TOP STORIES
Trump: Mines Fully Removed from Strait of Hormuz | Axios
“The U.S. Navy has cleared all mines from the main shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said on Tuesday. . . . The clearing, part of a low-key operation the last several months, will allow significantly more oil tankers to transit the strait. . . . Trump added that Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be ‘immediately and systematically destroyed.’”
Rubio Tells Allies U.S. Shifting from Strikes to Sanctions on Iran | Axios
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told several of his foreign counterparts in recent days that ‘for the time being’ the U.S. is not expected to initiate new strikes against Iran, according to a U.S. official and a second source with knowledge of the matter. Instead, he’s said the focus is on other means of pressure, including the sanctions initiative announced this week.”
“The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, which is affiliated with the Royal Navy, said early Tuesday that an oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, damaging its engine room and leaving the vessel unable to operate. The crew was reported safe. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack or was publicly blamed.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Interview with UANI CEO Amb. Mark D. Wallace | NewsNation
“Let’s put back the full pressure, the absolute isolation of this regime. And it is at the right time, because the regime has been dramatically degraded by military action and by the fact that the people hate the regime. So this is the time to truly cut the economy off and see the most economic pressure that can be applied.”
Iranian Tankers Gather off Sri Lankan Coast | Financial Times
“More than a dozen Iran-flagged tankers have gathered off the coast of Sri Lanka, as the US blockade all but halts access to Iranian ports six months into the war. . . . [E]mpty tankers have been building up off the south-west coast of Sri Lanka and off Pakistan. A further 48, listed by the US-based campaign group United Against Nuclear Iran as trading Iranian crude oil, are loitering off Malaysia in an anchorage traditionally used by Iranian ships to transfer cargoes to Chinese vessels bound for independent ‘teapot’ refineries in China, UANI said.”
US Blockade Pushes Iranian Tankers Toward Asian Waters: UANI | Arab Times
“The US naval blockade is forcing Iranian-flagged oil tankers to stay away from Iranian ports, with at least 20 empty vessels now anchored off Sri Lanka after completing ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian crude in Southeast Asia, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) said Tuesday.”
“Ship-tracking organizations United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and TankerTrackers have confirmed the scale of the disruption. Approximately 13 empty Iranian-flagged tankers, including vessels belonging to the state-owned National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), currently sit in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone. Some estimates put the total number of Iranian tankers staying away from home ports as high as 20, with additional vessels anchored off Malaysia.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
What to Know About the Iranian Bank Singled Out in U.S. Economic War | New York Times
“Bank Melli, Iran’s largest lender, already faces waves of sanctions that severely limit its ability to operate abroad. Every foreign branch must be shut down, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.”
UK Officially Backs Campaign for “Economic Outcast” of Iran | IranWire
“UK Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey announced that the British government will continue to exert economic pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran alongside the United States and other international partners, while taking necessary action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and counter ‘dangerous Iranian activities.’ . . . Expressing support for US efforts to reach a diplomatic resolution, Healey affirmed that the UK welcomes intensified pressure on the Islamic Republic, including participation in the US-led ‘Operation Economic Outcast.’”
The U.S. Is Trying to Strangle Iran’s Economy. Here’s How Tehran Is Surviving | Wall Street Journal
“Floating oil tankers, Chinese buyers and shell companies help Tehran evade sanctions.”
Some Oil Companies to Avoid Ships on Iran Blacklist, Sources Say | Reuters
“At least three Indian oil refiners and a global energy major plan to stop using vessels on Iran's new blacklist, including for ship-to-ship transfers, due to security concerns, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter said this week. Tehran announced on Sunday a blacklist of 45 ships it said had broken its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and would take action against any vessels transferring loads with them, escalating its threats over the key waterway for global energy supplies six months into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.”
Iraq May Show How U.S. Can Squeeze Iran’s Trade Partners | Reuters
“Iraq could serve as an example of how the United States could carry out its threat to force countries that continue trading with Iran out of the dollar-based financial system. Washington has already sanctioned a host of Iraqi banks accused of doing business with Tehran, though it has avoided measures that would devastate the economy of the strategic ally of both countries.”
Scott Bessent: US Economic Pressure on Iran Is Working | IranWire
“US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in a post on Tuesday, August 25, that recent statements by Islamic Republic officials demonstrate that Washington’s economic pressure on Tehran is ‘taking effect.’ Writing on X, Bessent noted: ‘Iran’s leadership is acknowledging what the world can now see: the pressure is working.’”
