were aimed at "their ability to threaten the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz", citing recent strikes against commercial ships in the waterway.

The US Central Command said they had struck approximately 90 military targets, including missile and drone storage as well as military logistics sites along Iran's coastline.

Iran's reprisals came quickly, with the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) saying they had struck "key infrastructure and facilities" at US bases in the region.

American strikes hit a railway bridge in Iran's northeast, according to several official media, and the official IRNA news agency reported strikes on a military base in coastal Bushehr, which hosts the nation's only civilian nuclear power plant.

Earlier, warplanes were heard over Iran's Kish Island and explosions rocked the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak and Chabahar, part of which lost electricity, IRNA reported.

"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. "If it happens again, it will get much worse!"

Late on Wednesday while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the Iranian side had "called a little while ago," and that they wanted "to make a deal so badly".

Trump did not provide further details of the call -- including who was on the line -- but went on to cast doubt over the value of any deal, calling the Iranians "sort of crazy".

- Control over the strait -

Iran's chief negotiator said Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened only under "Iranian arrangements".

"The United States still has not learned that bullying and breaking its promises no longer come without consequences," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X. "Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck."

Since US-Israeli strikes triggered war in February, Tehran has insisted on controlling the strait, saying it will charge fees for passage and threatening to hit vessels that deviate from its authorized route.

Its military struck at least three ships in recent days, prompting extensive US strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday.

The latest strikes come just ahead of the Thursday burial of Ali Khamenei, Iran's former supreme leader, who was killed at the outbreak of the war on February 28.

UN chief Antonio Guterres called meanwhile "on all parties to exercise maximum restraint" -- as did Pakistan, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks.

Iran said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Qatar's prime minister had spoken over the phone on Wednesday and "underscored the importance of using diplomatic means to resolve regional issues".

Both the United States and Iran said they had hit dozens of targets in the initial wave of attacks, which Iranian state television said had killed eight Iranian military personnel.

CENTCOM said its forces struck more than 80 targets on Tuesday, while the Guards said they hit dozens of US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The latest attacks by Iran did not result in any American casualties or cause major damage to facilities, a US military official said on Wednesday.

Washington wants free passage for ships while Iran is insisting on fees and has refused to allow vessels to pass through Omani waters.

All three vessels recently struck were sailing close to Oman, which had proposed a temporary transit corridor hugging its coastline.

Maritime traffic had tentatively resumed after Washington and Tehran signed the deal to end hostilities last month.

But almost 6,000 seafarers remain stranded in the area, International Maritime Organization chief Arsenio Dominguez said Wednesday.



Iran President: US Memorandum is Best Path Out of Stalled War

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Presidential Office shows Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attending a press conference in the capital Tehran, on August 8, 2026. (Photo by Iranian Presidential Office / AFP) /
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Presidential Office shows Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attending a press conference in the capital Tehran, on August 8, 2026. (Photo by Iranian Presidential Office / AFP) /
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Iran President: US Memorandum is Best Path Out of Stalled War

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Presidential Office shows Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attending a press conference in the capital Tehran, on August 8, 2026. (Photo by Iranian Presidential Office / AFP) /
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Presidential Office shows Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attending a press conference in the capital Tehran, on August 8, 2026. (Photo by Iranian Presidential Office / AFP) /

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended a recent memorandum of understanding as the best way for the country to move beyond what he described as a situation of “neither war nor peace.”

In a speech published by state-run IRNA early on Sunday, he said members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council believed the memorandum represented the best possible agreement based on what he described as dignity, wisdom and the national interest.

“There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,” Pezeshkian said. “The supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path.”

The deal known as the Memorandum of Understanding that US President Donald Trump signed in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program.

That period ended last week, but the two sides remain far apart, with no signs of compromise on the crucial issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, vital to global shipping.

While stressing that Tehran did not intend to back down in the face of its adversaries, Pezeshkian also linked the agreement to Iran’s economic prospects, saying the country could not attract investment in this stalled phase.

“Capital and money are extremely sensitive to risk,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying. “We have to remove this risk from the country.”

