US-Iran conflict escalates as Saudi Arabia secures key Red Sea route

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President Donald Trump said late on Thursday that a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, though many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained to wind down the war in the Palestinian territory.

Neither Hamas nor Israel gave immediate indication that they had agreed.

The White House announcement comes nine months after a US-brokered ceasefire was signed.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely deadlocked over the implementation of its second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.

“The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump said on social media.

“As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilisation Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbours.”

Iranian state media reported that the commercial oil tanker M/T Nora had successfully broken through the US naval blockade.

On Friday, however, US Central Command (CentCom) rejected the claim, saying the tanker had not breached the blockade. CentCom said US warships, hundreds of aircraft and thousands of American personnel remain deployed to enforce what it calls America's “steel wall” blockade around Iranian ports and coastal waters.

A successful tanker breakout would be more than a shipping story. It would be a powerful propaganda victory for Tehran — and a direct challenge to Washington's attempt to demonstrate that it controls maritime access to and from Iran. CentCom's position is blunt: the blockade remains intact. The command has previously reported intercepting or redirecting commercial vessels suspected of attempting to reach Iranian ports. Since the renewed US naval blockade against Iran came into effect on July 14, 2026, CentCom has said its troops redirected 20 commercial vessels, disabled two ships, and boarded two others.

The US Treasury Department announced early on Friday the imposition of sanctions on six entities and individuals across China, India, Russia and Iran for providing sales, logistics and commercial support to Mahan Air, the Iranian airline long accused of ferrying personnel, weapons and equipment for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted general sales agents for Mahan Air and other facilitators, aiming to disrupt what officials describe as the airline’s role in sustaining IRGC operations. Mahan Air has presented itself as a civilian carrier but has been under US sanctions for years over its ties to the IRGC, designated by Washington as a terrorist organisation.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that those providing financial services, logistics or commercial support to the IRGC or Mahan Air “are helping sustain a terrorist enterprise.” “Treasury will continue to identify them, expose them, and cut them off from the US financial system,” Bessent said.

Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it had set up a maritime defence alliance to secure navigation around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The move comes after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said last week they were imposing a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, and claimed attacks targeting Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and oil infrastructure in the kingdom.

The narrow maritime artery has been a critical waterway for delivering vast quantities of Saudi crude to the international market, after energy exports from the Gulf were largely choked off the US-Iranian standoff in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi defence ministry issued a joint statement on behalf of the 14 countries in the alliance: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen.

The ministry said the alliance was "aimed at enhancing maritime security, safeguarding freedom of navigation, securing international trade routes and energy supply lines and protecting shared maritime interests in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden".

The ministry said it had invited 51 countries and organisations to a meeting about the alliance in Riyadh on Thursday.

It said representatives of 43 countries and an EU delegation attended, of which 14 countries confirmed their support while others were in the process of doing so.

Tehran's forces have carried out frequent missile and drone attacks in the Middle East since the breakdown of the US-Iran ceasefire, raising renewed concerns about Washington's supply of the weapons needed to intercept them.

Highlighting the issue, the US military said it shot down multiple ballistic missiles fired by Tehran in an "attempted surprise attack" this week, following a deadly Iranian strike on American troops in Jordan earlier this month.

Some lawmakers have raised questions about whether the United States has sufficient munitions since early in the war, which began with US-Israeli strikes in late February before the fighting largely halted under an April ceasefire, only to resume in recent weeks.

"We have depleted our interceptors... which are, obviously, necessary to protect American troops," US Senator Chris Van Hollen said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

"We are depleting these every day, despite the fact that we could face other potential conflicts around the world," the Democrat added.

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The US Treasury on Thursday imposed sanctions on six individuals and companies it said were aiding Mahan Air, an Iranian airline that is accused of facilitating Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The new sanctions include a China-based individual, as well as companies in China, Russia, Iran and Indian-administered Kashmir.

"Those who provide financial services, logistics, or commercial support to the IRGC or Mahan Air are helping sustain a terrorist enterprise," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement.

"Treasury will continue to identify them, expose them, and cut them off from the US financial system."

Mahan Air operates as a civilian airline offering domestic and international flights, but Washington says it also provides travel services to IRGC personnel and helps move weapons for the force.

Tehran has consistently said accusations against Mahan Air and state airline Iran Air are baseless, but that has not stopped the United States and its European allies from sanctioning them.

