US-Iran war news Highlights: Strait of Hormuz framework agreed with Oman, says Iranian official

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A prominent Iranian lawmaker on Friday criticised a joint defence agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, saying that the deal will not bring security to Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the deal that would treat an attack on one as an attack on all three, officials said, solidifying cooperation between the three regional powers at a time of growing security concerns.

Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, criticised the deal on X.

"The Saudis should know that a paper agreement with Turkey and Pakistan will not bring them security, just as years of one-sided milking' by the Americans did not bring them security. Change your policies so that you do not have to #BegForSecurity from others," he wrote.

The agreement was signed in the Saudi holy city of Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to statements from all three countries.

The agreement between the three Sunni Muslim-majority states brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia and nuclear power Pakistan as well as Turkiye, which has NATO's second-largest army and a rapidly growing defence industry.

It would increase cooperation and deterrence at a time of increased regional uncertainty and threats from the war in Iran.

A statement from Saudi Arabia insisted that the agreement does not amount to a military pact and would not affect the kingdom's existing partnerships.

"The agreement does not represent any orientation toward building a military axis or sectarian/religious bloc, and it is not linked to nuclear endeavors or an arms race, but rather to building sustainable self-reliant capabilities," the statement read. "The agreement does not come at the expense of the Kingdom's strategic and strong relations at the Gulf, Arab, and international levels."

— PTI

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said security issues in the region should be addressed by countries within the region itself, without outside interference. He added that the conditions appear favourable for resuming security discussions with other Gulf nations, as per Al Jazeera.

Speaking to Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Gharibabadi said Tehran had reported attacks originating from the territory of some neighbouring countries to the UN Security Council. He said a limited number of those incidents amounted to “direct attacks”.

Gharibabadi also said Iran believes regional countries have recognised that further escalation or a prolonged military conflict could put their own security at risk.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said 15 of its vessels have been attacked since the US-Israel war against Iran began, including three incidents reported this week.

The attacks have resulted in the death of one crew member and injuries to 20 others, ADNOC said, adding that it is taking “all necessary measures to protect our people, assets and operations”.

“Freedom of navigation and the safe, uninterrupted passage of commercial shipping through international waterways must be respected and protected,” ADNOC said in a media release.

Tehran has said that a complete reopening of the strait would depend on the lifting of the US maritime blockade, a move that Washington has not indicated it is prepared to take.

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Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a defence pact on Friday under which an attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all, officials said. The agreement marks a significant step in defence cooperation among the three regional powers amid rising security concerns, as per AP.

The pact was signed in the Saudi holy city of Makkah by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to statements issued by the three countries.

The agreement brings together Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer, nuclear-armed Pakistan and Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest military and a rapidly expanding defence industry. The pact is expected to strengthen military cooperation and deterrence among the three countries amid growing regional instability and security threats linked to the war in Iran.

Houthi attacks on Yemen's Marib province killed at least five people Friday, according to a minister and military source, as the rebels escalate strikes on the oil-rich region a day after their deadliest attack in years.

The latest violence has raised the spectre of a return to war in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, where a 2022 truce between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government had largely held before unravelling last month.

A Houthi drone strike in Marib killed three members of government forces, a Yemeni military source told AFP, while the health minister for the Saudi-backed government said the rebels shelled residential areas and displacement camps in Marib city, killing at least two civilians and injuring 14 others.

– AFP

On the war with Iran, US President Donald Trump said, “I think it’s going to end pretty soon. I don’t think they can go much longer.”

As per Al Jazeera, he mentioned that he is involved in negotiations with Tehran, adding, “I think we’re doing fine.”

Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Commission, said that a framework of understanding with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz has been reached.

“The general framework of the understanding with Oman has been determined, and the final text and details will be announced soon,” Ghashghavi told Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

He added, “Of course, the final decision must be made at higher levels.”

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday, wedding Sunni Muslim U.S. allies alarmed at a regional conflagration that has rained missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters.

Iran and its allies have been firing on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, and blockading their energy shipments, since the U.S. and Israel attacked it on February 28 in a major escalation after years of regional tumult.

The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all, they said in a joint statement.

While the statement did not give specifics on the commitments or obligations each had accepted under the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", it said the pact was aimed at strengthening their collective security and promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond.

