One of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s advisers declared Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Tehran demands are met.
Mohammad Mokhber also invoked the Carter-era Iran hostage crisis in an apparent warning to President Donald Trump on X.
“Every time the enemy breaches its commitments and resorts to war again, it will face harsher conditions and greater resilience than before,” Mokhber said in a post on X.
“This time too, the punishment of the aggressor continues, and the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until Iran's conditions are met,” he added, before stating that those who do not learn from the past will “become a lesson for the future.”
Mokhber ended the post with the hashtags #Carter and #Trump.
The reference appeared to invoke the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, during which 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days, a crisis that dominated the final 14 months of President Jimmy Carter's term.
A U.S. Navy helicopter fired on a Panama-flagged vessel after it attempted to bypass the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports Tuesday, U.S. Central Command confirmed.
"Earlier today, CENTCOM forces disabled the steering gear of Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova as the cargo vessel attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman and violate the U.S. blockade against Iran by sailing toward an Iranian port," the command said in a post shared on X.
CENTCOM added that a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter had fired two hellfire missiles into the Vela Nova’s engine room after the ship’s civilian crew "ignored repeated warnings from American forces."
The ship is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the U.S. blockade, which remains in full effect.
"As of Aug. 11, CENTCOM has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled 3 non-compliant vessels, and boarded 2," it said before adding that its forces operating in the Middle East are "highly vigilant, lethal, and ready."
An Iranian military spokesman claimed Tuesday that Tehran has fully restored missile stockpiles depleted during the war, while boasting its forces are now more powerful.
“We have replenished all the missile stockpiles used during the war and regained a level of power even greater than before the conflict,” Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a post on X.
“Our military capability far exceeds your figures and statistics,” he said.
In a separate post Tuesday, Zolfaghari claimed Persian Gulf leaders had traveled to Tehran over for talks on trade disputes, while criticizing the nations for hosting U.S. military forces.
“Over the past month, leaders from Persian Gulf states have repeatedly visited Tehran to resolve their trade issues,” he claimed, before stating that the talks will “solve your problem only ‘temporarily.’”
“The real solution is to expel the U.S. military from your territory!” he added.
{{#rendered}}Six people were killed Tuesday after Houthi rebels fired three ballistic missiles at a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to The Associated Press.
The dead included four crew members and two members of the government-allied National Resistance Forces, Yemen’s coast guard said.
Reports of fresh attacks on shipping in the Red Sea emerged as Yemen’s Transport Ministry said earlier in the day that people were killed in a suspected strike by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.
According to Reuters, the vessel, the Tihamah, is a small Egyptian-owned cargo vessel that was traversing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the attack, the outlet said.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also said that authorities were investigating reports of an unknown projectile striking the vessel midship and added that there were "multiple crew fatalities and injuries reported."
"Yemini authorities assisted and reported coming under fire," the UKTMO said.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright says oil is continuing to flow through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran's efforts to close the trade artery.
Wright wrote in a post on X that oil was passing through Hormuz at roughly half of its normal rate of 20 million barrels a day.
"Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the U.S. military and our gulf allies, the seven-day average for oil leaving the Strait of Hormuz is currently up to almost 9 million barrels per day," Wright wrote.
"When combined with the additional 5-7 million barrels per day leaving the region via newly upgraded pipelines and export facilities, total oil flows are currently averaging approximately 15 million barrels per day," he continued.
"On Sunday alone, over 20 million barrels left the Arabian gulf region, which is above the pre-conflict average," he added.
Senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich offered new details on President Donald Trump's apparent decision to switch planes to evade a potential threat from Iran last month.
The White House has not denied reports that Trump was smuggled off of Air Force One via a catering truck and taken to a smaller military jet during his departure from a NATO conference in Turkey last month.
Reports say the U.S. had received credible intelligence about a potential Iranian plot targeting the president during his visit to Turkey.
{{#rendered}}Former CENTCOM Intel Director Lt. Gen. Karen Gibson joined "America’s Newsroom" on Tuesday to analyze U.S.-Iran geopolitical tensions as well as President Donald Trump’s latest demands to bring peace in the region.
Gibson warned that despite claims that the U.S. and Iran could be close to a deal, it remains his opinion that the two parties are "far apart" in talks.