Thursday's sanctions also targeted DadeNegar, a Tehran-based company that is accused of having "solicited locations of American and Israeli equipment to support Iranian military targeting."

Human rights groups expressed dismay Thursday that Iran's authorities are poised to execute more young men accused of taking part in January anti-government protests.

The Islamic republic's officials have recently carried out executions nearly every week, including public hangings in the city of Isfahan.

International observers say the cases appear to be part of a broader effort by Tehran to show zero tolerance for dissent, as the country is locked in a war with the United States.

The independent Norway-based rights NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said in a statement that Benyamin Naghdi, a 26-year-old arrested during the January protests in the city of Shiraz has had his death sentence upheld by Iran's supreme court.

It said the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz had condemned him to death after he was arrested for spraying a fire extinguisher at security forces on motorbikes. His lawyer has filed for a retrial.

The charges levelled against the young MMA fighter and kickboxer included "membership of groups disrupting national security, assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security and propaganda activities against the system", IHR quoted Naghdi's lawyer, Mostafa Nili, as telling an Iranian news outlet.

IHL and Amnesty International said that Naghdi was convicted on the basis of a "forced 'confession'", broadcast on state television, and found guilty of "corruption on earth" - which carries a sentence of death.

Thirteen experts working as special UN rapporteurs on Monday said the Islamic republic's authorities seemed intent on quashing any form of dissent.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), condemned in the strongest terms the renewed Iranian attacks on the territories of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the State of Kuwait.

He emphasised that these attacks represent a flagrant violation of state sovereignty and the provisions of international law, as well as a dangerous escalation that threatens regional security and stability.

Moreover, Albudaiwi underlined the full solidarity of the GCC states with the State of Kuwait and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, supporting all measures they take to protect their security and sovereignty.​

Turkey is interested in participating in a new security initiative for Lebanon when the 7,500-member UN peacekeeping mission in the south of the country expires at the end of the year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a joint press statement with his Lebanese counterpart on Thursday.

Last year, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to terminate the peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL, bowing to demands from the United States and its close ally, Israel. The UN is now considering options to help end the decades-old conflict between Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and Israel.

"After the withdrawal of the current international force, Turkey wants to take part in all initiatives that will be launched to support security in the region and ensure Lebanon's sovereignty," Erdogan said, speaking alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

"The end of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, deployed in southern Lebanon, will constitute an important development," Erdogan stated.

Other countries have voiced an interest in contributing to a UNIFIL successor force, including France and Italy, but it remains unclear what form that force might take and whether it would be under a UN mandate or some other arrangement.

India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that as many as 2,557 Indian nationals were evacuated from Iran through Armenia or Azerbaijan for their onward journey to India following the escalation of hostilities in West Asia.

Responding to a series of separate questions in the Upper House of Parliament on the government's measures to protect Indians amid the Iran-US-Gulf tensions, Singh said the Indian Embassy in Tehran facilitated the cross-border movement of Indian citizens from Iran to neighbouring countries to enable their return.

"Since the onset of hostilities in West Asia in February 2026, the Indian Embassy in Tehran has facilitated the cross-border movement of 2,557 Indian nationals from Iran to Armenia/Azerbaijan for their onward travel to India," Singh stated in the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

The Minister said the government estimates that around 7,000 Indian nationals continue to remain in Iran, including seminary students, medical students, workers, seafarers and fishermen.

"The Government is closely monitoring the security situation in Iran and has issued timely advisories to Indian nationals depending on the developments," Singh said.

He added that the Indian Embassy in Tehran has maintained a 24/7 emergency helpline and email facility to assist Indian nationals in distress and ensure continuous communication during the crisis.

The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms the renewed hostile attacks by Iran targeting the State of Kuwait and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with missiles.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that these hostile attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the brotherly nations and a threat to their security and stability.

The Ministry reiterated the UAE’s full solidarity with the State of Kuwait and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding their security and stability.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that three of its members were killed in an attack by the United States on the northwestern province of Zanjan.

"In the brutal attack carried out by the terrorist regime of the criminal United States on 30 July 2026, three brave and devoted members of the Ansar al-Mahdi IRGC in Zanjan province... attained martyrdom," the Guards' provinicial branch said in a statement, according to Tasnim news agency.

Dubai: Middle East airlines are slowly climbing out of the hole left by the Iran conflict, new figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) show, even as global air travel demand fell for a third straight month in June.

