Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr

Force in Play

Issued Iran's six-point list of conditions for reopening Hormuz on August 8, then replaced as SNSC secretary the next day

The 60-day window set by the June Islamabad memorandum expired the week of August 17 without an extension from either side. Hormuz traffic fell to single-digit daily crossings: as few as three vessels on some days, against about 120 before the war. Roughly 520 commercial ships sit stuck inside the Gulf, and Iran's oil exports through the strait have dropped 94%.

Updated Sep 4

Force in Play

Set sweeping new conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz on August 8, going beyond the technical Iran-Oman route deal

The 60-day ceasefire window set by the June memorandum expired August 17 with no extension. A White House official called the talks 'static,' and Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has not decided to resume negotiations with Washington. Trump responded by confirming a secret US backchannel to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and threatening to bomb Oman if it interferes with US efforts in the strait.

Updated Aug 17