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Iran war

Diplomacy & politics

Talks, statements, sanctions, nuclear policy, and government decisions.

340 entries, newest first; showing 151–180. Show all updates

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Sunday, August 16, 20261 entry

  1. 5:39 PM in New York

    Trump orders a cut in U.S.-South Korea drills, citing Iran

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C.

    Trump wrote that he had ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to 'substantially reduce' the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with South Korea, calling them costly and hostile toward North Korea, and added that South Korea had said 'No thanks!' when he asked it to join 'the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' He called the two issues 'somewhat unrelated.'

    Why it matters The drills are a core part of the U.S.-South Korea alliance; Japan said the next day that security cooperation with Washington and Seoul was 'critical' for regional stability.

    Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, CBS News, CBS News (2)

Saturday, August 15, 20261 entry

  1. 10:13 AM in Qatar

    Iran says Qatar has held three of its pilots since March; Qatar denies it

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsQatar

    Gen. Mohammad Bagherzadeh, who leads the Iranian armed forces' missing-persons committee, wrote to the Red Cross that Qatari forces captured three Iranian pilots, whom he named, after two Su-24 bombers were downed attacking the U.S. base at Al Udeid in March. Qatar's foreign ministry 'categorically' denied detaining them, said its search teams recovered remains and coordinated handing over one pilot's body, and said Iran never answered an April invitation to be briefed.

    Why it matters The dispute adds friction with Qatar, one of the main mediators between Washington and Tehran, at a time when Doha was relaying messages between the two.

    Sources: Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, CBS News (2)

Friday, August 14, 20263 entries

  1. 1:00 AM in Tehran, Aug 15

    Iran says Hormuz 'cannot be seized by tweet' after Trump's territory remark

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsTehran, Iran

    Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote that the strait 'cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech,' that it 'has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian,' and that it 'will only be closed and opened under Iran's command.' Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei called Trump's remark 'ravings.'

    Why it matters Gharibabadi also said Iran would keep enforcing its own blockade of the strait until Washington accepted 'the reality of defeat.'

    Sources: Islamic Republic News Agency, Al Jazeera, CBS News, CBS News (2)

  2. 2:37 PM in New York

    AP details Austria and Greece joining informal U.S.-Iran outreach

    ReportedDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C.

    AP reported that the Austrian and Greek foreign ministers spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after separate contacts with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The State Department said Iran was discussed but denied asking either country to carry messages, so the contacts do not amount to formal mediation.

    Why it matters The outreach adds European nuclear-diplomacy and shipping interests to the stalled talks, but without a trusted mediator or agreed framework it remains pressure for renewed negotiations rather than a breakthrough.

    Source: Associated Press

  3. 8:00 PM in Beirut

    Hezbollah's Qassem says the government is humiliating the army under the Israel framework

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBeirut, Lebanon

    Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Lebanese authorities were exposing the army to 'ongoing humiliation' and Israeli pressure by implementing the June framework with Israel, rejected a proposed verification committee over the army's deployment, and said the authorities were 'targeting the resistance instead of targeting the enemy.' He again rejected the framework and Hezbollah's disarmament.

    Why it matters Washington said it would host a new round of Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome in early September, but Hezbollah still rejects disarming, the core of the framework.

    Sources: The Times of Israel, Al Jazeera

Thursday, August 13, 20262 entries

  1. 11:00 PM in Riyadh

    15 countries sign on to the Saudi-led maritime defense alliance at a Jeddah meeting

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsJeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Arabia hosted the third planning meeting of the Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance in Jeddah with 39 countries, its defense ministry said. Fifteen have signed the joint statement and 13 have completed national procedures, signed the alliance charter and announced their accession, with the rest still finalizing.

