Middle East Developments: Iran Hormuz Deal, Lebanon Clashes, and Regional Tensions

Jon Shelton with AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters

Published 08/06/2026Published August 6, 2026

Iran has said a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is in its "final stage" if the US doesn't obstruct it. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon.

Iran's Foreign Ministry says a deal with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz will come very soon 'if certain parties do not obstruct this process'

Pakistan has praised Oman for work 'resolving the Hormuz issue'

Amid renewed strikes on southern Lebanon, Israel says two of its soldiers were killed Thursday

Oman faces an environmental disaster after explosions rocked a Russian oil tanker in its waters

These updates have now been closed. Read on for a roundup of top stories from and about the Middle East on Thursday, August 6:

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he believed the war with Iran would "end pretty soon."

"I don't think they can go much ‌longer," ‌Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

When asked ​about the status of munitions stockpiles, Trump said US ​defense companies were building up their production capacities, including plants to make Patriot and Tomahawk missiles.

"We have certain ​types of munitions ‌that are very powerful, that we have unlimited, virtual unlimited supply. ​We have ⁠others where it's a little bit tighter," Trump said.

The US president did not specify which weapons might be affected by shortages.

Recently, multiple US news outlets reported that the military was running low on munitions.

The Washington Post, for example, reported that Trump had called off fresh strikes on Iran due to the shortages. CNN, meanwhile, said that "the US military has exhausted nearly 80%" of its stock of THAAD interceptors.

The EU's head of foreign affairs, Kaja Kallas, has said that the bloc welcomes last week's announcement of a breakthrough on the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire plan.

"The EU welcomes the announcement of an agreement on the permanent decommissioning of weapons from Hamas and other non-state armed groups, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and civilian transition in Gaza," Kallas said in a statement, thanking mediators for their "tireless efforts."

She said the moves constituted a "crucial step to make sure that Hamas is disarmed and never again poses a threat to the security of Israel."

"We call on all parties to approve and implement the agreement without delay, and to accelerate the implementation of all provisions" of the UN Security Council Resolution giving effect to the Gaza peace plan, number 2803.

Kallas said the EU would continue working on implementing areas it was involved in: such as a border assistance mission for the Rafah Crossing Point into Gaza, an EU police mission for the Palestinian Territories, "urgently needed" humanitarian, reconstruction and redevelopment aid "at scale," and supporting the Palestinian Authority's reform agenda, "so that it can securely take back effective control of Gaza."

The former prime minister of Estonia concluded by saying the EU "reiterates" its commitment to a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution."

Lawmakers in Uganda have voted in favor of deploying its military to the Gaza Strip, if needed as part of a multinational security force proposed as part of the ceasefire plan for the enclave put forward by US President Donald Trump.

Ugandan Defense Minister Kiryowa ‌Kiwanuka told parliament before the vote that Trump had contacted President Yoweri Museveni last month seeking a contribution to the international force from Kampala.

Although Uganda's name had already come up in connection with the plans, Thursday's parliamentary debate was the first time the country's officials had publicly discussed it.

Uganda has a ⁠history ​of participating in international peacekeeping and enforcement efforts. It currently has contingents deployed in several countries, including Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of ​Congo.

The stalled Gaza plan, designed to build on a preliminary ceasefire struck last October, foresees several steps.

These include a surge in humanitarian aid, civilian administration in Gaza by Palestinian technocrats, Hamas laying down its arms and Israeli forces withdrawing.

It would also involve deploying an "International Stablization Force" in areas not under Israeli control.

It's not clear when or if any of these steps will occur, despite last week's claims from the White House of a major breakthrough in the talks. Both Israeli and Hamas officials have voiced skepticism since.

Gulf state diplomats have told both the AFP and Reuters news agencies that Iran last week threatened to "black out the Gulf, country by country, if [US President Donald] Trump attacked its power plants."

Trump had previously reissued a threat to devastate Iran by bombing its energy infrastructure, prompting Iran to inform US Gulf allies that it would target their infrastructure and water desalination plants if they didn't convince him to back off.

Iran has made similar threats to its neighbors in the past, but diplomats were reportedly unsettled by the "very serious" nature of the warning, especially when Iran presented them with "a long list of targets they would attack."

Tehran's warning was reportedly delivered via various diplomatic channels following Trump's threat with Gulf leaders pushing the US president to negotiate an end to the conflict.

Gulf and Iranian officials said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke ​with his Saudi Arabian, Turkish and Qatari counterparts, as well as Pakistan's army chief, personally delivering the message.

Araghchi reportedly told his counterparts, "We're ready to retaliate, but finding a diplomatic solution is the best way to avoid wider escalation and destruction across the region."

It was widely reported that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had spoken with Trump after Araghchi's call, and urged him to withdraw his threats against Tehran.

