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Day 163 of the WarSunday, August 9, 2026

Day 163 — Mojtaba Names Rezaei to the Security Council as Trump Opts for Economic Pressure Over New Strikes

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TehranWashington / TehranStrait of HormuzWasit / TehranTehran / Zahedan

Rezaei In, Zolghadr Out — a Security Council Shake-Up Exposes the Power Struggle

Iran
  • Mojtaba Khamenei issued a decree appointing Mohsen Rezaei as his representative on the Supreme National Security Council, citing his 'valuable experiences' in the Iran-Iraq War and thanking outgoing representative Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, Iran International reports.source
  • Before the decree, Tasnim, Mehr, IRNA and Jamaran published news of Rezaei's appointment and then deleted it within minutes; Tasnim said Rezaei and Saeed Jalili would now be the Leader's two representatives on the council, per Iran International.source
  • State media reported that Pezeshkian 'met and held discussions' with Mojtaba Khamenei at the start of his presidency's third year, covering livelihoods, the war, military developments and resources in 'rials, foreign currency and energy,' per RadioFarda.source
  • Axios, citing U.S. officials, reports the regime's rift over a deal with Washington is widening: a faction led by Pezeshkian fears economic collapse and wants an agreement, while one led by Ahmad Vahidi rejects any concessions, per LiveIranNews.source

3,519 Dead in the 40-Day War, Says the Coroner — and Two Baluch Men Gunned Down in Zahedan

Iran
  • Abbas Masjedi, head of Iran's Legal Medicine Organization, said 3,519 people were killed in Iran in the 40-day war — 3,002 men and 517 women, including 270 students and 38 children under five — citing the attack on a school in Minab; he gave no civilian-military breakdown, per RadioFarda.source
  • Gunmen in a car entered a coffeehouse in Zahedan on Saturday evening and shot dead two people, Tasnim reports; the Haalvsh news site identified them as Baluch citizens Mostafa Rudini and Farhad Rudini, and the attackers fled, per RadioFarda.source

'A Theater of War, Not a Waterway' — Attack Risk Rated 'Very High'

Gulf & Naval
  • The Joint Maritime Information Center rates the likelihood of a deliberate attack in Hormuz in the coming days as 'very high,' Gulf News reports; 84 confirmed incidents have been logged since March 1, the latest the August 8 tanker attack, per Iran International.source
  • According to the same report, only 40 U.S.-coordinated transits were recorded from August 6 to 8, against a 2025 average of about 138 ships a day; CENTCOM says over 20 U.S. warships are deployed and 55 commercial vessels have been redirected as of August 9.source
  • IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohammadi told IRNA that 'the Strait of Hormuz is a theater of war for us, not merely a waterway,' and that the strategy is to keep control of it until the enemy accepts all of Iran's conditions, per Iran International.source
  • Parliament's national security commission unanimously approved the general outlines of a 'Strategic Action Plan to Ensure the Security and Development of the Strait of Hormuz' bill, spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said, per Iran International.source

Iraq Seizes a Drone Cell as Tehran Vows No Retreat on Hormuz

Gulf & Naval
  • Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service arrested a three-man cell linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces in Wasit and seized 12 Iranian-made drones and components allegedly meant for attacks on Saudi Arabia, Babak Taghvaee reports.source
  • Expediency Council head Sadeq Amoli Larijani said the Islamic Republic 'will not retreat from its position on the Strait of Hormuz at any price' and that the waterway will not return to its previous conditions, Iran International reports.source
  • MP Ali Khezrian of the national security commission said 'the armed forces have taken over the management of the Strait of Hormuz'; inbound ships will use Iranian waters and the exit route will be split by percentage between Iranian and Omani waters, per Iran International.source

Trump Leans on Economic Pressure as Tehran Insists Oman Talks Won't Open the Strait

Global
  • Trump told Axios the U.S. has limited contact with Iran and, rather than order a new military operation, will increase economic pressure, saying Iran is in a 'very bad' economic state with no money to pay its forces, per RadioFarda.source
  • The Wall Street Journal reports Trump is ready to end the war as soon as Iran reopens Hormuz, even without a nuclear agreement, with officials privately saying Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed, LiveIranNews reports.source
  • The IRGC said reopening Hormuz is Iran's decision alone and unrelated to the Oman talks, happening only when the U.S. fully accepts Iran's conditions, while the Foreign Ministry said the Oman deal is close but depends on the U.S. honoring the June memorandum, per Open Source Intel.source
  • The Los Angeles Times reports Iran's new conditions could further complicate the talks, with just over a week left before the 60-day negotiating deadline for a final agreement expires, per Iran International.source

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