US-Iran tensions: Oman's explosion hit oil terminal resumes operations as Hezbollah and Israel trade fresh strikes

Abed Harb, the commander of Hezbollah's Engineering unit has been killed, according to a social media post from the Israel Defense Forces.

Harb’s unit was responsible for assembling explosives intended to harm IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon. He was a senior commander within Hezbollah & was responsible for numerous attacks against IDF soldiers, from the Second Lebanon War.

Israel's military warned residents of three villages north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon to evacuate on Friday ahead of expected attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns by at least 1,000 metres into open areas. Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives, their facilities, or their weapons endangers their life!" the army's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Thursday rejected a conditional truce announced by Lebanese and Israeli envoys, demanding a comprehensive ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal instead as he threatened northern Israel with new attacks.

Dubai: UAE, Indian and multiple global airlines are entering what analysts are calling “one of the most unpredictable summer travel seasons in recent years”, with the Iran conflict, fuel prices and airspace disruptions forcing carriers to rethink growth plans during what is usually the industry’s busiest and most profitable period.

The crisis is no longer limited to smaller or financially weaker airlines. The disruption is now global in scale.

Industry estimates show airlines worldwide have removed more than 75,000 flights from summer 2026 schedules.

Petroleum Development Oman ​said on Friday that operations at ‌Mina Al Fahal port are proceeding normally, after three sources told Reuters earlier that ​oil loading had been suspended ​following an explosion near its mooring berths.

Israeli strikes overnight in the south Lebanon city of Tyre killed seven people, a source from Lebanon's civil defence told AFP on Friday, despite a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

One strike near the Jabal Amel hospital killed four people, wounded seven and lightly damaged the facility, while another elsewhere in the city killed three and wounded five, including two children.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog has been unable to inspect nuclear facilities in Iran affected by the war last June according to a confidential report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog circulated to member states and seen Thursday by The Associated Press.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that it “cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran or whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities.”

The IAEA warned that it was “unable to discharge its safeguards responsibilities” that it has under the Safeguards Agreement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, adding that it is “indispensable and urgent” for Tehran to implement its obligations under that Treaty.

The only nuclear facility inspected in Iran by IAEA inspectors since the last report in February has been the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was visited on June 1-3.

Oil was steady after its first decline this week on optimism that talks between the US and Iran will see energy flows resume through the Strait of Hormuz.

West Texas Intermediate traded below US$93 a barrel, after sliding more than 3% on Thursday, while Brent closed near US$95. The US oil benchmark is still up more than 6% for the week.

India's central bank left interest rates unchanged on Friday, despite the Middle East conflict threatening to stoke inflation and heap pressure on a weak rupee.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the benchmark repurchase rate, the level at which it lends to commercial banks, would remain at 5.25 percent after a unanimous vote by a six-member panel.

Central banks in emerging and frontier markets from Indonesia to Sri Lanka have hiked rates in recent weeks to bolster their currencies and tamp down inflationary pressures.

Oman has halted oil loading at its Mina al Fahal terminal after an explosion struck near the facility's single-buoy mooring (SBM) berths, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. The blast reportedly occurred between the SBM 1 and 2 berths and was caused by a suspected drone attack, according to the sources, though it was not immediately clear when the attack took place.

Several supertankers were seen anchored off the port on Friday, according to shipping data from LSEG, as reported by Reuters.

Asian equities went into reverse Friday on continued worries about the AI trade after disappointing forecasts from chip titan Broadcom, while investors were also keeping a wary eye on stuttering Middle East peace efforts.

After leading several markets to record highs this year, technology firms are facing selling pressure on concerns that the eye-watering sums pumped into artificial intelligence may have been overdone and stock valuations are too high.

Broadcom on Wednesday sparked concern among traders who have piled into all things AI when its revenue forecast for the third quarter came in below expectations, sparking a sell-off in Wall Street's Nasdaq as dealers took profits and rotated into other sectors.

A dual US-Iranian national and CEO of a Tehran-based technology company was arrested on federal charges accusing him of conspiring to violate US sanctions by supplying sophisticated American networking, security and encryption equipment to Iran’s military and nuclear programs, according to the US Justice Department.

