Al Jazeera

By Tracy J. Jawad and Heba Habib

    US President Donald Trump says that no conversations are taking place or scheduled with Iran, while maintaining that the US naval blockade remains in full force and mines in the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the US is now “begging” to negotiate on Iranian conditions after failing to force Tehran to surrender.

    The UAE’s Ministry of Defence says that Iran launched two ballistic missiles at maritime traffic, with one landing in the UAE’s territorial waters and the other falling outside them into the sea.

    Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, has called the UAE’s accusation “baseless”, adding that such claims harm good neighbourly relations and undermine regional trust.

19 Updates

Strait of Hormuz transit slows again on Tuesday with just six vessels crossing

    Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed on Tuesday, preliminary shipping data showed on Wednesday, as most shipowners avoided the key waterway because of a lack of clear signalling on a reopening, Reuters is reporting.

    According to Kpler data as of 02:58 GMT on Wednesday, six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day daily average of 11.

South Korea says Trump’s drill cuts appear aimed at pushing Seoul into Iran war

    South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun says that US President Donald Trump’s message ordering the scaling back of joint military drills appeared to include pressure on Seoul to become involved in the Iran war, Reuters reports.

    During a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, Cho said that neither South Korean nor US government officials had prior knowledge of Trump’s order to reduce joint military exercises.

    In response to a lawmaker’s question regarding whether Seoul was notified in advance, he noted, “Of course, neither our government officials nor US government officials were aware of this beforehand,” according to the Reuters report.

    The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which began on Monday, will now end six days early on August 21.

Qatar and Gulf walking diplomatic tightrope over US-Iran war

By Osama Bin Javaid

Reporting from Doha, Qatar

    There’s a concern in the GCC after the 60-day MoU time has lapsed; there have been a number of calls between various leaders across the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Qatar.

    According to the Qatari Foreign Ministry, they’re watching this situation closely, and they’re insisting that their relationship with Iran continues to be one of trying to find a pathway to reconcile the Iranians and the Americans and bringing them both back to the table.

    There is also the situation taking place in Oman regarding how to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, and there seem to be two paths working side by side as the negotiations between Oman and Iran continue; there is some coordination between the Americans and the Iranians as well.

    I asked the Qatari Foreign Ministry how the relationship between Qatar and Iran is faring, especially after allegations that Qatar has not been giving them the bases, which the Foreign Ministry denied. He told me that this relationship is built on Qatar’s longstanding view that it will continue to protect its sovereignty and talk to Iran on the basis of trying to find a diplomatic solution.

    However, Trump wants much more in return. He’s even floated Syria taking on Lebanon’s Hezbollah directly.

    Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s not going for it. He’s playing it safer, sticking to intercepting weapons at the border and betting that’s enough to keep Washington off his back, without pulling Syria into the war in Lebanon.

UN calls for end to Israeli air strikes on Syria

    The spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says that Israel’s air strikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airport in Syria’s eastern Idlib province mark “yet another very worrying violation” of Syria’s territorial integrity and airspace.

    “These air strikes should stop, and we stand against them,” Stephane Dujarric said at a UN press briefing on Tuesday.

    The remarks follow Syria’s condemnation of the strikes in letters sent to the UN secretary-general and the president of the Security Council.

Hormuz closure forces Iraq to diversify crude export routes

    The Iraqi government has approved a mechanism to export crude oil through specialised international and local companies using various export outlets.

    A statement issued by the cabinet and carried by the state-run Iraqi News Agency explained that contracts signed under the new mechanism will remain valid for a three-month period starting from September 1.

    Iraq is seeking to diversify its oil export channels and maintain flexibility in marketing crude amid the US war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted regional energy flows and created widespread uncertainty over shipping routes.

    Baghdad has been working to develop alternative export routes alongside its southern terminals, including pipeline routes through Turkiye and Syria in an effort to reduce its reliance on shipping lanes through the Gulf.

    Iraq is the second-largest crude producer in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and relies heavily on energy exports to generate state revenues.

Hamas accuses Netanyahu of sabotaging Gaza negotiations

    Hamas says it is committed to reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza, while accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining the negotiations.

    In a statement issued after an Israeli attack in Gaza City killed seven Palestinians, including a child, the group called the “massacre” a “deliberate escalation”. Hamas also said it believed that Netanyahu is purposely derailing international efforts to advance Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

    “The timing of the crime,” the statement said, “following recent talks in Cairo and ongoing mediation efforts, demonstrated beyond any doubt Netanyahu’s intention to sabotage negotiations”.

