Iran warns of ‘devastating’ response to impending US sanction barrage

Iranian crude oil loadings have plunged to about one-seventh of their pre-war level as the U.S. naval blockade increasingly restricts Tehran’s ability to export oil, according to tanker-tracking data reviewed by Iran International.

Iran has loaded an average of roughly 287,000 barrels per day of crude so far this month, down from about 2 million barrels per day before the war, according to data from commodities intelligence firm Kpler.

China, Iran’s biggest oil customer, has received about 523,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude this month, compared with more than 1.7 million barrels per day at the beginning of the war.

Kpler estimates that more than 40 million barrels of Iranian oil aboard tankers in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman are effectively trapped following the U.S. reimposition of a maritime blockade in mid-July.

Iran’s fuel oil exports have also fallen sharply, dropping to about 61,000 barrels per day this month from roughly 220,000 barrels per day during the first two months of the year, while exports of liquefied petroleum gas have nearly stopped, according to Iran International.

Oil and fuel oil exports generated $57.5 billion for Iran last year, representing about 55% of the country’s total exports, according to Iranian central bank data cited by Iran International.

The collapse in oil shipments threatens a major source of government revenue and foreign currency as the Trump administration prepares to impose additional economic pressure on Tehran.

Individual NATO allies are exploring possible contributions to help protect navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, though the effort would not constitute a NATO mission, Reuters reported Friday.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s top military commander, brought together defense chiefs from interested allied countries for a videoconference Wednesday to help coordinate potential contributions.

“Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe hosted a meeting of interested Allies at the chief of defense level on Wednesday, 19 Aug 26, in order to facilitate their possible contributions to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Grynkewich’s spokesperson said.

“To be clear, this is not a NATO mission,” the spokesperson added, explaining that the alliance can use its coordinating capabilities to help participating countries understand what resources allies could provide.

France and Britain have separately spearheaded efforts to assemble a coalition of roughly a dozen countries to help guarantee safe passage through the critical waterway once tensions ease or the conflict ends, according to Reuters.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for an end to the war with the U.S. on Friday, arguing Tehran should seek an agreement while it remains in what he described as a position of strength.

Pezeshkian said it would be better to end the conflict now while Iran is in a position of “power and dignity,” Fox News correspondent Mark Meredith reported on “Special Report.”

The remarks come as the Trump administration prepares to intensify economic pressure on Tehran, with President Donald Trump promising what he has called “Economic D-Day” against Iran.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected Monday to outline new sanctions aimed at further squeezing Iran financially.

China has already pushed back against additional sanctions, arguing that increased economic pressure would further escalate tensions in the region, Meredith reported.

President Donald Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz “American territory” during a campaign rally in South Carolina on Friday as he touted the U.S. campaign against Iran.

Trump said the U.S. acted to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, telling the crowd, “We cannot let Iran have a. Nuclear weapon. Well, you’ll see some very. Bad thing. So we went down and we stopped them.”

“They’ll never have a nuclear weapon. They want to make a deal so badly, we don’t even know if we want,” Trump said.

“Because I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now. It’s an American territory,” he added.

Trump also predicted energy prices would fall once the conflict with Iran ends.

“And as soon as we’re finished with the Islamic Republic of Iran, as soon as we’re finished, oil is going to be down at lower than it was even just a little while ago,” Trump said.

President Donald Trump said Friday that U.S. military options against Iran remain open despite the administration’s shift toward increasing economic pressure on Tehran.

Asked whether the economic strategy indicated that U.S. military options in the region were limited, Trump responded, “No, not at all. It’s just means that we’re seeing what happens.”

Trump also reiterated his claim that the U.S. has “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas.

“We have total control of that entire region having to do with the Strait of Hormuz. And that means well into it, the land areas,” Trump told reporters.

Trump said Iran wants an agreement with the U.S. but has yet to offer acceptable terms. “So they would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal in my opinion,” he said.

