Iran’s top diplomat met his Qatari counterpart on Thursday (August 27, 2026) in Tehran for talks on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as a U.S. naval blockade squeezes oil supplies to Iran amid a domestic shortfall.

The visit by Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani follows a week of intense diplomacy in Iran involving separate meetings with Oman’s top diplomat and senior Pakistani officials seeking ways to end the West Asia war and reopen Hormuz.

It also comes as Washington threatens wider secondary sanctions against countries, banks and companies that continue doing business with Iran, part of a broader campaign it has called “economic asphyxiation”.

Iranian state television said Mr. Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s Prime Minister, had met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, without providing details.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said they discussed de-escalation efforts as well as the proposed framework for Hormuz between Iran and Oman.

Mr. Al Thani “emphasised the necessity of respecting the sovereignty of neighbouring states and freedom of navigation”, and pursuing dialogue, the Ministry said.

Alongside mediator Pakistan, Qatar had played a key role in securing an April ceasefire and June deal between Iran and the United States, but those deals have since collapsed.

Fuel shortage

Since war with the United States broke out on February 28, Iran has maintained tight control over Hormuz, a vital global energy conduit, with Washington imposing a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

On Wednesday (August 26, 2026), Iran’s Vice-President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said the blockade had prevented his country from importing enough petrol to cover a shortfall in domestic production.

“Petrol production is insufficient, and because of the U.S. naval blockade, we cannot import it,” he was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.

In recent days, many Iranians have been seen queueing outside petrol stations. Presidential chief of staff Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei meanwhile said petrol quotas would be reviewed, without elaborating.

Iran, a major oil producer with some of the world’s cheapest fuel, has for years heavily subsidised petrol, making changes to pricing politically sensitive.

As the United States seeks to strangle Iran’s economy, Iranian officials have dismissed the measures as “failed policies” that will not force Tehran to change course.

“The country is in an all-out economic war,” said Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in a statement carried by local media.

“We will see that the government… will defeat the enemy on this ground as well,” he added.

Even before the war, Iran’s economy was battered by decades of international sanctions, and has long suffered from chronic inflation and a weakening currency.

Talks on Hormuz

Iran has for weeks been in talks with Oman, which also overlooks the Hormuz strait, over a framework agreement that would establish a “temporary corridor” for shipping and provide for clearing mines Tehran says were laid during the war.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday (August 26, 2026) said the two countries had agreed on each country’s share of the waters and any revenues collected from managing the waterway.

Tehran has nonetheless insisted that the strait will not be reopened unless Washington meets its demands, including lifting its naval blockade, unfreezing Iranian assets abroad and removing oil sanctions.

Since the war broke out, Iranian forces have required vessels to obtain permission to transit the waterway and struck ships that failed to comply.

Tehran has also sought to impose service fees on ships using the strait — a move strongly opposed by Washington and regional countries.

On Thursday (August 27, 2026), the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an “unknown projectile” had struck a tanker in Hormuz this week, causing a fire that was later extinguished.

Published – August 27, 2026 06:24 pm IST

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi in Tehran, Iran, August 25, 2026. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry via Reuters.

The Iranians “not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through the President’s demands”, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview last week. On Sunday (February 22, 2026), Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy for West Asia and his chief negotiator with Iran, said the President was “curious” on why Iran had not capitulated under American pressure. Mr. Trump is wondering “why, under this pressure, with the amount of sea power and naval power over there, why haven’t they come to us and said, ‘we profess we don’t want a weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do?’” said Mr. Witkoff.

These remarks underscore growing frustration within the Trump administration over its inability to extract significant concessions from Tehran, despite substantial U.S. military build-up near Iran’s shores, including the deployment of two aircraft carrier strike groups.

The U.S. and Iran have held two rounds of talks since tensions escalated in January, but no breakthrough has been achieved. Oman, which is mediating indirect negotiations between the two sides, has confirmed that a third round will take place in Geneva on February 26.