Jamshid Ghomi, 63, of Newport Coast, was taken into custody at his $35-million-dollar waterfront home in Orange County following a federal investigation, authorities said. He faces a charge of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and could receive up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The US State Department sent a security alert overnight on Friday to Americans across the Middle East, highlighting a complex environment with potential for hostilities due to ongoing strains like Israel's operations in Gaza and Lebanon, Iranian proxy activities, and Houthi shipping attacks.

Embassies from Jerusalem to Riyadh urged enrolling in the Smart Traveler program, avoiding crowds, monitoring news, and keeping a low profile near US sites — echoing shelter precautions common in rocket-prone areas like Israel. Travel advisories remain unchanged, with many countries at Level 3 'Reconsider Travel' and others at Level 4 'Do Not Travel,' signaling caution without calling for evacuations. While social media buzzed with speculation about US planes and unverified ultimatums, officials emphasized vigilance over alarm.

Hezbollah and Israel exchanged fresh attacks despite renewed diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions across the Middle East, underscoring the fragile state of a proposed ceasefire and the uncertainty surrounding negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Israeli forces carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon while Hezbollah launched rockets and drones toward northern Israel, raising fears that the Lebanon front could derail broader efforts to end months of conflict linked to the wider Iran war.

The renewed fighting is unfolding against the backdrop of delicate US-Iran diplomacy. 

Iran-backed Hezbollah has rejected a renewed ceasefire arrangement negotiated by Lebanon and Israel with US mediation, casting doubt on efforts to stabilise the volatile border and prevent a broader Middle East conflict.

The heavily-armed group operating in Lebanon and classified as a terrorist group by the UAE, the GCC, the US, the UK, and several other countries, said it was "not bound" by the agreement and vowed to continue what it described as "resistance operations" against Israel, underscoring the challenge facing Lebanese authorities as they seek to enforce a truce after months of cross-border fighting.

The ceasefire was intended to halt hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon frontier, facilitate the return of displaced civilians and create conditions for broader diplomatic talks. Lebanese officials backed the arrangement in hopes of avoiding another devastating war, while Israel presented the deal as a step toward restoring security in its northern communities.

Hezbollah's rejection highlights a longstanding complication in Lebanon's political and security landscape: while the Lebanese government can negotiate on behalf of the state, Hezbollah maintains an independent military structure and significant influence.

The renewed fighting has stalled Lebanon's rare push to disarm the militia, reshaping power, security and US-backed diplomacy.

An Israeli strike in eastern Lebanon killed five people on Thursday, while another attack near the southern city of Tyre killed three more, the Lebanese health ministry said.

The strikes also left eight wounded, including three children and two women. They came a day after the Lebanese and Israeli governments agreed a ceasefire plan for Israel's war with Hezbollah, which the group has rejected.

The United States has switched its attention away from trying to end the Ukraine conflict since it launched its war against Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

"Naturally, we can all see and understand that the US administration is being forced to shift its attention and deal with this issue above all others," Putin told foreign journalists, including AFP, in Saint Petersburg.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday condemned Iran's "outrageous" attack this week on a Kuwait airport that killed one person and wounded dozens.

Meeting Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in Washington, Rubio "condemned Iran's outrageous and unacceptable attacks targeting Kuwait International Airport and other parts of the country and expressed condolences for those killed and injured in that attack," according to a State Department readout.

Day 97: UN peacekeeper killed in south Lebanon shelling

Day 96: US: Iran's Kuwait attack was 'deliberate & calculated'

Day 95: Rubio says Iran's Khamenei alive and 'increasingly engaging'

Day 94: Kuwait intercepts missiles, drones; Iran halts US talks

Day 93: Trump asked for tougher terms in proposed Iran war deal

Day 92: Hormuz disruption raises summer fuel shortage fears

Day 91: Trump wraps Iran talks without announcement

Day 90: US, Iran reach deal pending Trump's final approval

Day 89: Trump says 'not satisfied' yet on Iran deal

Day 88: Iran condemns US attacks as violation of ceasefire

Day 87: 'Proceeding nicely': US-Iran talks intensify, oil drops

Day 86: US-Iran talks: Trump says 'I don’t make bad deals'

Day 85: Trump: Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’, Hormuz to open