New posts
09:06
Iranian President Rejects Resignation Rumors
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said in a video published by several Iranian news agencies that he has no intention of resigning, dismissing weeks of speculation about his political future.
In the video, Pezeshkian said that if he ever decided to step down, he would announce it officially.
“For now, I will stand firm,” he said.
He also rejected speculation of a rift between himself and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, saying: “They want to create the impression that there is a disagreement. The leader says one thing, and they claim I say something else.”
The video, titled Report to the People, is expected to be released in full in the coming days.
Since the reported killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes on February 28 and the announcement of his son as his successor, unconfirmed reports have circulated that Pezeshkian was preparing to resign.
More recently, Mohammad Baqer Kharazi, secretary-general of the Hezbollah Iran party and the brother-in-law of Masud Khamenei, another of Ali Khamenei’s sons, claimed Mojtaba Khamenei had “officially and publicly warned” that if Pezeshkian submitted another resignation, it would be accepted.
Kharazi did not say when or to whom the supreme leader had allegedly made the warning.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since being announced as his father’s successor. Apart from several written statements attributed to him, no verified video or audio recordings of him have been released.
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
07:06
UKMTO Says Cargo Vessel Struck In Strait Of Hormuz
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre said a cargo vessel has been struck by an “unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman.
Issuing a warning about the incident, which was reported at 10 p.m. UTC on August 3, the monitor said “UKMTO has received a report of an incident 20NM northeast of Al Khasab, Oman. A cargo vessel has broadcasted on VHF 16 that they have been hit by an unknown projectile.”
It added that authorities are investigating the attack.
Meanwhile, Kpler data shows that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains remarkably slow, with only six vessels, including three tankers and three bulk carriers, passing through the strait on August 3, down from seven the previous day.
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
23:59
3.8.2026
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We’ll be back tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
22:42
3.8.2026
Iran Claims It Was Prepared To Strike Ukraine, But Reconsidered
Mohsen Rezaei, adviser to Iran’s supreme leader.
Iran was ready to hit Ukraine after Kyiv targeted an Iranian cargo vessel in the Caspian Sea last month but called off the attack, an adviser to Irans supreme leader said.
We were prepared to strike three locations in Ukraine, but after they said the attack had been a mistake, we suspended our response in order to examine their claim, Mohsen Rezaei told state TV on August 3.
In any case, they will have to pay the price for their attack, Rezaei added.
Tehran said the vessel was carrying civilian cargoand the Ukrainian strike killed an Iranian sailor. But Ukraine said the ship was transporting components for drones and missiles from Iran to Russia.
There was no immediate response from Kyiv to Rezaei’s remarks.
However, several days after the July 25 incident, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he called his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi tosayKyiv sought to avoid escalation.”
“Our goal is to counter Russian aggression, which is the root cause of all incidents, and it is Russia who bears full responsibility for all provocations and casualties,” Sybiha said in a post to X.
Iran and Russia have forged a close military relationship in recent years. Tehran has provided Moscow with domestically produced combat drones that Russia has used in its war against Ukraine. Kyiv has said that has made Tehran complicit in Russias war.
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
21:37
3.8.2026
Trump Says Iran Has Last Chance To Strike Deal
US President Donald Trump said Iran has one last chance to strike a deal to end the five-month war otherwise the country faced decapitation.
I think we’re going to maybe get something, but I want to give them every last chance before decapitation, he told reporters during an event in the Oval Office on August 3, reiterating a threat to launch a major attack on Iran.
Over the weekend, Trump said he decided to hold off on what he promised would be an unprecedented attack on Iran, saying the perimeters of a deal have been agreed with Tehran.
Earlier on August 3, Iran said it was not negotiating with the United States. In response, Trump called Iran’s leadership unbelievably duplicitous, in a social media post.
