Iran was resolute on Tuesday that the United States must end the war before they release their grip on the Strait of Hormuz after Donald Trump said the military was in complete control of the channel.
Mohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on social media that the “message is clear” that the strait will remain shut until the US agrees to terms and pulls back.
”The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the US ends the war and blockade, releases Iran’s frozen assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza,” he said.
“Until all conditions are met, the Strait will remain closed.”
It came after president Trump on Monday snubbed Iran’s six conditions for reopening the strait, which included “payment in full” for damage inflicted on Iran throughout the war.
“It is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran,” Trump said, adding: “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.”
Read MoreTrump secretly switched planes to leave Turkey due to Iran assassination threat
Trump claims he’s ‘low-keying it’ with Iran after report he could walk away without nuclear deal
The forgotten Iranians caught in the deadly stalemate of Trump’s war
US oil reserve just hit a low not seen since 1983
Key Points
- Trump demands war reparations from Iran after Tehran called for compensation
- Donald Trump says ‘it always works out’ as plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz stalls
- Trump used elaborate ruse to fly out of Turkey following summit because of Iran threat - report
- Iran president says supreme leader shared message of ‘unity and cohesion’
Gold prices rise again as Iran conflict and interest rate fears ease
00:00 , James ReynoldsThe price of gold has been on the rise once more, reversing a months-long downward trend which saw the precious metal’s value fall by more than a quarter.
Investors have had a tough time predicting what markets will do this year, with uncertainty from the Iran war hitting inflation, currency markets remaining volatile and and growing concerns over the amounts the largest firms are spending on artificial intelligence.
In such times, previously investors might have turned to gold, seen as a safe haven in troubled times - but instead, the precious metal appeared to mirror some of those other markets with a steep decline in the first half of 2026.
Gold prices rise again as Middle East conflict and interest rate fears ease
Has Trump achieved his goals in the war with Iran?
23:00 , James ReynoldsShortly after the US and Israel attacked Iran, Donald Trump laid out a host of objectives, from destroying Iran's ballistic missile capabilities to ensuring Tehran can never have a nuclear weapon.
Missiles and drones
Roughly one month into the war, U.S. sources told Reuters that one-third of Iran’s arsenal was destroyed, with another third likely damaged, destroyed or buried.
It is unclear how many missiles Iran has left, but the country still has the ability to reach US allies - as evidenced in attacks last month across the Gulf.
Military capabilities
The US says it has degraded Iran's conventional military ability to project power in the region or threaten US operations.
But Iran still claims to have closed the Strait of Hormuz until the US agrees to terms including compensation for the war, forcing up oil prices.
Nuclear programme
Trump has repeatedly said that his main goal is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Tehran has consistently said it has no intention of building a bomb.
But the war has not significantly changed Iran's nuclear capability. US intelligence since the war estimated that Iran would need less than a year to produce a nuclear weapon - the same timeline it laid out following the June 2025 strikes on Iranian facilities.
Iranian proxies
Trump said on March 2 at the White House that Tehran cannot be allowed to continue to arm and fund the armed proxy groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen that Iran has relied on for decades to project power and harass enemies.
US Admiral Brad Cooper said in May that Iran no longer has the ability to reliably supply those groups with advanced weapons, though he did not specify what that meant. Iran is now demanding the US end its wars in countries inhabited by proxy groups.
Regime change
Trump encouraged Iranian protesters to overthrow their rulers before the war began and said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death on February 28 was their "single greatest chance" to seize the government. The war has failed to dislodge Iran’s government, but supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed and replaced by his son at the start of the conflict.
Trump in recent months has refrained from repeating his calls for the toppling of Iranian leaders.
Watch: President Trump suggests he may declare a national emergency around 'election security'
22:00 , James ReynoldsKhamenei appoints new commander of the IRGC
21:00 , James ReynoldsIran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has made six new appointments to the Revolutionary Guards and armed forces, according to a message on his social channels.
That includes appointing Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi as commander-in-chief of the IRGC.
Who are Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps?
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were set up shortly after the 1979 revolution to protect the clerical ruling system.
The IRGC’s mandate is to protect revolutionary values and it answers to the supreme leader of Iran, which means it has at times spoken out against the government.
