The day's dominant story was the internal debate over nuclear weapons, triggered by Mohsen Rezaei's rare public question about pursuing an atomic bomb, as reported by BBC Persian and Tasnim. This came alongside President Pezeshkian's call to end the 'no war, no peace' situation, highlighting a split between hardline and pragmatic factions. Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Bessent was set to announce unprecedented sanctions, and Rezaei warned neighbors against joining the economic war. Earlier, Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz 'US territory' and denied military options were limited, while state-aligned outlets dismissed sanctions as bound to fail. The day also saw reports of Iran granting passage to Iraqi tankers, a sharp drop in oil exports, and protests by university faculty against student verdicts.