Iran Update, August 31, 2026
The submitted text is a verbatim reproduction of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and Critical Threats Project (CTP) 'Iran Update, August 31, 2026', published at https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-august-31-20266-6a9622f2e0757.
Full analysis The complete summary ⌄
The submitted text is a verbatim reproduction of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and Critical Threats Project (CTP) 'Iran Update, August 31, 2026', published at https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-august-31-20266-6a9622f2e0757. Provenance is confirmed: matching headline language, structure and paragraph text were located on the CTP domain and on ISW's official X account within 24 hours of the stated cut-off. Targeted research confirmed the great majority of the update's load-bearing factual claims against independent reporting: the CENTCOM demining announcement by Admiral Brad Cooper (Gulf News, Arab News, Fox News, IranWire); the 30 August US strike on two IRGC rocket launchers on Larak Island (The Hill, Washington Post, Fox News, Al Jazeera); Iranian retaliation against US bases in Jordan with eight missiles intercepted by the Jordanian Armed Forces (Iran International, Fox News, Al Jazeera); the IRGC's 31 August supertanker-mine claim (UPI, Iran International, IranWire); the Iranian Army's Al Minhad claim and the UAE's interception-and-denial response (JPost, Onmanorama, Reuters via TimesLIVE); UAE suspension of trade with Iran (CNN, Haaretz); 35 percent trade contraction and 66 percent annual inflation (Reuters via Iran International, Al Jazeera, Dawn citing ILNA/Statistical Centre of Iran); the personnel identifications of Ahmad Vahidi as IRGC Commander-in-Chief, Abdolnaser Hemmati as Central Bank governor, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei as judiciary chief, and Ali al Zaydi as Iraqi prime minister; and Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada's conditional-disarmament list (FDD/Long War Journal, 1 September 2026). Three items warrant caution. First, the casualty figure 'at least 28 PMF members' killed in the 28 July US-Saudi strikes is not corroborated: contemporaneous PMF statements reported by Al Jazeera, RFE/RL and The Defense Post gave a preliminary toll of 20 killed and 32 wounded, and ISW's own cited Arabic footnote reads '20 martyrs, 32 wounded'; the higher figure may reflect a later toll but is presently uncorroborated. Second, the characterisation that the regime 'effectively closed' the strait 'in March 2026' compresses a contested timeline — the crisis is dated from 28 February 2026 and US strikes from 19 March 2026, while Iran's formal closure declaration is reported for 11 June 2026 and its jurisdictional declaration for May 2026. Third, the UAE trade-suspension date is given as 18 August whereas independent reporting dates the announcement to 19 August. Additionally, independent maritime reporting on 1 September attributed damage to two supertankers on the evening of 31 August to 'unknown projectiles' rather than mines, a material alternative explanation the update does not carry. The copy as supplied has had all hyperlinks stripped (footnotes render as bare bracketed numerals and obfuscated 'dot ir/dot com' strings), which materially reduces reader-side verifiability relative to the original publication. Presentation is analytically disciplined, low in emotive loading, and consistently hedged with epistemic markers, but the product carries a structural institutional lean: it is an advocacy-adjacent think-tank assessment written from a US/allied threat-analysis standpoint, uses contested framing devices ('the regime', 'suboptimal', 'anti-concession officials'), and relies in places on single anonymous sources and Iranian state media whose claims it simultaneously discounts.
What checked out (22)
- Provenance: the text is the ISW-CTP 'Iran Update, August 31, 2026', published at https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-august-31-20266-6a9622f2e0757 — headline, key takeaways and body paragraphs match.
- CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper announced that US forces cleared Iranian sea mines from the internationally recognised shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz, announced 27–28 August 2026 (Gulf News 28 Aug; Arab News; Fox News; IranWire).
- US forces struck two IRGC rocket launchers on Larak Island on 30 August 2026, the first US strike inside Iran in over a month, after observing preparations to lay sea mines (The Hill; Washington Post 30 Aug; Fox News; Al Jazeera 30 Aug).
