Seyed M. Marandi: Iran-Oman Hormuz Deal Almost Reached & the Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan Defence Pact

Aug 9, 2026 | Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi is a professor at Tehran University and a former advisor to Iran's nuclear negotiation team.

Why the Iran War Won’t End Soon (w/ Alastair Crooke)

August 9, 2026 | Trump's reckless war on Iran is threatening global economic collapse — as the region breaks out into a matrix of conflagrations, Trump seemingly has no way out.

Iran Issues Tough Demands to Reopen Strait of Hormuz as Deal Still Out of Reach

THE GUARDIAN: Tehran urges US to ‘correct its behaviour’ as UAE says one of its ships targeted by Iranian missile

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Tehran, Iran. An Iranian statement said the US must never threaten the country again. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Iran has issued tough new demands for reopening the strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach on Saturday.

Iran’s politburo-like body known as the supreme national security council said the strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States “corrects its behaviour”, and its state broadcaster published a statement from the council’s secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The US must never threaten Iran again, the statement said, and must permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region. The US must lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw its military from the area. It also must “completely compensate” Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and “unconditionally” release frozen assets. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Saturday, August 8, 2026

This is clearly a humiliation for Trump. So much for MAGA and so much for Trump’s Art of the Deal. In common parlance, Iran is clipping Trump’s wings! And it is putting America in the place where Iran thinks it belongs.

The moral of the story is simple: Be very careful when picking a fight! — © Mark Alexander

ALSO READ THIS NYT ARTICLE:

Iran Issues List of Demands, Complicating Efforts to Reopen Strait: The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States met certain conditions. »

À LIRE AUSSI :

Téhéran pose ses conditions à toute réouverture du détroit d'Ormuz : L’Iran exige notamment de Washington qu’il « mette fin définitivement à la guerre et à l’agression » contre lui et ses alliés, et lève le blocus imposé à ses ports. »

LESEN SIE AUCH:

„Der Feind ist gezwungen“: Iran stellt neue Bedingungen für Straße von Hormus: Der Iran hält die Straße von Hormus blockiert. Teheran nennt sieben Bedingungen für die USA. Wie realistisch ist eine baldige Öffnung der Meerenge? »

Iran Plots to Deal Trump a Blow in Midterms by Keeping Him Entangled in War

THE GUARDIAN: By dragging out talks, Tehran aims to damage the US president politically – but some fear a bruised and weakened Trump could lash back

This screenshot jas been taken from this Guardian article. | Iran has distrusted the US since the 1979 Islamic revolution, but their anger is now focused personally on Trump. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP
Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 US embassy hostage crisis.

For many inside Iran, inflicting meaningful revenge on Trump is a legitimate and self-standing war aim, reflected in the mood of those attending the funeral of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei where demands for retribution were ubiquitous.

While Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic revolution have never trusted the US, that animus is now also directed personally towards Trump. He not only tore up the painfully negotiated nuclear deal in 2018, but he sanctioned the assassination of the military leader Qassem Suleimani and twice involved Iran in negotiations on its nuclear programme only to launch wars against it. He shows no remorse for the killing of the country’s supreme leader, or for the attempt on the life of Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian. » | Patrick Wintour | Diplomatic editor | Friday, August 7, 2026

"Need Security for Life": The Brutal Retribution Iran Is Planning Now - w/ Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi

August 6, 2026

US Presence in the Region Is Driving the War, Not Iran, Marandi Says

This is Iran’s viewpoint.

An Angry Trump Struggles to Understand Iran’s Defiant Leaders

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Iran’s leaders have perplexed several American presidents, perhaps none more than President Trump.

Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Mourners gathered at Azadi Square in Tehran last month, holding flags during the funeral procession for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader killed by an airstrike at the beginning of the U.S.-Iran war in February. | Credit: Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times
President Trump’s angry claim on Monday that Iran was being “unbelievably duplicitous” in its dealings with the United States was just the latest sign of his struggle to understand his rivals in Tehran.

Mr. Trump considers himself a master of sizing up and exploiting his adversaries. But Iran’s leaders have baffled him.

“All they do is make me angry,” he told reporters last week. “They just make me angry.”

More frustration could be in store for the American president. Trump officials say a new deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz may be near, but Iran continues to insist on collecting fees there that Mr. Trump has ruled unacceptable.

Mr. Trump’s inability to strike a favorable deal with Iran has not only cost him politically among war-weary voters, but continued strife around the crucial waterway has made for volatile oil prices at the expense of American consumers and the global economy. » | Michael Crowley | Michael Crowley covers the State Department and U.S. foreign policy. He has reported from nearly three dozen countries. | Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Leer en español »

For Iran, Trump’s Reversal on Escalation Shows Who Has the Upper Hand

THE NEW YORK TIMES: By expanding the arena of fighting in the region, experts say, Tehran sent a warning about the dangers of a widening war.

When President Trump appeared to back down once again from a threatened military escalation against Tehran, he offered fresh fodder to the narrative Iranian officials are eager to promote: They are not the ones who fear war — Mr. Trump is.

Iran’s leadership believes it has found the world’s Achilles’ heel. With the help of regional militia allies, Tehran spent the past week underscoring its ability to threaten several of the world’s most critical energy facilities and waterways.

It has continued to up the ante in its face-off with Washington over when and how to stop their renewed hostilities and return to a short-lived deal to start peace negotiations, which fell apart last month.

When Mr. Trump signaled in recent days that a major escalation was imminent if no concessions were made, two former Iranian officials said Tehran’s leadership told him to go right ahead. » | Erika Solomon | Monday, August 3, 2026

Leer en español.

Donald Trump Is Spent | Steve Schmidt

August 3, 2026 | Donald Trump's war with Iran continues to deteriorate. Steve Schmidt breaks down Trump's endless lies, foreign policy failures, and why the American people must put a check on his power in the midterms.

The US War on Iran Is Spinning Out of Control

THE GUARDIAN — OPINION: Trump’s conflict keeps escalating, with Saudi Arabia joining airstrikes in Iraq and reportedly planning an attack on the Houthis. A recession could follow

The US war against Iran is spiraling out of control. Over the past week, the conflict has expanded across the Middle East, with attacks and counterattacks in at least five other countries. Instead of a quick war that sought to topple Iran’s regime, Donald Trump has started a regional conflict that risks severely disrupting energy supplies and prices – and triggering a global recession.

After a few days of relative calm, the conflict resumed with the Pentagon carrying out almost nightly strikes against Iran, and Tehran retaliating against US military bases in the region. The conflict also extended to attacks in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt. And there’s little sign that peace negotiations between the US and Iran, which are being brokered by Pakistan and Qatar, are making much progress.

The most serious escalation took place on Wednesday, when Saudi Arabia announced it had joined the US in carrying out a series of airstrikes inside Iraq, against the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), killing at least 20 fighters. Saudi officials had blamed the Iraqi-based militias for launching drone attacks against Saudi oil facilities on 27 July, and warned that the kingdom would retaliate if the Iraqi government did not restrain the groups. The PMF is a network of mostly Shia Muslim militias that was created, with Tehran’s support, in 2014 to fight the Islamic State terror group that had taken control of large parts of Iraq. » | Mohamad Bazzi | Saturday, August 1, 2026

Trump Climbs Down on Iran Strikes after Saudi Alarm and Threats from Tehran

THE GUARDIAN: President claims delay is ‘subject to being able to rapidly make a deal’ as intervention by Saudi crown prince is revealed and Iran warns neighbours

Donald Trump said on Saturday night that the US would hold off on any new strikes on Iran provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is quickly reached – marking the president’s latest climbdown from extravagant threats to hit the Tehran regime hard.

The Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday to express concerns about his strike plans, it was reported. Trump’s reversal also came after Iran threatened to retaliate decisively against its neighbours in the event of US strikes, while Kuwait reported being hit by Iranian drones on Saturday and two ships were attacked off Oman in the strait of Hormuz.

One source described as having knowledge of the Trump-Mohammed call told Axios that the Saudi crown prince had “urged Trump to de-escalate and refrain from launching the strikes”.

The Associated Press also reported the conversation, citing its own source. It said the Saudis were concerned that if the US targets Iran’s energy infrastructure or carries out massive strikes on other key infrastructure, Tehran could respond by carrying out similar attacks on the kingdom and other Gulf countries.

The crown prince during Saturday’s call sought clarity from Trump on what potential new action he was weighing to take against Iran, the Associated Press reported. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Sunday, August 2, 2026

Donald Trump has got himself into a bind with this illegal and totally unnecessary war on Iran. He’s in a right old pickle! Netanyahu has clearly led him up the garden path! It seems to me that America has little hope of being victorious in this war. Victory is surely Iran’s for the taking.

Americans are past masters at starting wars, but winning the wars they have started is a very different story. — © Mark Alexander

ALSO READ THIS NYT ARTICLE:

Trump Says He Is Canceling Strikes on Iran, Pending a Rapid Deal: President Trump said he agreed to requests from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries to cancel planned attacks, citing what he said was progress in reaching the “perimeters of a deal” with Tehran. »

'Whether Netanyahu Wants It or Not,' War on Lebanon 'Will Have to End,' Marandi Affirms

Mohammad Marandi sets out clearly Iran’s conditions for peace and highlights what Iran’s red lines are before the Iranian government will give the green light for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened.

Iran War Spirals Out of Control: US Casualties Rise, While Military Runs Out of Missiles

Jul 31, 2026 | The US war on Iran keeps expanding into a regional conflict, as more countries get involved. Reports show that Donald Trump is getting desperate, and he is frantically seeking an off-ramp. Washington announced a "pause" to the fighting, but it lasted just four days.

Ben Norton explains the three main reasons why the United States is desperately seeking an exit: one, the Pentagon is running out of missile interceptors; two, the number of casualties among American troops is steadily increasing; and three, Yemen joined the conflict, attacking Saudi oil infrastructure, exacerbating the energy crisis.


THE NEW YORK TIMES:

President Trump Lost This War »

Donald Trump Is Done | Steve Schmidt

July 31, 2026 | Donald Trump has made America weaker with his corrupt foreign policy. Steve Schmidt is joined by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to break down the disastrous impact of the war with Iran and why Trump will be rebuked by the American people come November.

Donald Trump is the most ignorant and the most incompetent president of the USA in my lifetime. The man should never have been entrusted with the presidency. — © Mark Alexander

US Launched Heavy Strikes as Iran War Escalates | The Fourcast Indicators

July 30, 2026 | The war between the United States and Iran has spread across the Middle East. Fresh strikes in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt, alongside escalating Houthi attacks on international shipping, have raised fears that the region is entering a dangerous new phase.

With Washington intensifying its military campaign and Iran relying on its network of allied militias, is this becoming a wider regional war?

On this episode of The Fourcast: Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by Professor Madawi al-Rasheed from the London School of Economics Middle East Centre. They discuss why the Houthis are stepping up attacks, whether Saudi Arabia is being pulled into the fighting despite its efforts to avoid it, how Iraqi militias could become a new flashpoint, and whether the US has a long-term strategy, or is being drawn into another prolonged Middle East war.

Is there still a path to de-escalation, or are we witnessing the beginning of a conflict that could engulf the wider region?


With sound judgment, this war, suffering, and death could have been avoided. The Iran War is illegitimate and quite unnecessary. It’s a war which America is almost destined to lose. Furthermore, it is a war which could very easily spiral out of control. The world is paying a very high price for the foolishness and extremely poor, infantile judgment of voters in America! — © Mark Alexander

Trump Encounters a More Determined Iran as War Widens

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The United States is again exchanging strikes with Iran, just days after the president appeared to reject plans to escalate.

Over the weekend, President Trump rejected a return to full-scale war. But as he tries to find a way out of a conflict he started, Iran has proved a stubborn enemy.

On Tuesday evening, Iran fired multiple missiles on American bases in Jordan. The U.S. military intercepted the missiles with apparent ease, but the incident has drawn Mr. Trump once again back into fighting.

The United States struck back in a “powerful response” against Iran on Wednesday evening, U.S. Central Command said on social media. “We’re going to be hitting them very hard, because it’s our turn to hit them,” Mr. Trump told reporters earlier in the day.

The Iranian and U.S. moves come as the war has widened quickly, with Saudi Arabia joining U.S. forces in striking Iranian proxies in Iraq, an American tanker in Egypt set ablaze from an apparent drone strike and tensions rising between Ukraine and Iran.

The war, which Mr. Trump has been trying to bring to a diplomatic conclusion since April, is now threatening to grow bigger at the very moment the United States wants to move past it. » | Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt | The reporters have been covering the U.S. war with Iran. | Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Iran and US Trade Strikes Ending Lull in Fighting | BBC News

July 29, 2026 | Saudi Arabia and the US have carried out strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, in a potential escalation of the Middle East conflict.

US Central Command said the strikes were against "Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure".

Iraq's paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces, which is dominated by Iran-backed Shia militias, said at least 20 of its members had been killed in US-Saudi strikes on its bases.

It came hours after Centcom said Iran had launched missiles at US forces in the Middle East in an "attempted surprise attack", ending a lull in hostilities.

Saudi Joins War after ‘Surprise’ Iranian Attack on US Bases

THE TELEGRAPH: The US has launched strikes on “Iran-aligned terrorists” in Iraq as part of a joint operation with Saudi Arabia.

After five days without tit-for-tat strikes, Tehran launched an unprovoked “surprise attack” on American forces in the region overnight, firing ballistic missiles at bases in Jordan.

In retaliatory strikes by the US and Saudi Arabia, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a Tehran-backed militia, said at least 20 people were killed across several of its bases across Iraq.

The attacks mark the first time Saudi Arabia has publicly joined the war in months after previously carrying out secret strikes against Iran.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps also struck three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, despite previous threats by Donald Trump to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time a ship is hit in the waterway. » | Emily Smith | Foreign Breaking News Reporter | Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Trump Seems Trapped by Iran War, Even as He Wields the World’s Biggest Hammer

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A president who thought there were no limits to his power has discovered several, leaving him more frustrated and erratic.

Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | President Trump entered the Iran conflict with little strategy for victory, and is now struggling for a face-saving way to exit. Credit: Alex Kent/The New York Times
President Trump often celebrates his unpredictability, declaring that it keeps allies and adversaries alike off balance.

By his telling, his willingness to bomb Iranian nuclear sites 13 months ago, and send Delta Force commandos in to snatch President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela from his bed in early January, reflected his determination to execute military operations that would have made his predecessors blanch. He told The New York Times he was limited only by “my own morality,” as he wielded the world’s biggest hammer.

But in recent weeks, he has seemed trapped, his presidency gradually consumed by a war he cannot find his way out of.

He has discovered limits on his power that he could have scarcely imagined as he began full combat operations on Feb. 28, when he set out goals for a swift end to Iran’s nuclear program and the overthrow of the country’s government. » | David E. Sanger | David E. Sanger has covered five U.S. presidents in more than four decades. He has also reported for more than 20 years on the efforts to contain Iran’s nuclear program. | Sunday, July 26, 2026

This Iran War Escalation Could Crash the Global Oil Market

Jul 25, 2026 | The US war against Iran is expanding into a larger regional conflict. After Trump sabotaged a diplomatic agreement, Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz. Now Yemen's Ansar Allah (known commonly as the Houthis) has declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, shutting down oil exports in the Red Sea. Ben Norton explains how this escalation could cause a severe crisis in the global oil market.