"The pact includes a collective defence clause. It is purely defensive in nature, pledging mutual support only for defence," a Turkish official said. The agreement was not directed against any specific actor, was open to other regional countries, and did not abrogate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral arrangements, the official added.

However, the three nations are particularly concerned by the increasingly aggressive military stances of both Israel and revolutionary Shi'ite Iran, as their longtime U.S. ally struggles to contain regional upheaval.

— Reuters

Oil prices edged lower on Friday as investors weighed signals that Gulf states and Iran were closing in on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a temporary arrangement aimed at allowing for broader talks to bring the Iran war to a close.

Brent crude futures were down 57 cents, or 0.7%, at $81.92 a barrel at 1014 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 33 cents, or 0.4%, to $76.96.

Oil futures settled more than $3 a barrel higher on Thursday as Iran reviewed a bill to ban U.S. and Israeli vessels from the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passed before the war began at the end of February.

Prices fell earlier in the week as a possible solution to the conflict looked more likely, and both benchmarks are on course for a weekly loss of about 9%.

— Reute

A Houthi drone strike on Yemen's Marib province killed three members of government forces Friday, a Yemeni military source said, as the rebels escalate strikes on the key oil-rich province a day after their deadliest attack in years.

The latest violence has raised the spectre of a return to war in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, where a 2022 truce between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government had largely held before unravelling last month.

"Three killed and four wounded in a preliminary toll from the Houthi drone attack on the Harib area, in the south of Marib," the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The Houthis have launched "more than 10 missiles and seven suicide drones targeting military camps in Marib", he added.

— AFP

The war in Iran is driving up fuel import costs across Asia, with US allies Australia and New Zealand among the countries facing billions of dollars in additional expenses after oil prices surged following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as per Bloomberg.

Australia imported more than A$7 billion ($5 billion) worth of crude oil and refined fuels in June, according to data released Thursday. The figure pushed the total value of fuel imports over the four months since the war began to A$33 billion, more than 70% higher than during the same period in 2025.

However, the volume of imported crude oil, petrol, diesel and jet fuel increased by just 6% over the period, meaning Australian businesses and consumers are paying significantly more for roughly the same amount of fuel.

China’s crude oil imports recovered sharply in July from a near-decade low, as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz improved and refiners increased purchases from non-Middle Eastern suppliers, particularly Russia, as per Reuters.

China imported 35.73 million tonnes of crude via pipelines and sea routes last month, according to customs data released Friday. The figure was 22% higher than June, when imports fell to their lowest level since October 2016. However, July’s imports, equivalent to about 8.45 million barrels per day, remained well below the level recorded during the same month last year.

Crude shipments from the Persian Gulf had increased after the US and Iran reached an interim peace agreement in June. However, renewed hostilities have once again disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has also affected the Red Sea, putting pressure on exports from Saudi Arabia, one of China’s key oil suppliers. To make up for the shortfall, Chinese refiners have stepped up purchases of Russian crude.

The biggest oil producer in the United Arab Emirates spent $1.3 billion to expand its tanker fleet to benefit from surging crude exports after the country left OPEC and pushed more of its oil through the contested Strait of Hormuz.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a joint defence agreement on Friday, regional sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, at a time of regional turmoil with Gulf states coming under fire from Iran after it was attacked by the US and Israel.

Gold was on track for its biggest gain in more than six months as dip-buyers supported prices above a key technical level while looking past flare-ups in the Strait of Hormuz that risked adding to energy-led inflation.

Bullion rose as much as 0.7% to near $4,270 an ounce, erasing a moderate decline in the previous session, and is up more than 5% this week.

Palm oil harvests on Southeast Asia's islands of Borneo and Sumatra are being disrupted as rising prices of fuel and supply shortages force smallholders to cut back on fruit collection, threatening yields of the world's most widely used edible oil.

Haroun Nasser al-Din, a member of the political bureau and head of the Jerusalem Affairs Office of Hamas, has condemned the latest Israeli attacks against towns and camps in occupied Jerusalem, particularly the Qalandiya camp, for the second consecutive day.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid rising tensions in the Gulf and Red Sea, Al Jazeera reported. This development follows Pakistan's engagement in a Saudi-led naval coalition to secure the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.