War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The Lebanese military has said that Israeli attacks are preventing it from completing its deployment in southern Lebanon and hindering the return of residents to their homes, according to Al Jazeera.

In a statement posted on X, the army accuses the Israeli military of continuing its “assaults and violations of existing agreements and international laws”.

It lists the latest attacks as the bombing of a building, a public school, a clinic, a children’s daycare and several homes in the Nabatieh area.

The attacks demonstrate Israel’s “persistence in its destructive approach to inflict the greatest possible damage on the southern villages and towns, and to prevent the establishment of stability”, the military states.

Lebanese forces continue to carry out their missions in the south, but face “significant difficulties” as Israeli attacks are hindering “the completion of its deployment and the return of the residents”, it adds.

Al Jazeera, citing Lebanon’s National News Agency, reports that Israeli warplanes carried out two air strikes targeting the town of al-Mansouri in the country’s south. There have been no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has requested that Iran help prevent further escalation by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandeb during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Al Jazeera reports citing the Iranian presidency.

According to a statement, the Japanese prime minister has welcomed what she terms progress in Iran’s negotiations with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, expressing hope that the strategic waterway will reopen as soon as talks conclude successfully.

It adds that Takaichi has also reiterated Tokyo’s support for diplomatic efforts to end the war, adding that it is in the long-term interests of both Tehran and the broader Middle East.

Pezeshkian thanks Japan for supporting efforts to end the war, noting that his country “never sought instability” in the region and claiming that the US and Israel had undermined regional peace through acts of aggression.

He adds that Tehran acted in accordance with international law and consistently sought to improve relations with neighbouring countries.

Oil prices have risen once again after attacks on two ships reinforced worries about disruptions to Middle East supplies, Reuters reports.

Brent futures were up 35 cents, or 0.4 per cent, at $89.26 a barrel by 1219 GMT (5:19pm PKT), heading for a sixth day of gains. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose by 57 cents, or 0.7pc, to $83.77, heading for a fifth daily gain.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will undertake a two-day visit to Egypt tomorrow, where the situation in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz will be on the agenda, Al Jazeera reports citing Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu news agency.

Anadolu adds that he is expected to express support for diplomatic efforts aimed at re-establishing the US-Iran ceasefire and reopening the waterway as soon as possible.

Oil prices have risen in volatile trade after attacks on two ships reinforced worries about disruptions to Middle East supplies, and as talks to end the Iran war hit an impasse, Reuters reports.

Brent futures were up 17 cents, or 0.2 per cent, at $89.08 a barrel by 1055 GMT (3:55pm PKT), heading for a sixth day of gains. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 20 cents, or 0.2pc, to $83.40, heading for a fifth daily gain.

There have been no discussions between Iran and the United States to extend the ceasefire because from Tehran’s perspective the deal had no start date and therefore there is nothing to extend, a senior Iranian source tells Reuters.

Spokesperson for the Iranian Armed Forces has warned the US against renewed aggression against Iran, IRIB reports.

“In the event of renewed US aggression against Iran, energy transmission lines, power plants, all American and non-American systems, and even global internet-connected infrastructure are at risk,” IRIB quoted him as saying.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has received US General Joseph Clearfield, the head of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L), in Beirut, Al Jazeera reports.

The meeting addressed the steps to be taken towards the implementation of the framework deal agreed in Washington, DC, on June 26, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese presidency.

The discussions were held in light of the talks conducted by Clearfield in Israel last week, the presidency added.

The MCG4L is a trilateral coordination body established under this agreement.

Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam has called on Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, where the two exchanged views on the evolving regional situation, according to the Foreign Office (FO).

Dar underscored that “dialogue and diplomacy remain the only effective means of addressing outstanding issues and achieving lasting peace, stability, and prosperity in the region”.

He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening engagement with Iran, the FO said.

Oil from a vast slick leaking from the grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi is reported to be reaching Oman’s mainland, the UN’s shipping agency said. according to Reuters.

“Oil is drifting offshore to the northeast of (Oman’s) Al-Qibliyyah Island, with some oil reported to be reaching the mainland. Oil spill contingency planning is in place,” a spokesperson at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said.