President Donald Trump reposted a message on Truth Social Friday arguing that Iran had been given repeated opportunities to change course amid the ongoing war.

The message, written by U.S. attorney David Schoen, said Trump had given Iran “every possible chance” to change its behavior and abandon its support for terrorism.

“He warned them of the consequences of continuing on their lawless barbaric path,” Schoen wrote.

Schoen said Iran’s leaders had refused to change course and argued that Trump was now following through on his warnings.

Trump reposted Schoen’s message without adding his own commentary.

U.S. sailors conducted nighttime flight operations aboard the USS George Washington as the aircraft carrier sailed in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command said Friday.

CENTCOM shared images of sailors working on the carrier’s flight deck in a post on X.

The USS George Washington is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

The operations come as U.S. forces maintain a significant military presence in the Middle East amid the war with Iran.

CENTCOM did not provide additional details about the flight operations in its X post.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday that the U.S. is entering a new phase of economic pressure on Iran as the Trump administration works to resolve the war.

“The president’s working around the clock every day to get this resolved in Iran, and to do it in a way that ensures that the largest state sponsor of terrorism never has a nuclear weapon, because they would use it against us if they could,” Johnson told reporters following a campaign stop in New York.

Johnson said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon has been a longstanding U.S. objective and that the focus is now shifting toward economic pressure.

“I think the next phase is the economic sanctions and the pressure that will be applied by America,” Johnson said.

Johnson added that U.S. allies could help police the Strait of Hormuz and other waterways to keep commerce moving, linking disruptions in the region to gas prices.

Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of 24-year-old political prisoner Arghavan Fallahi, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Fallahi, who is being held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, was sentenced to death in July after being convicted of “baghi,” or armed rebellion, Iran International reported, citing HRANA.

The case centers on allegations that Fallahi belonged to anti-government groups and participated in armed activities. Human rights activists say she has been accused of links to the exiled opposition group Mojahedin-e-Khalq.

HRANA cited an informed source who said Fallahi was subjected to severe psychological pressure after her January 2025 arrest as authorities sought to obtain forced confessions related to the killings of two judges.

Fallahi was previously arrested with her father in November 2022 and later served a two-year prison sentence on charges including assembly and collusion and propaganda against the Islamic Republic, according to the report.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani said Damascus is reviewing whether to join a trilateral defense pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but has not made a decision.

“Like other countries, we have also reviewed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,” al-Shaibani told journalists during a visit to Islamabad, according to The Media Line. He said Syria was still weighing its options.

Al-Shaibani also ruled out any immediate effort to improve relations with Iran, saying dialogue could become possible only if Tehran changes its approach toward Syria.

“We are not currently seeking to improve relations with Tehran. If Iran changes its policy, we would have no objection,” he said.

The visit marked the first trip by a Syrian foreign minister to Pakistan since the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in December 2024. Al-Shaibani also said the U.S. is mediating efforts to reduce tensions between Syria and Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of seeking to extend his “aggression against Israel into Syria,” warning that Israel would not tolerate it.

The Prime Minister’s Office leveled a series of accusations against Erdogan in a Friday post on X, including over his government’s treatment of Kurds and political opponents and its relationship with Hamas.

“Erdoğan is an antisemitic dictator who has massacred Kurds, harbors Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus, and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him,” the office said.

The statement did not specify what action by Turkey prompted the accusation or elaborate on what Israel meant by Erdogan extending aggression into Syria.

“Erdoğan’s pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere,” the statement added.

Iranian families are increasingly struggling to afford basic necessities as U.S. sanctions and a naval blockade squeeze the country’s economy nearly six months into the war, according to The Associated Press.

Rice prices have jumped 60% and beef prices have climbed 150% since the war began, while Iran’s currency is worth roughly half what it was a year ago, the AP reported.

The International Monetary Fund expects inflation to approach 70% by the end of the year and Iran’s economy to contract by more than 5%. An Iranian Labor Ministry official said last week that more than 1 million jobs had been lost by late May.

