War, latest news. Gaza: Israel rejects the Board of Peace’s 15-point plan

The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington accepts ‘all’ the conditions set by Tehran. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have reiterated this, ruling out the prospect of a swift resolution to the conflict. ‘The enemy has focused all its efforts on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and now this strait represents a veritable theatre of war for us, and no longer merely a sea route,’ the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s powerful military force, stated emphatically. “Our current strategy is to keep the strait closed until the enemy accepts all our conditions.”

Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to the 15-point plan for the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza and has called for the agreement to be implemented in full. The Palestinian movement made this statement in a declaration published on Telegram.

According to Hamas, the priority now is the full implementation of the agreement, starting with a complete cessation of attacks against Palestinians, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the opening of the border crossings, and the entry into the Strip of aid, materials for shelters and supplies for reconstruction.

Hamas remains committed to the roadmap agreed ten days ago in Cairo with the mediators and is calling on the United States to put pressure on the Israeli government to comply with its terms. Basem Naim, a senior official in the Palestinian movement, made this statement to Reuters.

“We remain committed to the roadmap agreed with the mediators in Cairo ten days ago,” said Naim.

Iran plans to release footage “shortly” of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, showing him in public and during meetings with military commanders. This was stated by Qasem Qoraishi, deputy commander of the Basij, in Mizan, the official news outlet of the Iranian judiciary. The Basij is an Iranian paramilitary volunteer force operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and acting as the regime’s internal security arm.

“I have great respect for President Trump. He is a great friend of ours in the White House.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made this statement as he opened the weekly cabinet meeting, emphasising that he valued “the historic partnership with the United States against Iran’s attempts to acquire nuclear weapons”. The Prime Minister, however, asserted Israel’s ability to maintain an independent stance even in the face of pressure from its allies. “Unlike all those who lecture us, we are doing what needs to be done for Israel’s security, and we know how – and are able – to stand our ground even in the face of our closest friends, when necessary,” he said. Netanyahu then rejected the 15-point plan for Gaza backed by Trump, arguing that Hamas still retains the capacity to attack Israel. “It could do so, but why have so many weeks gone by without it attacking us? Because it knows what a powerful blow we will inflict on it if it does,” the Prime Minister declared.

Donald Trump is reportedly said to have been laying the groundwork for weeks to declare victory in the war against Iran should Tehran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even without reaching a nuclear deal. This is according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites US officials as saying that the president has privately raised with his key advisers the possibility of ending the conflict by abandoning a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.

According to Iranian media, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei met with President Masoud Pezeshkian “to mark the start of the latter’s third year in office”. The two, as reported by the state broadcaster Press TV and other Iranian media outlets, “discussed at length the challenges facing the country, including the population’s livelihood needs, the ongoing third war of aggression, future prospects, military developments and economic cooperation with foreign partners”. If confirmed, this meeting would have taken place in recent days, given that the anniversary of Pezeshkian’s inauguration falls on 30 July.

Iran and the United States are not holding talks, and Tehran has no intention of initiating them as long as Washington continues to breach an interim agreement signed in June. According to a Reuters report, this was stated by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who added, however, that the two countries are exchanging messages through intermediaries. Araghchi also reiterated Iran’s position that an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz between Tehran and Muscat is in its ‘final stages’, but would not involve the reopening of the Strait to traffic. Furthermore, according to the Mehr news agency, Araghchi explained that the agreement would set out the new shipping routes to be used once the United States has fulfilled the other conditions necessary for the Strait to be reopened to traffic.

Israel has rejected the 15-point plan drawn up by the “Board of Peace” established by US President Donald Trump, and will not withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip without the effective disarmament of Hamas. This was announced today by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “There will be no withdrawal from Gaza without the genuine disarmament of Hamas,” Netanyahu said, according to reports by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

“As long as I am Prime Minister, there will be no Palestinian state. Neither in Gaza nor in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Neither a ‘Fatahstan’ nor a ‘Hamastan’,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting. “And regarding certain specific issues that have been discussed in the media in recent days, I want to be very clear. Israel rejects the fifteen-point document. I have heard it said: ‘You didn’t say that’, ‘We did say that’. Well, I repeat once again: Israel rejects the fifteen-point document. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas has been disarmed and stripped of its weapons.”

The Iranian news agency ‘Mehr’ has released a short video of the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamanei, following rumours that he was on his deathbed. He appears to be in good health and is sitting on a carpet in a closed room whilst talking to other people. The video is undated, so it is not possible to determine when it was filmed. Since his appointment as Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has never appeared in public, not even at his father’s funeral. According to reports from American and Israeli sources, he was reportedly seriously injured in the face and legs during the Israeli-American attack on 28 February.

Israel is reportedly preparing for the possibility of carrying out unilateral attacks against Iran without US support. This is according to reports by the Israeli broadcaster Channel 13. According to the reports, the Israeli army is continuing its preparations for potential unilateral attacks, at a time when the United States is seeking a diplomatic ‘way out’ to end the war with Iran.