With a huge military force of some 125,000 personnel (prewar), the IRGC provides a counterweight to Iran’s professional army and operates independently of the armed forces.
It controls the country’s ballistic missile arsenal - a target in Washington’s sights as it tries to negotiate demilitarisation with the state.
Since the Iran-Iraq conflict of the 1980s, the IRGC has funded nonstate armed groups in the region. The IRGC also commands the Basij religious militia within Iran, a volunteer paramilitary force loyal to the clerical establishment often used to crack down on anti-government protests.
Catch up: Trump secretly switched planes to leave Turkey due to Iran threat
20:00 , James ReynoldsPresident Donald Trump was secretly transported away from Turkey in an extraordinary plan triggered by an assassination threat from Iran, according to a report.
Air Force One, a catering truck and a secondary military plane were all part of an elaborate “deception operation” to safeguard the commander-in-chief when he departed last month’s Nato summit in Ankara, The Washington Post has revealed.
Several White House staffers and journalists remained on Air Force One as unwitting decoys to the threat while Trump was quietly smuggled off the plane and boarded onto a different flight, according to the Post.
Trump hid in catering cart in secret Air Force One swap to fend off Iran threat
How the Iran war is affected Ukraine's ability to resist Putin
19:00 , James ReynoldsUkraine is urgently seeking more Patriot interceptors to defend against a nightly barrage of Russian ballistic missile strikes.
But the Iran war has drained arsenals in the US and the Gulf, and some European countries are holding onto missiles they may need for their own defense.
So what are the Patriot interceptor missiles?
Patriot, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defense system built by US weapons maker Raytheon Technologies that can be used in all kinds of weather and at long range.
A typical battery includes radar and control systems, a power unit, launchers, and support vehicles. The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor used.
Why do they matter?
Kyiv has repeatedly asked Western allies for more air defences to protect critical infrastructure and civilian areas from frequent Russian missile and drone attacks.
While effective at intercepting missiles and aircraft, Patriots are a costly way to shoot down low-budget drones. Patriot interceptors are estimated at around $4 million per missile, CSIS says, while Russia can send hundreds of cheap drones a day.
Although not originally designed to intercept hypersonic weapons, in May 2023 the US confirmed Ukraine had used the Patriot system to shoot down a Russian Kinzhal missile, which Moscow claims is hypersonic.
What are the obstacles?
Russia has long said that giving Ukraine interceptors would amount to a direct escalation. They said it would delay the chance of peace.
But Donald Trump’s main line of argument is that the US needs its weapons and cannot afford to give them away to Ukraine. Indeed, the Patriots have been in short supply since the US went to war with Iran in February.
Trump in July offered Ukraine the right to make its own Patriot interceptors, but later reneged, saying the US has “not agreed” to such an arrangement.
US helicopter 'fires on Panama-flagged ship' - report
18:30 , James ReynoldsA US military helicopter fired at the rudder of a Panama-flagged ship after its crew ignored warnings from personnel working to enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing a US official.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the incident, the report said, adding that the ship appeared to be trying to transfer its crew to another civilian vessel after the attack.
British maritime risk management group Vanguard and a maritime security source said earlier that according to initial assessments, the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was believed to have been hit by a missile when sailing through the Gulf of Oman.
Head of Iran's top security body doubles down on demands for compensation from US
18:15 , James ReynoldsMohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, doubles down on demands for US to pay compensation for the war before the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.
“IRAN’s message is clear: the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the U.S. ends the war and blockade, releases Iran’s frozen assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza,” he writes on social media.
“Until all conditions are met, the Strait will remain closed.”
Rezaee, the former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was appointed as the head of Iran’s top security body this week.
IRAN’s message is clear: the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the U.S. ends the war and blockade, releases Iran’s frozen assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza. Until all conditions are met, the Strait will remain closed.
— محسن رضایی (@ir_rezaee) August 11, 2026
Watch: Trump demands compensation from Iran in snub to six-point ultimatum
17:50 , Daniel KeaneFull story: Trump hid in catering cart in secret Air Force One swap to fend off Iran assassination threat
17:20 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump was secretly transported away from Turkey in an extraordinary plan triggered by an assassination threat from Iran, according to a report.