- The IRGC Navy claimed on 31 August 2026 that a supertanker struck two naval mines and caught fire on a route Iran deems unauthorised south of the strait (UPI 31 Aug; Iran International 31 Aug; IranWire 31 Aug).
- Iran launched a combined ballistic missile and drone attack on two US-hosting air bases in Jordan on 30 August 2026, named by the IRGC as King Hussein and Al Azraq (i.e. Muwaffaq Salti) (Al Jazeera 30 Aug; Qatar Tribune).
- The Jordanian Armed Forces stated they intercepted eight missiles that entered Jordanian airspace on 30 August 2026 (Iran International 30 Aug; Fox News live coverage citing Reuters/state TV).
- Iran's army claimed a drone attack on Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE on 31 August 2026 targeting US forces; the UAE said it intercepted a drone over its territorial waters and denied the base was struck (TimesLIVE/Reuters 31 Aug; Jerusalem Post; Onmanorama 31 Aug).
- The UAE suspended all trade, commercial exchange and financial transactions with Iran until further notice following ballistic missile fire at its territory (CNN live blog 19 Aug 2026; Haaretz 19 Aug 2026; globalsanctions.com 20 Aug 2026).
- Iranian foreign trade has contracted by approximately 35 percent under sanctions and the US naval blockade, per Iranian officials including President Pezeshkian (Reuters via Iran International 29 Aug 2026; Al Jazeera 29 Aug 2026; CNBC 29 Aug 2026).
- Iran's annual inflation rate stood at 66 percent per the Statistical Centre of Iran as reported by ILNA (Dawn, 18 Aug 2026; IranWire feature, late Aug 2026).
- Abdolnaser Hemmati is Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, appointed 31 December 2025, and has faced public criticism over foreign-exchange instability (Wikipedia; bne IntelliNews 31 Dec 2025; Iran International 29 Dec 2025; IranWire 24 Aug 2026).
- Ahmad Vahidi is Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, having succeeded Mohammad Pakpour on 28 February 2026 (Wikipedia entries for Vahidi and Pakpour; United Against Nuclear Iran resource dated April 2026).
- Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei is Iran's judiciary chief and has repeatedly issued hardline warnings about unrest, including on 5 January 2026 and 17 August 2026 (Iran International 5 Jan 2026; IranWire 17 Aug 2026).
- Ali al Zaydi has been Prime Minister of Iraq since 14 May 2026, succeeding Mohammed Shia al Sudani (Al Jazeera 14 May 2026; Wikipedia; The Arab Weekly).
- Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada has set conditions for placing its weapons under Iraqi state control, reported 1 September 2026 (FDD analysis and FDD's Long War Journal, both 1 Sep 2026).
- Joint US-Saudi airstrikes struck PMF sites across Iraq on 28 July 2026, prompting an Iraqi government protest over sovereignty and the cancellation of PM Zaydi's Saudi trip (CNN 28 Jul 2026; Al Jazeera 29 Jul 2026; FDD 29 Jul 2026).
- Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf visited Baghdad from 18–19 August 2026 for talks including Hormuz shipping and regional security (Iran International 19 Aug 2026; IranWire 18 Aug 2026; The National 19 Aug 2026; Asharq Al-Awsat 20 Aug 2026).
- Iran has pressed Baghdad to expel or remove Iranian Kurdish opposition groups from Iraqi territory, with reporting on this demand during 2026 (Rudaw 8 Apr 2026; The New Region 29 Jun 2026; Kurdistan Watch summary of reporting c. late May 2026).
- A nationwide gasoline price increase in November 2019 triggered protests in more than 100 Iranian cities with hundreds of documented deaths (Iran International, 16 Aug 2026 background).
- Iran faces an acute gasoline shortage attributed to the US blockade constraining imports, with authorities cutting subsidised quotas and weighing price increases and rationing (MEES 14 Aug 2026; Iran International 16 Aug 2026; mezha.net 26 Aug 2026).
- Nationwide protests erupted in Iran on 28 December 2025 and continued into 2026 amid economic collapse, met with lethal state repression and internet shutdowns (Amnesty International 8 Jan and Jan 2026; Wikipedia '2025–2026 Iran massacres').
