Iran remains defiant as it vows to fight US until demands met
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- Mohsen Rezaei, in his first meeting as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council with China's envoy Cong Peiwu, set three conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz: the US must end the war and blockade, release Iran's frozen assets, and agree to a region-wide ceasefire including Lebanon and Gaza.
- Mohammad Reza Naqdi, an adviser to the IRGC's chief commander, claimed Iran has produced more ballistic missiles and drones during the six-month war than it has fired, declaring 'even if the war takes several years, our ballistic missiles would still descend on our enemies.'
- IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi warned that if Iran is threatened again, 'hundreds of thousands of miles of energy lines, thousands of power plants, all the American and non-American systems, and even global infrastructure connected to the internet will be exposed to threat,' and claimed no US warships remain in the Persian Gulf.
- Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei consolidated military power by appointing six new figures, including longtime ally Hossein Taeb to lead the Basij force and Ali Abdollahi to head the General Staff of Armed Forces, tasking him with integrating wartime command structures.
- US Navy forces struck a Panama-flagged vessel with two Hellfire missiles on Tuesday, marking the 12th vessel attacked since April and the third since the naval blockade resumed after a June memorandum of understanding collapsed.
- Houthi forces launched their deadliest recent maritime attack, hitting an Egyptian-owned ship in the Red Sea and killing six people, as mediators Pakistan and Qatar race to revive diplomacy before a 60-day MoU period expires next week.
- President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged that 'the enemy is pursuing collapse from inside the country,' as Iran battles a worsening economic crunch and tightening security at home alongside the ongoing war.
Why it matters: Iran's hardened posture — paired with claims of replenished missile stocks and zero US warships in the Persian Gulf — sets a high bar for any Hormuz reopening. With the 60-day MoU expiring next week and Khamenei consolidating military command under loyalists, Tehran is signaling it prefers prolonged economic attrition over a deal that doesn't meet its terms. Roughly 90 million Iranians absorb that cost.
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