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Understanding with Oman on Strait of Hormuz ‘within reach’ if US stops interference: Iranian official

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Large commercial vessels and a small boat navigate the waters off the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran on June 21, 2026. [Hassan Ghaedi – Anadolu Agency]

A senior Iranian official said Tuesday that Tehran is close to reaching an understanding with Oman on a new navigation arrangement for the Strait of Hormuz, provided the US stops interfering in the negotiations, Anadolu reports.

Speaking to Iran’s Press TV, the official said talks between Tehran and Muscat have entered “a new phase” and are centered on establishing “a new corridor” to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the strategic waterway.

The official said an understanding with Oman is “within reach if the US stops interference.”

He accused US President Donald Trump of attempting to influence the talks and claim credit for the outcome, saying the actions have “only slowing the negotiating process.”

The proposed corridor would safeguard Iran’s sovereign interests as a littoral state while ensuring the safe transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the official.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington and Tehran have yet to finalize talks on passage through crucial international waterways, but he hopes an agreement will come “very shortly.”

“There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet,” he added.

US, Iran may reach Hormuz deal by Tuesday or Wednesday: Treasury chief

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingUnderstanding with Oman on Strait of Hormuz ‘within reach’ if US stops interference: Iranian official

Indian vessel sinks after Red Sea attack off Yemen, all 14 crew rescued

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A protestor lifts a mock drone with flags of Yemen and Palestine under a billboard depicting the picture of targeting an Israel-linked ship by Yemen’s Houthi forces in the Red Sea, during a demonstration staged against the latest aerial attacks hit Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah by Israel and its ongoing war on Palestine, on July 26, 2024, in Sana’a, Yemen. [Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images]

An Indian vessel sank after coming under attack in the Red Sea by an explosives-laden boat off Yemen’s western coast, with all 14 crew members rescued, Yemen’s government-aligned National Resistance Forces announced on Tuesday, Anadolu reports.

The forces’ December 2 news agency said the Faize Noore Oliya was attacked while sailing about 13 nautical miles south of Al Hudaydah, in the Red Sea, causing it to sink.

The agency did not give details about the circumstances of the attack or identify the party responsible.

It said the Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard carried out a joint rescue operation that saved all 14 crew members, including 13 Indian sailors and one Yemeni.

No casualties were recorded, and the crew members were transferred to a safe location where they received medical assistance, the report added.

The outlet did not specify the vessel’s flag or ownership, identifying it only as an Indian ship. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack as of 1415GMT.

The National Resistance Forces are deployed along Yemen’s western coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and are led by Tareq Saleh, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council.

The incident comes amid renewed threats to maritime navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait following a resurgence of attacks on commercial vessels last month.

On July 20, the Houthi group announced what it described as a “naval blockade” on Saudi Arabia. Riyadh warned that it would respond firmly to any threat targeting its vessels.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Al Hudaydah, which is controlled by the Houthis, lies on the eastern coast of the Red Sea near major international shipping lanes.

READ: Yemen’s Houthis claim drone attack on Saudi airport

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Continue ReadingIndian vessel sinks after Red Sea attack off Yemen, all 14 crew rescued

Israeli army launches renewed raids in southern Syria

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Elements of the Israeli military camp with armored vehicles along the strategic connecting road between the villages of Jamla and Saysoun in the western countryside of the Daraa Governorate in southern Syria on June 28, 2026. [Enver Asfur – Anadolu Agency]

The Israeli army on Tuesday launched a renewed wave of raids in southern Syria, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Anadolu reports.

Israeli forces advanced into the village of Mariya in the Yarmouk Basin area of Daraa province in southwestern Syria, SANA reported.

They carried out a limited incursion into the western part of the village and searched several civilian homes before withdrawing from the area without making any arrests, the agency said.

Since Monday, the Israeli army has also continued earthmoving operations and work to reopen an old dirt road north of Wadi al-Raqad from the direction of Mariya village, using a bulldozer accompanied by a tank and a pickup truck, it added.