Nearly six months into the war with the United States and Israel, the Iranian economy is suffering under sanctions and a naval blockade that is making it extremely difficult for the country to export oil, its most valuable product.

Meanwhile, the hard-line new leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, threatened Tehran’s neighbors against joining the new US effort to hurt Iran’s economy.

“If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner,” he said in an interview with the state broadcaster that aired Saturday.

Rezaei was named this month as part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Tehran’s political and military stance. His interview with IRIB is his most extensive public statement since then.


Iran Executes Man Accused of Aiding US, Israel in Anti-govt Protests

An Iranian man reads a copy of the Iranian daily newspaper Hamshahri displaying a picture of US President Donald Trump and a title reading in Persian, 'The empty gun of sanctions,' reporting the new harsh economic threat by Trump against Iran, outside a kiosk in Tehran, Iran, 22 August 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
An Iranian man reads a copy of the Iranian daily newspaper Hamshahri displaying a picture of US President Donald Trump and a title reading in Persian, 'The empty gun of sanctions,' reporting the new harsh economic threat by Trump against Iran, outside a kiosk in Tehran, Iran, 22 August 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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Iran Executes Man Accused of Aiding US, Israel in Anti-govt Protests

An Iranian man reads a copy of the Iranian daily newspaper Hamshahri displaying a picture of US President Donald Trump and a title reading in Persian, 'The empty gun of sanctions,' reporting the new harsh economic threat by Trump against Iran, outside a kiosk in Tehran, Iran, 22 August 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
An Iranian man reads a copy of the Iranian daily newspaper Hamshahri displaying a picture of US President Donald Trump and a title reading in Persian, 'The empty gun of sanctions,' reporting the new harsh economic threat by Trump against Iran, outside a kiosk in Tehran, Iran, 22 August 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iran on Sunday executed a man accused of carrying a chainsaw during January anti-government protests who was charged with acting as an agent of Israel and the United States.

The judiciary said Majid Adineh had been convicted of "operational action in favor of hostile groups" in nationwide rallies that broke out late last year.

He is one of a string of people put to death over the protests, which were sparked by economic hardships in Iran.

Adineh was accused of "deliberate arson, gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against the country's internal security,” AFP quoted the judiciary's Mizan Online website as saying in a report Sunday.

"Based on numerous documents and evidence in the case and the defendant's statements, the Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death and confiscation of all his property."

An appeal by Adineh was unsuccessful and the Supreme Court upheld the verdict, with his execution carried out Sunday morning, Mizan said.

He and another suspect were arrested on January 9 in Alborz province, west of Tehran, carrying "a revolver, ammunition, two tasers, two tear gas canisters, a rechargeable chainsaw, and a bottle of gasoline," Mizan added.

The protest movement was initially sparked in late December by grievances over high living costs but rapidly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations that peaked on January 8 and 9.

Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths from the unrest, attributing the violence to "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

The number of executions in Iran has risen since the start of the Middle East war, which broke out on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes against Iran.

A large number of the executions have been linked to the protests, with other cases related to the war.

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people last year, a record high since 1989, according to Iran Human Rights, an NGO based in Norway, and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), which is headquartered in Paris.


Iran: Pakistan's Army Chief to Visit Tehran on Monday

FILE PHOTO: A woman walks by a mural depicting Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran, August 13, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A woman walks by a mural depicting Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran, August 13, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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Iran: Pakistan's Army Chief to Visit Tehran on Monday

FILE PHOTO: A woman walks by a mural depicting Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran, August 13, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A woman walks by a mural depicting Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran, August 13, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir will visit Tehran on Monday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on ⁠Sunday, according to ⁠a statement by the ministry.

Baghaei said the visit ⁠was in continuation of Pakistan's efforts to strengthen peace and security in the region.

Pakistan has taken on the mediator ⁠role ⁠in negotiations between Iran and the US aimed at ending their war.

The top diplomats for Egypt and Iran discussed efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table to settle the war, Egypt's foreign ministry said Saturday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefed his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, about “Iran’s view of ongoing developments, the course of negotiations and their challenges,” the ministry said, without elaborating.

Araghchi confirmed the call. Separately, Araghchi said he had a call with Munir.