Iran Declares 'Fully Offensive' Posture as Hormuz Strait Incident Complicates US-Iran MOU Deadline

International · 2026-08-19 11:25:54

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Iran has announced a shift from a defensive posture to a “fully offensive” policy due to a deadlock in efforts to end its war with the United States. A projectile struck a vessel near the Oman coast on August 18, 2026, damaging the engine room and causing a crew casualty, with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations and NDTV locating the impact in the general vicinity of the Hormuz Strait. Tehran is demanding that the United States lift a blockade to reopen the passage, even as Deutsche Welle reports ships continue transiting and NDTV notes Omani officials have spent weeks negotiating coordinates for safe navigation. The United States and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding whose 60-day deadline passed on Monday, while former U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly threatened to “bomb” Oman.

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