Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are set to sign a joint defense agreement at a trilateral summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday, August 7, 2026, amid the ongoing Middle East crisis. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir are in Saudi Arabia on an official visit. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to attend the meeting.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the prime minister’s visit aims to strengthen a coordinated strategy for regional peace, diplomatic cooperation and stability. It said Islamabad has continued diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East and pursue peaceful settlement of disputes.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia previously signed a mutual defense agreement in September 2025. Under that agreement, Pakistan deployed fighter aircraft and military personnel to Saudi Arabia in April this year. The report says Pakistan has long provided military cooperation to Saudi Arabia, while Saudi Arabia has repeatedly offered Pakistan financial support during periods of economic crisis.

Iran and Oman have reached a framework understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to information provided to Al Arabiya English and reported on August 6. An announcement could come within days, but the proposed arrangement between Tehran and Muscat still requires approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

The proposed Hormuz agreement would last 60 days and aims to resume maritime traffic, break the deadlock and begin technical discussions, the source said. Under the understanding, ships entering the strait would use routes closer to Iran, while vessels leaving the strait would travel through routes closer to Oman. Regional parties may participate in procedural mine-clearance activities.

The source also said indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, conducted through mediators, have reached a final stage. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently held two phone calls with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and may visit Islamabad this weekend or early next week. Pakistani officials are expected to brief Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the latest developments. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Munir are scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia from August 6 to 8.

Foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to document and present Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and at Islamic and Christian holy sites to the world. The decision was announced in a joint statement issued after a meeting in Jordan on Wednesday. The mechanism will include a media-based platform to publicize Israeli actions and incidents involving worshippers to international organizations and global public opinion.

Participants included members of the Arab Ministerial Committee on Jerusalem, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and representatives of Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia. They called for immediate international intervention to stop Israeli measures in Jerusalem and at its holy sites. The statement condemned policies it said aimed to alter the city’s Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, as well as its legal and demographic character, describing such measures as illegal.

The statement said the platform would raise internationally the growing entry of Israeli settlers and officials into the Al-Aqsa compound, restrictions on worshippers, interference in Jerusalem Waqf work and excavation activities. It also condemned alleged actions against Christian holy sites. Ministers called for a joint OIC-Arab League meeting in New York during the UN General Assembly’s high-level session next September.

Iran has warned that major energy infrastructure in Gulf countries could face retaliatory attacks if the United States launches new strikes, Reuters reported, citing five sources. The message was conveyed through high-level diplomatic contacts after US President Donald Trump threatened on July 28 to attack Iran’s energy sector and infrastructure.

Two Iranian sources, two Gulf sources and a senior regional diplomat said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, as well as Pakistan’s army chief. He urged Gulf states to use their influence with Trump to prevent further attacks. Araghchi also warned that US military facilities and energy infrastructure in the Gulf would be targets if Washington attacked Iran.

A senior regional diplomat said Iran’s message in every discussion was that it was ready to retaliate, while diplomatic solutions offered the best way to avoid wider conflict and destruction. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly urged Trump to pause military action, maintain a ceasefire and return to talks. Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia also called for renewed negotiations, while Trump said on August 2 he would cancel attack plans if a rapid agreement were possible.

Iran and Oman have reached an agreement on the geographical features of a shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei. In remarks reported on August 5, Baghaei said the understanding concerns the geographical arrangement of a specific maritime route in the strait and issues related to navigation.

Baghaei said work on a joint announcement is now in its final stages. He said the process is conditional on certain unspecified third parties not intervening. The report did not identify those third parties or provide further details about their possible role.

The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed pending publication of the final joint statement. As a result, no additional information was provided about the route’s precise location, its management, or navigation rules. The report said the Iran-Oman understanding was nearing completion as final discussions continued to resolve remaining complexities.

Foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to document what they described as Israeli aggression in Jerusalem and its holy sites. The decision was announced in a joint statement issued after talks in Amman, Jordan’s capital, on Wednesday. Members of the Arab Ministerial Committee on Jerusalem joined representatives from Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia in the meeting.

The mechanism will include a dedicated media platform to regularly document violations against worshippers and present them to international organizations and global public opinion. The ministers condemned policies they said sought to alter Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian identity, calling for immediate international action. They said Israeli measures aimed at changing the city’s legal and demographic status violated international law and were null and void.

The statement criticized incursions at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, restrictions on Muslim worship, interference with the Waqf administration and excavation work. It reaffirmed East Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state and supported Jordan’s Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites. Ministers also called for a joint Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League meeting during the UN General Assembly’s high-level session in September.

Iran and Oman are close to reaching an agreement, with only one or two issues still unresolved, according to a senior Iranian diplomatic source. In comments to Qatar-based Al Jazeera on Wednesday, the source said the outstanding matters did not appear highly complicated. The report was published on August 5, 2026.

The Iranian official said an agreement could be reached by today or tomorrow if there is no harmful interference by another party. The comments indicate that the talks are in their final stage, with negotiations continuing to resolve the remaining differences between Iran and Oman.

The source said the Strait of Hormuz has not been closed because of disagreements between Iran and Oman. Any decision to close or reopen the strait would depend on a US action considered a violation of international law. The source also said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has no current plan to visit Islamabad, although such a trip could be arranged later depending on progress in the diplomatic process.

Iran said it has reached an understanding with Oman on defining the geographical location of a new shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz. After several weeks of talks, the two sides are nearing a formal agreement and are drafting a joint final statement, according to the report published on August 6, 2026.

Iranian officials said the discussions involved only Iran and Oman, with no foreign party or outside intervention. They stressed that an understanding on a new route would not mean conditions in the strait had returned to their pre-war state. Iran attributed disrupted maritime traffic to US military action and a naval blockade imposed on Iran, saying the underlying causes of the crisis remain unresolved.