    The group called on the US administration, mediators, and guarantors “to pressure the Israeli government to honor the agreement, halt its crimes, and prevent Netanyahu from obstructing the Sharm el-Sheikh deal”.

Israel ‘doesn’t want a secure or a stable Syria’

    Abdul Karim al-Omar, a political analyst, says the US has the tools to halt Israeli strikes on Syria entirely, but has so far declined to use them.

    Speaking from Damascus, al-Omar told Al Jazeera that US intervention at the last moment prevented a broader clash between Turkiye and Israel following Israel’s recent attack on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military airport.

    “Israel informed the American side that Syria was strengthening its military capacity, and passed intelligence information to Washington,” al-Omar said. “That’s why Israel carried out this strike after informing Washington.”

    Al-Omar said the attack relied on a pretext Israel knew to be untrue.

    “It knows full well there are no Turkish forces at the airport, or near the airport,” he said, pointing out that Turkish forces in Syria are based further north, in Idlib and Aleppo.

    He added that Israel’s justification for the attack (concern over Syrian military rebuilding) is undermined by the fact that Israel itself destroyed Syria’s military infrastructure following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

    “There’s no air defence system, no missile system, no aircraft– nothing at all,” al-Omar said. “All of it was destroyed by Israel.”

    Al-Omar suggested that while Washington wants “a secure, stable, unified Syria” as a regional partner, Israel “doesn’t want a secure or a stable Syria” and continues to seek pretexts, including Turkish presence, southern militias, and buffer zones, to justify ongoing attacks.

What’s been happening in the occupied West Bank

    Israeli forces and settlers have continued a campaign of arrests, raids, demolitions, and land seizures across the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according ot the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

    Here are some of the reported incidents:

    Israeli forces demolished multiple homes, barns, and a health unit across Masafer Yatta (displacing several families and destroying two water wells), seized 160 dunams (16 hectares, or 40 acres) of land in the northern Jordan Valley, converted a residential building near Tulkarem into a military barracks, and sealed off Salfit’s northern entrance.

    For the 10th consecutive day, settlers under Israeli army protection besieged three homes in the Ras al-Ein area of Qusra, south of Nablus, attempting to seize the properties. Settlers also cut the electrical poles serving the Soufan family home in Burin, south of Nablus, and again blocked the only access road with earthen barriers.

    For the second consecutive day, settlers closed secondary roads in Beit Ummar, cutting off access to homes and farmland.

    Israeli authorities issued a tender for 1,234 new illegal settlement units in the southern portion of the controversial E1 project area east of Jerusalem.

    Israeli forces shot a 34-year-old man in the head during a raid on Ajoul, north of Ramallah.

    A man was critically wounded during a raid on the Am’ari refugee camp in el-Bireh.

    Two Palestinians were injured when assaulted by Israeli forces during a raid on Beit Ummar.

    Dr Dima Barakat, a 54-year-old obstetrician-gynaecologist, was arrested after her home in Ramallah’s at-Tira neighbourhood was raided and searched.

    Three Palestinians were arrested in Tuqu’, southeast of Bethlehem.

    A Palestinian was arrested in Jenin two days before his scheduled wedding.

Insurers, not politicians, hold key to Strait of Hormuz transit

    Mark Kimmitt, a retired general and former US assistant secretary of state, says insurance companies, not political statements, will determine whether shipping resumes through the Strait of Hormuz.

    Kimmitt told Al Jazeera that financial risks remain the primary barrier to navigating the strategic waterway.

    “It’s not Donald Trump who is going to prevent ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz; it’s going to be the insurance companies,” Kimmitt said. “They certainly do have an iron hand of money to prevent those ships from going through as long as there’s a physical threat.”

    Kimmitt pointed out that Washington’s proposal to back insurers is unlikely to resolve the issue on its own.

    “The United States has offered to reinsure – to basically insure the insurers – to get those ships through, but I doubt that that’s going to happen,” he said.

    The main obstacle remains the physical threat to maritime traffic, he said. Without firm assurances that vessels will avoid strikes from Iranian missiles, shipowners are unlikely to attempt the transit.

Oil prices rise for fourth straight day on US-Iran concerns

    Oil prices are extending their gains for a fourth consecutive session, with Brent crude futures rising 26 cents or 0.29 percent to $91.28 a barrel as of 00:04 GMT.

    US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures added 37 cents to trade at $85.31.

    The increases followed Tuesday’s close at the highest levels since July 24, as fading prospects for peace between the US and Iran raised supply concerns, with investors evaluating contradictory statements from Washington and Tehran regarding ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s FM says Tehran seeks end to war, not a temporary ceasefire

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran’s foreign policy under President Masoud Pezeshkian has prioritised neighbouring countries, describing efforts to reduce regional tensions and expand ties in an interview with Iranian state television.

