Iranian parliamentary committee approves fees on ships using Strait of Hormuz

The Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on Sunday approved a provision in a draft law allowing Tehran to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The official IRNA News Agency said the committee continued its review of the proposed “Strategic Action Plan to Ensure the Security and Development of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Committee spokesperson Hassan Qashqavi said that members approved Article 3 of the bill after its consideration was postponed at a previous meeting.

The spokesperson added that the provision allows fees to be charged for navigation and environmental services, fuel supplies in special cases, insurance, security and other services provided in the strait.

Qashqavi said the fees would be collected from vessels belonging to countries permitted to pass through the strait and paid in Iranian rials or another currency designated by Tehran.

He maintained that the draft legislation takes into account the rights of states bordering the Strait of Hormuz.

Qashqavi also underscored that the text recognizes "freedom of maritime navigation" under international law and regulations while emphasizing "respect for the security and sovereignty of coastal states" and the protection of their rights.

Iran MPs approve service fees for ships transiting Strait of Hormuzhttps://t.co/V4CEypJBUJ pic.twitter.com/ONVB8RpeWo

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) August 23, 2026

IRGC says Trump's economic campaign against Iran showcases US military defeat

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that President Trump's economic campaign against Iran showcases the military defeat of the United States, and reflects an "implicit admission of failure", Press TV reported.

Speaking to reporters in the northern province of Alborz, IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi responded to recent statements by Trump about the US launching “most crushing economic operation” against Iran.

"The US president says that he ordered an economic war and launched the most severe economic campaign against Iran. This amounts to an implicit admission of the enemy’s humiliating defeat in the military arena,” he remarked.

“If you had succeeded on the military front, there would have been no need for all this economic uproar,” Brigadier General Mohebbi added.

According to Press TV, the IRGC spokesperson underscored that such "pressure against Iran" is nothing new, further adding that the enemies of Iran had waged an economic war and imposed sanctions on all "major sectors for 47 years".

"We have repeatedly announced that we have scenarios in place for any hostile action by the enemy. One of the enemy’s hostile actions is economic measures and warfare,” he said.

IRGC spokesperson Sardar Mohebi says Washington’s intensified economic campaign against Iran is proof the US has failed on the battlefield. He calls the move a “tacit admission” of military defeat.

🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/jJ5YaErx3M

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 23, 2026

Iran says new sanctions threatened by 'desperate' US will fail

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday dismissed the threat of new US sanctions ​as a sign of desperation and said the expected new measures would fail to defeat Tehran.

"We have never been afraid. All of their actions - whether blockades or other military moves they have made - have failed, and this new issue of theirs will fail as well," he said.

Araghchi stated that the US "has no way forward other than dialogue with the Iranian nation with respect, solution based on justice, dignity," Iran's state-owned Press TV reported.

 

🔴 Iran's FM Araghchi:

🔺 US has no way forward other than dialogue with Iranian nation with respect, solution based on justice, dignity

Follow: https://t.co/mLGcUTS2ei pic.twitter.com/Nup2rj7wv7

— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) August 23, 2026

Separately, Iran's ISNA news agency posted on X that Araghchi termed US President Donald Trump's "economic war" "the same old American bullying."

"The economic war is a repetitive scenario and the same perennial bullying in American policies This is a repetitive film that we have seen many times and we know how to confront it," ISNA quoted Araghchi as saying.

عراقچی: جنگ اقتصادی ترامپ همان قُلدری تکراری آمریکاست
-جنگ اقتصادی یک سناریوی تکراری و همان قلدری همیشگی در سیاست‌های آمریکاست
این فیلم تکراری است که بارها دیده‌ایم و می‌دانیم چگونه باید با آن مقابله کنیم ۱/۲

— خبرگزاری ایسنا (@isna_farsi) August 23, 2026

In another post, it noted that the foreign minister said that "America has returned to old schemes of military threats and claims of attacks and strikes," which he stated "shows that it has become desperate in the face of the Iranian nation and has no new solution."

عراقچی: اینکه آمریکا از تهدیدهای نظامی و ادعای حمله و ضربه‌زدن، دوباره به طرح‌های قدیمی بازگشته، نشان می‌دهد در برابر ملت ایران مستأصل شده و راهکار تازه‌ای ندارد ۲/۲

— خبرگزاری ایسنا (@isna_farsi) August 23, 2026

Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir would visit Tehran on Monday.

Pakistan has taken on a mediator role in negotiations between Iran and the US aimed at ending the war which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

The visit aims to bolster bilateral cooperation and build on "Pakistan’s efforts to help strengthen peace and security in the region," Baghaei said in remarks carried by Iran's state-run news agency IRNA, Anadolu reported.

