Iran reaches agreement with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz. First contract awarded by the Board of Peace for Gaza: it is a military base

A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and wounded by Israeli forces in the city of Jenin, in the north of the West Bank. This was reported by the Wafa news agency, citing the Palestinian Red Crescent. The Red Crescent reported that it had also treated and taken to hospital another person who had been beaten by the military during a raid on the Palestinian town.

The Ugandan Parliament has voted in favour of sending troops to the Gaza Strip, should this be necessary as part of the international force proposed by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, to ensure the security of the territory following the war between Israel and Hamas. This is reported on the Reuters website. Prior to the vote, Defence Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka also informed MPs that Trump, through emissaries, had contacted Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in July to request Kampala’s contribution to the international force.

The Iranian parliament is examining a draft agreement with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz which prohibits transit “by ships from hostile countries”. This is reported by the Iranian broadcaster IRIB, which states that the draft also stipulates that countries and individuals who “have caused damage to Iran” will not be granted transit permission until compensation has been paid. Yesterday, Tehran announced that it had reached an agreement with Oman on the “geographical coordinates of the corridor” for the safe transit of ships, adding that “provided that third parties do not hinder the process, the two countries are also in the final stages of reviewing and drafting a joint statement summarising the main points of the agreement”.

“Fake news, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumours. I am extremely pleased with the work Pete Hegseth is doing. Everything has been extraordinary, including our attack on Venezuela. Similarly, the situation with Iran is going very well!” Donald Trump wrote this in response to a Washington Post article which reported on a clash between him and the Defence Secretary over US weapons stocks, which are severely depleted due to the war against Iran.

Il presidente Donald Trump interviene durante un evento al Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa di Las Vegas, mercoledì 5 agosto 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher) Associated Press / LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna

The Israeli government is due to meet this evening at 7pm (6pm in Italia) to discuss the agreement concerning Gaza and Hamas. This is according to Haaretz, which reports that the main item on the agenda will be the agreement between the US-led Board of Peace and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strock, both members of the far-right Religious Zionism party, have expressed strong opposition to the agreement and called for a new vote on the deployment of an international stabilisation force to the Strip, as provided for under the framework approved by the United Nations Security Council.

For the second day running, Israeli forces are patrolling the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The military are stopping motorcyclists, taxis and cars, checking passengers’ documents and searching the vehicles. Near the Qalandiya checkpoint, Israeli bulldozers have demolished several commercial premises. Ziad al-Sharbati, owner of the car wash: “They just gave us a warning and then demolished it. They didn’t give us a chance to object or do anything. They came straight in and destroyed everything, as you can see.” “We’ve been here for about ten years. We’d just refurbished the car wash and the car showroom, and this morning they came and demolished them. Thank God. We ask God for relief. About four families make a living from the car showroom here and the one across the road.”

The Houthis in Yemen, whom Iran has been accused of supporting for years, claim to have used “a large number of ballistic missiles and drones” in attacks on military targets in the areas of Ruwaik, Al-Abr and Al Thaniyah, as well as other bases. In a statement claiming responsibility for attacks in the Marib and Hadramout regions, issued by the Houthi spokesperson, Yahya Saree, refers to a “large-scale, targeted military operation” that led to “widespread destruction and fires” at a large number of military targets in eastern Yemen and “hundreds” of casualties – including both dead and wounded – amongst “Saudi enemy mercenaries”.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have issued a joint statement expressing their “strongest condemnation and denunciation” of the repeated Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire came into force in October.

The ministers highlight in particular the attacks on healthcare and civilian infrastructure, as well as the loss of civilian lives, including those of women and children, stating that such attacks violate international law.

The ministers also state that “the continuation of these violations constitutes a clear breach of Israel’s obligations under international law and the Comprehensive Plan to End the Conflict in Gaza”.

Giovani palestinesi tra le macerie degli edifici distrutti durante la guerra, nel campo profughi di Jabalia, nella parte settentrionale della Striscia di Gaza, 5 agosto 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

The third day of talks in Rome between Lebanon and Israel, mediated by the United States, has come to an end. This was reported by the Lebanese broadcaster Al Jadeed.The same broadcaster reported that it had learnt from presidential sources that no progress had been made on the expansion of the so-called ‘pilot zones’, mainly because the discussion had focused on the political dossier. “Serious discussions have begun regarding the pilot zones, and the Israeli side has requested a presentation of the zones to assess the geographical and other circumstances,” the sources said.

