2026 Iran War: 2026-08-26

In an interview with Glenn Beck cited by CBS News via B92, President Donald Trump said mines have been cleared and the Strait of Hormuz is "very functional," with oil moving despite occasional drones or missiles. He also said he does not believe Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is dead, adding that Khamenei was "very seriously wounded."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a cabinet-released video that he told President Trump in the Oval Office about three options on Iran: diplomacy, military action, and intensifying a siege. He said he recommended the siege track and linked Trump's newly expanded sanctions to that approach, according to Times of Israel reporting carried by B92.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tehran and Muscat agreed on each country's share of Strait of Hormuz waters and related revenues, with results acceptable to both sides, according to Sepah/Bloomberg reporting via B92. The statement follows yesterday's Iran-Oman talks on a temporary transit framework; Iranian officials still say the arrangement does not mean the strait is fully open.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told counterparts that Washington currently does not plan new offensive strikes on Iran, while not ruling out force if Tehran renews hostilities, according to reporting carried by B92. Officials said the secondary sanctions package announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to remain in place at least through the US midterm elections in early November, after which a broader military campaign could again be considered.

Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran and Oman agreed a temporary Strait of Hormuz transit corridor about seven miles wide, with entry and part of the exit running through Iranian territorial waters. He said the waterway will not be treated as open until the United States meets June MoU commitments, including sanctions relief. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said he hoped the corridor would be announced soon after talks with Abbas Araghchi in Tehran.

Iranian agency Tasnim, citing a well-informed Tehran source, said Iran wants the United States to return to the June memorandum of understanding and implement its provisions, including Article 5 on Hormuz arrangements. The source said Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir’s Tehran visit was meant to open negotiating space and pass Iranian conditions to Washington, not deliver a US threat. Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were positive and made significant progress.