War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iran has executed two of its citizens on charges of espionage and cooperation with Israel, amid an increase in executions for offences relating to national security, Reuters reports, citing Iranian state media.

Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were accused of sending Israel the coordinates of military and security sites as well as images and information during a brief war last summer and during the latest conflict, judiciary news outlet Mizan has reported.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the Strait of Hormuz is not blocked because of disagreements between Iran and Oman, but due to what he described as US and Israeli aggression that began on February 28, IRIB reports.

An MQ9 drone was intercepted and struck by the fire of the advanced modern air defense system of the IRGC Aerospace Force over the skies of the Strait of Hormuz, Fars news agency reports.

Satellite images and maritime tracking data show that at least six oil tankers flying the Saudi flag have altered their course from the Bab al-Mandab Strait toward the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa to avoid attacks by Yemeni forces, according to Fars.

The Israeli regime has continued its attacks on southern Lebanon, targeting several areas with drones and artillery despite a ceasefire between the two sides, IRNA reports.

According to reports from Lebanon on Monday, the latest Israeli attacks targeted neighborhoods in the cities of Tyre, Marjayoun, and Bint Jbeil, as well as surrounding villages. Israeli drones also carried out bombing runs over the Ali al-Taher Heights in Nabatiyeh, dropping explosive and incendiary munitions.

In the village of Chamaa, near Tyre, the Israeli military fired artillery shells, while troops set fire to olive groves in the villages of Tayibe and Yaroun.

Iran has been discussing with Oman creating a new route through the Strait of Hormuz that would be one path with entry and exit lanes, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a televised press conference, according to Reuters.

Iran’s foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein held a phone conversation to discuss the latest regional developments, IRNA reports.

The two diplomats also reviewed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, enhance regional coordination, and exchanged views on key issues of mutual interest, reaffirming the importance of continued consultation and collaboration between Iran and Iraq on regional and shared priorities.

Iran is not currently holding talks with the United States and is now in discussions with Oman over a temporary safe route through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, Reuters reports.

Baghaei added that reaching an agreement with Oman is not sufficient to reopen the strait, as the situation will remain unchanged while US “aggression” continues.

According to CNN, the US military asked troops for “creative and unconventional” ways to “pressure and punish” Iran.

“We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran,” an officer in US Central Command’s intelligence branch wrote in a message sent Wednesday to a broad group of military analysts, according to a source familiar with the message, the publication said.

“A second source also said that a senior US military officer sent the message last week soliciting new ideas for how to deal with Iran,” it added.

Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO has offered steep discounts on its August-loading Basrah crude to entice buyers to lift cargoes from inside the Strait of Hormuz, a document reviewed by Reuters showed.

SOMO invited term buyers to nominate their contractual volumes of Basrah Medium or Basrah Heavy crude on a free-on-board basis from the Basrah Oil Terminal or Iraq’s single-point moorings and associated facilities, the document showed.

For Basrah Medium, SOMO offered discounts of $25 to $27 a barrel to the relevant destination benchmarks, depending on the loading window. It offered discounts of $27.80 to $29.80 a barrel for Basrah Heavy.

Iran executed two Iranian nationals after accusing them of sending sensitive military and security location coordinates to Israel during the Iran-war, the Fars news agency reports.

Iran’s High Council for Human Rights condemned the latest US attacks on residential areas which left civilian casualties, describing the onslaught as “a clear example of American human rights” and a grave violation of international humanitarian law, Fars news agency reports.

The council said deliberate or indiscriminate attacks on residential areas and civilian objects violate the core principles of international humanitarian law, including the principle of distinction reflected in the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.

It added that strikes against civilians and civilian property, as well as indiscriminate or disproportionate raids causing civilian casualties, are prohibited under international law and constitute serious violations of humanitarian norms.

A liquefied natural gas vessel controlled by Greek shipping company Gas Log was stable after an incident while exiting the Strait of Hormuz, with everyone on board safe and accounted for, the company said, according to Reuters.

An “incident” had occurred on its Gas Log Shanghai LNG vessel on July 31, said Gas Log in a statement. It did not provide details about the incident or whether the ship or its cargo had sustained any damage.

“Gas Log LNG Services immediately activated their emergency plan, notified all relevant authorities, and is currently assessing the condition of the vessel and assure the safety of our people,” the statement said.

PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s approval rating has hit an all-time low according to the latest Economist/YouGov poll. The survey found 62 per cent of Americans disapprove of the president’s performance while 63pc say the country is headed in the wrong direction. These are Trump’s worst numbers since he returned to the White House last year. The results align with findings of other polls, which show he has fallen out of favour with the majority of Americans. The slide isn’t just about an unpopular war with Iran. Trump’s management of the economy is also driving public discontent.

The first 18 months of the mercurial leader’s second term have been defined by disruption at home and abroad. His ‘America First’ unilateralism has meant military strikes on multiple countries and upending of the global trading system. It reflects contempt for international law and other nations’ sovereignty. For a president who promised to end wars, not start them, his record is the opposite. Trump assumed American power could browbeat other countries into compliance at no cost to the US. That was a miscalculation. His overreliance on force also failed to produce the results he wanted.

Read more from Maleeha Lodhi here.

Oil prices tumbled in early Asia trade after US President Donald Trump announced fresh talks with Iran to end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

At around 2250 GMT on Sunday, the price of a barrel of Brent North Sea, the benchmark international oil contract, for September delivery was down 4.69 percent at $83.81.

Its American equivalent, West Texas Intermediate, fell 4.67 per cent to $80.72.

US President Donald Trump said that negotiations with Iran will begin Monday after he decided to hold off on new strikes against the Islamic republic to pursue a deal, AFP reports.

“Obviously, they don’t want to be attacked. They knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says an understanding between Iran and Oman on a new route does not mean the Strait of Hormuz is being opened or closed, Al Jazeera reports.

Referring to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the US, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that the country “must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed”.

In a post on X, he said, “The memorandum [of understanding] that was signed is the result of the collective wisdom of Shura Council’s members, and all members are in sympathy with it.”

“I believe this memorandum will be the centre of gravity of our foreign relations in the future. We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed.”

“The security of the country, the region, and our allies will be enhanced by this memorandum,” President Pezeshkian stated.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, says that any “state that becomes a defensive shield for America will burn in the fire of war,” Iran’s IRNA news agency reports.

Negotiations between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz are in their final stages, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says, Reuters reports, citing Iran’s IRNA.

An Iranian lawmaker said that mediators were seeking to revive a deal that briefly halted the war between Iran and the United States in June, reports AFP.

Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesman for parliament’s national security commission, said in a video interview that “there is an effort underway to revive the 14-point Islamabad agreement, particularly by the mediators”.

“They know that the main issue and, in fact, the key to the matter right now is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, so yes, there is an exchange of views,” he said.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa have discussed efforts to reduce regional escalations, Al Jazeera reports.

Their phone conversation also discussed the “necessity of reaching a comprehensive de-escalation that restores security and stability to the region”, according to the Jordanian Royal Hashemite Court.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has held a telephonic conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud.

Both leaders discussed the latest regional developments, particularly the “diplomatic efforts and joint coordination to de-escalate and strengthen security and stability in the region,” the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.

Qatari prime minister “stressed the need for all parties to commit to dialogue and diplomacy, and to implement the understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran, including ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, in order to maintain security in the region, preserve the progress achieved, and promote regional stability,” it added.