Southern Syria has witnessed recurring Israeli incursions and attacks for months, including raids, searches and arrests.

The Israeli violations intensified following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, when Israel declared the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and seized control of the Syrian buffer zone.

READ: Hezbollah chief says ‘no obstacle’ to public meeting with Syrian leadership

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingIsraeli army launches renewed raids in southern Syria

Israel commits 6 ceasefire violations in Lebanon despite Rome talks

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A motorcade enters the U.S. Embassy in Rome on August 4, 2026. Lebanon and Israel began the seventh round of U.S.-mediated direct negotiations, scheduled to run through Thursday, August 6, following talks held in Rome on June 14 and 15. [Riccardo De Luca – Anadolu Agency]

The Israeli army committed six ceasefire violations Tuesday in Lebanon, according to Lebanese state-run National News Agency, despite a new round of direct negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv in Rome, Anadolu reports.

The reported violations came as the seventh round of US-mediated talks between the two sides opened in the Italian capital, despite the two countries signing a framework agreement in June.

In southern Lebanon, the news outlet reported that Israeli military vehicles advanced from the town of Haddatha toward the outskirts of Aita al-Jabal in the Bint Jbeil district, while Israeli forces carried out artillery shelling and operated drones and reconnaissance aircraft above the area.

It added that Israeli troops also fired machine guns toward Haddatha as military vehicles moved inside the town toward Haris.

In the east, Israeli fighter jets flew at low altitude above Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley, according to the National News Agency.

Israeli warplanes also flew above the northern Bekaa region, while additional aircraft were reported in the mountainous areas of Akkar and Hermel along the Syrian border at medium altitude.

In central Lebanon, Israeli drones maintained continuous flights above Beirut and its southern suburbs.

Before the Rome meeting, five previous rounds had been held in Washington as part of a US-sponsored negotiating process.

Despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect April 16, Israel has continued its offensive in Lebanon, which began March 2, killing 4,333 people and injuring 12,250, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The agreement calls for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army and the disarmament of armed groups, in reference to Hezbollah.

Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023-2024 war, while advancing more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory during the current offensive.

READ: Lebanon says Beirut port blast indictment to be issued ‘within months’

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingIsrael commits 6 ceasefire violations in Lebanon despite Rome talks

6 Saudi-flagged oil carriers reroute around Africa, avoiding Bab el-Mandeb

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A view of an oil tanker.[Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images]

Six Saudi-flagged very large crude carriers (VLCCs) sailing in ballast have turned away from the Bab el-Mandeb route and are heading south through the Indian Ocean, ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic said Tuesday, Anadolu reports.

MarineTraffic wrote on US social media platform X that the first Automatic Identification System (AIS) destination changes for five of the six vessels were recorded July 30 as the tankers continued southward.

The Ghinah and Laynah updated their destinations to Durban, South Africa, while the Burqan initially signaled Durban before switching to Algoa Bay and later Port Elizabeth.

The Dilam and Hazm initially listed Gibraltar as their destinations. The Hazm subsequently changed its destination to Durban at 2220GMT on July 31, according to the platform.

READ: Yemen’s Houthis claim drone attack on Saudi airport

The Salam was the sixth tanker identified among the group and was also signaling a destination in South Africa.

The vessels are sailing without cargo after completing previous voyages to Asia and appear to be routing around the Cape of Good Hope instead of entering the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The longer route around southern Africa could add at least two weeks to the journey compared with passage through Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea.

The diversions come amid increased security concerns after Yemen’s Houthi group threatened vessels linked to Saudi ports, prompting some shipowners to reassess voyages through the strategic waterway.

Bab el-Mandeb, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and serves as a major route for vessels traveling between Asia, the Middle East and Europe through the Suez Canal.

READ: Saudi Arabia and Iran discuss efforts to reduce regional tensions

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue Reading6 Saudi-flagged oil carriers reroute around Africa, avoiding Bab el-Mandeb