Baghaei added that CDF Munir would hold discussions with senior Iranian officials during the trip.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced that Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, will visit Tehran on Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional peace and security with senior Iranian officials.

Follow: https://t.co/7Dg3b41hTx pic.twitter.com/UZBFo2bpQT

— PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) August 23, 2026

Two Pakistani government sources confirmed CDF Munir's visit to Reuters, with the first source saying that Iran and Pakistan were in direct contact.

A second source said the talks would also address recent developments in the conflict, including US President Donald Trump's threat of tougher sanctions on Iran.

"He (CDF Munir) will discuss peace under Islamabad's MoU, Trump’s warning and the situation after the Pakistan-Turkey-Saudi Arab Agreement and Houthi issues with Iranian leaders," the source said.

The announcement of CDF Munir's visit came after the field marshal and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a telephone conversation early on Sunday.

 

Foreign Minister @araghchi and Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir discussed regional developments and effective ways to strengthen peace, stability and security in West Asia.#Iran #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/c6G4l5aqow

— Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (@Iran_GOV) August 22, 2026

According to an X post by the Iranian government, the two "discussed regional developments and effective ways to strengthen peace, stability and security in West Asia."

‘Frozen foreign policy delivers a frozen economy': Ghalibaf

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday said that “a frozen foreign policy delivers a frozen economy,” in an apparent reference to US foreign policy.

In a post on X, Ghalibaf remarked that “the only thing still moving? The Iran boomerang.”

Importing frozen meat to fix meat prices. Okay, that might work.
What’s the plan for bonds, import frozen yields?
Frozen homebuyers for housing?
Frozen paychecks for wages?

A frozen foreign policy delivers a frozen economy.

The only thing still moving? The Iran boomerang. pic.twitter.com/57punhFspI

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) August 23, 2026

Iranian nation, armed forces have enough experience, capability to overcome any crisis: Brigadier General Reza Talaei‑Nik

Iranian Defence Ministry Spokesperson, Brigadier General Reza Talaei‑Nik, on Sunday said that the Iranian nation and its armed forces had “enough experience and capability to withstand and overcome any crisis,” Iran’s IRNA news agency reported.

IRNA reported that the defence ministry spokesperson made the remarks while addressing a "specialized gathering" of student organization managers, where he also pointed to "anti-Iran plots and conspiracies", further noting that the "enemy had pursued specific policies against the Islamic Republic" which were aimed at fulfilling its "sinister goals" over the past decades.

Iranian Armed Forces have enough experience to overcome any crisis: Defense Ministry spoxhttps://t.co/p55KkPxOCO pic.twitter.com/GXDPzJsTZH

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) August 23, 2026

Iran won’t let 'a drop of oil’ leave Persian Gulf if US blockade continues, says Mohsen Rezaei

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, on Sunday said that Iran “won’t let a drop of oil leave Persian Gulf if US blockade continues,” Iran’s IRNA news agency reported.

Iran won’t let ‘a drop of oil’ leave Persian Gulf if US blockade continues: Top security official pic.twitter.com/gwrvYXJhJW

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) August 23, 2026

'Not afraid of threats, will overcome current circumstances': Iranian acting defence minister

Iran’s Acting Defence Minister Majid Ibn al-Reza on Sunday said the country is not “afraid of threats or economic sanctions and will overcome the current circumstances”, Tehran Times reported.

Al-Reza also emphasised Iran’s reliance on its "young people and indigenous capabilities".

Senior Iranian defense official responds to Trump’s claim about the Strait of Hormuz: “Trump talks too much.”

🔹 The acting Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Support emphasized Iran’s reliance on its young people and indigenous capabilities, saying that the Islamic Republic… pic.twitter.com/XRqVuEY5IE

— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) August 23, 2026

Isfahan nuclear plant was first target of US, Israeli assaults: Iran nuclear chief

The head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) said that the nuclear fuel production plant in Isfahan was the first target of military assaults by the US and Israel during their wars of aggression against the Islamic Republic over the past year, IRNA reported on Sunday.

Mohammad Eslami said the plant produces the fuel required by the Tehran Research Reactor. “The Tehran reactor is a research reactor and is mainly used for research and production work related to radiopharmaceuticals,” Eslami said, according to IRNA.

He added that a radiopharmaceutical production facility was also among the facilities hit in the air raids.

Isfahan nuclear fuel plant was first target of US-Israeli assaults: Nuclear chiefhttps://t.co/8ouZZIG7ww pic.twitter.com/7oMlkeunru

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) August 23, 2026

The head further pointed to the bombing of an oxygen-18 production line at the Khondab complex, saying the material was needed for PET scans and was produced domestically to support Tehran's PET scan services.

