Iran-US war latest: Tehran spells out demands to reopen Strait of Hormuz after Trump’s threat against Oman

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Sarkar, A. R., & Butt, M. (2026, August 18). Iran-US war latest: Tehran spells out demands to reopen Strait of Hormuz after Trump’s threat against Oman. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-us-war-live-trump-oman-hormuz-peace-nuclear-weapons-b3034640.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-08-18 · by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar, Maira Butt

Quick Summary

Iran's top negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf has stated that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US meets conditions agreed upon in an interim deal. The conditions include lifting a marine blockade and sanctions as well as freeing Iran's frozen assets. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Oman if it interferes with his efforts to force a peace deal with Iran. A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while leaving the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday morning.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-18, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Strait of Hormuz Status

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has plunged to single digits due to US-Iran peace talks stalling, with only seven commodity vessels passing through on Thursday.

US-Iran Conflict

The conflict between the US and Iran has been ongoing for six months, with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran sparking the war.

US Sanctions

The US has grown increasingly frustrated at a lack of progress in peace talks, with President Trump threatening "TREMENDOUS" sanctions on Wednesday and US treasury secretary Scott Bessent vowing to impose the "toughest sanctions in history" against Iran on Thursday.

Oman's Role

Oman has been working on a deal with Tehran to reopen the strait, but said lasting security requires permanent peace in the region and rejected further escalation or conflict.

Written for “Tensions at Strait of Hormuz” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 12 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Tensions at Strait of Hormuz
World · 13 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 19% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
BBC News · 0.86 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this 🔴 7% hedged 2 of 29 📰 publisher trust 72
“Both articles report on the same quote from President Trump's phone interview with Fox News on August 18, 2026.”
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 15% hedged 41 of 270 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles report on the same day's developments in US-Iran negotiations, with Kushner commenting on Iran's lack of interest in a deal and Trump threatening Oman”
Euronews
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this 🔴 7% hedged 1 of 15 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe an incident where a ship was hit by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, causing at least one casualty, on August 18, 2026.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 7 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles report on a single speech by Iranian negotiator Ghalibaf on August 18, 2026, where he states that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until US demands are met.”
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 14% hedged 23 of 167 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles report on President Trump's threat against Oman, made on the same day (2026-08-18), as part of the Iran-US war negotiations.”
CBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 14% hedged 4 of 29 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe President Trump making a threat to bomb Oman on August 18, 2026”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 11% hedged 7 of 65 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles report on President Donald Trump's threats against Oman and Iran's insistence on closing the Strait of Hormuz in response, with similar quotes from Trump.”
The Independent
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this 🔴 9% hedged 2 of 23 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles report on the ongoing situation with the Strait of Hormuz closure, specifically referencing a threat from Trump and its current state”
CBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 15% hedged 4 of 27 📰 publisher trust 60
“Article A describes a statement from the US on maintaining a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, while Article B reports on Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Trump's threat against Oman, indicating two separate incidents related to the Iran-US conflict”
CBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 36% hedged 4 of 11 📰 publisher trust 60
“Article A describes a speech by Trump where he suggests declaring Hormuz strait a U.S. territory, while Article B discusses Iran's response and conditions for reopening the Strait after Trump's threat against Oman”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
31
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
19%
6 of 31 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
13
World
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-08-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 2460 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
27 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 It was not immediately clear on Wednesday whether he would now serve a prison sentence or face fresh legal proceedings.
🔮 Russia has struck a number of energy facilities in Ukraine's Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Wednesday, even as president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Donald Trump to make sure Vladimir Putin honours his so-called energy "ceasefire".
🔮 Police have also said the man was in New Zealand between November 2018 and May 2019 on a six-month student visa to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company.
🔮 The Ukrainian president said his country would support a truce over strikes on vital infrastructure after being caught off guard by president Trump’s shock announcement that a deal had already been agreed.
🔮 Analysts have warned that companies could face higher hiring and compliance costs for their reliance on US talent.
🔮 But president Donald Trump has rejected Tehran's latest offer, and warned that military operations could intensify after the midterms.
🔮 US prosecutors argued that he was motivated by unwillingness to be deployed to Afghanistan and the shooting was in retaliation for America’s wars in the Muslim world.
🔮 The defence department would hold a press conference later on Tuesday to provide further details about the incident, she added.
🔮 The Trump administration has defended the policy as a means to quickly remove immigrants who have received their final deportation orders but whose home countries might not immediately want to take them back.
🔮 Earlier, Iran’s influential parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said his country would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the conditions it laid out in an interim agreement in June are met, according to Nournews.
Also by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 27 articles by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar →
Maira Butt
55 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Ukrainians fear the growing rift between Washington and Kyiv could have severe consequences on the battlefield, where the Ukrainian military still depends on technology provided by the US.
🔮 Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”
🔮 Coincidentally, the dispute at the time was around the use of Starlink when Musk bragged that Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse if I turned it (Starlink) off”.
🔮 He said the US would import 300,000 tons of the fuel as energy prices soar.
🔮 “One of her greatest fears was that her condition would continue to worsen because of delays and lack of adequate care, and that she would ultimately lose her life not because the cancer could not be treated, but because she was denied the chance to receive the treatment she needed.”
🔮 When 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal received an eviction notice from the apartment she’d lived in for over 70 years, she could not have imagined that the letter would send thousands onto the streets.
🔮 Whenever might overtakes right, it undermines stability, trust and peaceful coexistence.
🔮 He added that he would not “chase after cheap, rotten flesh”.
🔮 He added that the British consul general along with 20 diplomats (including the consul general) are ending their assignments and will leave Israel.
🔮 Footage of Saint-Denis mayor Bally Bagayoko went viral as he appeared to shield protesters from police in protests.
Also by Maira Butt
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 55 articles by Maira Butt →

Topics

Hezbollah Iran Iranian Japan Oman

Subjects

Iran GPE · 12× Netanyahu PERSON · 4× Gaza GPE · 3× Oman GPE · 3× Trump PERSON · 3× Donald Trump PERSON · 2× Fox News ORG · 2× Hezbollah ORG · 2× Iranian NORP · 2× Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf PERSON · 2×

Narrative

Gaza will not be rebuilt until Hamas disarms, says Kushner after four-hour Netanyahu meeting Israel will continue strikes on Gaza after four-hour discussions on a Gaza Peace Plan between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. “We have a plan to rebuild Gaza, but we will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt until the demilitarisation occurs,” Kushner told Fox News on Monday.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-18
🔮 The attack comes as Trump told reporters on Monday that Iran would not make the type of deal with his country that he thought was “necessary”.

Claims (31 extracted, 6 hedged)

The Strait of Hormuz is to remain closed until the US meet the conditions agreed in an interim deal, according to Iran’s top negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf in comments shared by state media. uncertain
US → remain → media
Conditions include lifting a marine blockade and sanctions as well as freeing Iran’s frozen assets. asserted
Conditions → include → assets
President Donald Trump has separately threatened to attack Oman – a US ally – if it "gets in the way" of his efforts to force a peace deal with Iran. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s**t out of them,” Trump told Fox News, after reports that Oman and Iran are working out their own solution to control the strategic waterway. asserted
Oman → threaten → waterway
A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while leaving the vital shipping route on Tuesday morning, a day after a 60-day memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran expired, according to the UMTO. uncertain
memorandum → strike → UMTO
The attack comes as Trump told reporters on Monday that Iran would not make the type of deal with his country that he thought was “necessary”. asserted
he → come → country
Iran said it would shift its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the deadlock in efforts to agree a permanent end to its war with the US. asserted
it → say → US
Netanyahu puts NYC mayor Mamdani alongside Iran’s Ayatollah on enemies poster Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud’s party has cast New York mayor Zohran Mamdani alongside Iranian and Hezbollah leaders in a campaign advert for the forthcoming Israeli elections. asserted
party → put → elections
The billboard seen in the country’s capital TV features the new Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hezbollah’s security-general Naim Qassem against a jet black background. asserted
billboard → see → background
“They want Netanyahu to lose, don’t let them win,” reads a caption alongside it. asserted
caption → want → it
Netanyahu reposted the image saying: “Don’t let them win.” asserted
them → reposte → image
Strait of Hormuz to remain closed until US meets deal conditions, says Ghalibaf The Strait of Hormuz is to remain closed until the US is able to meet the conditions agreed in an interim deal, according to Iran’s parliamentary speaker and top negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf in comments shared by state media. Conditions include lifting a marine blockade and sanctions as well as freeing Iran’s frozen assets. Asia shares decline as worries about rising oil prices outweigh perks from strong earnings Asian shares declined in early Tuesday trading, as rising oil prices and worries about inflation worked as a dampener on some markets, countering the optimism that had come from robust corporate earnings reports. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 1.6% to 68,098.54. uncertain
Nikkei → remain → 68,098.54
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.2% to 9,088.60. asserted
S&P → edge → 9,088.60
South Korea's Kospi reversed course after surging earlier to drop 0.6% to 6,933.60. asserted
Kospi → reverse → 6,933.60
Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.6% to 25,289.88, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.5% to 3,963.53. asserted
Composite → lose → 3,963.53
Analysts said robust earnings reports in Asia, following those from the U.S., are helping counter worries about what the war in Iran will do to the global flow of crude and its impact on energy prices. asserted
war → say → prices
Japan, for one, imports almost all its oil. asserted
Japan → import → oil
Traffic through Strait of Hormuz rises to six vessels Commodity vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has risen from two ships a day to six, according to shipping data reported by Reuters. Houthis attack Saudi refinery, says group's news agency Yemen’s Houthi news agency Saba is reporting that the group has attacked Aramco’s Jazan refinery in Saudi Arabia using drones, according to a military source. uncertain
group → rise → source
Saudi Arabia is yet to respond to the reports. asserted
Arabia → respond → reports
Watch: Trump casts doubt on Iran deal, says Tehran ‘cannot have a nuclear weapon’ asserted
Tehran → watch → weapon
Gaza will not be rebuilt until Hamas disarms, says Kushner after four-hour Netanyahu meeting Israel will continue strikes on Gaza after four-hour discussions on a Gaza Peace Plan between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. “We have a plan to rebuild Gaza, but we will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt until the demilitarisation occurs,” Kushner told Fox News on Monday. asserted
Kushner → rebuild → Monday
“Nobody wants to put more money into a place that’s gone on for so long if it’s just going to be taken over by terrorists or blown up again.” asserted
it → want → terrorists
Trump again threatens to ‘bomb the s*** out of’ ally Oman over Strait of Hormuz asserted
Trump → threaten → Hormuz
Donald Trump has threatened to launch an attack on Oman – a Middle East ally – over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely blocked amid the ongoing conflict between Washington and Iran. asserted
which → threaten → Washington
A 60-day period to negotiate a ceasefire deal expired on Monday with no news of an extension and talks deadlocked in the same position as two months ago. asserted
talks → negotiate → position
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s**t out of them,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News, after reports Oman and Iran are working out their own solution to control the strategic waterway. asserted
Oman → get → waterway
Trump told the outlet that the US had a backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding: “They should put up the white flag of surrender.” asserted
They → tell → surrender
Turkey urges Trump to continue talks with Iran Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his American counterpart Donald Trump that it was important to continue talks with Iran to pursue diplomacy. asserted
it → urge → diplomacy
The two leaders discussed the Iran and Gaza wars, bilateral ties and the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement during a phone call yesterday. asserted
leaders → discuss → call
Erdogan reportedly told Trump that Turkey was ready to contribute to the peace talks between Washington and Tehran. uncertain
Turkey → tell → Washington
Hormuz crossings rise slightly from weekend Ship crossings through the Strait of Hormuz were still in the single digits, despite a slight rise from the weekend, according to preliminary shipping data. Six commodity ships transited the strait yesterday, of which three were exiting the Gulf and three were entering, Kpler ship-tracking data showed, compared with the 10-day average of 11 ships. uncertain
data → rise → ships
Three ships transited on Saturday while two moved through the waterway on Sunday. asserted
two → transit → Sunday
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