TOP STORIES
Oman, Iran Reach Agreement to Reopen Strait of Hormuz | MS NOW
“Oman has agreed to the framework of a deal with Iran to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz . . . two Middle East diplomats with knowledge of the negotiations told MS NOW on Thursday. . . . [A]n Iranian government official linked to the deal told MS NOW on Thursday morning that it will establish new shipping routes by allowing commercial vessels to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman. The agreement, according to the Iranian official, does not include the collection of tolls from commercial shipping vessels seeking safe passage through the waterway, which Iran has previously sought. The proposal is a ‘temporary agreement’ that would lay the foundation for Washington and Tehran to call a new ceasefire and resume the nuclear negotiations that began in mid-June but collapsed after retaliatory strikes by both sides across the region. . . . Whether the U.S. will support the deal on how the strait is managed, however, will depend on the final details. A U.S. official said Washington will only support a temporary deal that reopens the strait with no impediments and no fees.”
Saudi Expects Imminent Two-Pronged Attack from Iran’s Allies, Official Says | Reuters
“Saudi Arabia expects imminent coordinated attacks from Iraqi militias north of the Gulf state and from Yemen’s Houthis from the south under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a senior Saudi official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said late on Thursday that intelligence reports from Saudi Arabia, the United States and other regional countries indicated civilian and economic sites could be targeted, including energy infrastructure, ports and airports.”
Proposed Hormuz Passage Deal Not Feasible for Shipping Industry, Sources Say | Reuters
“A proposed deal between Iran and Oman that would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz is not easily workable due to U.S. sanctions and restrictive insurance clauses on any payments, four industry sources said. . . . For shipping companies and oil traders, any imposition of fees creates major compliance issues given the U.S. has imposed sanctions on the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which Iran set up in May to operate the waterway. The U.S. Treasury has also prohibited U.S. persons from receiving services from Iran’s government related to a ‘guarantee of safe passage.’ Any payment could lead to asset freezes, the industry sources said.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran’s Oil Exports Stall and Kharg Island Idles Under US Blockade | Financial Times
“United Against Nuclear Iran (Uani), a Washington-based lobbying group which tracks Iranian oil shipments, said it had not observed any tanker laden with Iranian crude successfully leaving the Gulf since July 12. For now, Iran is continuing to receive revenues from cargoes that left the Gulf during the ceasefire and are only now reaching buyers in Asia. Uani said 26 Iran-flagged tankers had reached waters off Malaysia, where Iranian crude is typically transferred before being delivered to Chinese refineries.”
Iran Plots to Deal Trump a Blow in Midterms by Keeping Him Entangled in War | The Guardian
“[T]he focus on the [U.S. midterm elections] became more obvious this week when the deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, told the official IRNA news agency that after agreeing a route for commercial shipping through the strait of Hormuz, it would take two to four months to reach the second phase of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme. . . . If Tehran gets its way on this timetable, Trump will be going to the polls with no Iranian commitment on nuclear weapons, only a hefty economic bill for a failed war. ‘This raises the very likely scenario of continued cycles of conflict between the US and Tehran over the strait,’ said Jason Brodsky from United against a Nuclear Iran, an advocate of the war. ‘There won’t be any true quiet before the midterm elections—Tehran has no interest in giving this to the Trump administration. . . . It will continue to play games.’”
DIPLOMACY
Can Iran’s Diminished Diplomats Deliver a Hormuz Deal? | Wall Street Journal
“Arab mediators working on a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz said they fear the country’s diplomats, who are under pressure from hard-liners in Tehran, lack the clout to guarantee compliance even if an agreement is reached. . . . Mediators said the main negotiators, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, quickly embraced a plan presented this weekend to divide traffic through the Hormuz into an inbound lane near Iran and an outbound lane near Oman. They viewed it as an acknowledgment of Iran’s influence over the waterway. Talks became complicated when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps demanded more explicit references to Iran’s role and clearer benefits, they said. Even after mediators circulated a draft agreement midweek, the Revolutionary Guard, which exerts control over the waterway, continued to press for the right to charge fees for transits and to seek more explicit assurances that the U.S. will lift its blockade and sanctions on oil sales, they said.”
“Iran’s chief negotiator has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of staging ‘theater diplomacy,’ as Washington and Tehran offer conflicting accounts of bilateral engagement aimed at ending their months-long hostilities. ‘Massive attack coming . . . wait, never mind, they want to negotiate.’ That’s theater diplomacy on loop,’ Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator, wrote in a post on X on Thursday in an apparent jibe at Trump.
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
“Yemen is being increasingly drawn into the US-Israeli war with Iran, with the Houthi rebels stepping up attacks against both government forces inside the country and neighbouring Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and supporter of the internationally recognised Yemeni government. On Thursday, at least 30 Yemeni government troops were killed in Houthi attacks on military camps in Yemen, government sources said, warning the death toll could rise. Some reports have put the death toll as high as 58.”
Iraq Preparing ‘Final Blow’ Against Iran-Backed Militias | Iran International
“The Iraqi government is preparing to take decisive action against Iran-backed militias amid intelligence that some groups are planning operations against neighboring countries, an Iraqi government official told Iran International on Friday. ‘There is certainly information indicating that some groups intend to carry out operations not only against Saudi Arabia, but also against Kuwait, Jordan and Syria,’ the official said. ‘The Iraqi government is on the verge of delivering the final blow to militias that receive Iranian support so that Iraq can achieve security and stability,’ the official added.”
