US escalates 'Operation Economic Outcast' with fresh Iran-related sanctions

🔹The US Treasury announced new sanctions on three Turkey-based entities under "Operation Economic Outcast," accusing Golden Global Investment Bank of providing a "critical financial lifeline" to Iran.

🔹The Treasury also targets global logistics and front companies involved in moving Iranian crude . Treasury Secretary Bessent warned that the campaign aims to "economically asphyxiate" Tehran, with more actions coming .

From naval blockade to land corridors: Iran's strategic pivot

Maritime disruption has pushed Iran to develop four major land corridors—East-West Railway, CPEC, INSTC, and the Shalamcheh-Basra railway—reducing reliance on the Strait of Hormuz. These routes cut shipping times, prevent shortages, and connect Iran to Central Asia, Pakistan, Russia, and Iraq. What began as a vulnerability is now a permanent pillar of Iran's trade strategy.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529664/From-naval-blockade-to-land-corridors-Iran-s-strategic-pivot

Iran-Russia alliance grows despite US pressure

Russia has firmly rejected US demands to abandon Iran, with Putin expressing "full solidarity" and praising Iran's resilience at the SCO summit. Moscow denounced Washington's "Operation Economic Outcast" as illegitimate. Despite CIA warnings, Russia is deepening ties with Tehran across trade, energy, and defense. The SCO's Bishkek Declaration also condemned US-Israeli aggression and mourned Ayatollah Khamenei's assassination.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529671/Iran-Russia-alliance-grows-despite-US-pressure

Ghalibaf: Regional countries must shape their future with own hands

🔹Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, welcoming China's call for a new regional security framework, stated: "China's emphasis on fostering common security reflects a principle Iran has long championed" .

🔹"Regional countries must take their future into their own hands, and true stability can only come through a new security architecture that is homegrown. Iran stands ready," he wrote on X .

🔹Ghalibaf noted that Iran and China "will undoubtedly form the axis of new regional blocs" .

Ben Gvir unveils seven‑year blueprint to ethnically cleanse Gaza

Israel's extremist minister Itamar Ben Gvir has proposed a seven‑year plan to forcibly expel Gaza's 1.86 million Palestinians, with a $3.3bn budget and quotas of 250,000 in year one, 1.11 million by year three. The "Disengagement 7/10" plan demands a new government ministry. War Minister Katz confirmed readiness for expulsion "by sea, by air." Polls show 82% of Israelis support the move.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529672/Ben-Gvir-unveils-seven-year-blueprint-to-ethnically-cleanse-Gaza

What has Trump gained following Netanyahu’s lead?

Trump followed Netanyahu into a war on Iran, ignoring military advisers who called Israeli intelligence "nonsense." Six months later, Iran controls Hormuz, US interests diverge from Israeli goals, and both leaders face elections—Netanyahu wants escalation to boost his coalition, Trump needs de-escalation to avoid gasoline price spikes harming GOP midterms. The US now bears a strategic burden it cannot easily escape.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529677/What-has-Trump-gained-following-Netanyahu-s-lead

Kuhestak mourns victims of deadly strike on wedding

Kuhestak held a funeral procession for victims of a US strike on a wedding celebration that killed five civilians, including four-year-old Amir Mohammad Karimi, and wounded nearly 70. Families, officials, and Shiite and Sunni leaders marched together. Weapons experts confirmed the blast was likely from a direct US 500‑pound bomb. What should have been a night of joy became a day of collective mourning.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529678/Kuhestak-mourns-victims-of-deadly-strike-on-wedding

Rights groups demand Congress scrap US-Israel military integration bill

Fifty‑six US rights organizations have urged Congress to remove a provision from the 2027 NDAA that would legally bind the Pentagon to joint weapons development, AI, and cyber cooperation with Israel. They warn it entrenches foreign leverage as public support for Israel collapses. The bill would make Israel a "full‑scale military partner" rather than aid recipient. A bipartisan amendment to scrap it was buried by leadership.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529673/Rights-organizations-demand-Congress-scrap-US-Israel-military