- ISW-CTP published an assessment on 21 August 2026 concerning Vahidi's faction, hardliner ascendancy and resistance to concessions (https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-august-21-2026).
Disputed claims 3 claims ⌄
- DISPUTED (figure): 'US-Saudi strikes on July 28 killed at least 28 PMF members.' Contemporaneous PMF statements reported by Al Jazeera (29 Jul 2026), RFE/RL via GlobalSecurity (29 Jul 2026) and The Defense Post (29 Jul 2026) gave a preliminary toll of at least 20 killed and 32 wounded, and the update's own Arabic footnote text reads '20 martyrs, 32 wounded'. The higher figure may reflect subsequent deaths of the wounded but is currently uncorroborated and internally inconsistent with the cited source. Not marked False: casualty tolls legitimately rise post-event.
- DISPUTED (timeline/date precision): (a) 'the regime effectively closed the strait in March 2026' — the Hormuz crisis is dated from 28 February 2026 and Iranian action from 4 March 2026 (CRS report, 11 Mar 2026; Wikipedia '2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis'), but Iran's explicit closure announcement is reported for 11 June 2026 (Al Jazeera) and its jurisdictional declaration for May 2026 (East Asia Forum). The phrasing is defensible but compresses a contested chronology. (b) 'The UAE announced on August 18' — CNN, Haaretz and globalsanctions.com all date the announcement to 19 August 2026; a one-day variance, possibly a US-ET conversion artefact.
- CONTEXTUAL DISPUTE (omission): GlobalSecurity's Iran War day-log for 1 September 2026 records two supertankers — the Bahri-operated Sidr and the South Korean-operated Senegal Prosperity — struck by 'unknown projectiles' minutes apart on the evening of 31 August inside the US-guarded southern corridor, and Insurance Journal/Manila Times reporting of 1 September describes projectile strikes. This competing causal account of late-31-August tanker damage is not reflected in the update, which frames Iranian activity around mining.
Unverified claims 6 claims ⌄
- The specific 31 August statements attributed to Judiciary Chief Ejei — that the judiciary, LEC, intelligence and security forces are at their 'highest level of readiness' and will act 'more decisively than ever' — could not be located in independent non-ISW reporting; only his 17 August and 5 January statements were corroborated.
- The claim that CENTCOM's July 2026 airstrikes destroyed 'more than 60 IRGC fast attack craft' near and in the Strait of Hormuz: July 2026 strike waves are well documented (Army Recognition, CNN), but the specific FAC destruction figure was not independently corroborated.
- The claim that CENTCOM explicitly denied that any ship has struck Iranian mines in the strait: the IRGC claim and US demining declaration are documented, but a direct CENTCOM rebuttal statement was not located in the sources opened.
- The 24 August 2026 seizure by ROYG-affiliated National Resistance Forces of a drame-component shipment travelling from Djibouti to Hudaydah, including Chinese-made 12km-range wireless modems: an Arab News report of 1 September 2026 confirms Yemeni government-aligned forces seizing drone components, but the 24 August date, Djibouti routing and component specifics were not corroborated.
- The 29 August claim by Kataib Hezbollah security chief Abu Mujahed al Asaf that PMC Chairman Faleh al Fayyadh forewarned the group of the 28 July strikes, and the associated 31 August denial by Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada spokesperson Kazim al Fartousi: an analogous Asaib Ahl al Haq accusation is documented in ISW's 4 August update, but the 29–31 August exchange was not independently corroborated.
- Reporting attributed to an 'informed source' on 30 August that Iraq will imminently refer two PMF draft laws to parliament after deleting the staff-college and Muhandis Company paragraphs, and the competing 25 August account of amendments limiting PMF operational powers: the 2025 precedents (Sudani's withdrawal of the PMF bills under US pressure) are well documented, but the August 2026 single-source Iraqi/Qatari-owned reporting could not be independently confirmed.