The economic strain comes as President Donald Trump promises even tougher sanctions against Tehran. Iran’s ability to export oil, its most valuable product, has already been severely restricted by the U.S. naval blockade.

“We have virtually given up on many things,” a 52-year-old Tehran taxi driver told the AP. “We’re cutting out fruit, we’re cutting out protein, we’ve given up leisure, we even work on weekends.”

The Pentagon has added 60 U.S. service members to its Defense Casualty Analysis System, bringing the number wounded in the Middle East since the war with Iran began in February to 756, according to updated Pentagon casualty figures.

It remains unclear exactly when or where the newly listed service members were injured or what injuries they suffered.

The 60 additional wounded were added to the “Overseas Operations” category, meaning they were injured after July 7. That category now accounts for 339 wounded and four killed.

Another 417 service members were wounded and 14 killed between Feb. 28 and July 7 under “Operation Epic Fury,” according to Pentagon casualty data.

Despite the broader “Overseas Operations” designation, all casualties listed in that category occurred in the Middle East, Fox News was told. It remains unclear why the War Department has divided the war’s casualties between the two categories.

Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Iranian authorities are ramping up enforcement of the country’s mandatory hijab rules as the war quiets, according to Iran International.

Authorities have closed cafes, restaurants, stores and sports clubs in more than 15 cities, including Tehran, in recent weeks over alleged hijab violations involving customers or employees, the outlet reported.

Tehran Prosecutor Ali Salehi on Thursday ordered judicial authorities to identify and confront what he called “organized and networked actors” promoting women going without the mandatory head covering.

Hardliners are also pushing to revive Iran’s strict Hijab and Chastity law, which was finalized in 2024 but suspended over fears its enforcement could trigger widespread anti-government protests.

The suspension remains in effect, according to Iran International, even as hardliners increasingly pressure President Masoud Pezeshkian over enforcement and unveiled women become more visible in public.

The World Bank projected Friday that Lebanon’s economy will shrink 6.4% this year as the war disrupts tourism, consumption and supply chains.

“Real GDP is projected to contract by 6.4 percent in 2026, reflecting the collapse in tourism, weaker consumption, disrupted supply chains, heightened insecurity, and prolonged displacement,” the World Bank said in a report.

Lebanon was already struggling with a yearslong financial crisis and the fallout from the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war when the Iran-backed terrorist group attacked Israel in March, drawing the country into the current conflict, AFP reported.

Israel responded with an extensive air campaign and ground invasion. Lebanese authorities say more than 4,300 people have been killed, according to AFP.

The World Bank also projected Lebanon’s inflation rate will rise to 17.5% this year.

President Donald Trump reiterated that the U.S. is in “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, amplifying a news article that made the claim in a post on Truth Social.

“Trump claims ‘total control’ of Strait of Hormuz as war drags on,” Trump wrote in the post, repeating the headline of an article from the conservative Washington Examiner publication.

Trump doubled down on the claim he made on Wednesday, when he agaim wrote on Truth Social, “The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT! Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, ‘A WALL OF STEEL,’ and there is nothing Iran can do about it.”

While traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remains well below pre-war levels, the recently reinstituted U.S. blockade in the Arabian Sea has significantly lowered Iran’s oil exports, particularly to its biggest buyer China, according to Reuters. 

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) posted photos of a U.S. Marine performing maintenance on a CH-53E Super Stallion heavy lift helicopter supporting operations in the Middle East in a Friday X post.

The three-engine craft, which is capable of lifting up to 36,000 pounds, can carry up to 55 combat-ready troops and serves as ideal support for an amphibious assault.

The helicopter pictured was aboard the USS Portland LPD 27, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship currently stationed in the Arabian Sea.

“U.S. Marines perform maintenance on a CH-53E Super Stallion heavy lift helicopter aboard USS Portland (LPD 27) while supporting operations in the Middle East,” CENTCOM’s post read.

