Iran continues to advance diplomacy and pursue maritime initiatives in the Strait of Hormuz while reaffirming its principled positions amid continued US pressure.

Having suffered successive defeats and fired its last arrow, Washington's desperate sabre-rattling against Iran is not strength but the final convulsion of a declining empire that has completely lost the plot.

Having emerged stronger from the failed US-led war of aggression, Iran's unshakable stance rejects talks under blockade – holding principled terms in one hand and unused asymmetric options in the other – while leveraging time, geography, and public opinion.

Iran's strategic upper hand is becoming increasingly visible, as the US finds itself in a ring of fire with no viable options or leverage to advance its agenda.

Velayati says Iran defeated the US on the battlefield and will repeat that victory in diplomacy.

Iran tightened its control on the Strait of Hormuz, detaining a violating tanker, crippling US naval assets, and dismissing American deadlines amid Washington’s growing isolation.

Iran continues to consolidate its diplomatic and military leverage, even as Trump announced the premature end of the offensive aimed at forcing open the Strait of Hormuz.