(1)US officials signal Iran deal could come over the weekend

Summary

• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessentsaid a 30- to 60-day ceasefire agreement with Iran could come “shortly, maybe even today, tomorrow,” in an interview with 12News.

• An Iraqi government official told Iran International that Baghdad was preparing decisive action against Iran-backed militias amid intelligence that some groups were planning attacks against Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Syria.

• US President Donald Trump said Iran wanted a deal with Washington because it “doesn’t want to be hit,” while raising the possibility of further US strikes.

•Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a defense agreement in Mecca on Friday pledging mutual support in defense.

• The framework of an understanding with Oman has been agreed and the final text and details would be announced soon, Iranian MP Hassan Ghashghavi said on Friday.

• A loud boom was heard near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, with a provincial security official saying authorities were investigating its source andthat no impact had been reported in Qeshm or Bandar Abbas.

(2) Aug 8, 2026 at 03:14 GMT+1

Global media acknowledge Trump’s defeat in Iran war, IRGC says

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement carried by Iranian official media on Friday that foreign media acknowledged President Donald Trump’s “defeat” in the war against Iran, crediting what it called the efforts of “revolutionary media” for the outcome.

“World media, acknowledging Washington’s failure to defeat the Islamic Republic, are clearly speaking of Trump’s ‘defeat’ and ‘self-created trap’ in the war against Iran, and are even admitting that the agreements reached were nothing more than an ‘American surrender document’ in the face of the realities on the ground and Iran’s negotiating power,” IRGC said in the statement.

The IRGC said the US and Israel failed to achieve their stated goals despite military and media operations, and described recent agreements as an “American surrender” to Iran’s military strength and negotiating power.

(3) Aug 8, 2026 at 03:03 GMT+1

US Lawmaker backs Russia-Iran sanctions bill, urges House approval

US Representative Joe Wilson said on Friday he supported the Senate’s bipartisan passage of the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 and called for the bill to pass the House.

“Grateful for the overwhelming, bipartisan Senate passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Senator Graham was a patriot, and this legislation serves as a testament of his tireless efforts to achieve Peace Through Strength,” he posted on X.

“Courageous champions of Ukraine are the inspiration for world support to achieve victory by defeating war criminal Putin who shamefully seeks to rebuild the failed Soviet Union. Any nation supplying Putin’s perversions must pay. Thank you POTUS for your support. I look forward to this bill passing the House,” Wilson added.

Grateful for the overwhelming, bipartisan Senate passage of the Lindsey O. GrahamSanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Senator Graham was a patriot, and this legislation serves as a testament of his tireless efforts to achieve Peace Through Strength. Courageous champions of…

— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) August 8, 2026

Iran is still lying about US being defeated. All their media is lies!

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202608011880

(1) Aug 8, 2026 at 01:56 GMT+1

Iran seeks to bar US warships from Strait of Hormuz - WSJ

Iranian officials are seeking to bar US Navy warships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz as part of negotiations on an agreement to reopen the waterway, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the talks.

US officials told mediators that Washington will not accept Iranian restrictions or tolls on shipping through the strait. The draft agreement would temporarily establish an inbound lane near Iran and an outbound lane near Oman, while the Trump administration would lift its blockade on Iranian ports if Tehran opened the waterway without impediments, according to the report.

(2) Aug 8, 2026 at 00:07 GMT+1

Iran-Oman interim Strait deal includes 60-day period for further talks - report

A US official familiar with negotiations confirmed that a temporary shipping route discussed between Iran and Oman would be limited to 60 days, during which negotiators would work on a long-term deal to fully open the Strait of Hormuz and continue talks on a nuclear agreement, ABC News reported on Friday.

Iranian officials have said the deal would establish new shipping routes allowing commercial vessels to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through an outbound lane controlled by Oman, the report said. The US official cautioned that nothing is final until it is publicly announced.

(3) Aug 7, 2026 at 23:39 GMT+1

US-Iranian prisoner fears exposure to tuberculosis in Evin - CBS

US-Iranian journalist Reza Valizadeh, imprisoned in Iran’s Evin Prison since 2024 warned that he may have been exposed to tuberculosis and said prisoners have received little to no medical care for more than a year, CBS News reported on Friday.

In a recording obtained by CBS, Valizadeh said one prisoner suffering from symptoms including coughing up blood and severe weight loss had lived in close quarters with other inmates for about 10 months before being transferred to a hospital when his condition became life-threatening.

Valizadeh also said his family had been barred from visiting him for five months, which he believes was partly imposed as punishment. His lawyer, Ryan Fayhee, called on President Donald Trump to prioritize the release of Americans detained in Iran during negotiations with Tehran, the report said.