Air Force One, a catering truck and a secondary military plane were all part of an elaborate “deception operation” to safeguard the commander-in-chief when he departed last month’s Nato summit in Ankara, The Washington Post has revealed.
Several White House staffers and journalists remained on Air Force One as unwitting decoys to the threat while Trump was quietly smuggled off the plane and boarded onto a different flight, according to the Post.
Trump hid in catering cart in secret Air Force One swap to fend off Iran threat
US and Iran close to 'some sort of deal', says Pakistan
16:50 , Maira ButtIn an interview with Bloomberg News, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said "things are shaping up again in favor of a peace arrangement or a deal” between the US and Iran.
"The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement."
Hackers launch defense network for public water systems after attacks on US infrastructure
16:21 , Maira ButtAfter a series of cyberattacks targeting America’s water infrastructure, a group of hackers have launched a program to help small, vulnerable water utilities across the country combat similar attacks.
DEF CON Franklin, a project from the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, has teamed up with the nonprofit group National Rural Water Association to open the Water Watch Center, which aims to provide direct support to water systems that routinely monitor and adjust safe drinking water across the country.
In recent weeks, water systems in at least 12 states — including more than 30 community water systems in Minnesota alone — were compromised by cyberattacks potentially stemming from Iran. Cybersecurity experts told The Independent last week that the new wave of attacks could open a new, asymmetrical front in the U.S. war with Iran that cash-strapped and under-resourced public utilities are not prepared to face.
Hackers come to the rescue for public water systems after cyberattacks
Gold prices rise again as Middle East conflict and interest rate fears ease
15:19 , Maira ButtThe price of gold has been on the rise once more, reversing a months-long downward trend which saw the precious metal’s value fall by more than a quarter.
Investors have had a tough time predicting what markets will do this year, with uncertainty from the Iran war hitting inflation, currency markets remaining volatile and and growing concerns over the amounts the largest firms are spending on artificial intelligence.
In such times, previously investors might have turned to gold, seen as a safe haven in troubled times - but instead, the precious metal appeared to mirror some of those other markets with a steep decline in the first half of 2026.
Gold prices rise again as Middle East conflict and interest rate fears ease
Pakistan's interior minister arrives in Tehran to meet Iranian officials
14:45 , Maira ButtPakistani’s interior minister Sayed Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in Iran’s capital Tehran in order to hold discussions with Iranian officials, according to Iran’s SNN.
Three crew members killed in small cargo ship in Bab el-Mandeb strait
14:15 , Maira ButtThree crew members have been killed after a small cargo ship was attacked by the Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, two Yemeni coast guard sources and two government officials told Reuters.
It marks the first fatalities since the outbreak of the war on Iran after US-Israeli strikes in February.
The Houthis are yet to confirm the attack.
Watch: How Trump hid in catering cart to board secret flight after Iran threat
13:45 , Maira ButtHoliday Inn owner IHG boosted by World Cup after Iran war hit bookings
13:15 , Maira ButtIncreased booking demand linked to the World Cup has helped Holiday Inn owner InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) counter downturns caused by the war in Iran across its Middle Eastern operations.
The group stated that revenue per available room (RevPAR)—a key performance metric for the hotel industry—grew 4.8 per cent in the Americas during the first half, with growth reaching 5.4 per cent in the second quarter.
This was driven by strong performance in locations hosting World Cup football matches, which contributed approximately 1 per cent to overall growth.
Holiday Inn owner IHG boosted by World Cup after Iran war hit bookings
Container ship hit in Gulf of Oman, says UKMTO
12:45 , Maira ButtThe UK’s Maritime Trade Organisation has reported an incident involving a container ship and military forces in the Gulf of Oman.
Maritime sources told Reuters that the ship has been hit by a missile off the coast of Pakistan.
According to initial assessments, the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was believed to have been hit by a missile when sailing through the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, some 71 nautical miles off Pakistan's coast, British maritime risk management group Vanguard and a maritime security source said separately.
Watch: Trump demands compensation from Iran in snub to six-point ultimatum
12:15 , Maira ButtTalks between Oman and Iran in 'advanced stage' now, says Qatar
11:45 , Maira ButtQatar’s foreign ministry has said that negotiations between Oman and Iran are now in an advanced stage, in a statement on Monday.
Both nations have been working on a deal to organise control over the Strait of Hormuz after US-Israeli strikes prompted Tehran to shut down the vital waterway through which one fifth of the world’s energy passes.
Houthis attack cargo ship in the Red Sea, sources say
11:13 , Maira ButtA deck cargo ship was attacked on Tuesday by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, killing three of its crew members, two sources from the Yemeni coast guard and two military officials in the government said.
Maritime security sources told Reuters a cargo ship was believed to have been targeted in the Red Sea, but the fate of the crew was unclear.
What are Patriot missiles – and why are supplies dwindling worldwide?
10:33 , Maira ButtDemand for the US Patriot air defence system has increased this year as Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has depleted supplies of interceptor missiles.
Ukraine is seeking further Patriot interceptors to defend itself against Russian ballistic missile attacks, while the Iran war has drained stores in the US and the Gulf.
Meanwhile, some European countries are hanging onto missiles that they may require for their own defence.
Here, The Independent takes a look at what Patriot missiles are, and why they are important to Ukraine.
What are Patriot missiles – and why are supplies dwindling worldwide?
Lebanese health ministry says two people wounded in Israeli drone strike on Nabatieh
09:48 , Maira ButtLebanon's health ministry said on Tuesday that an Israeli drone strike in the city of Nabatieh wounded two civilians.
The ministry added that a second strike targeted a rescue team from the Al-Risala Association, damaging an ambulance.
Shipping traffic through Strait of Hormuz drops
09:15 , Maroosha MuzaffarShipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to just six vessels on Monday, down from a 10-day average of about 11, as hopes for an immediate US-Iran peace deal faded.
Kpler data showed four vessels entered and two exited the strait. Before the war, around 130-140 ships typically passed through each day.
Traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait remained stable, with 25 vessels passing on Monday compared with a 10-day average of nearly 24.
Trump demands compensation from Iran in snub to six-point ultimatum
08:45 , Maroosha MuzaffarTrump secretly switched planes to leave Turkey due to Iran assassination threat
08:15 , Maroosha MuzaffarUS president Donald Trump was secretly transported away from last month’s Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, using a secondary military plane while an elaborate deception made it seem he was aboard Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post on Monday.
The newspaper reported that the covert movement was triggered by an assassination threat from Iran targeting Mr Trump. Reporters and several White House personnel were left believing they were travelling on the same aircraft as the president as his return journey to Washington commenced following the annual gathering of Nato leaders.
The newspaper based its account on reviewed documentation, a US official aware of the operation and another individual familiar with the president’s travel arrangements.
Read more here:
Trump secretly switched planes to leave Turkey due to Iran assassination threat
Who are Iran’s new wartime commanders?
07:45 , Maroosha MuzaffarIran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has appointed six senior commanders to key military and security posts, reshaping the wartime leadership after several top commanders were killed.
The appointments came a day after former IRGC chief Mohsen Rezaee was named secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
- Ali Abdollahi: Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, overseeing coordination across the military.
- Kioumars Heydari: Deputy Chief of Staff.
- Ahmad Vahidi: New IRGC commander, tasked with boosting deterrence and readiness for “powerful offensive operations”.
- Mostafa Izadi: Vahidi’s deputy, responsible for operational readiness.
- Ali Ozmaei: New IRGC Navy commander, a key role amid tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
- Hossein Taeb: New Basij commander, focusing on mobilisation and domestic intelligence. Basij is Iran's paramilitary volunteer militia within the IRGC.
British couple jailed in Iran over espionage end their hunger strike
07:15 , Maroosha MuzaffarBritish couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who have been jailed in Iran on widely criticised espionage charges, have ended hunger strikes lasting 93 and 84 days respectively.
The East Sussex couple, who deny the charges, were arrested in January last year while travelling by motorcycle from Europe to Australia and sentenced to 10 years in prison in February.
Craig Foreman’s sentence was later reportedly extended after he spoke to the media.
They began the hunger strike in May after prison authorities stopped them from contacting their families.
They agreed to end it after guards promised they could resume direct contact, though their family said Monday that contact had not yet been restored.
