Iran…Trump…War/Conflict…Evening…8/9/2026…..Trump Steps Back……

Iran’s demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as laid out in a statement on Saturday, are largely what President Trump had already agreed to do in the memorandum of understanding that was signed on June 17 and quickly fell apart. But Iran sees control over the strait as its best chance of getting Mr. Trump to deliver on those promises — and is not willing to give it up just yet.

For Iran, analysts suggest, denying Mr. Trump the ability to claim victory over the strait is the most efficient lever to persuade him to recommit to those agreements and to implement them. Keeping the strait largely closed keeps energy prices high and is also a way to ensure that Persian Gulf states, which depend on the strait for exports, will also encourage Washington to return to the memorandum.

The level of mistrust between Iran and the United States is so high that Tehran wants to ensure it gets the economic relief it has been promised, to enable reconstruction, before it gives up even partial control over the strait, said Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation, a think tank focused on economic diplomacy.

“Iranian officials are concerned that if the strait opens, Trump would walk away from this conflict without feeling the need to resolve it,” he said. “They want to use the strait as a commitment mechanism to ensure Trump implements the various provisions of the MOU.”

Ali Vaez, Iran project director for the International Crisis Group, compared the strait to a “sword of Damocles over Trump.”

“Iran wants to front-load benefits without surrendering its main leverage, which is Hormuz,” Mr. Vaez said.

On Sunday, Mr. Trump told Axios that he believes that Iran will eventually come around because of economic distress and inflation. He did not threaten new military action against Iran, saying, “We are low-keying it.”

Iran’s demands were listed on Saturday by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. He called for the United States to lift its naval blockade and sanctions on Iran’s oil and petrochemical exports, withdraw the U.S. military from around Iran, pay war reparations and release frozen Iranian assets, as well as end attacks on Iran’s allies in the region, including in Lebanon, and threats against the country.

All those demands, except for reparations, are spelled out in the 14-point June memorandum. Most of the agreement’s terms were violated within weeks, with even Mr. Trump declaring the deal “over.”….

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The Iranians “don’t want to do this for free,” Ms. Vakil said. “The strait is not about fees, it’s about control and leverage for the rest of the package.”…

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Axios….

“We are low keying it” with Iran

President Trump signaled on Sunday that he’s prepared to allow economic pressure on Iran to mount — as opposed to ordering a new military offensive — even as the country continues to defy the U.S.

Why it matters: Only a week ago, Trump was on the verge of ordering a return to major combat operations. But in an interview with Axios, he did not make any new military threats.

• Trump also didn’t express any anger or frustration about the fact that Iran has been holding up an announcement on a deal with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, Iran issued a new list of demands to allow shipping through the strait.

What he’s saying: “We are low keying it,” Trump said during a brief phone call.

• “We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money.”
• He stressed that Iran “is in very bad shape” economically and has no money to pay its troops. The U.S. naval blockade has exacerbated the Iranian regime’s economic crisis, Trump said.
• At the same time, Trump said that with oil down to slightly over $75 a barrel, U.S. consumers are feeling less pain from the war.
• “It will work out. It always works out. It’s like a chess game,” Trump said of the back-and-forth with Iran.

Driving the news: An agreement governing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was negotiated among Iran, Oman and the U.S. and has been pending for a few days now.

• As part of the new deal, Iran would be given partial control over traffic in the strait — something it didn’t have before the war.
• Qatari and Pakistani mediators were confident the deal would be announced Wednesday, but since then its prospects have seemed to fade.
• U.S. officials also say there are growing disagreements inside the Iranian regime. One camp, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, is extremely worried about an economic collapse and believes Iran needs to reach a deal with the U.S. Another led by the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmad Vahidi, rejects any concessions…..

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Israel Rejects Trump Plan for Hamas Disarmament

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ISW....Iran Update Special Report, August 9, 2026

1. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed his former senior military adviser, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, as the new Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) secretary on August 9.
2. The Iranian regime has continued to threaten regional states against assisting US efforts to undermine Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz while simultaneously refusing to negotiate with the United States. Iranian Parliament Deputy Speaker Hamid Babai stated on August 9 that Iran will attack “any country that wants to assist the United States” in its efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the strait.
3. The Houthis conducted a drone attack that struck a Saudi Aramco refinery in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, on August 8.