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Day 172 of the WarTuesday, August 18, 2026

Day 172 — UAE Detects Two Iranian Ballistic Missiles; Trump Says No Talks Are Planned; France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats

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Strait of HormuzTehran

Forced Psychiatry, Denied Cancer Care and a Victim Who Carried Water

  • Masih Alinejad says Ahoo Daryaei, who stripped to her underwear at her university in protest at morality-police harassment, was released after 18 days of forced psychiatric confinement per a friend, but remains under surveillance and is forced to take medication affecting her memory.source
  • An informed source told Iran International that a Christian convert held in Evin's women's ward has been diagnosed with lymphoma and a malignant throat mass, yet no specialized treatment or medical furlough has been granted despite doctors warning that delay raises the risk of death.source
  • LiveIranNews remembers Yasna Eskandari, 44, a lawyer and painter shot dead by regime forces on January 8, 2026, in Tehran's Aryashahr; her backpack held only small bottles of water she was carrying for thirsty protesters.source

An Empty Seat at the Memorial and a Gasoline Crunch

Iran
  • Videos show Ali Khamenei's 40th-day memorial held in Tehran with his sons Masoud and Mostafa, Ghalibaf, judiciary chief Mohseni-Ejei and Quds Force chief Qaani present — but Mojtaba Khamenei was not seen, Iran International reports.source
  • Ghalibaf said the Pezeshkian government's gasoline price rise is 'not a calculated measure,' claiming the enemy seeks to combine unrest with assassinations; Pezeshkian had admitted the blockade closed import routes and the state lacks funds to import gasoline, RadioFarda reports.source
  • Reuters, citing three Iranian officials, reports that despite the show-of-strength rhetoric, the leadership faces mounting internal pressure after nearly six months of war that could lead to nationwide unrest, per Iran International.source

Ballistic Missiles Toward the UAE, a Projectile in Hormuz

Gulf & Naval
  • The UAE Defense Ministry says it detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran, one falling outside and the other inside Emirati territorial waters, and that its forces are on the highest state of alert, Iran International reports.source
  • UKMTO says a vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile while exiting the Strait of Hormuz, damaging its engine room and injuring one crew member; the Omani Coast Guard is assisting the rest of the crew and no one has claimed the attack, RadioFarda reports.source
  • The IRGC-linked Fars agency claimed an oil tanker belonging to an Emirati company was stopped near Qeshm Island for sailing a route inconsistent with the path designated by Tehran, LiveIranNews reports.source
  • Kpler data show only six commercial ships crossed Hormuz on Monday, with no crude supertankers or LNG carriers among them, while Reuters says Iran's own oil exports have fallen below 300,000 barrels a day this month, Iran International reports.source

'No Talks, Not Scheduled' — and France Expels Iranian Diplomats

  • Trump wrote on Truth Social that 'there are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled' with Iran and that the blockade remains in full force, after posting a map of the Strait of Hormuz captioned 'America's New Territory,' per Shin and Iran International.source
  • Araghchi said Iran told the mediators it does not accept a ceasefire but seeks to end the war definitively, while Speaker Ghalibaf said Hormuz stays shut until the blockade is lifted, frozen assets released, oil sanctions ended and military operations on all fronts halted.source
  • French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Iranians are the crisis's primary victims, caught between the bloody crackdown on January's protests and the bombings, and announced two Iranian diplomats will be expelled over a deliberate assault on two French diplomats on July 19.source
  • Iran International reports that Nechirvan Barzani has met Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani twice as part of his Tehran-Washington liaison, while U.S. envoy Jared Kushner says U.S. contacts with various parts of the Islamic Republic are now more extensive than ever.source

Hackers Indicted, Russian Supplies Reported, IRGC Men Held in Kuwait

  • The U.S. Justice Department charged 17 Iranians linked to the Mabna Institute with hacking hundreds of universities, companies and agencies on behalf of the IRGC and other Iranian entities, stealing at least 31 terabytes of data and intellectual property, per Shin and LiveIranNews.source
  • NBC News reports Russia is supplying Iran with drone components, explosives and ammunition to rebuild quickly during the lull with the U.S., with most shipments moving across the Caspian Sea, WarMonitor relays.source
  • Iran's ambassador to Kuwait met four detained 'Iranian citizens' — men Kuwait's Interior Ministry said in the spring were IRGC members who infiltrated Bubiyan Island by sea — and was briefed on their health, Iran International reports.source

Sources