Traffic carried by Middle Eastern carriers dropped 13.9 per cent year-on-year in June, a sharp improvement on the 28.8 per cent collapse recorded in May, IATA said in its monthly passenger market analysis report.

Capacity in the region fell 11.3 per cent, and the load factor — a measure of how full planes is flying — slipped 2.3 percentage points to 76.1 per cent.

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Qatar has strongly condemned what it described as renewed Iranian attacks targeting Jordan and Kuwait, calling them violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries.

In a statement, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attacks represent a dangerous escalation that could undermine efforts to reduce regional tensions and disrupt diplomatic initiatives aimed at restoring security and stability.

The ministry called for an immediate halt to all military actions and urged a return to dialogue and negotiations. Qatar also reaffirmed its solidarity with Jordan and Kuwait, supporting measures taken by both countries to protect their security and sovereignty.

Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned what it described as Iran's continued attacks targeting Jordan, calling them a violation of international law and the principles of good neighbourliness.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reaffirmed the Kingdom's solidarity with Jordan and its people, saying it fully supports the measures Jordan is taking to safeguard its security and respond to the attacks.

Egypt's Cabinet said preliminary investigations found that a drone caused the fire that broke out aboard two vessels at Damietta Port on Wednesday. Authorities said no group has claimed responsibility, and investigations are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and protect the country's national security.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said emergency teams quickly contained the blaze on a regasification vessel and a storage vessel. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

Kuwait's Defence Ministry said an Iranian attack struck a building belonging to a Chinese company in the country's north, killing one worker and causing significant damage. Authorities said necessary measures were immediately launched in coordination with relevant agencies, while the Armed Forces reaffirmed their readiness to safeguard Kuwait's security and sovereignty.

US Central Command, now actively enforcing a naval blockade against Iranian ports, has pushed back against Tehran's claims, noting that the US military have facilitated the safe passage of approximately 1,000 vessels and 500 million barrels of crude oil since early May.

Up to 10,000 soldiers are involved in operations to redirect commercial vessels attempting to enter or exit Iranian waters as part of an ongoing blockade to pressure Tehran amid heightened tensions in the Gulf.

In a statement on X, CentCom stressed that the IRGC has no authority to dictate shipping routes, and reported that, as of July 29, its forces had redirected 20 commercial vessels, disabled two and boarded two others.

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Mediator Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday that negotiations between the United States and Iran were "ongoing" during a flare-up in fighting across the Middle East.

"Negotiations between parties are ongoing, particularly on (the) Strait of Hormuz and to de-escalate," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that two oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz with US support turned back after one of them caught fire.

"Last night, two oil tankers, encouraged by American aircraft, attempted to leave through the unsafe southern route of the Strait of Hormuz," the Guards said in a statement.

"After a major fire broke out on one of them, both vessels quickly turned back."

On Thursday, the powerful Guards reiterated that the strait was "our territory" and "cannot be reopened as long as the excessive rhetoric and threats of American officials and their interference in maritime movements in the region continue."

The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms the renewed hostile drone attacks launched from Iraqi territory, which attempted to target oil facilities in the Eastern Province in the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that these hostile attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia and a threat to its security and stability.

A US attack killed three people, including a two-year-old, on Iran's Qeshm island, the Fars news agency reported on Thursday after the US military said it wrapped up a heavy wave of strikes.

"A US attack on a residential home in the Chah Tangu neighbourhood of Qeshm killed three members of a family: the father, the mother, and their 2-year-old child," Fars reported citing the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, adding that two other children were injured.

Jordan's military in a statement on Thursday said its air defences shot down five missiles coming from Iran that targeted the kingdom's territory, adding that the attack caused no casualties.

The military's official spokesperson said "air defences engaged five missiles launched from Iran targeting the Kingdom's territory early this morning, Thursday. The missiles were detected, intercepted, and shot down according to established defense plans," the statement said.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out a heavy wave of strikes on dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets across Iran in retaliation for Tehran's attempted ballistic missile attack on American forces a day earlier. The strikes targeted military command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal defence sites and maritime capabilities to reduce threats to US forces, commercial shipping and Gulf allies.

The US military struck locations around Iran's Qeshm island and Abadan city, Iranian media reported on Thursday citing regional authorities, as American attacks resumed after a lull.

"At 04:00 am (0030 GMT) a point near Qeshm was attacked by the American enemy military," said Ahmad Nafisi, the deputy governor of the southern Hormozgan province, according to news agency Mehr.