Oil prices rise as US-Iran negotiations over Strait of Hormuz seem to stall
06:45 , Maroosha MuzaffarOil prices rose as US-Iran negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz stalled. Brent climbed to $88 a barrel and US crude to $82.45, both their highest levels since 31 July, after a roughly 5 per cent jump on Monday.
The latest escalation came after Donald Trump rejected Iran’s terms for reopening the strait and instead demanded compensation from Tehran, raising fears that the crucial shipping route will remain disrupted.
He later wrote on Truth Social: “Iran should be responsible for the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza!”
Chuck Schumer attacks Trump over Iran war
06:15 , Maroosha MuzaffarUS Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has called Donald Trump’s handling of the Iran war a “complete and total failure”.
“Donald Trump got us into an illegal war, is losing his illegal war, and has no way out of his illegal war,” Schumer wrote on X.
“His lack of strategy, discipline, and any ability to seriously negotiate is endangering our troops and raising prices for everyday Americans,” he said.
Donald Trump got us into an illegal war, is losing his illegal war, and has no way out of his illegal war.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 10, 2026
His lack of strategy, discipline, and any ability to seriously negotiate is endangering our troops and raising prices for everyday Americans.
Trump’s leadership is a… https://t.co/yn41W4KQmO
“Trump’s leadership is a complete and total failure. We must end this war and begin to repair the damage he has wrought,” he added.
Trump demands war reparations from Iran after Tehran called for compensation
05:45 , Maroosha MuzaffarDonald Trump has said he will demand war reparations from Iran for the deaths and injuries of US soldiers and civilians over decades.
He made the demand after Iranian negotiators called for compensation for the destruction caused by the war, which has killed thousands and severely damaged Iran’s military and economy.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts, for which they are famous, as led initially by Gen Soleimani, including the families of those killed on the USS Cole, and thousands of others killed in combat.
“Additionally, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protesters that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months.”
Catch up: Trump says ‘it always works out’ as plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz stalls
05:15 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump has declared that it “always works out” as he said the US will scale down the intensity of its efforts to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Talks to end their war and reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to have stalled, after Tehran demanded a series of conditions, including the payment of compensation, before it reopens the waterway.
"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," he told Axios. "It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game.”
Tehran is in negotiations with Oman to partially open up the Strait, but set out six conditions the US must meet, including a permanent end to the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq.
Trump used elaborate ruse to fly out of Turkey following summit because of Iran threat - report
04:45 , Maroosha MuzaffarDonald Trump secretly switched from Air Force One to a smaller military jet after last month’s Nato summit in Turkey amid an Iranian assassination threat, The Washington Post reported.
After publicly boarding an older Air Force One, Trump was reportedly moved via an airport catering truck to an Air Force C-32A and flown to the UK, while journalists were led to believe he remained on Air Force One.
The US has not independently confirmed the report.
“As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
During a gaggle with reporters aboard the aircraft, Trump was asked directly if there was any credible threats on Air Force One by Iran, according to the Associated Press.
“Well, I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list before you,” Trump said. He added to the travelling reporters, “But if I go, you go.”
Iran president says supreme leader shared message of ‘unity and cohesion’
04:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarIranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had a message of “unity and cohesion” during a recent meeting that lasted seven hours.
Pezeshkian said Khamenei, who hasn’t made an appearance since becoming supreme leader, was in perfect health.
On Monday, Khamenei’s office announced several key appointments, including the selection of a former wartime commander and veteran political insider to lead the country’s highest security body.
In pictures: Life goes on in Iran despite continued conflict with US
04:00 , James Reynolds
Reports claim Trump could end Iran war without nuclear agreement but people have come with receipts
03:00 , James ReynoldsReports suggest that US president Donald Trump could walk away from his Iran war without a nuclear deal – and some people are posting receipts.
Trump launched the US into a war with Iran in February of this year with a range of reasons cited for why. One rationale posed by Trump’s administration was that it was to keep Iran from having nuclear weapons, even as back in August 2025 it claimed to have done significant damage to Iran’s nuclear capabilities via strikes.
