Day 175 of the WarFriday, August 21, 2026
Day 175 — Pezeshkian Urges an End to the War, IRGC Media Cries Weakness, and New Death Sentences Hit Protest Detainees
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TehranStrait of Hormuz
A Rift in Tehran — Pezeshkian Wants the War Over, IRGC Media Smells Weakness
Iran- President Pezeshkian told the Islamic Association of the Iranian Medical Community: 'It is better that today, when we are in power and dignity and the entire world acknowledges our victory, we end the war,' adding that those who chant slogans must accept their hardships.source
- Amid reports of gasoline shortages under the U.S. blockade, Pezeshkian again attacked fuel subsidies: 'Who said the government should buy gasoline for 130,000 tomans and then sell it for 1,500 tomans?' — while his 'fourth gasoline quota' plan draws principlist fire, per RadioFarda.source
- The IRGC-affiliated Fars hit back at the president: 'The enemy is like a wolf that senses the smell of weakness and, instead of retreating, launches a harsher attack,' warning that talk of ending the war 'from a position of pleading' signals weariness, per Iran International.source
- IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi, marking Defense Industry Day, said boosting Iran's defensive and offensive capabilities must continue with greater momentum as the only way to counter current and future actions of the 'enemy.'source
New Death Sentences and a Tape From the Crackdown — Mosques Turned Into Killing Posts
- Hengaw reports Iran's Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Arghavan Falahi, a 24-year-old political prisoner in Evin sentenced by Judge Abolqasem Salavati on a 'baghy' charge; a source says Falahi was pressured for a forced confession over the killing of two judges.source
- Pouya Hosseinifard and Rasoul Rezaei, detainees from last year's protests held in Mashhad's Vakilabad Prison, have been sentenced to death, and Reza Omidvari faces a confirmed sentence; journalist Roghieh Rezaei says the rulings aim to reassure the regime's repressive forces.source
- An audio file of suppression forces' radio talk in Tehran during the uprising, obtained by Iran International, shows the regime stationed agents and weapons for killing protesters in mosques; citizens describe a 'trapping' tactic luring crowds near police and Basij bases before shooting.source
- LiveIranNews remembers Kiavash Mirghasemi, an 18-year-old high school student from Gorgan shot in the heart when regime forces opened fire in the city's Kakh Square on January 9, 2026; months later, on his birthday, his mother spoke to mourners.source
Washington Makes Its Case — CENTCOM Says Minab Girls' School Sat Atop an IRGC Missile Depot
- CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the Minab Girls' School sat inside a sprawling IRGC military complex, directly above a ballistic missile warehouse, and that at least two missile launches at U.S. forces came from it; LiveIranNews notes other claims remain unconfirmed.source
- Trump told WABC radio that without his exit from the JCPOA Iran would have obtained nuclear weapons and used them on Israel and the region, adding that a deal is hard because, with Iran's navy, air force and several leaders destroyed, 'no one knows who is in charge.'source
- Republican Congressman Bacon wrote on X that 'the best end to this war is for the people to take back their country,' urging strikes on 'the heart of the IRGC' and noting the regime 'killed more than 30,000 of its own people eight months ago,' per Iran International.source
Hormuz Traffic Halves Again — Seven Cargo Ships and a 90 Percent Collapse
Gulf & Naval- Reuters, citing Kpler data, reports only seven cargo ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday — half Wednesday's count, four inbound and three outbound — with no very large crude carriers or LNG tankers among them, per Iran International.source
- UKMTO says AIS-recorded transits through Hormuz are about 90 percent below pre-war levels; in the week ending August 7 it logged just 21 inbound and 18 outbound transits, each about four percent of the pre-war average, and still rates the risk 'severe.'source
- Reuters reports Iran's crude supply to Chinese buyers fell last week as the U.S. blockade — reimposed on July 13 as the ceasefire deal collapsed — severs export shipments; four trade sources say offers for September and October cargoes are down, per RadioFarda.source
- TankerTrackers says oil loading at Kharg Island has decreased and Iran's crude output has fallen to roughly the level needed for its own refineries and domestic consumption, per Iran International.source