Sources & how we checked Search journal, source grades, confidence ⌄
Confidence
High (0.86) on provenance, event-level factual accuracy and bias characterisation; Moderate (0.62) on the disputed casualty and chronology details and on the six unverified single-source claims. — Confidence is high because provenance was positively established against the publisher's own domain, and because the update's principal event claims were independently corroborated by multiple dated, mutually independent outlets across different national and editorial traditions — wire-derived (Reuters via Iran International and TimesLIVE), US mainstream (Washington Post, CNN, The Hill, Fox News, UPI, CNBC), Gulf and pan-Arab (Gulf News, Arab News, Al Jazeera, Asharq Al-Awsat), South Asian (Dawn, Onmanorama), Israeli (Jerusalem Post, Haaretz) and specialist (MEES, Seatrade Maritime, CRS, UANI). Personnel identifications for five fast-changing offices were each checked against 2026-dated sources rather than model priors, as required. Confidence is reduced to moderate on specific numeric and chronological details for four reasons: the submitted copy's footnotes were stripped, preventing direct inspection of the publisher's evidence base; a material share of the underlying sources are Persian- and Arabic-language and were reachable only indirectly; several claims are structurally unfalsifiable because they rest on unnamed sources in partisan Iraqi and Gulf-owned outlets; and the environment is fast-moving, so casualty tolls and legislative status may already have shifted. Consistent with the stated guardrails, no claim has been marked False — the two items with dated counter-evidence are recorded as Disputed with that evidence set out, and all uncorroborated items are recorded as Unverified with the specific evidentiary limit named. The trust score of 84 reflects a well-sourced, epistemically disciplined and largely accurate specialist product that is nonetheless standpoint-committed, single-sourced in places, carries one uncorroborated casualty figure and one compressed chronology, and omits a competing causal account of a central 31 August incident.
Search journal
Institute for the Study of War Iran Update
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper mines Strait of Hormuz cleared
- https://iranwire.com/en/features/156876-centcom-strait-of-hormuz-shipping-lanes-cleared-of-irgc-mines/
- https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/strait-of-hormuz-cleared-of-iranian-mines-centcom-chief-admiral-cooper-1.500654955
- https://www.arabnews.com/node/2656094/middle-east
- https://www.foxnews.com/video/6404216437112
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaydi 2026
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_al-Zaidi
- https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_al-Zaidi
- https://thearabweekly.com/choice-ali-zaidi-iraqs-next-premier
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/14/iraqs-parliament-approves-new-ali-al-zaidi-government
Iran attack Jordan air base Muwaffaq Salti August 2026
- https://www.iranintl.com/en/202607192776
- https://migflug.com/jetflights/muwaffaq-salti-air-base-iran-attack-us-service-members-2026/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/29/iran-attacks-us-bases-in-middle-east-as-trump-meets-netanyahu
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/30/us-strikes-irans-lark-island-in-first-attack-in-weeks
UAE halt trade Iran August 2026
- https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/19/world/live-news/iran-war-trump
- https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/19/world/live-news/iran-war-trump
- https://globalsanctions.com/2026/08/uae-halts-all-trade-and-financial-transactions-with-iran/
- https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/2026-08-19/ty-article/uae-suspends-trade-with-iran-after-comi...
