Iran seeks ‘security assurances’ and end to US blockade
By Tohid Asadi
Reporting from Tehran, Iran
We know that mediated diplomatic engagement is under way as the Pakistani interior minister visits the country for meetings with top Iranian officials, including the president, foreign minister, and Supreme National Security Council secretary.
Meanwhile, observers pointed out that in Iran there was less concern about the deal itself, but more concern regarding the implementation of any agreed conditions between the two countries, which centered on two primary perspectives.
First was the security assurances Iran sought, ensuring that a reached deal could pave the way for a period of stability in the country. Second were economic concerns, primarily articulated in demands for the US naval blockade to be removed and sanctions frozen, which represented the key demands coming from the Iranian side.
How many ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz?
A recap of recent developments
- Trump asserts that the US maintains “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz with plans to hold it, while Iranian officials state that the vital waterway remains closed until Tehran’s conditions are satisfied.
- The US military says it has redirected 59 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two since reinstating its naval blockade on Iran.
- Islamabad says it is working to bring the US and Iran “to the negotiating table”, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held talks with senior Iranian officials.
- Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says Israel will not withdraw from territory it occupies in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.
- The International Energy Agency projects that global oil production drops by 4.3 million barrels per day this year due to disruptions across the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.
- An oil spill from a grounded tanker reaches Oman’s coast, with the slick covering over 2,000sq km (770sq miles).
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An internally displaced Palestinian man walks past the rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli military, in Khan Yunis southern Gaza Strip on August 11, 2026. [Bashar Taleb/AFP]
