Iran war news Highlights: Netanyahu rules out diplomacy with Iran’s ‘savages’

"America will not achieve anything with economic pressure at this stage, just as it was unable to achieve anything in the war," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, according to the country's ISNA news agency.

"We will stand firm against economic pressures, as we have done so far and will continue to do."

Netanyahu also warned that Israel would respond forcefully if Iran launched another attack.

He said his July 28 meeting with Trump at the White House included discussions about the possibility of renewed military action against Iran.

Netanyahu said he had told Trump that Israel would defend itself and would not allow Iran to attack it.

"I told him: We are there, we will defend ourselves, and we will not allow Iran to attack us," Netanyahu said.

“If, God forbid, they attack us, they will suffer a blow they never dreamed of,” Netanyahu said, warning that any future response could be stronger than previous Israeli attacks.

Israel PM Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision to intensify economic pressure on Iran, describing the US approach as a strong response to the Iranian government.

Netanyahu said he had previously presented Trump with what he described as a “third option” focused on economic pressure rather than immediately returning to full-scale military action.

He also welcomed Trump’s decision to target entities and countries assisting the Iranian government, saying that tightening the pressure on those supporting Tehran was important.

Speaking at an event in Jerusalem for Israeli settlers in West Bank late Tuesday, Netanyahu said: "I doubt, however, that an agreement can be reached with that group there, with those savages. I tell you -- an agreement cannot be reached."

Brent crude gained 0.54% to $89.06 a barrel, while WTI rose 0.83% to $83.04 in Wednesday’s choppy session.

Investors monitored Iran-Oman discussions over the Strait of Hormuz, with hopes of a partial reopening weighing on oil prices earlier in the session.

US crude inventories increased by just 95,000 barrels to 428.9 million barrels in the week ended August 21, well below the 597,000-barrel increase expected by analysts.

Only five commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, compared with a 10-day average of 15, according to Kpler data.

US President Donald Trump said he believes Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Motjaba Khamenei is “very seriously wounded” but not dead.

Trump suggested that if Khamenei were dead, Iranian officials were doing a convincing job of concealing it.

Trump said Iranian officials continue to refer to “going back to talk to him” to seek his final approval on matters.

Trump made the remarks during an interview with conservative US host Glenn Beck.

Commercial ships entering the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would travel entirely through Iranian waters, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

Ships leaving the Persian Gulf would use a route passing through both Iranian and Omani territorial waters.

The proposed maritime route would initially operate as a temporary framework.

Iran and Oman would discuss a long-term shipping arrangement within 30 to 60 days.

The emerging deal faces opposition from the Trump administration, which has objected to parts of the proposed arrangement.

Iran says military ships will not be allowed to transit the Strait of Hormuz under its proposed agreement with Oman, Iran's deputy foreign minister said.

The two countries are negotiating a framework to manage commercial shipping through the strategic waterway.

The vital shipping route has stayed mostly shut nearly six months after the Iran war began.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy chokepoints.

Before the conflict, the waterway carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

The prolonged disruption has sharply reduced shipping through the strait and raised concerns over global energy supplies.

Although some vessels continue to cross, attacks on shipping and the threat of further disruption have made the route increasingly dangerous.

Tehran has said reopening the Strait of Hormuz would depend on the US complying with provisions of a memorandum of understanding signed in June.

Iran wants Washington to:

-Lift sanctions against Iran

-End its naval blockade of Iranian ports

-Unfreeze Iranian assets held overseas

-Return to the earlier agreement between the two sides

Washington has not indicated that it is ready to accept these conditions.

The dispute has contributed to a broader deadlock in efforts to reach a permanent agreement to end the war.

Iran has accused Washington of obstructing negotiations between Tehran and Muscat.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Hossein Mohebi said US interference had delayed progress towards finalising the arrangement.

The dispute is particularly focused on Tehran's demand that ships pay for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a proposal that Washington has rejected.

Iran began charging some vessels transit fees during the early weeks of the conflict, according to people familiar with the matter. Tehran later described such payments as fees for services connected with the waterway.

Oman has opposed the imposition of formal transit fees, although it has reportedly indicated that vessels could potentially pay for related services.

US President Donald Trump said he was “not in a hurry” to reach a deal with Iran, while maintaining that both economic and military pressure were proving effective.

“I have no time schedule; I’m not in a hurry,” Trump said when asked about negotiations with Tehran.

His comments suggest that Washington is not under immediate pressure to conclude talks, as the US continues to rely on economic and military measures in dealing with Iran.

Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States accepts Tehran’s conditions and returns to an agreement reached with Oman, an IRGC spokesperson said Wednesday.

The spokesperson said Iran and Oman had held talks over the past month and reached understandings on waterway access and revenue sharing. He said the strait could reopen if Washington stopped obstructing the agreement, but warned it would remain closed if the US rejected Iran’s terms.

He also claimed Iran controlled passage through the waterway and said hostile warships were at least 400 km (250 miles) away.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday described the media as a key front in a “perception war”, urging journalists to help strengthen national morale.

IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebi said modern conflicts were fought not only on the battlefield but also over how people understood events. He accused Iran’s adversaries of trying to influence public opinion and called on domestic media to promote what he described as hope and national resolve.

Mohebi also said the conflict was increasingly technology-driven, involving artificial intelligence, software systems and drone data, while urging unity in the face of external threats

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that Tehran would continue pursuing disputes through engagement and negotiations while firmly resisting US economic pressure.

He said measures prepared by Iran’s economic officials would prevent Washington from achieving its goals, arguing that the US had failed to gain ground through war and would similarly fail through economic pressure.

Pezeshkian also defended supporters of the Tehran-Washington memorandum of understanding, rejecting claims that they had capitulated.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that negotiations remained the best way to achieve the country’s goals despite ongoing obstacles.

Aoun said talks were preferable to renewed war, which he warned would bring more destruction and tragedy. “It is true that it is not easy or quick,” he said, adding that negotiations were still “much better than war.”

Iran has urged Qatar to do more to determine the fate of three Iranian Su-24 pilots missing since their aircraft were shot down in March.

Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said Doha had told Tehran it was unaware of what happened to the pilots. Iran wants Qatar to provide a “clear and documented response” on their fate.

Qatar has denied earlier Iranian claims that the pilots were captured alive, saying it recovered the remains of one pilot after two Iranian Su-24s entered Qatari airspace and were shot down.

Iran president says 'US will achieve nothing' with economic pressure

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet on the sidelines of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said Wednesday.

The summit is scheduled to take place on September 1 in Bishkek under Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship, with SCO leaders expected to discuss regional security and economic cooperation.

Explosions may be heard in Pakdasht, southeast of Tehran, on Wednesday as authorities dispose of unexploded munitions left from attacks, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran province said.

The IRGC said sounds from the disposal operation could be heard until 4 p.m. local time.