A rudimentary military base for 150 people to house Moroccan soldiers. This is the subject of the first contract signed by the Board of Peace, the controversial initiative launched earlier this year by Donald Trump for the reconstruction of Gaza. The Guardian reports this, citing a source familiar with the matter. The contract, which has not yet been finalised, involves Arkel International, a company based in the US state of Louisiana which has previously worked for the US government in countries such as Iraq. According to The Guardian, the base at the heart of the project covers an area of just 12,000 square metres and is designed to house Moroccan soldiers on rotation from a base in Israel. It will be built on 60 per cent of the territory of Gaza controlled by the Israeli army. The newspaper quotes an email from an official at the Board of Peace stating that the Board itself and a group of Palestinian technocrats tasked with overseeing Gaza “are in the final stages of preparing several contracts. None have yet been finalised’. The Palestinian group is known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (which operates under the supervision of the Board chaired by Donald Trump). According to the source, the “potential contract concerns facilities to support the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which will assist in the implementation of the plan’s security and governance agreements”.

Only 35 per cent of Americans approve of the war in Iran, which began over five months ago. This is according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which found that 50 per cent of those surveyed believe the Middle East will descend into chaos over the next year, compared with 17 per cent who think it will bring greater stability to the region and a further 16 per cent who are convinced the situation will remain unchanged. Americans are pessimistic about petrol prices, which have risen due to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz. 58 per cent of those surveyed expect prices to rise, compared with 15 per cent who expect them to fall.For the first time since Reuters/Ipsos began asking, in December 2024, which party is best at handling war and terrorism, the Democrats have overtaken the Republicans, with 37 per cent compared to 36 per cent. Originally, the Republicans led with 39 per cent compared to 28 per cent.

Il segretario alla Difesa Pete Hegseth ascolta il presidente Donald Trump mentre parla durante un incontro dedicato alle famiglie dei militari, nello Studio Ovale della Casa Bianca, lunedì 3 agosto 2026, a Washington. (Foto AP/Alex Brandon)

In Taybeh, east of Ramallah and the only entirely Christian village in the West Bank, incursions by Israeli settlers onto Palestinian property continue. This was reported to SIR by the Latin parish priest of the Church of Christ the Redeemer, Father Bashar Fawadleh, who recounts yet another incident targeting a Christian family in the parish. According to the priest, some “settlers entered the private property after cutting through the fence and let a flock of sheep in. Two young settler shepherds were found inside the area with a donkey and the flock”. The two young men “called their boss, who arrived on a quad bike and threatened the activists present, behaving as if he were the owner of the land”, says Father Fawadleh. The house, the priest adds, had already been targeted in the preceding days, with three or four intrusions a day. “The Palestinian family is now too frightened to enter their own home without the presence of activists from Peace Now” (in Hebrew, Shalom Achshav), an Israeli peace movement founded in 1978 by a group of officers and reservists from the Israeli army. “The police and army were called, but no one intervened. This is how the seizure of a home takes place in the occupied West Bank: without witnesses, Palestinian families remain vulnerable to forced displacement,” the priest denounced.

The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence has arrested 21 people suspected of having links to the Israeli secret service, the Mossad, according to a report by the state broadcaster Irib. In a statement, the ministry said that the alleged “mercenaries” had been gathering information on the Iranian army and passing it on to the Mossad. The arrests took place in the south-eastern province of Kerman.

A reliable source has confirmed to the media outlets Al Arabiya and Al Hadath that indirect contacts are taking place between the United States and Tehran via intermediaries, adding that these contacts have entered their final phase. The source also revealed that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently held two telephone conversations with the head of the Pakistani army, Asim Munir, with the Iranian official expected to visit Islamabad at the end of this week or early next week. High-level sources have confirmed to Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath that Pakistani officials will brief Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on developments in the negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

The Saudi channel Al-Hadath reported, citing a “high-level source”, that Iran and Oman “have reached an agreement on the general principles for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz”. The agreement has yet to be approved by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. It will remain in force for 60 days and aims to restore shipping traffic.

According to the source, “the proposed agreement does not provide for the imposition of transit fees or service charges on ships passing through the strait. Regional parties will be able to participate in mine-clearance operations and the technical procedures necessary to restore navigation through the strait. Following the agreement’s approval, the parties will return to the Islamabad Agreement and activate Article 5”.

Israel carried out a series of raids overnight against two locations in southern Lebanon. This was reported by the Lebanese news agency Ani, which stated that “the Israeli enemy has intensified its attacks” in the Tyre region, carrying out “a series of air raids and bombings” since last night. Israeli drones struck a neighbourhood in the village of Bourj al-Chamali, which was then targeted by a further air strike, leaving four people injured, the news agency added. The Israeli air force also attacked Mansouri, where the IDF had issued an evacuation order yesterday, Ani continued.

According to reports, at least 300 children are believed to have been killed in Gaza in the 300 days since the ceasefire was announced in October 2025. This equates to an average of one child a day, despite the fact that the agreement to suspend military operations and allow full access for humanitarian aid and relief efforts was reached almost 10 months ago. “A ceasefire that results in the death of one child on average every single day is failing the children,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “With hundreds more children injured, many of them seriously, the children of Gaza are still waiting for the end to the violence that was promised to them.”

