Iran warned its adversaries Monday, Aug. 17, to “anticipate strategic surprises” as a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official said the country is shifting from a defensive military posture to an offensive one.
Yadollah Javani, head of the IRGC’s political bureau, told state media that “the enemy should know that it cannot catch us off-guard.” He added, “Instead, it is the enemy that must anticipate strategic surprises,” according to Middle East Eye (MEE). [1]
“Whatever is necessary to defend this land, ensure security and neutralize enemy threats will be executed at the appropriate time,” Javani emphasized. [1] His remarks came as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes, slowed over the weekend. [2]
The IRGC has long been a point of tension between Washington and Tehran. In 2007, the U.S. Senate passed the Kyl-Lieberman resolution urging the president to declare the IRGC a terrorist organization, a move that author Juan Cole wrote “seemed nonsensical” because the technical definition of terrorism applies to nonstate actors. [3]
Strait of Hormuz Traffic Drops as Iran and Oman Hold Talks
Ship tracking data from Kpler showed five commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, Aug. 15, with none recorded on Sunday, Aug. 16, compared with 31 vessels during the previous weekend, according to MEE. [2] The decline follows months of disruption in the waterway, which Iran completely closed in April, halting a major portion of global oil shipments in retaliation for a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. [4]
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that talks with Oman on establishing a secure maritime transit route were continuing. “Drawing up the maritime transit route plan with Oman has been time-consuming due to security complexities,” he said.
The spokesman attributed the delays to security complications caused by U.S. and Israeli military actions. “This is the first time that a mechanism is being developed to simultaneously safeguard the sovereign rights of the two littoral states and ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels,” Baghaei said. [2]
Iran has also formally defined administrative supervisory boundaries over the 21-mile-wide chokepoint, a move that Lance D. Johnson of NaturalNews.com described as transforming “a geographic curiosity into a weapon of economic warfare.” [5] The talks proceed as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Monday to bomb Oman if it interferes with U.S. efforts to enforce a blockade on Iranian shipping. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the [expletive] out of them,” Trump told Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst in a phone interview. [6]
Iran Says 60-Day Memorandum Clause Is Moot After U.S. Violations
Baghaei said the 60-day period linked to the June 17 memorandum between Tehran and Washington was no longer relevant, accusing the U.S. of violating the agreement weeks after it was signed. “There is no provision in the memorandum of understanding referring to a ’60-day deadline,’ and the Islamic Republic of Iran never formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums or time limits,” he said. [2]
According to Baghaei, the memorandum envisaged a 60-day period for talks on the lifting of sanctions and the nuclear issue that could have been extended if no agreement was reached. “Gross and widespread” U.S. violations meant those talks never began. “As a result, the issue of a 60-day deadline became entirely moot,” he added. [2]
The breakdown follows a pattern documented by Gareth Porter in “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare,” which describes American and Israeli diplomatic overreach rooted in willful self-deception and cherry-picked intelligence about Iran’s nuclear program. [7]
Iranian Drones Strike Iraqi Kurdistan Offices, No Casualties Reported
Kurdistan Regional Government authorities said two Iranian drones targeted the office of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the home of the head of the Security and Intelligence Agency overnight. “Following an investigation by the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Unit, my personal office and the home of the head of the Security and Intelligence Agency were targeted by Iranian drone attacks earlier today,” Barzani said in a post on X. [2]
“This is a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan region,” Barzani warned. The regional counterterrorism directorate reported no casualties.
Since the start of the war on Iran in late February, the Kurdistan region, which hosts U.S. troops and international oil firms as well as rebels exiled from Iran, has been targeted with more than 1,000 attacks by Tehran and pro-Iran armed groups inside Iraq, according to MEE. [2]
Iran Blames U.S. Military Presence for Gulf Oil Pollution
Iran’s Foreign Ministry blamed pollution in Gulf waters on decades of U.S. military activity in the region, after several oil spills were reported. “This environmental damage stems from the US military presence and the wars it has waged in the region over the past five decades,” Baghaei said Monday. [2]
He called for the United States to be held accountable, estimating the damage at “trillions of dollars.” Last week, Iran demanded compensation after an oil slick in the Strait of Hormuz reached the island of Qeshm, affecting beaches and an environmentally sensitive mangrove forest. At the time, Baghaei cited preliminary evidence identifying “a foreign bulk carrier” as the source of the spill, which Iranian officials later said had been “completely cleaned up.” [2]
Iran Says Missing Pilots Are Prisoners in Qatar; Doha Denies
Baghaei said Monday that Iran will consider three missing pilots to be prisoners in Qatar until Doha clarifies their fate, despite Qatari denials. Tehran has said the pilots went missing while carrying out an operation against the U.S. Al Udeid air base in Qatar on March 2. “Until the pilots’ situation is clarified, we consider them prisoners and will spare no effort to shed light on their fate,” Baghaei said. [2]
Qatar denies holding the pilots and said an invitation had been sent to Iran in April to be briefed on search and rescue operations, but the Iranian side had yet to respond. Last month, Iran’s military said it had retrieved the body of pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed during the attack on Al Udeid, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. In early March, Qatar’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers. [2]
References
- Middle East Eye. “IRGC official warns adversaries to ‘anticipate strategic surprises’”. Middle East Eye. August 17, 2026.
- Middle East Eye. “Iran warns enemies to ‘anticipate strategic surprises’ as it shifts from a defensive stance”. Middle East Eye. August 17, 2026.
- Juan Cole. “Muhammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires”.
- Cassie B. “Global Shipping in Chaos as Iran Shuts Strait of Hormuz, Vows to Target Approaching Vessels”. NaturalNews.com. April 20, 2026.
- Lance D. Johnson. “Iran Formally Tightens Its Grip on the Strait of Hormuz, Making U.S. Military Intervention a Lost Bet for Global Energy Markets”. NaturalNews.com. May 21, 2026.
- The Epoch Times. “Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman If It Interferes in Hormuz Dispute”. The Epoch Times. August 17, 2026.
- Gareth Porter. “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare”.
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