    Why it matters The alliance, which Saudi Arabia leads and named a commander for the week before, is aimed at protecting shipping through Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where Houthi attacks have hit Saudi-linked ships.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera (2)

  2. 4:30 PM in Jerusalem

    Katz says Israel will stay in south Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsOccupied West Bank

    Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army would 'not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed and the threat of Hezbollah in all of Lebanon is not removed,' and that he had told it to prepare for 'an extended presence' there. He spoke at a ceremony for a settlement in the occupied West Bank, Reuters reported.

    Why it matters Lebanon has been pressing for a timetable for Israeli withdrawal under the June framework; Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem accused the Lebanese government the next day of targeting 'the resistance' instead of the occupation.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera (2)

Monday, August 10, 20262 entries

  1. 9:06 PM in Tehran

    Khamenei names a new IRGC chief and army chief of staff and merges two top commands

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsTehran, Iran

    Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei made six senior military appointments, formally naming Ahmad Vahidi commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards and Ali Abdollahi chief of staff of the armed forces in place of Abdolrahim Mousavi. His decree also ordered the merger of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters with the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

    Why it matters Together with Mohsen Rezaei's appointment to the security council the day before, the changes put veteran IRGC commanders in Iran's top military and security posts; Khamenei has not been seen in public since succeeding his father.

    Sources: CBS News, CBS News (2), CBS News (3)

  2. 8:11 AM in New York

    Trump answers Iran's compensation demand with a U.S. compensation demand of his own

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C.

    After Iran's security council made war compensation a condition for reopening the strait, Trump wrote that he was 'likewise demanding compensation from Iran' for people killed and wounded by its 'roadside bombs,' the 17 sailors killed on the USS Cole and protesters killed in Iran, and later added damages in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Gaza. He said he had told his negotiators to put this 'firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.'

    Why it matters Iran rejected the demand the next day; the counter-claims pushed the two sides further from the quick Hormuz deal both had described a week earlier.

    Sources: Associated Press live report, Associated Press sanctions analysis, CBS News, CBS News (2), CNN, CBS News (3)

Sunday, August 9, 20262 entries

  1. 9:47 PM in Tehran

    Khamenei appoints ex-IRGC chief Mohsen Rezaei to lead Iran's security council

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsTehran, Iran

    Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed Mohsen Rezaei, his military adviser and a former Revolutionary Guards commander, as his representative to and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, replacing Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who took the post in March after Ali Larijani was killed and becomes a political adviser.

    Why it matters Analyst Vali Nasr told CNN Rezaei has far more authority with the IRGC than his predecessor and called the move a tightening of Khamenei's control ahead of any deal with the U.S.

    Sources: CNN, CBS News, CNN (2)

  2. 1:21 PM in New York

    Trump says the U.S. is 'low-keying' Iran talks and only 'semi-negotiating'

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C., United States

    Trump told Axios by phone, 'We are low-keying it. We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,' adding that Tehran cannot pay its soldiers and that 'it's like a chess game.'

    Why it matters The comments came a day after Iran's security council set new conditions for reopening the strait, and signal Washington shifting weight from strikes to economic pressure.

    Sources: Axios, CNN, CBS News

Saturday, August 8, 20261 entry

  1. 9:25 PM in Tehran

    Iran's security council says Hormuz stays shut until the U.S. 'corrects its behavior'

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsTehran, Iran

    In a statement by secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr on state TV, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the Strait of Hormuz will not open until the U.S. "corrects its behavior," demanding a permanent end to the war including against Iran's allies, lifting of the naval blockade, withdrawal of U.S. forces, full war compensation, sanctions relief and release of frozen assets.

    Why it matters The list turned terms Iran had sought for a final peace deal into preconditions for merely reopening the strait.

    Sources: Fox News, The Times of Israel, Fortune

Friday, August 7, 20262 entries

  1. 7:27 PM in New York

    Treasury sanctions Iran's Shahr Bank, Dubai exchange houses and two crypto exchanges

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C., United States

    OFAC designated Shahr Bank and two Dubai-based exchange houses, Titan Exchange and Alps International, which it said helped retrieve oil revenue for the National Iranian Oil Company and other exporters, in its eighth action this year against Iran's shadow banking. In a separate action it sanctioned two digital asset exchanges and the head of a network of front companies it said laundered funds for the IRGC.