Iran’s parliament passed a resolution Sunday that would punish citizens caught speaking to foreign media organizations with up to two years in prison.

The bill, approved by 183 members of the 290-seat parliament bars citizens from participating in interviews discussions, or any other communication with media the bill describes as American, Israeli, or funded by the United States or Israel, according to the International Federation of Journalists.

If approved by Iran’s higher authorities, citizens would need explicit consent from the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Iran already has a strict ban on speaking with sanctioned media outlets such as Iran International, and Western-funded VOA Farsi and BBC Farsi, according to CBS News.

A spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushed back on a U.S. request to back crushing sanctions on Iran in a Thursday statement.

On Thursday, amidst announcing a plan to impose “the toughest sanctions in history” on Iran, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged China to “get with the program” on sanctions.

However, during a Thursday press briefing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian demurred.

“China believes that military means, sanctions and pressure tactics are not the solution. On the contrary, they will only lead to escalation that serves no one’s interests. We call for efforts to solve disputes through dialogue and negotiation,” Jian said.

Iranian state media reported Friday that a trade deal has been “finalized” with Oman and is headed to Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly for final approval.

“It is expected that this issue will be put on the agenda of the parliament next month,” a government representative said, according to state media agency IRNA.

The announcement comes just days after President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman for working with Iran on a deal to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. IRNA did not mention the Strait of Hormuz in its reporting about a trade deal with Oman on Friday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei previously told reporters “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”

In a Monday phone call with Fox News’ chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, Trump said he would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way.”

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian called for an end to Iran’s war with the U.S. on Friday during a speech at the General Assembly of the Islamic Association of the Medical Society of Iran.

“It is better to end the war today, when we are in power and dignity and the whole world acknowledges our victory and emphasizes that America, contrary to all regulations, attacked our schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, and is hated in the world,” Pezeshkian said, according to a translation of a text copy of his speech posted to an Iranian state media website.

Pezeshkian appeared to take a subtle jab at hardliners in his own country, criticizing people “sitting outside the circle.”

“In the meantime, some people are sitting outside the circle; because they do not know the state of the government, the state of the parliament, and the state of the commanders, they make comments and analysis, even though they have not experienced any suffering or hardship, and then they talk about the cost. They do not find a single clause in this agreement that indicates a commitment; all commitments are related to the other party,” he said.

The president also acknowledged the financial toll the war has taken on Iran.

“Criticizing the problems of inflation and issues arising from the war is not consistent with the slogans of some. When we chant slogans, we must also accept their severity,” he added.

Buyers of Iranian oil face “virtually no new supplies” as the U.S.’s naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz chokes Iran’s export capacity, Kpler Senior Crude Oil Analyst Muyu Xu wrote in a LinkedIn post.

China, by far the biggest importer of Iranian oil, lowered its imports significantly, importing an estimated 534,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August compared to an estimated 823,000 bpd in July, according to Reuters.

Xu estimated that 40 million barrels of Iranian oil are floating on ships in Malaysian waters, though she also said most of it was likely already promised to buyers.

“This suggests buyers could face virtually no new Iranian supplies available for late-September delivery onwards since no laden Iranian tankers have so far managed to ‌break through ⁠the US blockade,” Xu wrote on LinkedIn.

Oil prices rose more than 2% on Thursday to settle at their highest levels in nearly a month amid escalating tensions across the Gulf, Reuters reported.

Brent crude futures settled up $2.16, or 2.4%, at $93.78 a barrel, their highest close since July 24. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for September gained $2, or 2.3%, to settle at $87.83 a barrel, also their highest since July 24.

Oil trading firm Ritterbusch and Associates said new threats from Washington appear “unlikely to sway Iran into relinquishing their primary source of leverage, that being control of the Strait, absent major concessions from the U.S.”

“So, the beat goes on with no resolution in sight that would spur a major decline in oil prices back to levels anywhere close to those prior to the war,” Ritterbusch and Associates told Reuters.