Day 166 of the WarWednesday, August 12, 2026
Day 166 — Trump's 'Wall of Steel' Around Hormuz; Tehran Says the Strait Stays Shut; Zakani Says Mojtaba Khamenei Was Wounded
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Strait of HormuzTehran
Wounds, Rifts and Threats at the Top of the Regime
Iran- Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani told the Daneshjoo agency a missile hit the floor where Mojtaba Khamenei was in the strike on the leader's residence, killing his wife and wounding him; Iran International analysts say the lack of any image or video of him bolsters the injury theory.source
- Iran International's Morad Veisi says Zolghadr was reportedly removed as SNSC secretary over his vote in favor of the agreement, exposing a deepening rift: Mojtaba Khamenei and IRGC factions push confrontation, while Pezeshkian presses to end the war and reach a deal with Washington.source
- In his first-ever interview with a U.S. outlet, PBS, IRGC adviser Mohammad Reza Naqdi claimed Iran produces more missiles than it launches and threatened that if America used a nuclear bomb, 'all U.S. military bases around the world will be occupied,' per RadioFarda and LiveIranNews.source
- Naqdi also floated prolonging the war until the next U.S. presidential term to wear the enemy down, LiveIranNews reports, while parliament presidium member Alireza Salimi told IRNA that Hormuz is now 'worth more to us than a nuclear bomb.'source
Spy Charges in Saqqez, an Arrest in Mashhad, Harassment in Isfahan
- Masih Alinejad warns that Shamsi Khosravi, a 44-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez, faces charges of 'corruption on earth' and spying for Israel that could end in execution; she is held in Qarchak prison, and her family insists she is not a spy.source
- An informed source told Iran International that Shahou Zirek, a 40-year-old construction welder, was violently arrested in Mashhad by IRGC intelligence and taken to an undisclosed location for posting support for the 'National Revolution' and Prince Reza Pahlavi.source
- A citizen sent Iran International video from Isfahan's Sabzeh-Meydan underpass, saying plainclothes Basij forces stopped a young woman there at 11 p.m. and subjected her to 'mockery and groping.'source
A 'Wall of Steel' Versus 'The Strait Remains Closed'
Gulf & Naval- Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. has total control of Hormuz — 'I think we will keep it!' — calling the naval blockade a 'Wall of Steel' and saying Iran has no navy or air force, its remaining soldiers are unpaid and inflation stands at 300 percent, RadioFarda reports.source
- CENTCOM released an image of an F/A-18 launching from the carrier USS George H.W. Bush in support of the blockade and updated its tally as of Aug. 12: 59 commercial vessels redirected, three disabled and two boarded, per Shin.source
- Iran's Persian Gulf Waterway Management Authority replied on X that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and will not reopen until Tehran's conditions are accepted, saying repeated U.S. claims 'do not change the reality,' per Open Source Intel and Iran International.source
- TankerTrackers says an oil slick that reached Iran's shores likely came from an Iranian attack on the 'Minwan Pioneer' in Omani waters off Musandam; Iran's environment department reports pollution at Souza, Shib Deraz, Negashe and on Hengam Island, per Iran International.source
A Ceasefire Clock Ticks, Oil Markets Brace for Attrition
- As the 60-day ceasefire deadline nears, regional mediators are working to keep Iran-U.S. talks alive, but a senior Iranian official told Reuters no talks have taken place on extending it and that there has been 'absolutely no progress,' Iran International reports.source
- In their fourth phone call, Japan's prime minister urged Pezeshkian to calm Hormuz as soon as possible and reach a final, comprehensive deal with Washington that includes the nuclear file; Pezeshkian said Iran has not violated international law, per RadioFarda.source
- Bloomberg reports the UAE is helping Iraq export crude by routing it through Emirati energy infrastructure, a sign of Gulf states' growing efforts to keep oil flowing despite Hormuz, RadioFarda notes.source
- The IEA puts the global oil supply shortfall at 1.8 million barrels a day and expects 2026 demand to fall by 1.6 million, while tanker trackers say Iran's own exports have dropped to about 500,000 barrels a day; Brent hit a one-week high of $88.91, Iran International reports.source