    Why it matters Both actions target how Iran repatriates oil money; the State Department also offered up to $15 million for information disrupting IRGC finances.

    Sources: U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Department of the Treasury (2), CBS News

  2. 2:01 PM in Riyadh

    Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey sign a mutual defense pact in Mecca

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsMecca, Saudi Arabia

    Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed an agreement under which 'any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all.' Iranian lawmakers said a 'paper agreement' would not give Saudi Arabia security.

    Why it matters It binds nuclear-armed Pakistan and NATO member Turkey to Saudi Arabia's defense while the kingdom faces Houthi attacks and drones launched from Iraq.

    Sources: CBS News, CNN, CBS News (2)

Wednesday, August 5, 20261 entry

  1. 7:37 PM in Tehran

    Iran says it and Oman have agreed the coordinates of a new Hormuz shipping route

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsTehran, Iran

    Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said 'the geographical coordinates of the route envisaged by the two sides have been agreed upon' and a joint statement was in final drafting 'if certain third parties do not obstruct the process.' Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the corridors would partly pass through Iranian waters, run for two to four months or longer, and need a separate decision by Iran's leadership.

    Why it matters Tehran said the route alone would not reopen the strait while the U.S. naval blockade continues; sources told CBS it could let the U.S. and Iran return to talks under the June memorandum.

    Sources: CBS News, CBS News (2), CNN

Tuesday, August 4, 20262 entries

  1. 8:49 PM in Tehran

    Iran says Oman talks are going well; Qatar says draft deal texts are circulating

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsTehran, Iran

    Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said talks with Oman on inbound and outbound shipping routes were assessed positively at technical and political levels. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman said drafts of a possible U.S.-Iran agreement were 'being circulated' but that no direct talks were scheduled, and an Iranian source told CBS the proposal has ships enter on the Iranian side and leave on the Omani side, with a service fee split between the two.

    Why it matters Qatar said any future arrangement for the strait must be agreed by all affected regional states, a warning against an Iran-Oman deal that sidelines the Gulf.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, CNN, CNN (2), CBS News

  2. 8:33 AM in New York

    Bessent says a Hormuz deal could come 'today or tomorrow'; Rubio says 'not finality yet'

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C., United States

    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC 'there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow' on the strait because Iran's air force, navy and much of its missile force were 'wiped out.' Later Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is 'involved in' the Iran-Oman talks, that 'there's been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet,' and that denuclearization is 'the ultimate deal' while the strait is 'the immediate deal.'

    Why it matters It was the first U.S. account to match Tehran's that the live channel runs through Oman, though Iran still denied any direct talks with Washington.

    Sources: CBS News, ABC News, CBS News (2), CBS News (3), CBS News (4), CNN

Monday, August 3, 20262 entries

  1. 2:24 PM in New York

    Trump calls talks Iran's 'last chance' and warns of 'decapitation'

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C., United States

    In the Oval Office Trump said Gulf states had asked him to give diplomacy 'a last chance. This is a last chance,' adding, 'I want to give them every last chance before decapitation.' He said the Strait of Hormuz could open fully by Tuesday as 'phase one,' with denuclearization to follow, and that he would not let Iran charge ships for transit.

    Why it matters U.S. officials told CBS no new negotiations were actually scheduled, and Tehran said its only talks were with Oman.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, CNN, CBS News, Al Jazeera (2), CBS News (2)

  2. 11:00 AM in Tehran

    Iran says it is not negotiating with the U.S., only with Oman on a Hormuz route

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsTehran, Iran

    Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a news conference that 'we are not negotiating with the United States at this time' and that Iran's talks with Oman, under way for 7-8 days, aim at a temporary safe route through the Strait of Hormuz and had made some progress. He said a route deal with Oman would not by itself reopen the strait while U.S. attacks continue; a day earlier he said the strait 'will in no way return to the status it was before February 28th.'