Ret. Gen. Jack Keane discusses the latest developments in the U.S.-Iran conflict on Fox News, saying that he doesn't think U.S. negotiators fully understand where Iran stands on the conflict.
Keane argued there is no way Iran will abide by any of the agreements it makes with President Donald Trump's administration in the coming days or weeks.
Iran is demanding concessions from the U.S. as Strait of Hormuz tensions escalate on Tuesday.
U.S. experts like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described Tehran's list of demands as "maximalist," and a complete non-starter for the U.S.
Among the list are huge payments to Iran for damage from the war, as well as a demand that the U.S. withdraw all of its forces from bases across the Middle East.
{{#rendered}}Senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane (Ret) warned President Donald Trump that Iran will not honor any deal they make to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Keane made the statement during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News as the U.S. and Iran continue to trade demands over a peace agreement.
President Donald Trump responded to Iran's list of demands in talks this week with his own demand that Tehran pay reparations for the decades of damage the regime has caused throughout the Middle East.
Trump made the statement on Monday after Tehran issued its own demands for the U.S. to pay Iran for damage sustained throughout this year's war.
President Donald Trump said Iran's leaders are "devious negotiators" on Tuesday as his administration continues to attempt to reach a peace agreement with Tehran.
"They're very devious negotiators because they'll agree to something, then they'll go out and tell the press that they never agreed to it. They're very dishonest people," Trump said in a clip shared by the White House.
{{#rendered}}A catering truck was spotted near Air Force One on Tuesday following reports that President Donald Trump's security used a similar vehicle to smuggle him out of Air Force One during his return trip from a NATO summit in Turkey last month.
A trade vessel was struck with an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations confirmed.
The UKMTO said it received reports of casualties from the incident, but did not say what flag the vessel was sailing under nor did it share the ship's name.
The incident comes after Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have increasingly harassed shipping in the Red Sea, specifically targeting Saudi Arabian vessels.
Israel has taken delivery of its most advanced and expensive submarine from Germany, expanding its fleet amid escalating regional threats, according to reports.
The handover of the INS Drakon is expected to significantly bolster Israel's underwater strike and reconnaissance capabilities, The Algemeiner reported. The warship had been scheduled to be delivered in 2025.
A statement following the submarine's naming ceremony in Kiel in 2024 said the INS Drakon is of the Dolphin AIP class and "equipped with unique systems, including groundbreaking technologies that expand the range of the IDF's capabilities across various arenas."
Built specifically for the Israeli Navy by Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), the submarine is said to provide a vital sea-based layer of "deterrence and retribution," amid the war with Iran, defense analysts say.
Dr. Ehud Eilam, an Israeli national security expert and former researcher for Israel’s Ministry of Defense, told Fox News Digital that maintaining a continuous undersea presence is paramount for the nation's national survival.
"Some of them would have to be at sea, on high alert, around the clock, if Iran suddenly attacked Israel in such a way that would cripple the IDF, including its strategic capabilities," Eilam said.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Emma Bussey.
{{#rendered}}
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Iran's demands from the U.S. show that the regime in Tehran is not "remotely close" to accepting a long term peace agreement with the U.S.
Pompeo made the statement during an appearance on Fox News, saying Iran has an incentive to frustrate negotiations ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
"They're fully aware that there's an election coming up, and they fully want to make President Trump lose that election," Pompeo said. "They've had no president that's taken down their military this way. No previous president, Republican or Democrat, has been prepared to do that."
Pompeo went on to say that he is convinced the U.S. will have to "ratchet up the pressure" against Iran in the long run.
President Donald Trump is signaling, at least for now, he is prepared to let mounting economic pressure on Iran do more of the work rather than immediately expand military action against Tehran.
"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," Trump told Axios’ Barak Ravid in a phone interview Sunday. Axios reported Aug. 9 that Trump described the U.S. approach as "low-keying it" and said Iran was in severe economic distress and struggling to pay its troops.
Trump has argued that the U.S. naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz has compounded Iran’s financial crisis. His comments come after weeks in which the administration repeatedly raised the possibility of renewed large-scale military action.
But as the administration increasingly points to Iran’s financial distress as leverage, a more complicated question is emerging: How much of Iran’s economic crisis is the result of U.S. sanctions, the war and blockade — and how much stems from decades of corruption, economic mismanagement and spending decisions by the Islamic Republic itself?
