Tuesday, August 11, 2026

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Iranian news agencies have published images of “oil pollution” in parts of Qeshm’s coastline. According to these outlets, Qeshm’s prosecutor has ordered authorities to identify the source of the pollution, contain it, collect the oil, and clean up the coastline. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Mohsen Rezaei, the new secretary of the Islamic Republic’s Supreme National Security Council, said in his first remarks since being appointed that the United States must end the war and pay Iran’s frozen assets in order for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened. According to Iranian media, during a meeting with China’s ambassador in Tehran, he said Iran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States “changes its behavior and accepts Iran’s conditions.” He listed ending the war and releasing Iran’s frozen assets as two of Iran’s conditions. This comes as U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that the United States had “swept for mines” across the entire Strait of Hormuz and had full control of it. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, whom Rezaei has replaced, set out similar conditions last week. Rezaei also commented on the Islamic Republic’s ongoing negotiations with the Sultanate of Oman over passage through the Strait of Hormuz, saying that if the two countries reach an agreement on the matter, “that agreement will be separate from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.” @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Trump: If I hadn’t stopped them from acquiring nuclear weapons, others would have been forced to address the leaders of the Islamic Republic as “sir.” @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Yossi Cohen, the former director of the Mossad, said agents from the organization had visited the Fordow uranium enrichment facility several times in the past to learn more about the nuclear site. According to The Times of Israel, Cohen said on Tuesday, 20 Mordad 1405, at the “Galilee Forum” in the city of Safed: “We visited the Fordow nuclear site many times to understand it.” He did not provide further details about when the visits took place or which Mossad personnel were involved. He also said of the U.S. attack on Fordow: “The Americans’ bombing of it fulfilled all my dreams.” The Fordow facility, along with the nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz, was heavily damaged during the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025. Earlier reports indicated that around 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium stored at the facility had been buried under the rubble. Israel, however, believes that Iran moved some of this uranium stockpile to the “Pickaxe Mountain” site after the war. Cohen also said that uranium enriched to 60 percent remains a long way from being used to build a bomb. His remarks differ from the assessments of some nuclear experts. David Albright, a nuclear expert, previously said that if Tehran decided to build a weapon, Iran’s 60-percent-enriched uranium could be enriched to the level needed to produce a nuclear weapon within a few weeks or even a few days. Cohen has previously spoken publicly about Mossad activities targeting Iran’s nuclear program. A few days after his term as Mossad director ended in 2021, he shared details of the organization’s operations against Iran in a rare interview with Israeli television. In the interview, he spoke about an explosion at Natanz’s underground centrifuge facility and described the Mossad’s 2018 operation to steal Iran’s nuclear archive from a warehouse in Tehran. Cohen also said that Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran’s senior nuclear scientist, who was later assassinated, had been on the Mossad’s list of targets for years. On “Uvda,” a documentary program hosted by Ilana Dayan on Israel’s Channel 12, Cohen also said he was closely familiar with various Iranian nuclear facilities. He said on the program that if he had the chance, he would take Dayan to Natanz’s underground section, where, he said, Iran’s centrifuges were operating. @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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A reporter for Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya and Al Hadath television networks reported on Tuesday, 20 Mordad, that three crew members were killed after a Houthi ballistic missile struck a commercial vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. According to the report, the victims were two Pakistanis and one Indonesian national. Al Hadath reported that the missile was launched from eastern Taiz province and targeted the commercial vessel as it passed through Bab el-Mandeb. The attack comes as threats to commercial ships and shipping routes in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait continue. Bab el-Mandeb is one of the world’s most important maritime passages for trade and energy shipments between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, fighting has continued on several fronts in Yemen. According to Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, Yemeni government forces have targeted Houthi positions and equipment on several fronts. @VahidOOnLine The death toll from the Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in Bab el-Mandeb has risen to 4. @VahidOnLive 📡 @VahidOnline