    Why it matters It contradicted Trump's statement the day before that negotiations would begin on Monday afternoon; U.S. officials also told CBS no new negotiations were planned.

    Sources: The Spokesman-Review, The Washington Post, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera (2), CBS News, CBS News (2), Al Jazeera (3)

Saturday, August 1, 20261 entry

  1. 10:21 PM in New York

    Trump calls off a planned attack on Iran, saying the 'perimeters of a deal' are agreed

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C., United States

    Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran 'and other Middle Eastern Countries' had asked him to hold off because 'the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to,' and that he would cancel the attack 'subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL' including the full reopening of Hormuz and 'an end to Iran's nuclear threat.' The next day he said negotiations would begin Monday and that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar had asked him to call it off; Iranian state-linked media denied Tehran had asked for anything, and acting Defence Minister Majid Ebn-e-Reza said the pullback was made 'within the context of psychological operations and a war of calculations.'

    Why it matters A regional mediator said the proposal would reopen the strait and halt attacks in exchange for lifting the U.S. blockade, but Iran's foreign ministry said its Hormuz understanding with Oman did not by itself mean the strait would reopen.

    Sources: ABC News, CBS News, CNN, CNN (2), Al Jazeera, CNN (3), CBS News (2)

Thursday, July 30, 20261 entry

  1. 8:13 PM in Riyadh

    14 countries back a Saudi-led 'Maritime Defense Alliance' to protect shipping

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsRiyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia issued a joint statement backing a multinational alliance to protect shipping routes, after a meeting attended by military chiefs and representatives of 43 countries and an EU delegation. Saudi Arabia is to found and lead the alliance and host its headquarters.

    Why it matters The UAE and Oman were not among the 14 backers; other participants said they were still completing domestic approval procedures.

    Sources: CNN, CNN (2)

Wednesday, July 29, 20262 entries

  1. 11:19 AM in New York

    U.S. sanctions IRGC-backed firms selling mandatory 'insurance' for Hormuz transits

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C., United States

    Treasury designated the Persian Gulf Marine Insurance Company and HormuzSafe Marine Services Authority, which it said sell IRGC-approved policies ships must buy to cross the strait, covering risks such as seizures that Iran itself creates, with payment accepted in digital assets. It also sanctioned eight companies operating shadow-fleet tankers that carried Iranian oil and petrochemicals to China and the UAE.

    Why it matters The action targets the revenue side of Iran's claim to manage the strait; OFAC said it has sanctioned more than 100 shadow-fleet vessels this year.

    Sources: U.S. Department of the Treasury, CNN, CBS News

  2. 6:10 PM in Tehran

    Pezeshkian urges Iranians to 'stand firm' against the enemy

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsTehran, Iran

    President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Iranians to 'fight the enemy and stand firm against them so that we do not submit to injustice and oppression,' IRNA reported, adding that Iran had shown 'a unique model of resistance.'

    Why it matters He spoke a day after CENTCOM said the IRGC fired ballistic missiles at U.S. forces and as Trump promised to hit Iran 'very hard.'

    Sources: Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera (2)

Tuesday, July 28, 20261 entry

  1. 10:57 AM in New York

    Trump and Netanyahu meet at the White House for the first time since the Iran war began

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C., United States

    Netanyahu arrived at 10:57 a.m. ET and met Trump for a little over an hour, with Vance, Rubio and Hegseth present, right after Trump met Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy. An Israeli source called the talks 'extremely positive' and said both reaffirmed that Iran must never have nuclear weapons; beforehand Trump said of Iran's Pickaxe Mountain site, 'I don't need Bibi to tell me that.'

