Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remains disproportionately small compared with their population, strategic location and resources.
Iran's top security official Mohsen Rezaei warned that Tehran could target U.S. economic interests if what it calls a maritime blockade continues.
He said Iran has restored oil exports through alternative routes and insisted the Strait of Hormuz will not fully reopen until Washington meets its commitments.
U.S. President Donald Trump has intensified his criticism of Tehran, describing Iran as a "failing nation" in a social media post, as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high amid ongoing disputes over sanctions, regional security and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei has dismissed reports of a purported Iranian plot targeting Barron Trump, the youngest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, describing the claim as false.
Rezaei's comments came after the U.S. Secret Service said it was aware of a video aired by Iranian state television that discussed a potential assassination plot against Barron Trump.
Iran is preparing a list of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after mediators asked Tehran to set out its demands, top security official Mohsen Rezaei told Al Manar TV.
According to an interpreter, Rezaei said the conditions would include an end to the war in the region.
Iran has previously said reopening the strategic waterway depends on Washington meeting its demands, including ending military operations and releasing frozen Iranian assets.
Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei said the U.S. must take “practical measures” to meet Tehran’s conditions before Iran moves to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking during talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Tehran, Rezaei accused Washington of repeatedly betraying diplomatic efforts and warned that any new U.S. “hostile action” would result in strikes against American military and economic interests.
The Qatari premier called for “wisdom and responsibility” to preserve regional security and stability as Doha continues efforts to de-escalate tensions between Iran and the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump said American forces escorted “millions and millions of barrels of oil” through the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington seeks to keep energy shipments moving through the strategic waterway.
Trump also said U.S. forces had “taken out” two vessels for laying mines in the strait. The U.S. has said it is enforcing a “zero tolerance” policy against new mine-laying, while military operations have supported tanker movements through a southern shipping corridor.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia has “behaved quite well” regarding the Strait of Hormuz when asked whether Washington planned to punish Moscow over its dealings with Iran.
Trump’s remarks come as his administration threatens economic consequences for countries that continue providing Tehran with financial or commercial support.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran and Qatar can move beyond recent “painful events” and resume bilateral cooperation, during talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Tehran.
Pezeshkian said Iran demands recognition of its “legal rights” and would not “surrender to pressure or bullying”, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
He said the war had delayed planned joint initiatives between the two countries, but expressed hope that Tehran and Doha could resume cooperation despite recent tensions.
Qatar has pledged to provide assistance to alleviate hardships facing the Iranian people, as Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran.
“Qatar does not want the Iranian people to face difficulties while the countries of the region merely watch,” Sheikh Mohammed was quoted as saying by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
The Qatari premier said Doha was seeking to restore regional stability and hoped continued dialogue could help resolve current challenges.
His visit comes as Qatar seeks to de-escalate tensions between Iran and the U.S. and revive diplomatic efforts between the two sides.
Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei warned that Tehran would strike U.S. military and economic interests if Washington began what he called “mischief” against Iran, during talks with Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister in Tehran.
Rezaei also said Washington must take practical steps to meet Iran’s conditions before Tehran moves to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Qatar seeks to revive diplomacy between the two sides.
The warning echoes Rezaei’s recent statements that Iran has so far refrained from targeting U.S. economic interests but could do so if Washington escalates its economic campaign.
The White House said the U.S. and Iran are not currently engaged in negotiations, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying talks would not resume until Tehran was prepared to come to the table “in a meaningful way”.
Leavitt said Washington was instead increasing economic pressure on Tehran through what the administration calls “Operation Economic Outcast”, while President Donald Trump continues to keep “all options on the table”.
“We’ve had Operation Epic Fury to destroy their military. Now we have Operation Economic Outcast to destroy their economy,” she said.
Her comments come as Qatar pushes to revive diplomacy between Washington and Tehran, with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani holding talks with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday.
Yemen’s Houthis fired ballistic missiles at a village and several islands overlooking maritime trade routes in western Yemen on Thursday, according to pro-government sources.
At least one missile targeted a village near Al-Khawkhah in Hodeidah province, the government-aligned Joint Forces said. No information on casualties was immediately available.
Separately, a military source cited by Yemen’s official Saba news agency said the Yemeni navy had downed a Houthi drone over the Red Sea.