Qatar Says US Sanctions on Iran Are Unilateral | Al Jazeera
“Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said in a briefing on Tuesday that the US sanctions on Iran are unilateral, and urged mediation efforts to resolve the crisis.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
“Is the strait of Hormuz, recently cited by the office of the Iranian supreme leader as ‘the pillar of Iran’s new security order,’ and as transformative as possessing a nuclear weapon, in reality becoming a fast-diminishing asset, leaving Iran increasingly vulnerable to the new planned US wave of economic sanctions? It is the key debate that is raging inside Iran, with many different conclusions being drawn for Tehran’s negotiating strategy. Those who warn the strait’s value as a chokehold on the world economy will erode, leaving the country without foreign exchange reserves, argue that Iran’s negotiators should seek a deal soon.”
DIPLOMACY
Iran, Oman Push Talks for ‘Interim’ Reopening of Hormuz | Bloomberg
“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi discussed an ‘interim framework’ aimed at resuming shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a joint statement carried by the Oman News Agency, as the two sides press ahead with long-running talks over navigation through the key waterway. The initiative seeks to establish a ‘temporary joint maritime corridor’ and project for mine clearance to restore safe navigation through the area, according to the statement. Technical talks between the two sides will continue with the aim of agreeing on a permanent maritime corridor, the future administration of the strait, as well as a mechanism for information exchange, traffic management, and the provision of relevant maritime and security services, it said.”
REGIME CHANGE
“Twenty years of experience as an American diplomat has made me realize that no amount of diplomatic ingenuity can contain Iran. The United States should keep pushing until it gets the best outcome for American interests, the region and the Iranian people: the shattering of the illegitimate regime in Tehran.”
ASSASSINATION THREATS & PLOTS
Netanyahu Son Yair Was Target of Iran Assassination Plot | Newsmax
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair was the target of an Iranian assassination plot while living in South Florida, Newsmax has learned, adding a dramatic new dimension to Netanyahu’s disclosure this week that Tehran sought to murder one of his children. . . . The source said it was believed Iranian operatives were already ‘on the ground’ in the Miami area and had conducted surveillance of Yair's residence and movements. Yair, who has an Israeli security detail with him at all times, was told to leave immediately, the source said.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Tehran Mosques Used to Surveil, Shoot at January Protesters | Iran International
“Iranian security forces used mosques across Tehran to deploy personnel, monitor protesters and support operations during the January crackdown, evidence obtained by Iran International shows. . . . Several eyewitnesses described mosque rooftops being used as observation or firing positions.”
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
Hack of Water Sector Supplier Draws FBI Scrutiny as Iran-Linked Cyber Concerns Grow | Reuters
“U.S. authorities are investigating a data breach at a small maker of water utility technology, highlighting infrastructure cybersecurity threats even though the Kansas firm was apparently not part of a suspected Iranian-affiliated campaign against water plants in Minnesota and other states starting in July.”
CANADA & IRAN
“A former Iranian official now living in Toronto had a ‘critical’ role in helping the Islamic Republic generate revenue needed to fund Middle East terror groups, according to government documents obtained by Global News. A Canada Border Services Agency report released on Tuesday alleges that as a deputy director in Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, Abbas Omidi, assisted with the regime’s state sponsorship of terrorism. The 2024 report, which details why Omidi should be expelled from Canada, said the Iranian mining sector in which he served at a senior level was closely linked to the military and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. . . . The CBSA is trying to deport Omidi on the grounds he was a longtime senior official in Iran’s repressive regime.”
HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Lebanon Extends Visa for Ex-Iranian Ambassador Without Diplomatic Rights | IranWire
“Lebanon’s General Security Directorate has extended the residency permit of Mohammad-Reza Sheibani, the former Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Beirut, for six months, an extension that strictly serves as permission to remain in the country and conveys no authorization to conduct diplomatic activities. . . . Youssef Raji, Lebanon’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, declared Sheibani persona non grata on March 24, 2026, and refused to approve his credentials. He accused the Islamic Republic’s ambassador of ‘interfering in Lebanese internal affairs’ and ‘violating established norms and rules governing diplomatic relations.’ Following that decision, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave Sheibani five days to leave the country. However, the Foreign Minister’s directive met opposition from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, both of which demanded its revocation.’