Explosions have been heard in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. This has been reported by Yemeni media.

The spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, Tahir Andrabi, said that the government in Islamabad hopes that an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz “will pave the way for the continuation of dialogue, in particular the resumption of technical-level talks between Iran and the United States”. This was reported by AFP.

Pakistan hopes that the agreement on the Strait of Hormuz will facilitate the resumption of talks between the United States and Iran under the memorandum of understanding to which Islamabad contributed. This was stated by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry. “We hope that the agreement on the Strait will pave the way for the continuation of dialogue and, in particular, for the resumption of technical discussions between Iran and the United States,” emphasised Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi. Yesterday, Tehran announced that it had reached an agreement with Oman on a new transit route for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis launched a missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of Yanbu, a port city in the kingdom on the Red Sea, and another missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden. This was stated by the Yemeni rebel group, whilst Saudi Arabia has not confirmed either of the two attacks.

“The United States possesses enormous quantities of ‘ammunition’, particularly of certain types. Furthermore, large quantities are produced and shipped to the United States as and when required. Defence companies are building more plants and factories than at any other time in our country’s history. Those ‘responsible’ for these treacherous statements (regarding the shortage of available missiles, ed.) are being hunted down. Long prison sentences will be sought!’: this is what the US President, Donald Trump, wrote on his Truth account, in response to revelations by certain media outlets regarding the reduced availability of missiles due to the war in Iran.

Whilst Tehran denies any dialogue with Washington, US Vice-President JD Vance has stated that peace negotiations with Iran are “complicated” and will take time. He added that “the Iranians are an extraordinarily difficult people” with “a fragmented system”. In an interview with Fox News, Vance said: “Our task is to navigate this context and achieve the best possible outcome for the American people, but also for the President of the United States. And I think that eventually we will reach a conclusion. It will be a complicated process and it will take time.” “As you can see,” Vance added, “oil was at $79 today. Oil prices will fall and remain low. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon and the United States will be in a stronger position. But we’re in the middle of the game and I think people are trying to predict exactly how it will all turn out.”

Iran denies that it is currently negotiating with the United States over the Strait of Hormuz, stating that it is only holding talks with Oman on a strictly bilateral basis. This was stated to the Iranian media – as reported by CNN – by the Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi. “The US claim that negotiations are underway with Iran is false,” he said in a television interview. “There have been no negotiations,” added Gharibabadi, whilst acknowledging, however, that Tehran had received messages from the US regarding its willingness to return to previous commitments. Donald Trump has spoken several times in recent hours of “excellent talks” taking place with Tehran.

An oil tanker reported hearing two explosions whilst passing through the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which added that the vessel and its crew are unharmed.

The UKMTO stated in a press release that the incident took place approximately 9 nautical miles south-east of Kumzar, in Oman, and that no environmental damage has been reported.

Donald Trump’s frustration over the war against Iran came to a head last week at Camp David when the president demanded an explanation from Pete Hegseth regarding the severe shortage of US missiles. This was reported to the Washington Post by two sources with knowledge of the matter. According to CNN, the US has used up nearly 80 per cent of its reserves due to the conflict with Iran. Hegseth dismissed this analysis as ‘fake news’. However, according to the Washington Post’s account, Trump expressed his disappointment last Friday on the sidelines of the cabinet meeting at Camp David. The sources reported that the shortage of long-range missiles and air defence interceptors contributed to Trump’s decision in recent days to refrain from launching new attacks against Tehran. Hegseth is said to have defended himself by placing the blame on his deputy, Stephen Feinberg. When asked by the Washington Post about the clash, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt described the story as “100 per cent fake news”. “President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth,” she said. (ANSA).

Iran has stated that it has reached an agreement with Oman on a proposed route for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a potential step towards the reopening of this vital waterway for energy supplies.

A joint statement from Tehran and Muscat is currently being reviewed and finalised, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, told journalists yesterday, according to reports on Telegram. Negotiations between the two countries are “progressing” and an agreement will be reached “provided that certain third parties do not hinder this process”, he added.

Two Israeli reservists were killed during fighting in southern Lebanon, the army announced today as it battles the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have identified the victims as Major Harel Birenstock, a 34-year-old company commander in the 2855th Battalion of the 55th Brigade, and Staff Sergeant Tamir Vaknin, a 33-year-old from the same battalion.

These are the first Israeli casualties since a fragile truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah came into force in June. On Wednesday, the Israeli army launched strikes in southern Lebanon in response to what it described as a breach of the ceasefire by Hezbollah and urged the inhabitants of the village of Mansouri to flee – the first warning of its kind issued by Israel in Lebanon for weeks.