Day 189 of the WarFriday, September 4, 2026
Day 189 — CENTCOM Counts 87 Ships Turned Back as IRGC Missiles Fly at Jordan and Trump Eyes Kolang Gaz La
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Strait of HormuzJordan and Kuwait
Who Decides on 20 More Years of War? — Rouhani Asks, the Pulpits Answer
- Former president Hassan Rouhani told a meeting of political figures that if Iran decides to fight the world's great powers for another 20 years, the people must be asked first, adding that no one rules by his own right, per RadioFarda.source
- Ahvaz Friday prayer leader Mohammad Nabi Mousavi-Fard claimed the Islamic Republic keeps 'complete oversight and strategic dominance' over the region and declared: 'we will not reopen this strait,' Iran International reports.source
- Isfahan's interim Friday prayer leader Hossein Mohammadi said Mojtaba Khamenei's call for social cohesion does not mean dropping hijab enforcement, which must be pursued 'with wisdom and planning,' Iran International reports.source
Washington's Next Moves — Kolang Gaz La, a Sirik Probe and a Post-War Plan
- Trump warned again that the U.S. may very soon strike the Kolang Gaz La mountain complex near Natanz, where Western intelligence says Iran is likely building an undeclared enrichment site — one experts say is out of reach even for the heaviest bunker-busters, per RadioFarda.source
- Speaking at the White House, Trump said there are no sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, that the U.S. has now hit Iran's radar systems a second time, and that while the U.S. lost no forces in Venezuela, 18 people were killed in the conflict with Iran, Iran International reports.source
- CENTCOM is reviewing drone footage and its targeting process over the deadly blast at a wedding in Sirik that killed four civilians, including a child; a U.S. official told Axios it was either U.S. munitions or diverted Iranian munitions that crashed at the site.source
- Axios reports the Trump administration is drafting a post-war strategy to contain Iran, built on a U.S.-guaranteed regional alignment, the next phase of the Gaza plan, an Israel-Syria security deal and the Israel-Lebanon agreement.source
The Blockade Bites — 87 Ships Turned Back and Iran's Ports Fall Silent
Gulf & Naval- CENTCOM says U.S. forces enforcing the blockade against Iran had redirected 87 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two as of September 3.source
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says no shipment of Iranian crude has made it through Hormuz to China since the blockade was reimposed — oil is stuck in ships trapped inside the strait and revenues are falling fast, per RadioFarda.source
- Research by Iran International's Program 24 and recent imagery show activity at Shahid Rajaee and Imam Khomeini ports has sharply declined; analyst Farzin Nadimi says container traffic at Shahid Rajaee, which handles about 85% of Iran's container trade, has nearly halted.source
- Per the NY Post, Oman has quietly rejected Iran's push to jointly charge ships transiting Hormuz, even voluntarily, saying tolling would violate international law — undercutting the IRGC's claim of an agreed revenue split, Open Source Intel reports.source
Missiles Over Jordan — Launches From Isfahan, Kerman and Kermanshah
Gulf & Naval- Al-Arabiya reported on Friday evening that missiles launched from Iran were intercepted over northern Jordan; hours earlier, Telegram channels close to the IRGC had announced launches from Isfahan, Kerman and Kermanshah, Iran International reports.source
- Iran International's website reported a powerful explosion in Jordan after the attack, while the Jordanian army said it had intercepted several missiles; LiveIranNews says Patriot air-defense systems engaged the IRGC ballistic missiles over the country.source
- LiveIranNews reports that Kuwait's Al-Deerah residential tower was hit by IRGC Shahed-136 drones two days earlier; OSINT analysis traces the launch to Dilam port, some 240 kilometers away.source
- An IRGC source told The New York Times that 70 to 100 Hezbollah members, including Quds Force advisers, have been trapped since June in tunnels under the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon; those who emerged to collect drone-dropped supplies were killed by the IDF, per Open Source Intel.source
No Return to June — Washington Wants a Bigger Deal as Seoul Weighs a Hormuz Role
- The Financial Times reports the Trump administration is no longer willing to return to the short-term June agreement and wants a comprehensive deal covering Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program; Tehran threatens that if it cannot export oil, other Gulf producers won't either, per Iran International.source
- A South Korean presidential official said Seoul is weighing options, including military ones, to help secure navigation in Hormuz, but denied a deployment decision had been made; any move would need parliamentary approval, per RadioFarda.source
- Citing South Korean media, Reuters says options under review include maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support ship or a mine-clearing unit, and that Seoul has consulted the U.S., Britain and France, Iran International reports.source
- The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Turkey's Golden Global bank and two subsidiaries, saying it moved tens of millions of dollars for the IRGC's Quds Force and helped shift Iranian oil revenue from China to Turkey, LiveIranNews reports.source