Trump reinforced the message on Truth Social Sunday, writing that Iran had shown "51 years of bad behaviour" while sharing a graphic depicting the Iranian rial’s steep decline. The graphic was titled "Iran has NO MONEY" and described the currency as "trash."
The economic pressure is increasingly visible in the daily lives of ordinary Iranians. An investigation published by the Iranian newspaper Jahan-e Sanat last week described supermarket workers encountering customers who allegedly shoplifted basic groceries including bread, cheese and meat, or ate packaged food inside stores because they could no longer afford it. The accounts offered a stark glimpse of the strain on Iranian households as prices rise and purchasing power erodes.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Efrat Lachter.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei formally appointed six senior military commanders Monday, cementing a wartime reshuffle as Tehran rebuilds a command structure impacted by months of U.S. and Israeli strikes.
The appointments, announced by Khamenei’s office and promoted on social media, fill posts across Iran’s armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary force, with a counterterrorism expert warning the timing and language of the decrees signal Tehran is preparing for "prolonged confrontation" and not a settlement with Washington.
"Strategically, the announcements made were issued in English, on X, while Iranian and Omani negotiators finalize the coordinates of a proposed shipping route through Hormuz, which is deliberate sequencing," Dr. Omar Mohammed, director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, told Fox News Digital.
"Tehran is establishing its command structure as a fact on the ground before it signs anything."
Mohammed also pointed to language in the appointment announcements blaming the deaths of predecessors on what Iran called the "Zionist-American enemy."
"That phrase, in formal state documents, codifies the United States as a co-belligerent," Mohammed said.
Khamenei appointed Ali Abdollahi as chief of staff of the armed forces and Kioumars Heydari as his deputy. He also formally named Ahmad Vahidi commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, promoting him to the rank of major general.
Mostafa Izadi was named deputy IRGC commander, Ali Azmaei as commander of the IRGC Navy and Hossein Taeb as commander of the Basij.
Mohammed said Vahidi was also instructed to maintain readiness for "powerful offensive operations against the enemy," by the Supreme Leader, while Abdollahi was tasked with completing the integration of the General Staff into the Khatam al-Anbiya wartime joint command.
{{#rendered}}The Pentagon is preparing a dramatic course correction after years of purchasing key missile-defense interceptors in relatively modest numbers — even as China built up the world's largest arsenal of conventional ballistic and cruise missiles and the U.S. increasingly focused on the threat of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific.
Following a string of missile-heavy conflicts, U.S. air defenses have been used repeatedly to protect Israel, American forces in the Middle East and Navy ships in the Red Sea, drawing down some of the Pentagon's most sophisticated and difficult-to-replace munitions.
The Pentagon's abrupt course correction raises a question that has taken on new urgency after years of missile-intensive warfare: Why did the U.S. wait so long to build deeper interceptor magazines?
The Army's fiscal 2027 budget, reviewed by Fox News Digital, calls for a massive increase in purchases of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, part of a broader effort to rapidly expand a munitions industrial base that cannot be scaled overnight.
The shift is particularly striking when compared with what the military was buying only a few years ago.
The budget documents show PAC-3 MSE procurement at 230 missiles in fiscal 2024 and 214 in fiscal 2025. The same FY2026 budget book shows the Army Requirements Oversight Council had increased its acquisition objective for the missile from 3,376 to 13,773 in April 2025 — more than quadrupling the requirement.
"The problem is 25 years of not buying enough munitions," retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.
PAC-3 MSE and THAAD are among the military's most important defenses against ballistic missile attacks. Patriot batteries provide shorter-range protection for troops, air bases and other critical assets, while THAAD is designed to intercept ballistic missiles at higher altitudes and greater distances, giving commanders another layer of defense against incoming attacks.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Morgan Phillips.
President Donald Trump on Monday demanded that Iran compensate Americans killed or seriously wounded in attacks he blamed on Tehran, while also calling for payments to the families of Iranian protesters killed by the regime.
The president also said he had instructed his representatives to raise his compensation demands in any future negotiations with Iran.
Trump’s remarks came after senior Iranian officials demanded compensation from Washington as part of Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
"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 (started because, THEY WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON), even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump also called Iran’s request for compensation "an interesting idea" before saying he was also 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 General 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 protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months," he wrote.
"I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any and all future negotiations," Trump wrote.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Emma Bussey.
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