The incidents come amid an increase in fighting between Houthi and government-aligned forces in several parts of Yemen in recent weeks.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Tehran on Thursday as Doha stepped up efforts to revive diplomacy between Iran and the U.S.
Sheikh Mohammed met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with talks focusing on de-escalation and a proposed framework for a temporary shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz and joint mine-clearing operations.
Qatar has served as a back-channel between Tehran and Washington and helped mediate the June agreement that briefly paused hostilities. The latest diplomatic push comes as Washington intensifies economic pressure on Tehran and the two sides remain at odds over the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Taher Andarab said on social media that Pakistan "does not consider itself bound by unilateral U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran."
He added that Pakistan does not believe that Washington's sanctions on Tehran adhere to international law and that "disputes should instead be addressed through dialogue and diplomatic engagement."
Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said the country’s nuclear industry remains on par with leading nations despite U.S. sanctions and military strikes. He said Iran’s nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes and accused its opponents of trying to prevent the country’s technological progress.
Meanwhile, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said there is no solid evidence that Iran has begun rebuilding its damaged nuclear facilities, although he acknowledged that some infrastructure may be undergoing repairs. He said the issue remains unresolved and that talks on Iran’s nuclear programme are stalled by the war.
Iran has struggled to import enough petrol to cover a shortfall in domestic production due to a U.S. naval blockade, according to a senior Iranian official.
Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah, said domestic petrol output was not sufficient and that the blockade was preventing Iran from importing additional supplies.
The comments come as long queues have formed at petrol stations across Iran in recent days, with the war with the United States increasingly putting pressure on the country’s economy.
On Monday, Iranian President's chief of staff, Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei, said petrol quotas would be reviewed, with no further details provided.
The move follows the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which spent more than 250 days at sea without a port call, raising concerns about the mental health and well-being of its sailors.
The Lincoln was relieved by the USS George Washington last week, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt is expected to replace the George Washington.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran’s leaders “savages” on Wednesday as he dismissed the prospect of a diplomatic agreement with Tehran.
Netanyahu said he had discussed three options with U.S. President Donald Trump - a deal, military action and tougher sanctions - but argued that a deal with Iran was “impossible”.
His remarks came as Washington appears to be placing greater emphasis on economic pressure while the two allies differ over the next steps in the conflict.
Israeli warplanes carried out fresh airstrikes in southern Lebanon early Thursday, targeting woodland near Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported.
Two strikes hit the Ali al-Taher woodland at around 6am local time, with several high-explosive missiles causing a powerful blast and sending thick smoke into the air, NNA said.
Overnight strikes also targeted an area between Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Mayfadoun.
The strikes come despite U.S.-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel over a framework agreed in June for an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory and the deployment of the Lebanese army.
Oil prices continued to fall on Thursday, with Brent crude down 60 cents, or 0.7 per cent, at $87.24 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude 56 cents lower at $81.67.
The declines came as expectations grew that talks between Iran and Qatar could help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, easing supply disruptions linked to the U.S. war on Iran.
A tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire that was later extinguished, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said early on Thursday.
All crew members were safe and accounted for, with no environmental impact reported, UKMTO added.
Shipping traffic through key Gulf waterways remained subdued on Thursday amid the U.S.-Iran standoff, while markets watched talks between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, with commodity vessel transits edging up from Tuesday but remaining below the 10-day average, Kpler data showed.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani will visit Tehran on Thursday, 27 August, to revive diplomacy between Iran and the U.S., as tensions remain high over the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar has acted as a key mediator and helped secure the June ceasefire. But talks remain deadlocked, with Iran insisting on control of the strategic waterway and Washington stepping up economic pressure through sanctions.
Oil flows through Hormuz have fallen sharply to about 5 million barrels a day, from roughly 20 million before the war.
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Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Mexico and the U.S. are racing to secure a trade deal before the U.S. midterm elections in less than eight weeks, according to six sources familiar with the talks, with failed negotiations between Washington and Canada adding urgency.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Saudi Arabia is now facing pressure from both ends of the Arabian Peninsula. While the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting Gulf shipping and energy flows, fighting has intensified in western Yemen, bringing the Houthis back into direct confrontation with the kingdom.
Iran has warned it will retaliate against any future U.S. attacks, saying American energy interests and infrastructure across the Gulf could become targets in a further escalation of the conflict.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
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