Read the full story on Indy100:
Reports claim Trump could end Iran war without nuclear deal but people have receipts
The forgotten Iranians caught in the deadly stalemate of Trump’s war
02:00 , James ReynoldsThis article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Persian
“We’re constantly terrified by the sound of explosions. The electricity and water keep being cut off. We are without jobs and have no food. It feels like no one is coming to help the people of southern Iran. We don’t want war.”
These remarks reflect dozens of messages and firsthand accounts received by Independent Persian from residents of the southern provinces of Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan and Sistan and Baluchestan.
With intermittent US military strikes on southern Iran in recent weeks under a very precarious ceasefire, residents say they are now grappling not only with the threat of explosions but also prolonged power outages, water cuts, internet disruptions, shuttered businesses and a complete lack of meaningful government support.
Read more here:
The forgotten Iranians caught in the deadly stalemate of Trump’s war
Recap: Trump demands compensation from Iran in snub to latest demands
01:00 , James ReynoldsAfter Iran on Saturday demanded the US meet six new conditions, including compensation for the war, before they reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump on Monday indicated he was surprised by the terms - and demanded compensation from Iran.
“I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict ... even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!” he wrote on Truth Social.
“But it is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran ...”
He concluded: “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.”
Hopes of reopening the Strait appeared less likely in light of the post.
What to make of Trump's claims for compensation from Iran
Monday 10 August 2026 23:37 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump on Monday responded to Iran's conditions for a peace deal with his own demands that Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests, in a rhetorical escalation likely to complicate efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Iran had never mentioned such terms in their prior meetings. But the Iranian demands were largely in line with the terms of a preliminary peace deal signed in June, which has since broken down.
Referring to Tehran's crackdown on demonstrations in late 2025 and 2026, he also said Iran had killed some 52,000 protesters. The US based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) put the figure closer to 6,500 in February.
Trump also said Iran should compensate families of the 17 U.S. sailors killed in an October 2000 attack in Yemen on the naval vessel USS Cole, which has been blamed on al Qaeda, not Iran.
While Washington continues to insist a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is coming, Iran says its terms must be met first. Also, an agreement with Oman would give Tehran more leverage over the key waterway than it had before the war began, further complicating future talks with the US.
Comment: Trump has lost his war on geography in the Strait of Hormuz. What now?
Monday 10 August 2026 23:00 , James ReynoldsSolving the Hormuz issue without creating a dangerous precedent has become an impossible task, says Anchal Vohra.
If Iran can blackmail the global community into paying for safe passage, what's stopping the Houthis from blocking Bab al-Mandab, the vital 20-mile-wide“Gate of Tears" located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, or anyone else?
Trump might still sing his own praises, but diplomats across the world are holding their heads in their hands, waiting for him to leave the White House and hoping for someone reasonable to come to power:
Trump has lost his war on geography in the Strait of Hormuz. What now?
Trump says Iran responsible for regional wars
Monday 10 August 2026 22:24 , James ReynoldsQuoting his own post on Truth Social, Donald Trump goes on to blame Iran for the casualties inflicted by regional wars.
Catch up: Trump reportedly considers walking away from Iran without nuclear deal
Monday 10 August 2026 22:00 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump is taking a wait-and-see approach to Iran as negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and permanently end the war appear to have once again stalled following reports that the president is reportedly considering walking away from the conflict without securing a nuclear deal.
“We are low keying it,” Trump told Axios on Sunday, claiming the U.S. strategy will eventually “work out.”
“We are only semi-negotiating with them,” he added. “We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money.”
Catch up:
Trump ‘low-keying it’ with Iran after report says he’d walk away without nuclear deal
What are Iran's six demands of the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
Monday 10 August 2026 21:00 , James ReynoldsIran’s top security official has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain shut until the US meets six demands, including compensation for the war.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, laid out Iran’s terms in a statement on Saturday.
In his words, these were:
1. Never, and in no language, threaten Iran or insult the sanctities of this nation.
2. Permanently end the war and aggression against Iran and Iran’s allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
3. Lift the naval blockade and withdraw its military forces (naval and air) from around Iran.
4. Pay in full, without any reduction, the damages caused to Iran by the two wars of aggression and imposition.
5. Lift the unjust and illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation.
6. Unconditionally release the blocked and stolen assets of the Iranian people.
