A protester stands near a police vehicle while attending an anti-war demonstration outside the main gate of RAF Fairford airbase, which hosts U.S. Air Force (USAF) personnel, after the British government said on July 23, 2026, that Britain’s armed forces stand ready to defend the country and its military bases against any attack, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, on July 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Extending the weekend lull in fighting in West Asia, with the United States having halted operations after 13 days of strikes, Iran announced on Sunday (July 26, 2026) that it too was halting its operations.
Iran’s army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia was reported as saying: “Since our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations.”
Mine risks in Hormuz
On Sunday (July 26, 2026), the Tasnim news agency affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that a tanker exploded after it hit a mine while transiting the Strait of Hormuz through a route Iran had not approved. The news agency had made a similar claim about another tanker on July 23, adding that two other tankers had refrained from crossing the Strait after that incident.
While bodies that assess maritime threats, such as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, did not confirm these mine attacks, they have nevertheless warned of heightened risks from mines in the Strait. Soon after the war started, Iran said it had laid mines along the central part of the Strait traditionally used for merchant ship navigation and designated a “safe” route along its coast, an effective way to extend its control over the Strait.
Iran said on Sunday (July 26, 2026) that it had made progress in talks with neighbouring Oman, which holds the opposite coast of the Strait, on “common principles and operational mechanisms” for ships in the Strait. While the two nations had come up with a proposal in June to jointly administer the Strait and monetise it, the U.S. had refused to accept any Iranian control. Oman had also gone ahead and announced a route along its coast for ships to use that was endorsed by the International Maritime Organization, but angered Iran.
Mixed signals
Meanwhile, the U.S. media has reported that the country’s plans to escalate the war have been shelved, in part because of shrinking armament supplies. On Friday (July 26, 2026), however, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had a choice between a deal and strikes at a “much higher level”, adding, “We’re talking to them right now. I think they’re getting more and more serious.”
The second phase of the war, sparked largely by disagreements over the future of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on ships there, soon spread to attacks on U.S. bases and its allies in the Persian Gulf.
Fighting reportedly continued between the Iran-backed Houthi militia and Saudi Arabia, with the Houthis claiming to have downed a Saudi drone, a day after claiming to have attacked Saudi oil facilities. The Houthis had announced they would block Saudi tankers loading at Yanbu from crossing the Bab al-Mandab Strait on the Red Sea.
Published – July 26, 2026 11:12 pm IST