According to IRNA, Eslami said the acts of aggression were “a clear and naked symbol of their school of thought,” arguing that the targets were scientific activities whose products are used by the public.

Tehran executes man for 'aiding' US, Israel in anti-govt protests

Iran executed a man accused of carrying a chainsaw during anti-government protests in January. The man was charged with acting as an agent of Israel and the United States, according to AFP.

As per the judiciary, Majid Adineh had been convicted of “operational action in favour of hostile groups” in rallies that broke out in Iran late last year, spreading across the nation.

Adineh was accused of “deliberate arson, gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against the country’s internal security”, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said in a report cited by AFP.

The report further stated that “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.”

Iran warned neighbouring countries on Saturday against joining the US' “economic war,” threatening to target their interests and prevent oil exports from the Gulf if they cooperate with Washington.

“We tell all neighboring countries not to participate in the economic war with the US; otherwise, we will consider them an enemy,” said Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaee, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

“We are not seeking to expand the war, but if the countries surrounding Iran join the Americans in the economic war, we will strike their interests,” he added.

Rezaee warned that if neighboring countries cooperated with the US campaign, “not a single drop of oil will leave the Persian Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz.”

He said Iran would also target other routes used to export oil from the Gulf. “If Trump wants to take action, we will respond in kind with earthquake-like force,” Rezaee said

Rezaee said the Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite US claims to the contrary and would not reopen until Washington “corrects its behavior.”

“This time, it is the United States that must first fulfill its commitments,” he said.

Rezaee said Iran accounts for more than 50% of the Gulf coastline and that it should therefore manage the Strait of Hormuz.

He added that Iran seeks an end to the war in West Asia and “stands against warmongers around the world.”

US President Donald Trump announced this week his intention to launch “the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country,” describing his maximum-pressure campaign against Iran as “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale.”

Iran in ‘full-scale war,' says President Pezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Tehran was in "a full-scale war," stating that the government was seeking to overcome difficulties.

“We are in a full-scale economic, military and security war," Pezeshkian said in a televised speech carried by the state-run news agency IRNA.

The government is “ashamed” that there are problems in the economy, he added.

"(US President Donald) Trump easily says that they will impose the most crushing or the most terrible sanctions on Iran,” Pezeshkian stated, adding that Tehran is "standing firm" and striving to serve the Iranian people amid what he called an “unequal war.”

“The enemy had assessed that if Iran falls, it will become Venezuela. Not only did it not happen, but it became a power that amazed the world with its resistance, solidarity and cohesion," the president asserted.

🔴 Iran's President Pezeshkian delivers speech marking beginning of Government Week:

🔺 They sought to turn Iran into another Venezuela, but instead, Iran emerged as a power that amazed the world with its resistance, solidarity & unity. Our people achieved something remarkable. pic.twitter.com/PIkr4IZEiF

— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) August 23, 2026

Tehran was working "with all our might to avoid division, conflicts and egos," he also said. Pezeshkian added that the Iranian people had achieved “something remarkable” through their resilience and unity.

Kuwait condemns Israeli drone strike on civilian car near Damascus

Kuwait condemned an Israeli drone attack on a civilian car in a village southwest of Damascus that injured several civilians, Al Jazeera reported.

“The ministry renews its call upon the international community and the Security Council to fulfil their responsibilities in halting the repeated Israeli occupation aggressions against Syrian territories,” Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry says in a statement on social media.

Israel defends the strike, saying it targeted “terrorists” and was carried out in response to “an immediate threat to our forces”.

The incident marks Israel’s second reported attack on Syria within a week.

Iran says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until US changes behaviour

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Major General Mohsen Rezaei has warned that any country participating in the US-led economic blockade will face consequences, IRNA news agency reported.

“If the blockade continues, we will not allow a single drop of Persian Gulf oil to leave via any route,” Rezaei said, adding that Iran had not yet targeted US economic interests but that the option remained available if hostile actions continued.

Top security official: Strait of Hormuz remains closed until US changes its behaviorhttps://t.co/SUFzVLBsbl pic.twitter.com/l0jzmFrGO1

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) August 22, 2026

On the Strait of Hormuz, Rezaei said: “The Strait of Hormuz is closed and will not reopen until the US changes its behaviour and honours its commitments; they must first take concrete action.”

Iran, Egypt FMs discuss regional tensions, efforts to restore stability

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, discussed the latest developments in West Asia and ways to restore regional stability, IRNA news agency reported.

In a telephone conversation late on Saturday, the ministers exchanged views on developments in the region, including the situation in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, it added.