Washington rejected reports that Iran would control navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The US position is that use of any temporary shipping route should not require permission, authorization or fees. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also said Iran's enemies had targeted military commanders, scientists and strategic capabilities to weaken national stability and technological progress. The report said preparations for a final agreement are advancing, but disputes remain unsettled.

Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, said on Wednesday that Pakistan continues to mediate in maintaining indirect, behind-the-scenes communication between the United States and Iran. In an interview with Russia’s state news agency TASS, he described Pakistan as a channel of communication between the two countries.

Tirmizi said Pakistan believes in diplomacy and wants to work with all regional stakeholders involved in establishing peace in the region. He stressed the importance of involving regional powers in conflict resolution, saying those with direct interests or who are part of the region must remain engaged. He added that Pakistan has consistently supported resolving conflicts through dialogue.

According to the report, Pakistan has been among the main mediators in efforts to resolve the US-Iran conflict since February 28 this year. A ceasefire agreement took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding in June. Both agreements were described as fragile from the outset, and conflict and hostilities between the two sides intensified again in July.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said a possible agreement with Oman would not mean the Strait of Hormuz would reopen immediately. Citing an informed source on August 5, IRIB said talks on future shipping arrangements in the strait are taking place only between Tehran and Muscat, with no US involvement.

The source said any potential Iran-Oman arrangement over vessel traffic should not be interpreted as an immediate reopening of the waterway. According to Tehran's position, the strait will remain closed even if an agreement is reached with Oman while alleged US violations continue.

IRIB said reopening would depend on a change in US behavior and correction of the alleged violations. Earlier Iranian media reports said Tehran was close to an understanding with Oman on a new maritime transit corridor if the United States stopped interfering in the talks. Iranian officials have repeatedly accused Washington of seeking to influence the negotiations through military threats and of delaying an agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said bilateral relations between Iran and Iraq are currently at their highest level. He made the remarks on Monday night in Najaf, Iraq’s holy city, according to comments published by Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

Araghchi said Tehran’s relationship with the Iraqi government was in its best condition. He also said recent discussions during the Iraqi prime minister’s visit to Tehran had been highly productive.

The foreign minister said cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad is not limited to politics. He cited coordinated positions on various shared issues as well as close cooperation in the economic and security sectors. Against a changing geopolitical situation in the Middle East, the close Iran-Iraq relationship is viewed as an important part of regional diplomatic and security cooperation.

Shipping traffic remains reduced in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait amid uncertainty surrounding ongoing talks between the United States and Iran. Reuters, citing maritime tracking firm Kpler, reported that there was no major change in vessel movements through the two strategic waterways at the start of the week.

Twenty vessels passed through Bab al-Mandab on Monday, including 12 oil tankers and eight cargo ships, matching Sunday’s total. Before the Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on July 20, the strait linking the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden handled an average of about 41 vessels a day. The Iran-aligned Houthis later attacked several Saudi oil tankers and energy facilities, creating a new arena of conflict in the ongoing war.

Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was also slow, with six vessels passing on Monday: three oil tankers and three cargo ships. Seven vessels used the route on Sunday. Before the war began, about 130 vessels passed through Hormuz daily, carrying large volumes of energy supplies. Regional tensions and uncertainty over US-Iran talks have raised international concern over the waterways.

Iran says discussions with Oman are progressing on creating a temporary single shipping lane for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran has ruled out any direct talks with the United States. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the talks concern combining the Iranian and Omani lanes in the strait into one route for shipping.

Tehran said the temporary lane would remain in operation until a permanent agreement is reached, and described a unified route as an interim measure. Qatar and Pakistan, identified as regional mediators, are also maintaining behind-the-scenes contacts. The diplomatic activity suggests that channels for reducing tensions remain open despite military posturing.

Iran has nevertheless maintained military readiness, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying it is prepared to respond to any threat. US Central Command said American forces are fully prepared to ensure the safety of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The source says the effectiveness of the proposed temporary route in easing tensions has become a key question.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea during a telephone call, according to the Saudi Press Agency. In the call, the two leaders also reviewed the latest regional developments, with attacks targeting vessels in the Red Sea among the issues raised.

SPA said Erdogan reaffirmed his condemnation of Houthi attacks on ships and clarified Turkey’s position on assaults against vessels operating in the Red Sea. He also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s initiative to establish a Saudi-led multinational maritime defense coalition and expressed hope that the coalition would succeed in meeting its objectives.

Saudi Arabia has announced plans for the coalition to ensure the security of shipping in the Red Sea. The plan emerged after the Houthis claimed attacks on four Saudi oil tankers and also claimed attacks on Saudi oil facilities, including installations in Jizan and Yanbu. The coalition’s stated objective is to build a coordinated defense system to address attack risks along the important maritime route.

US President Donald Trump said he prefers a diplomatic agreement with Iran over military conflict amid continuing tensions in the Middle East. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on August 3, 2026, Trump said he wanted to make a deal and did not want people to be killed. He said mediated talks with Iran were expected to begin Monday.

Trump declined to set a deadline for the negotiations, saying the United States was prepared to act whenever necessary but that an agreement remained his preference. He argued that talks were more effective than war and could avoid unnecessary loss of life. Trump also claimed the United States had been prepared for a major military operation that could have been among the largest attacks since World War II, with severe consequences for Iran.

According to Trump, the potential operation was temporarily suspended after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran indicated a possibility of talks. He said a possible agreement would focus on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and making progress on Iran's nuclear program. The White House Rapid Response account posted video of his remarks, highlighting his preference for a deal while maintaining readiness for military action.