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A U.S. official and maritime security sources have reported that a Panama-flagged container ship was targeted in the Gulf of Oman. A U.S. official says the ship ignored warnings to stop and was attempting to break the naval blockade of Iranian ports. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal, citing a U.S. official, reported that a U.S. military helicopter fired on the ship’s rudder after its crew ignored warnings from forces enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports. @VahidHeadline Update: CENTCOM post, machine-translated: Earlier today, CENTCOM forces disabled the steering equipment of the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova, a cargo ship that was attempting to cross the Gulf of Oman and head toward an Iranian port, in violation of the U.S. blockade against Iran. After the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from U.S. forces, a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the Vela Nova’s engine room. The ship is no longer heading toward Iran in defiance of the U.S. blockade, which remains fully in effect. As of 11 August, CENTCOM has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to break the blockade, disabled 3 vessels that failed to comply with orders, and boarded 2 vessels. U.S. forces operating in the Middle East remain highly vigilant, lethal, and ready. CENTCOM 📡 @VahidOnline

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Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi met with Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, after arriving in Tehran on Tuesday afternoon, 20 Mordad. Before meeting with Araghchi, Naqvi had been welcomed in Tehran by Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. @ VahidOOnLine Pakistan’s defense minister says Iran and the United States are close to “some form of agreement.” Khawaja Muhammad Asif made the remarks in an interview with Bloomberg published on Tuesday, 20 Mordad. The senior Pakistani official said: “The course of current developments has once again taken shape toward an agreement or a peace understanding.” Pakistan’s defense minister stressed that “the signs observed over the past two or three days point to getting close to some kind of agreement.” Meanwhile, ISNA reports that Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday afternoon “as part of bilateral engagement and at the invitation of Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.” @ VahidHeadline As tensions continue in the Strait of Hormuz, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Tuesday, 20 Mordad, that talks between Tehran and Muscat on the future of shipping through the strategic international waterway had reached an “advanced” stage. According to Al Arabiya, the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that positive responses had been received from Tehran. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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A court in Damascus, the capital of Syria, sentenced former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia on Tuesday, 20 Mordad. Fakhreddin al-Aryan, a judge at the Damascus court, announced on Tuesday that Assad had been found guilty of charges including “premeditated murder, the intentional killing of more than one person, the premeditated murder of children under 15, torture, torture resulting in death, and repeated deprivation of liberty”—charges the court classified as “crimes against humanity and war crimes.” The court also sentenced six former military and security officials to death in absentia. Among them was Maher al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s brother and commander of the Syrian army’s Fourth Division. Maher al-Assad also fled Syria after his brother’s government fell. The Damascus Criminal Court began proceedings last Farvardin in the case against Assad and several other former officials, some of whom appeared in court while others were tried in absentia. They are accused of committing widespread crimes during the civil war, which began in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests against Assad’s government. More than 500,000 people were killed, millions were displaced, and tens of thousands went missing during the war; many had been transferred to prisons run by the former government. Protests in Syria began in March 2011 in Daraa, after 15 students were arrested for writing anti-government slogans on the city’s walls. Daraa residents said the students had been tortured, prompting protests calling for their release. Those protests were violently suppressed. Security forces used live ammunition to disperse demonstrators, and the protests spread to other Syrian provinces. The Assad family ruled Syria for more than five decades. Bashar al-Assad became president in 2000, after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Lebanon’s parliament abolished the death penalty on Tuesday, making the country the first in the Arab world to replace it with life imprisonment with hard labor. A majority of members of Lebanon’s 128-seat parliament voted to abolish capital punishment. Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc was the only group that did not support the measure. Adel Nassar, Lebanon’s justice minister, who was present at the session, called it a “historic step” for his country. Human rights organizations that had called for a formal halt to executions or the complete abolition of the death penalty also welcomed the vote. @VahidHeadline Under the bill, the death penalty is replaced with life imprisonment. With the law’s passage, Lebanon moves from a country that had effectively halted executions for years to one that has also legally removed the punishment from its criminal justice system. Adel Nassar, Lebanon’s justice minister, described the law’s passage as a historic step and voiced his support for abolishing the death penalty. Lebanon last carried out an execution in 2004. Since then, although the death penalty remained on the books, executions had effectively been suspended. Supporters of abolition say the decision could have an impact not only on human rights but also on Lebanon’s judicial relations with countries that prohibit the use of the death penalty—including the extradition of suspects and criminals, since some countries will not extradite people to a country where they could face execution. @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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The U.S. president says Washington has three strategies for the Islamic Republic