“Trump has grown frustrated at his inability to escape the stalemate of the war; he’s seething at its toll on the economy and is desperate to move on. . . . White House aides are concerned that Trump is losing his leverage in the conflict. He has threatened Iran many times but has rarely followed through; Tehran knows that. Tehran also knows that the U.S. is running low on munitions despite what Hegseth and the president say in public. Military leverage depends not simply on the U.S. ability to strike but also on its capacity to defend against Iran’s retaliation.”
“President Donald Trump has privately complained in recent days that disclosures on the dwindling US munitions stockpile make the United States look weak at a critical juncture, senior US officials said, as he repeatedly threatens additional military action to try and motivate Iran to agree to a deal.”
“An Iranian parliamentary committee is reviewing a preliminary bill that would bar U.S., Israeli and other ‘hostile’ vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a lawmaker. The draft bill would impose fines of up to 20% of a ship’s cargo value for violations of the proposed restrictions.”
Trump Says He Thinks War with Iran Will End ‘Pretty Soon’ | Reuters
“‘I think it’s going to end pretty soon. I don’t think they can go much longer,’ Trump said in the Oval Office in a reference to Iran. . . . When asked about the status of munitions stockpiles, Trump said the country had an almost unlimited supply of certain weapons but acknowledged inventories of others were limited.”
Iran Goes Looking for Love in Jordan | Robert F. Worth in the Atlantic
“In late July, Iran struck a U.S. military base in Jordan, killing three American service members. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps followed up with an unusual series of messages to the Jordanian people: ‘You know well that we have no hostility toward your country,” the IRGC declared in a statement published on Iran’s Fars News Agency. “Rather, we love you, noble people who understand the suffering and injustice endured by the Palestinian people more than any other nation.’ Another message cheekily thanked unnamed Jordanians for providing targeting information for the Iranian strikes. A third appeared to address Jordanian critics of the operation, saying that the United States, not Iran, had ‘violated your territorial integrity and sovereignty.’ The appeals to Jordanians speak to a concerted effort, fueled by Iran’s growing confidence in its regional position since the start of the war with the United States and Israel, to convince the Arab public that an alliance with the United States is not worth the cost.”
INTEL
“Mossad Director Roman Gofman has removed two of the spy agency’s most senior officials who were closely involved in developing an unsuccessful plan to topple the Iranian regime, Israeli television reported Thursday. . . . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly discussed the plan when persuading US President Donald Trump to go to war in February against the Islamic Republic.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
54 January Protesters Remain Jailed in Iran’s Ardabil Prison: HRANA | IranWire
“The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that at least 54 individuals detained during the nationwide protests in January remain held in the security ward of Ardabil Prison. . . . 25 of these detainees have received sentences totaling 49 years and three months in prison following judicial proceedings, while the remaining 29 individuals continue to be held in pre-trial detention without court hearings.”
Iran Detains 25 on Security Charges, Claims 21 Had Mossad Links | IranWire
“Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of 21 individuals accused of links to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and four others for alleged ties to armed groups in Kerman province. . . . The ministry also reported the arrest of four individuals described as armed elements, claiming to have confiscated several military and hunting firearms, along with ammunition.”
UN Demands Iran Stop Killing Kurd and Baluchi Activists | IranWire
“Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, has called on Iranian authorities to cease arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and executions targeting Kurdish and Baluch citizens. Writing on her official X account and referring to a joint statement issued by UN experts, Sato stated that at least 24 Baluch citizens and 22 Kurdish citizens have been executed since January 1, 2026, with many others facing an imminent risk of execution.”
Two Iranian Female Footballers Granted Australian Citizenship After Protest | Guardian
“Two former Iranian footballers said on Thursday they were proud to have been granted Australian citizenship after being called traitors at home for refusing to sing the national anthem before a game. Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh were members of a group of seven from Iran’s delegation who asked for Australia’s protection after the protest during the women’s Asian Cup in March.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iranian Leaders are Concerned About Mojtaba Khamenei’s Worsening Health | IranWire
“Two sources close to the Pezeshkian administration have told IranWire that Mojtaba Khamenei has not met with any cabinet members since the U.S. attack on the Supreme Leader’s compound and the killing of his father and other family members on February 28. According to both sources, rumours that he is in extremely critical condition and could pass away at any moment are circulating widely within the highest levels of the regime.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
“‘I think our objective should be regime collapse,’ [U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said] . . . Cruz has criticized many of the U.S.'s diplomatic overtures toward Iran. He told [an interviewer] the memorandum of understanding was a ‘disaster’ and a ‘terrible deal,’ warning it would set the stage for Iran to get billions of dollars in sanctions relief and $300 billion in economic development funds, and could let Iran assume ‘a permanent role with the Strait of Hormuz.’ . . . Instead, Cruz argued, the U.S. should keep striking Iranian military targets and should ‘continue ratcheting up the economic pressure,’ including by keeping in place a blockade on Iranian ports designed to choke off Iran's ability to sell its oil. And he called for Iranians to be armed.”
ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS
Extreme Heatwave in Iran, Temperatures Touch 50°C | IranWire
“A massive, extreme heat dome continues to blanket the southern, southwestern, western, and central regions of [Iran]. Meteorologists project that peak temperatures will continue to affect Khuzestan, Ilam, Bushehr, southern Kerman, Hormozgan, and parts of Fars Province, with localized highs reaching or exceeding 50°C (122°F).”