Also Read | Witkoff reiterates U.S. red lines; Pezeshkian signals optimism

Mixed signals

Mr. Trump has repeatedly warned that he could resort to force if Iran fails to reach a deal. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have said Iran is for a “fair and equitable” agreement on its nuclear programme, but have rejected Washington’s coercive tactics. The U.S. has sent mixed signals about its objectives. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month that the U.S. wanted discussions to cover not just Iran’s nuclear programme, but also its missile programme, its support for non-state actors in West Asia and its “treatment” of its own people. According to Mr. Witkoff, the President has given him and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law who is also part of the negotiating team, a clear direction that Iran should stop enrichment and agree to transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium out of the country.

The Iranians have so far, at least publicly, resisted both sets of demands. They say they are ready to talk about the nuclear programme, but only about the nuclear programme. Even on the nuclear programme, Iran says it would not give up its “right” to peaceful enrichment, and top officials, including Ali Larijani, have resisted calls for transferring its enriched uranium stockpile.

Also Read | U.S. envoy says Trump questioning why Iran has not ‘capitulated’

Last deterrent

“Iran will not be ready to abandon its nuclear programme,” said a security analyst based in Tehran, who did not want to be named. “Even if Iran reaches a deal with the U.S. over its nuclear programme, Israel would still call it a threat. If Iran agrees to surrender its ballistic missiles today to avert war with the U.S., Israel will bomb Iran anyway a few months down the line. So the question Iranians ask themselves is why should they give up their last deterrent?” he said.

In 2015, Iran agreed to place limits on its nuclear programme and open its facilities for inspection as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran remained in compliance with the agreement until Donald Trump, in his first term as President, unilaterally withdrew the U.S. out of it in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. In 2020, the U.S. assassinated Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force and one of the most prominent military figures in the Islamic Republic. In 2025, Iran was technically in talks with the U.S. over its nuclear programme when Israel bombed the country on June 13. A few days later, the U.S. joined Israel’s war and struck Iran’s nuclear facilities. Mr. Trump then claimed that the U.S. attacks had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme.

“These back-to-back setbacks to the diplomatic option seems to have convinced the leader that diplomacy doesn’t work,” a Tehran-based diplomat told The Hindu, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “ There is some tension within the system, though the state is holding firm, for now. Reformists (led by President Pezeshkian and Mr. Aragchi) still believes a deal could be possible if it averts war and the U.S. agrees to lift at least some sanctions. The Iranians might be open to making concessions on enrichment and enriched uranium. But it also depends on what the White House has to offer. The hardliners are watching when the talks are unfolding.”

Also Read | President Donald Trump denies top U.S. officer warned of Iran strike risks

Iran’s leverage

A war, by most accounts, would be disastrous for Iran, which is already grappling with internal strain amid a deepening economic crisis. The U.S. wields overwhelming firepower, with dozens of fighter jets and warships deployed to the region. Yet, Iran has its own leverage. It possesses thousands of ballistic missiles capable of striking American bases and assets across the region, as well as Israel. Iran could also disrupt or block cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international maritime chokepoint.

In his second term, Mr. Trump has attacked several countries, but he was also shown caution about getting entangled in a long-drawn conflicts. There is no guarantee he could swiftly conclude a war with Iran, particularly as Tehran has repeatedly vowed to retaliate forcefully against any attack. Nor can Washington sustain en elevated troop presence in West Asia indefinitely, particularly as the U.S. is preparing to hold midterm elections later this year.

“Iran wants to avoid war, but not at any cost,” said the Tehran-based security analyst. “If the U.S. is pursuing gunboat diplomacy through a military build-up along with talks, Iran is responding in kind —talking while preparing for war.”

Published – February 24, 2026 06:20 pm IST

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his accompanying delegation depart for the site of the talks in Muscat, Oman, on February 6, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Iranian Foreign Ministry via Reuters

In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, is welcomed by an unidentified Omani official, centre, upon his arrival at Muscat, Oman, for negotiations with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, as Iranian Ambassador to Oman Mousa Farhang walks at right, on May 11, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was ready for a “fair and equitable” deal, but not for coercion. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Iranian state TV on Wednesday (January 21, 2026) issued the first official death toll from recent protests, saying 3,117 people were killed, while the Foreign Minister issued the most direct threat yet against the United States after Tehran’s bloody crackdown, warning the Islamic Republic will be “firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack.”