US strike Larak Island Iranian rocket launchers August 30 2026 CENTCOM
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Larak_Island_attack
- https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6060116-us-strikes-iranian-rocket-launchers/
- https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/iran-news-trump-war-israel-hormuz-august-30
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/30/us-strikes-iran-missile-sites-larak-island/
IRGC Navy supertanker sea mines Strait of Hormuz August 31 2026
- https://iranwire.com/en/news/156967-irgc-claims-supertanker-hit-two-mines-in-the-strait-of-hormuz/
- https://www.iranintl.com/en/202608310499
- https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iran-war-oprep.htm
- https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/08/31/iran-supertanker-Hormuz-mines/1101788151399/
Iran inflation 66 percent foreign trade fell 35 percent August 2026
- https://www.iranintl.com/en/202608296242
- https://www.investing.com/news/economy-news/iranian-trade-plunges-35-as-us-steps-up-economic-pressure-4881926
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/29/irans-leaders-acknowledge-economic-toll-of-war-pledge-diplomacy-defence
- https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/29/iran-trade-sanctions-dollar-oil-exports.html
Iran Central Bank governor Hemmati 2026 exchange rate parliament
- https://www.intellinews.com/iran-s-new-central-bank-governor-pledges-economic-stability-418015/
- https://iranwire.com/en/news/156693-iran-central-bank-chief-blames-us-propaganda-for-rising-forex-rates/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdolnaser_Hemmati
- https://www.iranintl.com/en/202512297350
Iran annual inflation 66 percent 2026
- https://www.dawn.com/news/2023635/iran-inflation-hits-66pc-as-cost-of-living-crisis-deepens
- https://iranwire.com/en/features/156807-what-a-66-inflation-rate-looks-like-on-tehrans-streets/
- https://iranwire.com/en/news/151278-imf-forecast-irans-inflation-to-hit-69/
- https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/06/30/irans-inflation-spiral-deepens-as-rial-slides-and-tensions-rise
Ahmad Vahidi IRGC commander 2026
- https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Vahidi
- https://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/sites/default/files/UANI_Resource_Vahidi_Update_4202026.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Pakpour
Mohseni Ejei judiciary highest level of readiness unrest August 2026
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-august-31-20266-6a9622f2e0757
- https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601056834
- https://iranwire.com/en/news/156402-iranian-judiciary-chief-warns-of-potential-coup-and-military-aggression/
- https://english.shabtabnews.com/2026/08/17/iranian-judiciary-chief-warns-of-potential-coup-and-military-aggression/
Al Minhad Air Base UAE drone attack Iran August 31 2026
- https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/world/2026-08-31-watch-irans-army-says-it-attacked-uae-air-base-with-drones/
- http://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-907084
- https://x.com/ReutersIran/status/2094289359906484607
- https://www.onmanorama.com/news/world/2026/08/31/uae-intercepts-iranian-drone-iran-claims-uae-base-strike.html
Iran closed Strait of Hormuz March 2026 declaration territorial waters fees
- https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/06/28/irans-strait-of-hormuz-claim-must-not-become-a-precedent/
- https://genevasolutions.news/peace-humanitarian/iran-wants-to-charge-fees-on-hormuz-passage-what-impacts-co...
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_campaign
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Strait-of-Hormuz
Iran declares Strait of Hormuz closed March 2026
- https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/security/iran-declares-the-strait-of-hormuz-closed
- https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/26/irgc-strait-hormuz-closed-us-accepts-mou/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/11/iran-shuts-hormuz-strait-but-wasnt-it-already-closed
- https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/6/11/iran-announces-closure-of-strait-of-hormuz-following-us-strikes
Iran war began March 2026 Strait of Hormuz closure mines timeline
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis
- https://news.usni.org/2026/03/13/report-to-congress-on-the-iran-conflict-and-strait-of-hormuz
- https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R45281/R45281.6.pdf
CENTCOM July 2026 airstrikes destroyed IRGC fast attack craft Strait of Hormuz
- https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/13/world/live-news/iran-war-trump
- https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2026/us-strikes-iran-strait-of-hormuz-july-2026
- https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2026/us-centcom-iran-strikes-strait-of-hormuz-live-updates
Axios Iran radar maritime surveillance degraded August 19 2026
- https://www.axios.com/2026/08/19/hormuz-iran-oil-gulf-trump
- https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/maritime-security/iran-tightens-grip-on-strait-of-hormuz-as-shi...
- https://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/analysis/iran-shipping-update-august-19-2026
Jordan intercepted missiles King Hussein Air Base August 30 2026
- https://www.iranintl.com/en/202608300784
- https://x.com/Qatar_Tribune/status/2094213135565549741
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/30/us-strikes-irans-lark-island-in-first-attack-in-weeks
Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada conditions disarmament August 2026
- https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/09/iranian-backed-militia-in-iraq-sets-conditions-for-disarmament.php
- https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/09/01/iranian-backed-militia-in-iraq-sets-conditions-for-disarmament/
- https://channel8.com/english/news/59268
- https://x.com/JoelWing2/status/2059701663431274678
US Saudi strikes Popular Mobilization Forces July 28 2026 killed
- https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2026/iraq-260729-rferl01.htm
- https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/28/world/live-news/iran-trump-news
- https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/07/29/us-saudi-arabia-strike-iranian-backed-militias-in-iraq-after-militi...
