US-Israel war on Iran widens: Explosions rock Qeshm Island near Hormuz as Trump says conflict 'can't go much longer'
Erdogan mediation bid comes amid naval clashes and mounting Gulf casualties
Explosions were reported on Iran's Qeshm Island late Thursday as Iranian forces confronted what state-linked media described as "hostile enemy targets" near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, even as US President Donald Trump voiced confidence that the war "has got to end pretty soon." Diplomatic efforts are gathering pace, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heading to Saudi Arabia on Friday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as Islamabad mediates to end a conflict that has paralysed shipping through the world's most vital oil chokepoint. Meanwhile, travel links are showing early signs of recovery, with Qatar Airways set to resume flights to Bahrain, Kuwait and Erbil from August 8 as airlines rebuild regional networks. Follow our live blog for the latest developments on diplomacy, security, travel and markets.
Oil prices extended gains and stocks fell further on Friday amid fading optimism over a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as reports said Iran was planning to block US and Israeli ships from the waterway as part of a deal with Oman.
Markets had enjoyed a healthy run-up at the start of the week as US President Donald Trump called off strikes on the Islamic republic and said an agreement was close, even though Tehran denied talks had taken place.
At the same time Iran said it was close to a pact with Muscat on managing the key waterway -- which has been choked off for most of the Middle East war -- but that the US would need to end its own naval blockade of Iranian ports
Two explosions were heard on Iran's southern Qeshm Island in Hormozgan province late on Thursday night as a result of the Iranian armed forces' confrontation with "hostile enemy targets" at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Tasnim cited informed sources as saying that the explosions were heard at around 21:40 local time (1810 GMT, 10:10 PM Gulf Standard Time), adding that the "achievements" of the Iranian naval forces' confrontation will be announced in the coming hours.
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US President Donald Trump insisted the US has "massive" munitions reserves, especially certain types, with defence production ramping up at historic levels. The Washington Post reported he confronted US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at Camp David over concerns that heavy use of ATACMS missiles, THAAD interceptors, and Patriots had reduced inventories, potentially limiting options against Iran.
White House officials dismissed the account as "fake news", while Hegseth publicly backed the administration's readiness claims. The exchange highlights tensions in the debate over sustaining US military supplies during the conflict.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the story “100% fake news” and said it “literally never happened,” while Hegseth publicly dismissed parallel reporting on depleted interceptors as “NOT TRUE,” posting on X: “Shame on you.” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell similarly told CNN the military has “everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing.”
Israel has refused in talks to withdraw from more areas of south Lebanon unless the Lebanese army had full control of an initial two "pilot zones", a Lebanese presidential source told AFP.
The seventh round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel was held in Rome under US auspices, aimed at ending hostilities between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah that have become a second front in the Middle East war. The Lebanese source told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that the talks had "not yielded definitive results regarding the pilot zones".
While the outlook from Beirut was dim, a US State Department spokesperson told AFP that the talks were "productive".
US President Donald Trump late on Thursday expressed confidence that the conflict involving Iran would end "pretty soon," saying that he believes the Islamic Republic "can't go much longer".
He also voiced optimism over ongoing negotiations related to the Strait of Hormuz, while reaffirming the commitment to prevent Iran from posessing a nuclear weapon.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said, "When I started the very important excursion into the Islamic Republic of Iran, it was a very important excursion because they can't have a nuclear weapon, otherwise the whole world would get blown up. We're not gonna let that happen. Not only us, not only the Middle East, the whole world would have been... It would have been catastrophic. We had no choice... We will see those days pretty soon again, based on everything I see, as soon as the war ends. And I think the war's got to end pretty soon. I don't think they can go much longer."
An attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels late Thursday wounded 11 civilians in southern Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh-led coalition said, an unprecedented toll in the kingdom in over four years of hostilities.
They include seven Saudis, two Egyptians, a Yemeni, and a Pakistani, coalition spokesman General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement carried by the official Saudi news agency, adding that the attacks had taken place in the Najran region, on the border with Yemen.
This marks another step in the recent escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces are continuing to enforce the naval blockade of Iran.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said that, as of August 6, US forces had redirected 49 vessels, disabled two and boarded two others as part of the maritime enforcement mission.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia Friday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif, Erdogan's office announced.
Pakistan has been acting as a mediator to try to end the US-Iran war that has drawn in several Gulf countries and paralysed maritime traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
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