The Pentagon has asked the US defence industry to drastically step up the production and delivery of weapons and ammunition, as the war with Iran has depleted a significant portion of US stocks, particularly those of missile defence systems. The request is set out in a memorandum from Deputy Secretary of Defence Steve Feinberg obtained by the Washington Post. In the document, sent on Wednesday to industry leaders, Feinberg gives them no more than 21 days to submit plans capable of ensuring “significantly faster and more aggressive delivery times and/or an increase in production for critical capabilities”. “Development cycles lasting years are unacceptable,” writes Feinberg. “We must drastically accelerate our programmes and expand our production capacity now.” The directive comes as the reduction in stockpiles has also become a source of tension between President Donald Trump and the Department of Defence, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Washington Post. Trump claimed on Thursday that the United States has “enormous quantities” of ammunition and that “large quantities are being produced and shipped to the United States as needed”.

“Talks with Oman are focused on the management of the Strait of Hormuz and the introduction of new shipping routes; we are in the final stages, and we may reach an agreement, but this does not mean that traffic through the Strait will be allowed to resume, because the US must first accept our conditions”: Tehran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, reiterated this, confirming that, as things stand, there is no direct dialogue with Washington.

The war against Iran is rapidly depleting some of the United States’ most advanced munitions, reducing available stocks in Europe and Asia and fuelling concerns within the Pentagon about its ability to deal simultaneously with other crises, particularly those involving Russia and China. This is reported by the New York Times, citing senior US and Western officials. The problem mainly concerns air defence missiles and long-range weapons. Even with accelerated production, it could take more than two years to replenish the quantities used. The conflict has also forced the Pentagon to redeploy ships, aircraft, defence systems and ammunition from Europe and Asia to the Middle East. Numerous Tomahawk missiles and other long-range systems are said to have been moved from the Indo-Pacific, whilst hundreds of advanced interceptors are reported to have been transferred from South Korea and other Asian bases.

The Strait of Hormuz will remain blocked until the United States accepts ‘all’ of Tehran’s ‘conditions’. This is the message repeated by the Revolutionary Guards, the Iranian Pasdaran. “Our current strategy is a continuation of past strategies and consists of endless resistance to defeat the enemy. This is our strategy and it cannot be changed,” said Pasdaran spokesman Hossein Mohebi, in comments reported by the Iranian broadcaster Press TV. “The enemy has focused all its efforts on reopening the Strait, which was previously open. And now, for us, this Strait is a geographical battleground and no longer merely a waterway.” “Our current strategy is to keep this Strait closed until the enemy accepts all our conditions,” he concluded.

“The historic nation of Iran has been subjected to a cowardly and cruel invasion by two regimes, the United States and Israel, and has sacrificed many martyrs for the country’s freedom and pride.” This was stated by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who emphasised: “We will not allow the blood that has been unjustly shed to be forgotten or ignored. We will neither forget nor forgive,” reports the IRNA news agency. “Iran will stand firm in its pledge of resistance despite all pressures, God willing!”

A senior Iranian official has set out a series of conditions that the United States must meet before the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened to oil tankers and other goods. The statements by the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, released yesterday evening, contrast with the progress announced in recent days in the talks between Iran and Oman regarding the future management of the Strait. “‘Until the United States changes its attitude, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,’” said Zolghadr, as quoted by Iranian media, whilst listing a series of conditions. Among these measures, Iran demands in particular that Washington “put a definitive end to the war and aggression” against it and its allies, and lift the blockade imposed on its ports. It also demands the lifting of US sanctions, the unfreezing of its frozen assets and “full compensation” for the damage caused by the war triggered on 28 February by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran. Some of these provisions were contained in the Iranian-US memorandum of understanding signed in June, before the truce was broken by the resumption of US attacks and Iranian reprisals against Washington’s allies in the Middle East.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facility in Jizan, which caused a fire this morning. This was reported by the Yemeni TV channel Al Masirah, as relayed by Al Jazeera. The group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, stated that the Houthis “managed to strike the refinery with a drone and that the attack was precise”, adding that the raid “was launched in response to Saudi incursions into north-western Yemen”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged the country to move beyond the phase of “neither war nor peace”. “There is cohesion, strength and unity in the country and, as far as I am aware, Iran is regarded as victorious and powerful in this war,” he told the Iranian media, as quoted by Al-Jazeera, adding that he believed this was the best time to reach an agreement. Pezeshkian also stated that Iran and Washington should have established a channel to address ceasefire violations. “In any case, violations occur in every memorandum of understanding. In principle, a working group should have been formed to address the violations back then, rather than to fight,” he said. “We must now assess how to resolve them, if a solution is possible, and this is being worked on in the negotiations with Oman. We will reach a point where we can move beyond this phase of ‘neither war nor peace’,” he concluded.

(ANSA) - ROME, 9 AUG - Loud explosions have been reported in the Al-Jubail area of Saudi Arabia, where a gas industrial complex is said to have been hit. The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported this on Telegram, citing local sources. Fires are reported to have broken out in the area. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Energy, quoted by the Iranian news agency Mehr, has confirmed that a fire broke out at one of the facilities belonging to the Aramco refinery in Jizan. The ministry did not provide further details about the fire, but emphasised that the incident did not result in any casualties.

Israeli forces have targeted the al-Shakush area, north of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, with heavy tank shelling. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Palinfo. Earlier, Israeli forces had attacked the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip with artillery fire.