Safavid tilework: From architectural ornament to pictorial art

In 17th-century Isfahan, square tiles evolved into pictorial compositions depicting people, gardens, and courtly life—beyond geometric and arabesque designs. Using the cuerda seca technique, artists created large narrative panels for secular buildings. Examples now grace the Met, Louvre, and V&A. This fusion of painting, ceramics, and architecture marked a unique chapter in Safavid artistic culture.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529684/Safavid-tilework-From-architectural-ornament-to-pictorial-art

Flow vs. territory: The real battle for the Strait of Hormuz

Despite US claims, TankerTrackers data show oil traffic at just 3.8 million bpd—far below pre‑war levels. Washington is attempting to shift from territorial control to managing flows via a southern corridor under military cover. But Iran's resistance and a planned Iran‑Oman joint management deal undermine this. As analyst Mearsheimer put it: “We have no military cards left. It is the Iranians who hold the military card.”

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529676/Flow-vs-territory-The-real-battle-for-the-Strait-of-Hormuz

Culture minister visits Minab School exhibition

Culture Minister Salehi visited the "Minab School" art exhibition in Tehran, calling the US strike that killed 168 at Shajareh Tayyebeh school a "deliberate" global catastrophe. He praised artists for turning the tragedy into lasting testimony, comparing it to Hiroshima. The exhibition features 19 works by prominent Iranian painters, each offering a unique artistic perspective on the February 28 massacre.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529663/Culture-minister-visits-Minab-School-exhibition

Legal foundations for Iran's enduring management of the Strait of Hormuz

Iran asserts three legal bases for managing the Strait: combating arms trafficking to terrorists, securing war reparations (damages exceed $200bn) via transparent fees on oil exports, and reciprocity against US economic threats. With $78bn in US-GCC trade also passing through, both sides share vulnerability. Iran frames its oversight not as hegemony, but as a lawful, negotiable right.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529675/Legal-foundations-for-Iran-s-enduring-management-of-the-Strait

Army deputy chief: Enemy's failure to achieve goals is Iran's success

🔹Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari stated that the enemy's failure to achieve its goals is a "successful component" for the Islamic Republic.

🔹"Today's war is a war of will and endurance," he said, adding Iran's armed forces are at an advantage against a "heavily armed enemy."

🔹Despite sanctions, the Army stood on its own feet and carried out its mission.

🔹Sayyari emphasized defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity as the Armed Forces' main mission.

Iran participating in 27th Baghdad International Book Fair

Iran is showcasing 1,150 works at the Baghdad International Book Fair, featuring titles on history, art, literature, and resistance. A special session will explore cultural ties between Iran and Iraq and the views of martyred Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The fair, running until September 12, hosts over 600 publishers from 28 countries, reinforcing cultural and publishing cooperation between the two neighbors.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529662/Iran-participating-in-27th-Baghdad-International-Book-Fair

Sangak bread added to Iran’s national intangible cultural heritage list

Sangak, the traditional Iranian flatbread baked on heated pebbles, has been inscribed on Iran's national intangible cultural heritage list. The name derives from the Persian word for "pebble." Archaeological evidence includes a preserved oven and baking stones at a Varamin fortress. Officials plan to pursue UNESCO inscription, recognizing Sangak as part of Iran's historical memory and food identity.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529683/Sangak-bread-added-to-Iran-s-national-intangible-cultural-heritage

‼️ Exclusive:

A Wedding Turned to Mourning

Iran's judiciary chief urges BRICS to condemn US-Israeli attacks

🔹At the BRICS Judiciary Heads summit in India, Iran's Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei called on member states to condemn US-Israeli wars on Iran and prosecute perpetrators of war crimes.

🔹He stressed that "justice should not be selective" and detailed attacks that killed 168 schoolchildren in Minab and targeted hospitals and infrastructure.

🔹Ejei urged BRICS to take concrete steps to prevent further unlawful actions.

US terrorists attack 3 Iranian oil tankers in Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman

🔹An Iranian oil tanker was struck near Kharg Island this morning, with no casualties. Cooling systems quickly extinguished the fire.

🔹A second attack targeted two tankers off Jask, Hormozgan. The oil tankers—one empty, one loaded—saw all crew evacuated safely by lifeboats.

🔹The strikes come amid ongoing US aggression, raising the military death toll to at least 13 from recent attacks, according to reports . The Islamic Republic has vowed to hold the aggressors accountable.