The tanker was carrying around 800,000 barrels of oil from Russia bound for Asia grounded off the coast of Oman on June 30 and is around 22 nautical miles off Oman’s fishing village of Sharbithat, the IMO spokesperson said.

The United States and Iran have agreed to extend a ceasefire ahead of the expiration of the 60-day deadline under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, Anadolu Agency reports, citing a Pakistani source.

Joseph Aoun has met General Joseph Clearfield, chair of the Cessation of Hostilities Supervisory Committee, in the presence of US Ambassador to Lebanon Michelle Sison, Al Jazeera reports.

The committee was established in November 2024 to monitor the ceasefire, verify violations and provide direct deconfliction between the Lebanese and Israeli militaries.

However, the meeting comes amid repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire.

The International Energy Agency has sharply reduced its forecast for global oil demand this year, as supplies remain crimped by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and high prices deter buyers, Reuters reports.

Demand is expected to slump by 1.6 million barrels per day (mb/d), compared with its forecast slump of one million barrels in its previous monthly report in July.

Crude prices have remained well above levels seen before the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February, sparking a war that has seen oil infrastructure damaged in several Gulf countries.

Warship builder TKMS is seeing increased demand from the Middle East region in the wake of the Iran war, the group’s CEO tells journalists according to Reuters, singling out mine countermeasure technology as a field where this was playing out.

“We didn’t have that before,” Oliver Burkhard said after presenting nine-month results. “We’ll probably all agree that the security narrative in this region has shifted a bit.”

Burkhard said, however, that it was too early to quantify the impact.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi has reiterated that Pakistan remains engaged alongside “brotherly states” in “sincere efforts” to work towards a resolution to the crisis.

“Pakistan is making all-out efforts to bring the two parties to the negotiating table and the Islamabad MoU and pave the way for peace and stability in the region,” he has said.

He has also warned that Pakistan would continue to “offset spoilers using direct and indirect channels” and ensure the continuation of constructive dialogue to resolve outstanding issues.

Iran will soon join the New Development Bank (NDB), the development lender established by the Brics group of nations, central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said in a state media report published ahead of a Brics finance meeting in India, Reuters reports.

Iran joined Brics in 2024 as the group expanded, in a move aimed at deepening economic ties among emerging economies, and it has since made clear its desire to become a member and shareholder of the NDB.

“The most important result of cooperation among Brics member countries is the establishment of the New Development Bank, and our country will soon become a member of this bank,” Hemmati said, according to state media.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has condemned a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea, which he said claimed the lives of three Pakistani nationals and injured one.

In a post on X, DPM Dar expressed deep concern at the incident and shared that “three Pakistani nationals have lost their lives and one has sustained injuries in the incident,” extending condolences to the families of the deceased.

Dar continued, “Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel,” adding that such attacks “endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea”.

He said that Pakistan remained in contact with relevant Saudi Authorities and the Yemeni government to determine further details and circumstances surrounding the incident.

“I have directed our Embassy in Riyadh to immediately coordinate with the concerned authorities, and to strongly pursue all necessary measures for the retrieval and repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased Pakistani nationals and for the provision of all possible assistance to the injured Pakistani national.”

He added that Pakistan was following the situation closely.

Israeli forces carry out large explosions in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

The tally of vessels tracked in the Strait of Hormuz fell to a one-week low of eight on Tuesday, shipping data showed, as owners avoided the key waterway amid continued hostilities in the Middle East, Reuters reports.

The United States and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks as prospects appeared to dim for an end to the Iran war, with Tehran saying the strait would stay closed unless Washington accepted its conditions.

Tuesday’s tally of eight vessels fell below a 10-day average of about 12, for the lowest daily count since August 5, Kpler data showed. Only one, a coal carrier, exited the strait, while the rest were still making their way through.

Four drones crash in Iraq’s Erbil province following Iranian strikes, Al Jazeera reports.

A senior advisor to the chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran’s production of ballistic missiles and drones exceeds the rate at which the Islamic Republic deploys the hardware, Press TV reports.

“We produce ballistic missiles at a rate exceeding the one at which they are deployed, and deliver them to the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces. In the drone sector too, our production capacity is far greater than the rate at which the aircraft are deployed,” Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Naqdi said.

Al Jazeera reports that Iran has fired missiles and drones at Kurdish positions in Erbil.