Egypt speaks with Iran after Tehran claims victory, and other Middle East developments

Egypt speaks with Iran after Tehran claims victory, and other Middle East developments

AP News-Aug22nd 2026

Egypt is trying to revive Iran-U.S. negotiations. Iran’s president has said the world accepts that his country has won the war. France and Saudi Arabia are expected to discuss plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has greatly slowed since the United States and Israel launched the war nearly six months ago.

Meanwhile, remarks by the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria appear to contradict the official U.S. position on the Golan Heights. And Israel has carried out strikes in Syria and in Gaza.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Saturday. Full coverage can be found here.

Egypt tries to revive US-Iran negotiations

The top diplomats for Egypt and Iran discussed efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table to settle the war, Egypt’s foreign ministry said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty also discussed the Iranian-Omani talks on the management of the Strait of Hormuz, the ministry said.

Araghchi briefed Egypt’s foreign minister about “Iran’s view of ongoing developments, the course of negotiations and their challenges,” the ministry said, without elaborating.

There was no immediate statement from Araghchi.

Iran says ‘the entire world approved our victory’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the war with the U.S. should end since the world has accepted that Iran has won, state media reported Friday. Iran sees its new control over the strait and resistance to U.S. demands as a win.

“The entire world approved our victory and the U.S. is hated,” Pezeshkian said, according to the IRNA news agency.

The Trump administration is touting a crushing financial campaign against Iran, promising an “economic D-Day” against the country.

U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration would impose an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on Iran, aiming to force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil, natural gas and other supplies.