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/29/iraq-calls-saudi-us-attacks-flagrant-violation-of-sovereignty
PMF death toll US Saudi strikes 28 killed Iraq
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/29/saudi-arabia-us-carry-out-strikes-on-iran-backed-groups-in-iraq
- https://thedefensepost.com/2026/07/29/us-saudi-strikes-iraq-pmf-killed/amp/
- https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2026/iraq-260729-irna05.htm
- https://www.newarab.com/news/dozens-killed-strikes-iran-allied-pmf-militia-iraq
Kataib Hezbollah Jurf al Sakhr Khamis al Khanjar August 2026
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-special-report-august-20-2026
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-evening-special-report-august-14-2026
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-evening-special-report-august-13-2026
Faleh al Fayyadh accused warning Kataib Hezbollah before strikes 2026
- https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/asaib-ahl-al-haq-accuses-faleh-al-fayyad-turkish-collusion
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-special-report-august-4-2026
- https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/leveraging-us-sanctions-faleh-al-fayyad
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/26/iraqs-kataib-hezbollah-warns-of-total-war-if-iran-is-attacked
Iraq PMF draft law parliament August 2026 Muhandis Company US objections
- https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5171932-us-objection-forces-iraq-delay-approval-new-pmf-law-new-parliament
- https://www.newarab.com/news/iraqi-govt-pulls-pmf-bill-due-to-internal-divisions-us-pressure
- https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/threatened-militia-escalation-related-pmf-draft-laws
- https://syriacpress.com/blog/2025/08/15/iraq-pushes-ahead-with-pmf-bill-despite-fierce-us-opposition/
Ghalibaf Baghdad visit Iraqi officials August 2026
- https://www.iranintl.com/en/202608196669
- https://iranwire.com/en/news/156440-ghalibaf-travels-to-baghdad-for-talks-on-hormuz-shipping-and-security/
- https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/19/irans-parliament-speaker-ghalibaf-arrives-in-iraq-for-...
- https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5309299-sources-ghalibaf%E2%80%99s-baghdad-visit-fell-short-all-objectives
Iran demands Iraq expel Iranian Kurdish opposition groups Ghaani 2026
- https://thenewregion.com/posts/5761
- https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-iraq-kurdish-militants/31403247.html
- https://x.com/KurdistanWatch/status/2059223522816266360
- https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/080420262
Iran protests December 2025 January 2026 rial collapse crackdown killed
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%932026_Iran_massacres
- https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/iran-deaths-and-injuries-rise-amid-authorities-renewed-cycle-of-p...
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_killed_during_the_January_2026_Iranian_protests
- https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/01/what-happened-at-the-protests-in-iran/
Iran gasoline shortage 2026 price increase blockade refined fuel imports
- https://www.mees.com/2026/8/14/refining-petrochemicals/iran-gasoline-shortage-deepens-as-import-options-nar...
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-august-27-2026
- https://www.iranintl.com/en/202608161881
- https://mezha.net/eng/bukvy/d629be4d_us_maritime_blockade/
criticalthreats Iran Update August 21 2026 Vahidi concessions
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-august-21-2026
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-special-report-august-17-2026
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-august-19-2026
- https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-special-report-august-5-2026
Yemen National Resistance Forces seized drone components Houthis Djibouti August 2026
- https://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/yemeni-forces-thwart-houthi-red-sea-attacks-seize-drone-components-2656441
- https://www.arabnews.com/node/2656441/middle-east
- https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2025/08/yemeni-officials-seize-weapons-sent-to-houthis.php
- https://www.crisisgroup.org/trigger-list/iran-usisrael-trigger-list/flashpoints/saada-yemen