    “Under Dr Pezeshkian’s administration, greater priority was given to neighbouring countries,” Araghchi said. This approach requires “eliminating any tension in relations with each of our neighbours” and pursuing a policy of “provincial diplomacy” alongside broader neighbourhood engagement, he added.

    He praised neighbouring countries for assistance during recent unrest, saying some had supplied goods and medicine, allowed stranded Iranians to return home through their territory, and permitted Iranian aircraft to use their airspace.

    Araghchi said Iran had rejected calls for a ceasefire in the early stages of the war, and added: “We do not want a ceasefire; we want an end to the war.” He pointed out that Iran does not want the conflict, which was halted by a ceasefire and then resumed months later, “to become a pattern”.

Turkiye dismisses Israeli rationale for Syria air strikes, condemns attacks

    Turkiye’s Presidential Communications Directorate has rejected Israeli claims that Israel struck Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military airport because of a planned Turkish troop deployment.

    “The allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Ministry, which lack seriousness, aim to legitimise Israel’s unlawful air strikes targeting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria,” the directorate said in a statement on X.

    The statement said the accusations stem from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intent to continue “expansionist and destabilising policies” in the region ahead of elections in Israel.

    Turkiye said it supports “the establishment of lasting peace” in the region, adding that this requires Netanyahu to abandon aggressive policies and respect international law.

    The directorate added that Turkiye would “steadfastly continue its cooperation with the Syrian government on legitimate grounds” and would “never allow Syria to be destabilised”.

Syria denies security agreement with Israel after airbase attack

    A Syrian Foreign Ministry diplomatic source has denied that any agreement exists between Syria and Israel involving a specific security arrangement, telling Al Jazeera that Israeli claims on the matter were false.

    The source said Israel struck Abu al-Duhur military airport despite having been informed that no foreign force was present at the site, without specifying which channel had conveyed that information or when.

    The source said Syria “cannot enter into an agreement that obstructs the building of civilian and military institutions” and added that no agreement could be accepted that limits Syria’s role in strengthening regional stability.

    The remarks come after Syria condemned Israeli strikes on the Idlib airport in letters to the UN secretary-general and the Security Council president, calling for Israel’s withdrawal from Syrian territory.

    Israel has confirmed it carried out the strikes, saying it targeted the airbase because it believed Turkiye was planning to deploy forces there.

Amnesty official slams US sanctions on ICC officials as ‘assault on international justice’

    Amnesty International official Erika Guevara Rosas has raised alarm over the latest US sanctions against the International Criminal Court, saying they are a “reprehensible assault on the international justice system” and an “escalating campaign to intimidate the Court and obstruct its pursuit of accountability”.

    In a post on X, Guevara Rosas criticised the sanctioning of ICC President Tomoko Akane and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, saying the measures are “not about sovereignty”, but about “shielding powerful actors from accountability and punishing those tasked with investigating and prosecuting the gravest crimes under international law”.

    “States must urgently and publicly reject these retaliatory measures, protect the independence of the International Criminal Court, and ensure it can continue its vital work free from intimidation, coercion, and political interference.”

    In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, actions that Israel dismissed as anti-Semitic and lacking any legal ground.

How many people has Israel killed and injured in Gaza

A recap of recent developments

    US President Donald Trump says that no conversations are taking place or scheduled with Iran, while maintaining that the US naval blockade remains in full force, and mines in the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the US is now “begging” to negotiate on Tehran’s conditions after failing to force it to surrender.

    The UAE’s Defence Ministry says that Iran launched two ballistic missiles aimed at maritime traffic, with one landing in the UAE’s territorial waters and the other falling outside of them into the sea.

    Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, has rejected the UAE’s accusation as “baseless”, adding that such claims harm good neighbourly relations and undermine regional trust.

    The UAE’s Foreign Ministry announced that all trade, commercial exchange, and financial transactions with Iran are suspended until further notice.

    Brent crude futures rose 59 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $91.46 a barrel as of 16:31 GMT for the first time in three weeks, while US West Texas Intermediate futures gained 75 cents, or 0.9 percent, to settle at $85.25 a barrel.

    Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, says international mediators are waiting on an expected transit agreement between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz before urging Washington and Tehran to restart peace negotiations.

    Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says the strait will remain closed until the US fulfils the conditions of the countries’ interim deal, which included lifting the naval blockade and sanctions, as well as releasing frozen Iranian assets.

    An Israeli air attack west of Gaza City has killed at least seven Palestinians, including a child. The Israeli military said it was targeting “Hamas commanders”.