Wednesday, August 26, 2026

English

Armed Forces Spokesperson: Persian-Language Media Are on Our List of Military Targets 1:11 In a televised interview with the Defa-e Moqaddas news agency, a senior spokesperson for the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces claimed that Persian-language media outlets abroad are directly connected to “Mossad,” the “CIA,” and “enemy intelligence agencies.” According to Abolfazl Shekarchi, “The Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces do not consider these propaganda outlets to be media,” and those who work for them are seen as “Zionist and American soldiers—and we can even include them on our list of military targets.” @VahidOnLive 📡 @VahidOnline

English

Donald Trump said about the protests in Iran: “I don’t think you’d stand there when there’s a machine gun pointed at you; there really are snipers on top of buildings.” He said: “People are shot while protesting, and the Islamic Republic doesn’t necessarily need to target a large number of people to instill fear in the crowd.” He added: “When you see five, six, or 10 people fall in a crowd of 100,000 or 200,000, people leave. Whoever you are, you leave. When people are ready to shoot you and kill you, protesting is very difficult. That’s why they don’t protest.” Trump said: “Their navy, as you know, has been completely wiped out. Their air force has been completely wiped out. Many of their soldiers aren’t getting paid. I think their inflation is 390 percent, and their money has become almost worthless. I mean, they’re not in good shape.” @VahidOOnLine U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, 4 Shahrivar, in a radio interview with Glenn Beck that energy transport through the Strait of Hormuz had returned to normal operations and that large volumes of oil were passing through the waterway. Referring to efforts to clear the route, Trump said: “We got rid of the mines, and the strait is now active and operating.” Acknowledging that some scattered threats remained, he added: “Yes, every now and then a drone, a rocket, or something gets fired, but the strait is fully operational, and a lot of oil is coming out through it; as much as 10 million barrels passed through the waterway just yesterday.” @VahidOOnLine U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, 4 Shahrivar, in an interview with Glenn Beck’s radio show that he did not think Mojtaba Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s leader, had been killed. The U.S. president said: “He was badly injured; the left side of his body, his arm, his leg—all of those parts were badly damaged.” Trump also added that even if Mojtaba Khamenei were dead, the Islamic Republic was putting on “a good show.” Trump said: “The Islamic Republic is still talking about going to their leader to get final approval on various matters.” The U.S. president also said that reaching an agreement with the Islamic Republic was not easy and that they were “not particularly principled.” @VahidOOnLine On Wednesday, 4 Shahrivar, Donald Trump told Al Jazeera that both economic measures and military options were “effective,” and that he was in “no hurry” regarding negotiations with Iran. In response to questions from the network’s reporter, Tania Nouri, he added: “I don’t have a timeline; there’s no hurry.” @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

English

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated his earlier position that the war with the United States must end, saying: “War is never the answer. You shouldn’t use your teeth to untie a knot that can be undone by hand.” On Wednesday, the fourth of Shahrivar, at a public event, Pezeshkian again called Iran “the victor on the battlefield,” while adding that the country could get through this by using “good judgment and reason.” @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

English

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has reported that Hossein Nazari, a 25-year-old citizen arrested during the Dey 1404 protests, has been sentenced to death by Branch One of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court. According to the report, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary tried Mr. Nazari on charges including “communication with hostile governments and groups” and “assembly and collusion to commit a crime against national security.” His death sentence was issued in Tir of this year. Nazari, born in 1380, was arrested by security forces during the Dey protests and transferred to Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison after undergoing interrogation and judicial proceedings. He remains in the prison. @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

English

Reports from exchange-rate and gold-price websites in Iran show that the US dollar fell on Wednesday, the fourth of Shahrivar, and dropped back below 200,000 tomans. At the time of publication, the dollar was trading at 198,500 tomans, while the so-called “Emami” gold coin was priced at 210 million tomans. This comes after several days of significant increases in foreign currency and gold prices in Iran. The US dollar had risen to 205,000 tomans in recent days. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

English

Netanyahu: A diplomatic agreement cannot be reached with the “savages” ruling Iran On Tuesday evening, 3 Shahrivar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the possibility of the United States reaching a diplomatic agreement with the Islamic Republic. He said Israel had no objection in principle to a “good agreement,” but seriously doubted that such an agreement could be reached with the rulers in Tehran. During a speech, referring to his conversation with Donald Trump, Netanyahu said: “I told him that one option, of course, is to reach an agreement—a good agreement. We have no objection to that.” He then added sharply: “But I doubt an agreement can be reached with that group, with those savages. I’m telling you: an agreement cannot be reached.” @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

English

Masih Shahverdi, a former player on Sepahan Club’s youth teams, was shot with live ammunition by government forces during the protests on 18 Dey 1404 in the Khaneh Esfahan area and died. He was 19 years old and had only two months left to complete his military service. On the evening of 18 Dey, Masih Shahverdi was shot in the right flank and kidney in the Khaneh Esfahan area. The bullet caused severe internal bleeding. According to an informed source, the security lockdown in the area and the conditions that night prevented his friends from taking him to a medical center immediately. Several hours later, they carried him home on foot. Masih Shahverdi died in his brother’s arms at around one in the morning. Despite his death, his family took Masih to the hospital, still hoping he could be saved. According to information received, medical staff said after examining him that there had been no active bleeding by the time he was brought to the hospital and that he had died earlier. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

English

Bloomberg, examining Turkey’s gas imports, assessed that Washington’s new warning that countries doing business with Tehran will face economic penalties has put Turkey—a key U.S. ally and Iran’s third-largest trading partner—in the position of having to confront the challenge of cutting off gas imports from Iran. Last year, Turkey sourced 13 percent of its imported gas (7.7 billion cubic meters) from Iran, which was its fourth-largest energy supplier after Russia, Azerbaijan, and the United States. Despite the 25-year contract expiring at the end of July, imports of Iranian gas have continued. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that any country continuing economic ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran will be targeted with sanctions, and Donald Trump is speaking directly with world leaders. This will likely include Washington contacting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Bloomberg assessed that Erdoğan, who is heading to Washington next month and needs the U.S. green light for major military purchases, including F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, is unlikely to want to anger Trump. Experts say that if Iranian gas supplies are cut off, Ankara could make up the shortfall by increasing imports of more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG)—particularly from the United States—and drawing on its full storage reserves. @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

English

John Healey, Britain’s Treasury minister, said the government would continue to apply economic pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran alongside the United States and other partners, and would take action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and counter “Iran’s dangerous activities.” In a statement on 3 Shahrivar 1405, Healey said the British government had imposed more than 240 sanctions on Iran since taking office. He said the sanctions were imposed in response to actions that threaten the security of people and Britain. Britain’s Treasury minister added that London was determined to prevent the Islamic Republic from using the global economy or Britain’s financial system to advance its nuclear program and destabilizing activities. He also voiced support for US efforts to reach a diplomatic solution, saying Britain welcomed increased pressure on the Islamic Republic, including through the US “Economic Exclusion” operation. Healey stressed that Britain would continue working with its partners to protect its interests and would take the necessary steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and counter what he described as Iran’s dangerous activities in the region. Britain’s Treasury minister urged the Islamic Republic to stop its destabilizing activities in the region, including in the Strait of Hormuz, and engage in diplomatic talks. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline