Iran Mocks Trump, Claims Hormuz Strait as 'Greatest Instrument of Power' in Peace Talks

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Iran-US war latest: Tehran mocks Trump with claim Hormuz is ‘our greatest instrument of power’ in peace talks

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will discuss the state of negotiations with mediators

Tehran has mocked Donald Trump with claims that the Strait of Hormuz is the country’s “greatest instrument of power” in peace talks.

Speaking on Tuesday, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said they would not initiate remaining clauses of the memorandum of understanding (Mo) until the initial five clauses were fully stabilised and finalised.

He added that the Strait of Hormuz, which has become a key negotiating tool in Iran’s belt after the nation took control of it early on in the war, was a “divine gift granted to them, serving as their greatest instrument of power.”

The MoU is made up of 14 points, including the safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days and the US terminating any sanctions against Iran.

Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Qatar to meet mediators, but Iran has insisted no direct talks are on the table.

“There is no high level meeting between the US and Iran planned,” Qatar said on Tuesday, in another sign that the peace process was stalling.

Container ship ‘runs aground in Strait of Hormuz’

A foreign container ship has run aground in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday, claiming the vessel failed to follow an approved route. While identifying it as a foreign container ship, the report provided no further immediate details about the incident.

The Iranian state television report appeared aimed at underlining Tehran's claims to control over the strait, which has long been considered by the world as an international waterway. A fifth of all oil and natural gas typically passes through it in peacetime.

Read more here:

Container ship ‘runs aground in Strait of Hormuz’

Comes as Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Doha, Qatar, for talks with mediators

Bryony Gooch1 July 2026 12:30

Iran insists on keeping control over Hormuz, senior Iranian sources say

Iran is determined to win international recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz and ability to levy fees on ships entering or leaving the Gulf even if it has to do so by force, two senior Iranian sources said.

Under this month's interim deal with the US to end their three-month conflict, Iran agreed to let ships pass through ⁠the Strait for 60 days without charge. But it believes the wording of the agreement allows it to keep control of which ships may pass and which route they take through the narrow waterway.

It is also determined to secure lasting formal acceptance of this control once the interim phase expires, and its negotiators will not move to other areas of dispute in ongoing peace talks with Washington until that has been agreed, the sources said.

If the interim deal ends without being extended, Iran would start charging ships for passage in mid-August, though it has not yet laid out any list of what fees it will charge or how. Iran ⁠closed the Strait when the war began and Iranian officials have said authorities charged some vessels navigation ​or other fees ⁠to leave the Gulf.

Bryony Gooch1 July 2026 12:00

How UK households are paying the cost of Trump’s Iran war

The grim scale of the financial impact of the Iran war on UK households has been laid bare, with energy bills set to soar by more than £221 a year from July.

The rise in Ofgem’s price cap – the largest since 2023 – has been triggered by global energy markets being thrown into turmoil following the US and Israel’s attacks on 28 February.

Britons are now being squeezed from all angles as the Middle East conflict shows no sign of abating.

Global oil and gas prices have surged, motorists are forking out around £15 more at the pump, and food bills are soaring. Britons are also facing significantly higher mortgage costs, while businesses are being lumbered with a raft of price hikes.

Experts are warning that the cost of living crisis is only set to get worse, with painful energy price rises due to hit in October, when demand increases ahead of winter.

More here.

How UK households are paying the cost of Trump’s Iran war

Petrol, food and even your home could all cost significantly more this year

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 11:30

Iran's top negotiator calls Strait of Hormuz 'our greatest instrument of power'

Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said the country would not initiate remaining clauses of the memorandum of understanding (Mo) until the initial five clauses were fully stabilised and finalised.

He added that the Strait of Hormuz was a “divine gift granted to them, serving as their greatest instrument of power.”

The strait has become a key negotiating tool in Iran’s belt after the nation took control of it early on in the war, swiftly impacting the global oil market.

The price of oil has now steadied to $70 per barrel, but previously peaked at $113 in April.

Bryony Gooch1 July 2026 10:53

This ex-general could be the biggest challenge for Netanyahu

A leading Israeli general who quit prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet after accusing him of lacking a strategy in Gaza has emerged as one of the premier’s most serious challengers in elections scheduled for the autumn.

His name is Gadi Eisenkot. Yesterday in Israel, his centrist political party “Yashar!” or “Straight!” formally launched its election season campaign.

“This time it’s on us,” said Eisenkot at the launch event.

“Will we turn a blind eye to the disaster that has befallen us? Will we accept the continued division and rush to the next disaster? Or will we heal and rebuild?”

His rise from the highest ranks of the military could sharpen scrutiny of Netanyahu and his stewardship of Israel through multiple wars.

Like nearly all of the prime minister’s rivals, Eisenkot has broadly supported Israeli military operations in places such as Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. He did not mention any of those conflicts in his speech yesterday.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 10:30

Ex-Israel PM says Netanyahu controlled by far-right ministers

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu is “incapable of governing his own government” because of being controlled by his far‑right ministers.

Itamar Ben‑Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, alongside ultra‑Orthodox groups such as Haredim, "control him", Bennett told Mario Nawfal.

Bennet said he would not have allowed the far-right politicians, whom he said make “really stupid statements,” into a government.“Netanyahu can no longer do that because he depends upon them,” Benett added.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 10:00

Iran says it will control Strait of Hormuz

Iranian officials have said their country has a right to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz alongside US ally Oman, located on the other side of the strait.

Iran said the country would impose tolls on ships from mid-August, when the 60-day ⁠memorandum of understanding with the US expires.

"The sovereignty of the Strait of Hormuz lies with Iran and Oman, and traffic in the Strait is subject to arrangements determined by Iran," Iran's top negotiator, Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, said on state TV.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 09:30

Watch: Vance says US 'in great position' with Iran war

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 09:00

Lawmaker says US ‘should not spend another cent’ on Israel

US member of congress Rashida Tlaib has said that she will vote for an amendment in the House to block $3.3bn in military funding for Israel.

The Palestinian-American lawmaker said: "We should not spend another cent arming a military that is committing genocide in Palestine, ethnically cleansing Lebanon, and committing war crimes in Iran."

“A majority of Americans and a supermajority of Democrats support ending military aid to Israel. It’s time their representatives listened," she wrote on X.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 08:30

Recap: ‘Trump wasn’t victorious – it was a major defeat’: protestors inside Iran speak out

Amirhossein Miresmaeili hears from unimpressed protestors within Iran who feel betrayed by Donald Trump’s promises of regime change.

More here.

‘Trump wasn’t victorious – it was a major defeat’: protestors inside Iran speak out

Amirhossein Miresmaeili hears from unimpressed protestors within Iran who feel betrayed by Donald Trump’s promises of regime change

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 08:00