Iranian officials say Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar implored Washington to avert escalation, saying US strikes could "turn the region into a fireball."

Attacks by the Houthi militant group in Yemen have killed at least 30 government soldiers and wounded at least 50 more, Yemeni government officials said.

The attacks hit the provinces of Marib and Hadhramaut.

A missile hit troops during their morning formation at a camp in Marib province, "killing and wounding at least 45 personnel," an official, who declined to be named for security reasons, to the AFP news agency.

Houthi representatives later said the attacks were in response to "Saudi military buildup" and that "hundreds" of Saudi-aligned casualties.

The Houthis have been at war with the Yemeni government since 2014. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people and set off a humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Pakistan, which has mediated talks with Oman and Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, said Oman played an important role in "resolving the Hormuz issue."

Further, Islamabad's Foreign Ministry expressed hope that a new deal between Muscat and Tehran could also open the door to peace talks between Iran and the United States.

"We hope that the agreement on the strait will pave the way for continuing dialog, particularly the resumption of technical level talks between Iran and the United States," said a Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman on Thursday.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) on Thursday posted on X that the captain of an oil tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz had reported hearing two explosions. The post noted that no crew members had been harmed in the incident, nor had any damage been caused.

The explosions were registered early Thursday, while the ship was cruising about 9 nautical miles (17 kilometers) southeast of Kumzar, Oman.

Separately, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea — the eighth and ninth Saudi vessels targeted by the group since it announced a blockade of Saudi oil as part of the broader conflict arising from the Iran war.

A spokesman for the militant group claimed Houthi fighters had hit one tanker, the Wafa, in the Red Sea; and another, the Daisy, in the Gulf of Aden.

The amount of oil escaping from a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker has increased greatly in recent days, observers say.

The Caroline Bezengi, an internationally sanctioned Russian vessel transporting 1 million barrels of illicit oil, reported two explosions of unknown cause in June and has been stranded since.

Satellite imagery shows the slick of oil escaping into the protected waters of the Arabian Sea Reserve growing to cover an estimated 90-kilometer-long (56-mile) stretch — twice that of a week ago — near al-Qibliyyah island, off Oman's southern coast.

Russia's shadow fleet consists of older vessels, often in poor condition, that are flagged variously and sell Moscow's oil to pay for President Vladimir Putin's now four-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.

Speaking to the state of such vessels and their ultimate aim, Greenpeace Germany on Thursday said, "This dramatic expansion (of the oil spill) underscores the serious and continuing environmental threat posed by the stranded tanker — and exemplifies the dangers associated with the practices of Russia's shadow fleet."

The Caroline Bezengi was reported to have loaded its cargo in the Russian Black Sea port of Sheskharis on May 11.

Explosions were reported on the ship on June 6.

Its last radio signal was transmitted on June 11, when it was off the coast of Yemen.

It is estimated that the vessel became stranded at its present position between June 18 and 23.

Israel on Thursday said that two of its soldiers were killed during operations in southern Lebanon when an improvised explosive device detonated during a house search. Four more soldiers were seriously injured in the blast.

The incident occurred near the Lebanese village of Majdal Zoun.

Previously, Israel pounded southern Lebanon with bombs on Wednesday in response to what it said was a "blatant violation" of a June ceasefire agreement by the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said one person had been killed and 12 injured in the Israeli strikes.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the Lebanese army is tasked with disarming Hezbollah, which operates independently of the government, and Israel is supposed to withdraw its troops from Lebanese territory.

Currently, Israeli and Lebanese diplomats are trying to put together a longer-term peace agreement at negotiations being held in Rome, Italy.

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that a deal with Oman regarding control over the Strait of Hormuz is in its "final stage" and will soon be in place "if certain parties do not obstruct this process."

Though not mentioned by name, the inference is that US President Donald Trump — who triggered the shutdown of the all-important waterway when he launched his war with Iran on February 28 — will again scupper a return to shipping flow.

"The factors making the Strait of Hormuz insecure still exist on the part of the United States, particularly the naval blockade and other aggressive and threatening actions against Iran and its interests," Iran's Foreign Ministry said.

Mediator Pakistan praised Oman's role in making the Tehran-Muscat deal a reality, adding that it would pave the way for comprehensive peace negotiations between Iran and the US.

The strait agreement could see ships traveling through Iranian and Omani waters and paying fees for safe passage.

Iran has insisted that it will exert control over the international passageway — through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supply generally flows — but the US has insisted traffic must flow freely and without fees, as it did before Trump ordered US attacks on Iran.

Currently, the US has a blockade on the blockade, with Iran controlling the movement of ships through the narrow passage and the US maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

As the world economy sputters under the increased economic strain brought on by the US war, Trump has faced growing pressure from his Republican underlings in Congress to end the unpopular, price-busting conflict before Nov