Tehran, August 16, 2026: Iran’s Army Chief Major General Amir Hatami has warned the United States against any attempt to claim the strategic Strait of Hormuz as US territory, saying Tehran would firmly defend its control over the vital waterway.
Speaking at a ceremony marking National Journalists’ Day, Hatami described the Strait of Hormuz as a “divine geopolitical capacity” for Iran and said Tehran would use its strategic leverage to deter further threats of war.
“You are very wrong,” Hatami said in response to the suggestion that the United States could declare the waterway its territory. He added that even joking about such a move would be a serious mistake and warned that Iran had the capability and resolve to defend the strait.
Hatami also claimed that Iranian forces had struck the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln at least once during the conflict, temporarily grounding its fighter aircraft. The claim has not been independently verified.
The Iranian army chief further announced a financial reward for individuals who kill or capture US soldiers involved in what Tehran considers acts of aggression. Under the scheme, he said, a person who captures or kills a US soldier and hands them over to Iranian authorities would receive five billion tomans, equivalent to around $30,000. He added that Iranian women accomplishing such an act would receive twice the amount.
Hatami said the initiative was being supported through public crowdfunding campaigns aimed at helping fund Iran’s defence operations.
Meanwhile, Iran said it had reached an agreement with Oman on a new shipping route map for the Strait of Hormuz following weeks of technical negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the two countries had been conducting intensive discussions on safe navigation routes since the signing of a June 18 memorandum of understanding.
He said the proposed navigation framework was designed to facilitate safe passage while respecting the sovereignty of both Iran and Oman. However, Baghaei stressed that the restoration of full security and normal commercial shipping remained dependent on what Tehran described as an end to US naval interference, threats and blockade.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said negotiations with Oman were separate from broader political issues surrounding the reopening of the strait.
“Our negotiations with Oman are ongoing. That is a completely separate matter,” Araghchi said, describing the discussions as technical negotiations over maritime routes.
He said the routes previously used through the strait were no longer functional and that Iran and Oman were working on a temporary route that could eventually become permanent.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi separately reiterated Tehran’s position that the Strait of Hormuz remained under Iranian control.
“The Strait of Hormuz has been, is, and will remain Iranian,” Gharibabadi said in a post on X, adding that it would only be opened or closed at Iran’s command.
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official meanwhile claimed that more than 85 per cent of Iran’s air defence production capacity remained undamaged during the conflict.
According to Iranian media reports, the official said attacks on Iran’s military production infrastructure had not significantly reduced the production or delivery of missiles and air defence systems.
He claimed that some areas of production had actually increased and that Iran’s stock of operational air defence systems was now in a stronger position than at the beginning of the fighting. The claims could not be independently verified.
Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff also vowed to continue resisting the United States and Israel until what it described as the “complete defeat” of its enemies and fulfilment of the Iranian people’s demands.
In a statement marking the anniversary of the return of Iranian prisoners of war from the 1980–88 Iran-Iraq War, the General Staff praised the country’s military personnel and veterans and described the eight-year conflict as a continuing symbol of national resistance and resilience.
Iran’s parliament also approved a bill that would criminalise interviews and other communications with media outlets deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic, including US and Israeli media organisations and outlets financed by them.
The legislation, which still requires review by the Guardian Council, proposes prison sentences of six months to two years for violations.
The proposed law would also require notification to the intelligence ministry for interviews with other foreign media, while contacts with foreign embassies, international organisations and other non-Iranian institutions without the required permission could result in fines and restrictions on certain social rights.
The bill further proposes tougher penalties for economic crimes allegedly carried out under foreign direction and restrictions on scientific cooperation with institutions outside an approved list.
Separately, Iran has called on Qatar to allow an Iranian fact-finding team to enter the country to investigate the fate of pilots Tehran says were captured by Qatari forces.
Mohammad Baqerzadeh, commander of Iran’s Committee for the Search of Missing Persons, said an Iranian Air Force expert team had been waiting for months to enter Qatar and investigate the case.
Qatar has denied holding Iranian pilots. Doha said its search and rescue teams had recovered the remains of one pilot after Iranian aircraft allegedly violated Qatari airspace in March and failed to respond to repeated attempts at communication.
Qatar said it had contacted Iran to coordinate the handover of the remains and invited Tehran to examine details of its search and rescue operation.
Baqerzadeh accused Qatari authorities of delaying the investigation and called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene. He also alleged that Kuwait was withholding information about four Iranians held there.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had killed Abu Hassan Alaa, described as a senior Hezbollah commander, in a strike in southern Lebanon’s Ansar municipality.
The Israeli army said Alaa was a senior commander in Hezbollah’s Badr Unit and was killed in a strike targeting what it described as a Hezbollah headquarters.
Hezbollah had not immediately commented on the Israeli claim.
The latest developments come amid continuing tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. Tehran has repeatedly warned that any attempt to challenge its control over the waterway would be met with a strong response, while negotiations with Oman continue over arrangements for maritime navigation.
