Event: UN

Is the strait of Hormuz, recently cited by the office of the Iranian supreme leader as “the pillar of Iran’s new security order”, and as transformative as possessing a nuclear weapon, in reality becoming a fast-diminishing asset, leaving Iran increasingly vulnerable to the new planned US wave of economic sanctions?It is the key debate that is raging inside Iran, with many different conclusions being drawn for Tehran’s negotiating strategy. Those who warn the strait’s value as a chokehold on the world economy will erode, leaving the country without foreign exchange reserves, argue that Iran’s negotiators should seek a deal soon.One analysis written by Hamid Paktinat, the founder of the Forum of Economic Activists, suggests the construction of alternative pipelines and export routes by Iran’s Gulf neighbours will halve the strait’s strategic value within three years.Those who worry about wasting assets inevitably set store by the separate visits this week to Tehran of Oman’s foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, and Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir. These two men are critical to renegotiating the terms for the reopening of the strait and the revival of the discarded memorandum of understanding agreed by the US and Iran in June.The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and the parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, have both recently made unusually blunt comments about the need to end the war – and the economic consequence of continuing it. Ghalibaf said that regardless of how much military power Iran possessed, “if people are hungry” and there was no economic growth, the country could not endure. Security, he argued, could not be sustained without a functioning economy. He added that, as someone with a military background, “we know the value of peace better than those who talk about peace”.Pezeshkian was even more blunt: “The war must end at some point,” he said.…

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi in Tehran, Iran, August 25, 2026. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry via Reuters. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaid met Tuesday (August 25, 2026) with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to discuss a framework for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.A joint statement by the two countries, located on opposite sides of the narrow strait, said the proposed framework includes a “joint temporary navigational corridor” and both countries working to clear mines from the waterway.The statement said Iran and Oman will continue technical negotiations toward establishing a permanent shipping corridor and an agreement on the future administration of the strait.About a fifth of the world's traded oil passed through the strait before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28.It's unknown whether the U.S. will accept the emerging deal. U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of American efforts to reopen the strait. Published - August 26, 2026 04:17 am IST

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly told Iraq’s chief justice Faiq Zaidan that Iraq can play a decisive role in shaping a new regional order, especially in the Gulf. “A new regional order is being created. The situation is sensitive and historic for Iran and Iraq. The fact that the American coalition forces are going to withdraw from Iraq is a historic honour for the Iraqi government and people,” Ghalibaf told Zaidan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Ghalibaf said the US started its war against Iran with “the intention of overthrowing the Islamic Republic and expanding American hegemony in West Asia and the Islamic world” and that Iran’s resistance has “clearly defeated” US war goals. “America lost the military and political war against Iran, and it will also fail in economic measures,” Ghalibaf reportedly told Zaidan.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a televised interview on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite a temporary transit agreement with Oman. “America and other countries should know that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened except through Iranian arrangements,” Gharibabadi said, adding that Iran remains “in a state of war”. Gharibabadi says Iran and Oman have held talks over the past 40 days on a transit arrangement through the waterway, agreeing on a temporary route seven miles (11 kilometres) wide, with the entry point and part of the exit route running through Iranian territorial waters. He said that activating the route agreed with Oman “means closing the southern route in the strait” that the US had opened “under pressure from Oman” - a move he said violated the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU). Gharibabadi said the proposed map for the route came from Iran’s armed forces, with negotiations on a permanent arrangement to follow, adding that the Iranian government had spoken to Pakistan, Oman and Qatar about these regional developments.

U.S. President Donald Trump. File | Photo Credit: AP U.S. President Donald Trump expressed outrage on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) at the mounting number of executions in Iran of people allegedly involved in mass protests earlier this year before the West Asia war began."The failing Islamic Republic of Iran is not paying large segments of their military, while at the same time killing protesters, even when they are not protesting, at levels not seen before," he wrote on Truth Social. "It is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, and must be stopped, NOW," he added.It was not immediately clear what new information had spurred the early morning post, but there has been a steady increase in executions since the outbreak of the war on February 28.The joint U.S.-Israeli strikes which kicked off the war came weeks after the violent quelling of mass protests in Iran.Rallies initially began in late December over outrage at the high cost of living, but rapidly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations that peaked on January 8 and 9.Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths, but attributed the violence to "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel. Rights groups based abroad recorded a far higher toll and said the security forces had fired on demonstrators.Earlier this month, more than 30 countries signed a joint letter condemning "in the strongest terms the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death penalty" by Iran. The United States, where capital punishment is still legal, did not sign the letter. Since then, at least three more people have been executed in Iran on charges related to the protests. Published - August 25, 2026 07:55 pm IST

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Tehran, Iran on August 24, 2026 | Photo Credit: Reuters Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has held "comprehensive discussions" with the Iranian leadership in Tehran, focusing on measures to prevent further escalation of the West Asia conflict and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the army's media wing said on Tuesday (August 25, 2026).The Army Chief, who was accompanied by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, concluded a day-long visit to Iran as part of Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts to break the deadlock in the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.It added that the visit was "part of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to end the stalemate in the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict and explore ways for achieving enduring peace and a permanent end to instability in the region”.The Army Chief called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Mohsen Rezaei, Representative of the Supreme Leader on the Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of Iran, and Eskandar Momeni, Minister of Interior of Iran."Comprehensive discussions focused on measures to prevent further escalation, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and expedited termination of the conflict,” the statement said.The Strait of Hormuz is a 55-km-wide narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, separating the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea.It is one of the busiest and most strategically significant shipping routes in the world, as a fifth of global oil passed through it before the conflict began on February 28.The discussions between leaders from Pakistan and Iran also covered regional peace and possible ways to reach a negotiated settlement to the disputes, the statement said.The Iranian leadership appreciated Pakistan's "constructive role” in facilitating dialogue, de-escalation and a peaceful resolution…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres offered on Monday to facilitate the transit of fertiliser through the Strait of Hormuz which has been disrupted as a result of the US-Israel war on Iran. “The purpose is simple: to reduce immediate risks, support more orderly and predictable transit and help rebuild the confidence necessary for diplomacy and de-escalation,” he said at a news conference. Guterres said the UN “would not authorise passage” through the strait or “alter the rights or obligations” of states under international law, but rather serve as a “neutral facilitator”, registering and verifying ships carrying fertiliser and related products. “Of course, it can only be done if the countries that are involved in this conflict all agree to accept the mechanism,” Guterres said, which would be coordinated by Oman.