Reza Valizadeh, an American journalist being held inside Iran's notorious Evin Prison since 2024, shared a recording where he detailed the conditions of the facility and the health of another imprisoned American, Kamran Hekmati. Now, as the Trump administration looks to end the…

(4) Aug 7, 2026 at 22:43 GMT+1

Joint Chiefs chairman seeks ‘off-ramp’ from Iran war - CNN

Chairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine privately told senior Trump administration officials that the US needs to find an “off-ramp” from the war with Iran, as he raises concerns about military options for escalating the conflict and the limits of airpower, CNN reported on Friday, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

The report said Caine discussed those concerns with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. “Caine is looking for an off ramp,” one source said.

The report added that Caine and other Trump administration officials were wary of a plan for more aggressive strikes late last month because of concerns about the likely fallout from escalation.

Caine’s spokesperson Joseph Holstead said the chairman’s office does not discuss his confidential conversations with the president, defense secretary or other senior leaders, and does not comment on “anonymous, agenda-driven characterizations” of those conversations by sources who were not privy to them.

New: In recent weeks, Gen. Dan Caine has privately discussed the prospect of finding "an off-ramp" from the war with Iran w/ other key Trump officials —acknowledging military options on the table to escalate carry various potential risks & airpower alone is unlikely to achieve…

— Zachary Cohen (@ZcohenCNN) August 7, 2026

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202608011880

(1) Aug 7, 2026 at 21:49 GMT+1

US Army opens test ranges to private firms amid munitions crunch

The US Army is expanding access to its test ranges and proving grounds to help private companies get new munitions, drones and other weapons to the battlefield faster, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The move comes as the military has gone through thousands of sophisticated missiles and interceptors during the five-month war with Iran, the report said.

The U.S. Army is expanding access to its test ranges and proving grounds in an effort to get new munitions, drones, and other types of weapons to the battlefield more quickly. The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 7, 2026

(2) Aug 7, 2026 at 21:37 GMT+1

US forces redirect 51 commercial vessels amid Iran blockade - CENTCOM

US forces redirected 51 commercial vessels, disabled two and boarded two others as part of a blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas, US Central Command said on Friday.

“A U.S. sailor stands watch in the combat information center aboard USS Mason (DDG 87) as the guided-missile destroyer sails in regional waters supporting the U.S. blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas. As of Aug. XX, CENTCOM forces have redirected 51 commercial vessels, disabled 2, and boarded 2 to ensure compliance,” CENTCOM posted on X.

A U.S. sailor stands watch in the combat information center aboard USS Mason (DDG 87) as the guided-missile destroyer sails in regional waters supporting the U.S. blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas. As of Aug. XX, CENTCOM forces have redirected 51 commercial…— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM)

(3) Aug 7, 2026 at 20:06 GMT+1

US says it will lift Iran port blockade once Hormuz deal reached - Reuters

There has been progressbetween Oman and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz anda deal is expected soon, with the US set to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, Reuters reported Friday, citing a US official.

The official said the blockade would be lifted once a deal was announced to restore commercial shipping through the strait without impediments, according to the report. US actions would remain performance-based and tied to Iran’s implementation of its commitments, the official told Reuters.

(4) Aug 7, 2026 at 20:01 GMT+1

Iran must know when to fight or make peace to survive, Pezeshkian says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran must know “when to fight and when to make peace” in order to survive,in a prerecorded interview aired by Iran’s state broadcaster Friday.

Pezeshkian said his government was “fully coordinated” with the armed forces and considered supporting those defending the country its duty.

He also said earlier negotiations with European countries had been conducted with the approval of Iran’s slain supreme leader, criticizing portrayals on state television suggesting the leadership opposed negotiations.

“We did this with the leader’s permission,” Pezeshkian said.

(5) Aug 7, 2026 at 20:00 GMT+1

GOP senator urges halt to Iran bombing while tightening economic blockade

Washington may lack enough leverage to secure Iran’s nuclear material and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Republican Senator Todd Young told Iran International, calling for an end to offensive strikes on Iran while maintaining a blockade that would “slowly constrict” its economy.

“I hope the war ends soon but it has to end on the right terms, meaning we have to have certainty that we can get control over the nuclear materials that lay beneath a mountain and we also need to open up the Strait of Hormuz of course and it's not clear that we have enough leverage to accomplish that,” he said.

Washington may lack enough leverage to secure Iran’s nuclear material and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Republican Senator Todd Young told Iran International,calling for an end to offensive strikes on Iran while maintaining a blockade that would “slowly constrict” its economy.…

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) August 7, 2026

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202608011880