Foreign Minister @araghchi and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, have held a phone conversation to discuss the latest regional developments and explore ways to restore peace and stability in West Asia.https://t.co/tUlMeEA8c9 pic.twitter.com/BFtfSU700p

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) August 22, 2026

They also discussed recent diplomatic efforts to "de-escalate regional tensions" and explored ways to promote "peace and stability" in West Asia.

Iranian president says Tehran will not make concessions

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Tehran has no intention of making concessions and stressed the need to move beyond what he called a “no war, no peace” situation, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.

Pezeshkian said Iranian officials were discussing almost daily how to move beyond the situation and reach an understanding that would preserve Iran’s principles and values, while deterring adversaries from contemplating another attack.

He said war offered no solution, while prolonged uncertainty about whether fighting could resume was also taking an economic toll on the country.

Read: Iran's military remains intact: acting deputy defence minister

Pezeshkian warned that investment would be difficult to attract as long as the threat of renewed conflict persisted, stressing the need to overcome the situation through logic while maintaining Iran’s strength.

The president also defended a recent memorandum with the US, saying it contained no provision that amounted to capitulation or required Tehran to make concessions.

Iran condemns US plans to announce new sanctions

Iran on Saturday denounced US plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact ​on its most important trading partners, including China.

After nearly six months of war since the US and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28, the sides are not ‌firing at each other but also showing no sign of pursuing peace talks.

Oil shipments are at a virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran threatening to strike any unauthorised oil tankers that try to transit the vital waterway, and Iran's economy is already under immense pressure from sanctions.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to hold a press conference at 2:00 PM on Monday after threatening "the toughest sanctions in history" on Iran.

Bessent has ​also urged cooperation with Washington by China, which buys more than 80% of Iran's shipped oil, according to 2025 data from analytics firm Kpler. Beijing has urged diplomacy.

Iran's Foreign Ministry ​spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Saturday the imminent US announcement of new economic sanctions was an "assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty over every independent member state of ⁠the United Nations."

"Such secondary sanctions find no foundation in international law," he said in a post on X.

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, told state television that Tehran ​would target the interests of countries helping the US.

"We are telling all nearby countries not to join the US economic war, otherwise we will consider them as enemies," Rezaei said.

US President Donald Trump, who ​has warned of economic consequences against any country that provides "any type of lifeline to Iran," said on Friday that Washington was observing "what happens" in the conflict.

"They would love to make a deal, but they're not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion," Trump said of Iran.

Hormuz traffic halted

While the US has effectively blockaded Iranian vessels in their ports, the Strait of Hormuz remained bottled up with thousands of seafarers stranded on hundreds of vessels.

Only ​four commodity ships sailed along the strait on Thursday, none of them large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers, ship-tracking data showed.

However, Iran has granted permission for a number of Iraqi oil tankers ​to pass through the Strait following repeated requests from Baghdad, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.

IRNA said obtaining special permission for Iraqi tankers was one of Baghdad’s main requests during a visit to Iraq by ‌Parliament speaker ⁠Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US military helped move a seven-day average of 8 million barrels a day of oil through the strait. That's down from more than 20 million per day before the war or about one of every five barrels consumed worldwide.

US attacks have severely diminished Iran's economy and devastated its navy and air force, but Tehran maintains enough missile and drone capability to impede oil tanker traffic and attack regional rivals.

Also read: Iran claims neighbours seek new security order

Abdollahi, the armed forces chief of staff, sought to underline Iran's missile capabilities during a visit to an underground plant manufacturing ballistic missiles that ​was reported by state television on Saturday.

"This plant ​has been able, much better than in the ⁠past, to produce equipment superior both in capacities and quality and in quantity," he said.

Qalibaf, Iran's parliamentary speaker, said Tehran had received "numerous messages" from neighbouring countries about establishing new regional security arrangements and economic cooperation.

Qalibaf, who did not say which countries he was referring to, accused the US of ​endangering the security of its allies in the region for the sake of Israel, adding that an independent, "homegrown" regional order would deliver peace and ​security.

Trump, meanwhile, has yet to ⁠achieve objectives he set at the start of the war, such as dismantling Iran's nuclear programme - the state of which remains uncertain given that UN inspectors have been shut out since 2025 - and creating conditions for Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers.

Thousands have been killed, mainly in Iran, where 168 Iranian school children were killed on the first day of the war. The US has reported more than 750 military ⁠personnel wounded and ​18 killed.

While Iran remains defiant, President Masoud Pezeshkian has also called for a diplomatic solution.

"It would be better to ​end the war today, when we are powerful and have dignity, and the whole world acknowledges our victory and emphasizes that America, contrary to all regulations, attacked our schools, hospitals, and infrastructure and is hated in the world," the ISNA news ​agency quoted him as saying on Friday.