and, at this stage, is relying on a naval blockade and economic pressure. Donald Trump said in an interview with the “America Speaks” program on the “Voice of Real America” network: “We can just leave them like this, and they will lose. We can keep doing what we’re doing now—move forward in a way that’s calm and easy.” He described the second option as “hitting them really hard” and the third as “defeating them economically,” adding that the third option is already underway. Trump said: “Economically, they’re a mess. They can’t borrow money. We control their money—the money they had, and they had a lot of it. I’m their banker.” He added: “They have 300 percent inflation. Their money is worthless. They’re not paying their soldiers. Their soldiers are abandoning them. Just keep this situation going, because it isn’t sustainable.” Trump called the Islamic Republic’s negotiators “very deceptive” and said: “They agree to something, then go to the media and say they never did any such thing.” @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Ali Ahmadi, a 71-year-old retired teacher, has remained in Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz since his arrest in Mamasani on 15 Esfand. Concerns about his health persist. At the time of his arrest, Ahmadi was recovering from two surgeries on his eyes and prostate, and according to this information, he is now also experiencing heart problems. He faces charges including “corruption on earth,” “cooperation with Mossad,” and “destruction of public property.” Despite having a lawyer, there has been no significant progress in his case since his arrest, and his lawyer’s access to the case file has been limited. His lawyer was also arrested once before. According to this information, Ahmadi has had no in-person visits since his arrest, and only one brief phone call was made on Eid. There is also no precise information about his physical condition or the progress of his case. Ahmadi had previously been arrested several times for pursuing teachers’ labor demands. His continued detention has also caused financial hardship for his family. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Contradictory public statements: After threatening Iran, Trump secretly left Turkey on another plane Machine translation: The Washington Post has learned that a threat by Iran to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump prompted an extraordinary operation last month, in which Trump secretly flew out of Turkey on a replacement military aircraft while the White House said he was aboard Air Force One. The previously unreported covert mission took place without the knowledge of reporters and even some White House staff, who believed they were on the same plane as the president. The administration has claimed that Trump left Turkey on July 8 aboard the “former Air Force One.” In Ankara, Trump boarded the old Air Force One, a massive jet, in front of television cameras. But minutes later, according to a U.S. official and corroborating material reviewed by The Washington Post, he was secretly transferred to a smaller aircraft, an Air Force C-32A, using an airport catering truck—the kind usually used to load food and other supplies before a flight. As a result, the official said, Air Force One, with reporters and some White House staff aboard, served as a “decoy.” Full Persian translation of the report 📡 @VahidOnline

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U.S. President Donald Trump once again posted a chart showing that the value of Iran’s rial has plunged during his second presidency. The chart shows that one million rials fell in value from $1.11 to 53 cents and has “gone into the trash.” @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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According to Axios, the International Atomic Energy Agency will soon remove the remaining nuclear materials from a secret site in Syria known as “Site 99,” following secret agreements between the Trump administration, Israel, and Syria. The facility, which was used under Bashar al-Assad’s regime to store yellowcake and remnants of the “Al-Kibar” nuclear reactor, came under close Israeli surveillance after Assad’s fall. The Israeli military even bombed the site’s entrances to prevent access. Although the materials are not sufficient to build a nuclear weapon, U.S. and Israeli officials feared they could be used to make a “dirty bomb” and contaminate the surrounding area. According to the report, in recent months, after Israel became suspicious of the new Syrian government’s activities and the possibility of Turkish intervention, Tel Aviv threatened to strike again. But the Trump administration intervened in time and brought the IAEA into the matter, preventing tensions from escalating and a new military crisis from erupting. Ultimately, three weeks ago, Damascus and the IAEA signed an agreement to safely load and transfer these dangerous materials. Washington officials view this diplomatic success as evidence of the Trump administration’s effective approach to engaging with Syria’s new government and resolving complex crises left over from the Assad era. @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Donald Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, emphasized the U.S. Navy’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, saying: “The only force currently in control of the Strait of Hormuz is the U.S. Navy. We have established a blockade that is foolproof and like a steel wall.” The U.S. president said that permission for ships to pass through is determined by Washington, adding: “We are not allowing ships to enter Iran, and they are not allowed to enter the strait to head toward Iran, but the route is open to others.” He also spoke about clearing mines from the strategic waterway, stating: “We have cleared the mines from the strait, and we have 100 percent control of it. They may cause problems, but they are bankrupt and have no money.” @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline