Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf has responded to U.S. Central Command chief Cooper's claim that American forces have fully taken control of the Strait of Hormuz and cut off Iran's oil exports. According to Iran's PressTV, Ghalibaf reposted his own earlier message to lay out the response: the rule of the game in this war is that either everyone can sell oil or no one can. “If our security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure will be safe,” he added, and the Strait of Hormuz can only be secure without U.S. military presence. Ghalibaf also repeated that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war state. The remarks come after Cooper said U.S. forces had fully controlled the strategic waterway and severed Iranian crude shipments. Ghalibaf said Iran had made that point on multiple occasions. The report was compiled by Jinshi and originally carried by Odaily Planet Daily, citing PressTV.

Iraq’s president said some ships carrying Iraqi oil have been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. He said he discussed the Baghdad-Tehran relationship with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He also said the United States wants a deal to end the war with Iran, and that Iraq has been hit hardest by the conflict while its government tries to stay out of it.

ChainCatcher said Iraq raised one of its key requests to Tehran during Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s visit to Iraq: a special permit for Iraqi-owned tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The request had already been submitted to Iran through multiple channels. Iran later decided to issue passage permits for some Iraqi tankers, even as security in the strait worsened and Iran faced what the report described as the most severe military action and US hostility.

Iranian media said one of Iraq’s key requests during Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s visit to Iraq was special permission for Iraqi-owned tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The request had reportedly been submitted to Tehran through multiple channels several times. Iran has now decided to grant transit permission to some Iraqi tankers. The report also said the decision came despite severe military action against Iran and a sharply worsened security situation in the strait, which it attributed to U.S. hostility.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Aug. 18 local time that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen unless a set of conditions is fulfilled. According to the statement cited by Odaily and sourced to China Central Television, those conditions include the release of frozen Iranian assets by the United States, the removal of oil sanctions, an end to military threats and actions across all fronts, and the fulfillment of other terms in a memorandum of understanding. Ghalibaf said the opening created by the memorandum in easing the blockade and advancing a ceasefire could help strengthen Iran’s economic resilience and rebuild its defensive capacity. He also said Iran was prepared to respond with heavier blows to any actions by hostile forces that crossed the line.

An X post from Iran’s Parliament Speaker framed Trump’s Truth Social comments on Iran as a “reverse indicator.” Over the past five weeks, peace signals have repeatedly lifted Bitcoin before prices reversed, with the Strait of Hormuz still driving oil and crypto moves.

US Vice President JD Vance has departed for Islamabad to join US-Iran peace talks, saying President Trump issued clear guidance ahead of the meeting as tensions remain high.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf firmly denied any negotiations with the U.S., calling the talk claims fake news used to manipulate markets. Trump had earlier claimed serious discussions were underway.