"Points around Abadan city were attacked by missiles by the terrorist enemy of America," the Fars news agency reported, citing the deputy governor of Khuzestan.

US and Saudi forces launched joint strikes targeting Iran-backed groups across Iraq. The operation destroyed logistics and weapons sites, killing at least four IRGC members and 20 PMF fighters.

Washington and Riyadh cited recent drone attacks on US troops and Saudi oil infrastructure as the reason for the bombardment.

The US military is carrying out airstrikes in Iran, according to a report Wednesday by Axios citing a US official, amid a weeks-long escalation of hostilities centred on control of the Strait of Hormuz. The development comes as part of an ongoing US campaign of strikes against Iranian military targets that has stretched for multiple consecutive nights in recent weeks. US Central Command has repeatedly described the operations as efforts to degrade Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping and threaten navigation in the vital waterway.

Tensions have surged over Iran's attempts to assert greater control over the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of global oil trade. Iran has targeted commercial vessels, including US-escorted tankers, prompting US retaliation with airstrikes on Iranian air defenses, missile sites, ports, command centers and infrastructure such as bridges.

President Donald Trump has warned of expanded strikes on Iranian infrastructure if attacks on shipping continue, while both sides have engaged in tit-for-tat actions, including Iranian missile launches toward U.S. positions in the region.

A fragile pause in strikes was reported earlier, but exchanges have continued. No immediate confirmation or details on the latest strikes were available from US Central Command or the White House in the hours following the Axios report. Iranian state media has previously reported civilian casualties and damage from US operations, claims the US has denied, saying strikes target military assets. The conflict risks broader regional instability and disruptions to global energy markets.

US President Donald Trump vowed to hit back hard at Iran after it attacked US bases in Jordan on Wednesday, as the Middle East war reignited and again drew in the Islamic republic's proxies.

The warning came after a lull in the fighting -- which had spurred hopes of a return to negotiations -- appeared to end, sending oil prices jumping five percent over fears of disruptions to global supplies.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia and the United States announced strikes on militant bases in Iraq, while US ally Israel accused Iran-backed Hezbollah of a truce violation. 

For two days, the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia has reported drone attacks targeting crude facilities that it blamed on Iraqi armed groups allied with Tehran.

Iran meanwhile launched missiles at US ally Jordan, with Iranian state media later reporting an American attack near the Islamic republic's border with Iraq.

Trump told Fox News: "We'll be hitting them hard...We are going to beat the 'effing s' out of them."

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement is reportedly considering charging commercial vessels transit fees to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and, ultimately, the Suez Canal. The proposal is still under discussion and has not yet been formally implemented, according to sources familiar with the matter.

According to latest news report, the Houthis are discussing charging commercial ships for passage through the southern Red Sea, establishing a regulatory authority to administer the fees, reportedly with assistance from Iranian advisers, and potentially exempting Chinese-flagged or China-linked vessels following diplomatic contacts between Beijing and the Houthis.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. An estimated 10-15% of global seaborne trade and a significant share of oil and liquefied natural gas shipments normally transit this route. Any additional costs, restrictions, or security risks could:

US President Donald Trump stated he would be "quite disappointed" if China supplied weapons to Iran.

Reaffirming Chinese President Xi Jinping's explicit promise that Beijing would not sell arms to Tehran, Trump described reports of Iran receiving up to 400 Chinese shoulder-fired missiles as "surprising".

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces continue to enforce Washington's naval blockade against Iran, announcing that as of July 29 they had redirected 20 commercial vessels, disabled two vessels and boarded two others.

In an update posted on X, CENTCOM said the blockade is aimed at preventing maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports while allowing commercial shipping to continue transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

According to CENTCOM, the operation is supported by a range of US military assets, including aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, fixed-wing fighter jets, military helicopters and embarked US Marines trained in maritime interdiction operations.

The command said the blockade is being enforced against vessels of all nationalities entering or leaving Iranian ports. However, it stressed that freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz remains in place for commercial ships that are not sailing to or departing from Iranian ports.

Day 15: US, Saudi forces strike Iran-backed militias in Iraq

Day 149: Trump holds 'positive' talks with Zelenskyy, Netanyahu

Day 148: Saudi air defences foil drone attack on oil facilities

Day 147: Iran says military ready as Netanyahu heads to US

Day 146: Iran says it earned $11.5b in oil sales during the war

Day 145: US-Iran war escalates as Tehran targets US bases in Gulf