    Why it matters Israel had stayed out of the July fighting; its defense minister said the same day that Washington was not approving Israeli strikes on Iranian energy targets.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, CNN, CBS News, CBS News (2), CNN (2)

Monday, July 27, 20261 entry

  1. 12:44 PM in New York

    Trump says Tehran asked for the pause; Iran says no talks exist

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsAboard Air Force One, United States

    Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the U.S. halted strikes because Iran asked: "They asked us very nicely, 'Please stop, let's meet.'" Earlier that day Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said "We currently have no negotiations with the United States," describing talks with Oman on Hormuz traffic as Iran's only channel, while AP reported that Qatari and Pakistani mediators had made significant progress toward restarting U.S.-Iran talks.

    Why it matters Both governments are describing the same lull in incompatible terms, which makes the pause impossible to verify from either side's statements. The testable signal is not who asked whom, but whether the Omani channel produces a routing arrangement.

    Sources: CBS News, CNN, CBS News (2), CBS News (3)

Friday, July 24, 20265 entries

  1. 12:53 PM in New York

    Treasury sanctions 13 more parts of financier Babak Zanjani's Iran network

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C., United States

    OFAC designated four individuals and nine entities in Babak Zanjani's sanctions-evasion network, including his Iran-based 'Dot One' conglomerate and companies outside Iran supporting his already-sanctioned Zedcex and Zedxion digital asset exchanges. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the regime is paying 'a steep economic price' with the rial at another record low.

    Why it matters Zanjani, once sentenced to death in Iran for embezzlement, has re-emerged as a regime-linked financier; the action targets gold, crypto and transport businesses Iran uses to move money abroad.

    Sources: U.S. Department of the Treasury, CBS News

  2. 6:21 PM in Brussels

    EU sanctions five Iranian judges and a hacking-group founder over rights abuses

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBrussels, Belgium

    The Council of the EU listed five judges of Iran's revolutionary courts who it said imposed death sentences, long prison terms and flogging on dissidents and religious minorities, and Nima Salehi, founder of the 'Ashiyane' cyber group, which it said works with Iran's cyber police and the IRGC.

    Why it matters The listings fall under the EU's human-rights regime, not war-related measures; EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas said the war should not distract from repression inside Iran.

    Sources: CBS News Live Updates, Council of the European Union Press Release, CBS News

  3. 11:50 AM in New York

    Trump says he takes Xi and Putin at their word that they are not arming Iran

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsWashington, D.C., United States

    Trump wrote on Truth Social that Xi Jinping told him in Beijing in May that China would not 'under any circumstances' supply weapons to Iran and that Vladimir Putin said the same, adding, 'I take him at his word.' Later on Friday he said, 'I trust them,' though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said China and Russia are 'enabling what Iran is doing' at different levels.

    Why it matters CBS has reported U.S. assessments that Russia gave Iran intelligence on U.S. positions and that China supplied satellite imagery; a day later Ukraine's president said Russia was helping Iran target U.S. bases.

    Sources: CBS News Live Updates, Truth Social post, CBS News, CBS News (2)

  4. 6:35 PM in Tehran

    Omani delegation arrives in Tehran for talks on managing Hormuz shipping traffic

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsTehran, Iran

    An Omani delegation arrived in Iran to discuss a framework 'to establish appropriate mechanisms for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,' IRNA reported. Iran's foreign ministry said several rounds were held on Friday and Saturday with some progress and proposals exchanged, and two regional sources told CBS the talks were moving in a positive direction but needed more time.

    Why it matters The United States and Gulf states reject any Iran-Oman arrangement that gives Tehran control of the strait; regional sources said U.S. strikes were paused so as not to disrupt the talks.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, CBS News, Al Jazeera (2)

  5. 12:45 PM in Bishkek

    Araghchi warns countries that help U.S. attacks on Iran they will be held responsible

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsKyrgyzstan

    Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation foreign ministers' meeting in Kyrgyzstan, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said 'any participation, cooperation or assistance in committing aggression against Iran will create international responsibility for the relevant parties,' and that Iran reserves the right to take all necessary measures in self-defence.

    Why it matters Tehran was already striking U.S. facilities in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain on the argument that any base used against Iran is a legitimate target.

    Sources: CBS News, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera (2)

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