State television carried statements by the Interior Ministry and the Martyrs Foundation, an official body providing services to families of those killed in wars, stating the toll and saying 2,427 of the dead in the demonstrations that began Dec. 28 were civilians and security forces. It did not elaborate on the rest.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the death toll was at least 4,560. The agency has been accurate throughout the years on demonstrations and unrest in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll.

The comments by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who saw his invitation to the World Economic Forum in Davos rescinded over the killings, came as a U.S. aircraft carrier group moved west toward the Middle East from Asia. U.S. fighter jets and other equipment appeared to be moving in the Mideast after a major U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean saw troops seize Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

Araghchi makes threat in column

Mr. Araghchi made the threat in an opinion article published by The Wall Street Journal. The Foreign Minister contended “the violent phase of the unrest lasted less than 72 hours” and sought again to blame armed demonstrators for the violence. Videos that made it out of Iran despite an internet shutdown appear to show security forces repeatedly using live fire to target apparently unarmed protesters, something unaddressed by Mr. Araghchi.

“Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack,” Mr. Araghchi wrote, referring to the 12-day war launched by Israel on Iran in June. “This isn’t a threat, but a reality I feel I need to convey explicitly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I abhor war.”

He added: “An all-out confrontation will certainly be ferocious and drag on far, far longer than the fantasy timelines that Israel and its proxies are trying to peddle to the White House. It will certainly engulf the wider region and have an impact on ordinary people around the globe.”

Mr. Araghchi’s comments likely refer to Iran’s short- and medium-range missiles. The Islamic Republic relied on ballistic missiles to target Israel in the war and left its stockpile of the shorter-range missiles unused, something that could be fired to target U.S. bases and interests in the Persian Gulf. Already, there have been some restrictions on U.S. diplomats travelling to bases in Kuwait and Qatar.

Mideast nations, particularly diplomats from Gulf Arab countries, had lobbied U.S. President Donald Trump not to attack Iran after he threatened to act in response to the killing of demonstrators. Last week, Iran shut its airspace, likely in anticipation of a strike.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been in the South China Sea in recent days, had passed through the Strait of Malacca, a key waterway connecting the sea and Indian Ocean, by Tuesday (January 20, 2026), ship-tracking data showed.

A U.S. Navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the aircraft carrier and three accompanying destroyers were heading west.

While naval and other defence officials stopped short of saying the carrier strike group was headed to the Middle East, its current heading and location in the Indian Ocean means it is only days away from moving into the region. Meanwhile, U.S. military images released in recent days showed F-15E Strike Eagles arriving in the Mideast and forces in the region moving a HIMARS missile system, the type used with great success by Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in the country in 2022.

Protest death toll rises

The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution that brought the Islamic Republic into being. Although there have been no protests for days, there are fears the toll could increase significantly as information gradually emerges from a country still under a government-imposed shutdown of the internet since January 8.

The first indication from authorities of the extent of casualties came Saturday from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said the protests had left “several thousand” people dead and blamed the United States. The protests began over economic pressures but quickly broadened to take on the theocracy.

The Interior Ministry statement on Wednesday (January 21) asserted that “terrorists used live ammunition that led to the deaths of 2,427 people and security forces.”

The Martyrs Foundation said Iran would pursue what it called “terrorists” who it claimed were tied to Israel and “supported, equipped and armed” by the U.S.

Nearly 26,500 people have been arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Comments from officials have led to fears of some of those detained being put to death in Iran, one of the world’s top executioners.

That and the killing of peaceful protesters have been two red lines laid down by Mr. Trump in the tensions.

Kurdish exiles claim Iranian attack in Iraq

The National Army of Kurdistan, the armed wing of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, claimed Iran launched an attack against one of its bases near Irbil, some 320 kilometres (200 miles) north of Baghdad. It said one fighter had been killed, and released mobile phone footage of a fire in the predawn darkness.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge the attack, which would be the first foreign operation Tehran has launched since the protests started.

A handful of Iranian Kurdish dissident or separatist groups — some with armed wings — have long found a safe haven in northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, where their presence has been a point of friction between the central government in Baghdad and Tehran. The PAK has claimed it launched attacks in Iran as a crackdown on the demonstrations took place, something reported by semiofficial Iranian news agencies as well.

Published – January 22, 2026 01:38 am IST