Israeli and United Arab Emirates officials have held several secret meetings on their strategic positions regarding Iran and possible joint initiatives at international forums, Israel’s Channel 12 reported. The report, published on July 29, 2026, said the meetings took place in a third country whose identity was withheld for security reasons, during a period of rising tension between the United States and Iran.

According to Channel 12, Emirati officials voiced deep concern over a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. They argued that such an arrangement could allow Iran to delay matters and gain economic benefits without making significant concessions. Western diplomats cited by the channel said the UAE has adopted a tougher stance on Iran than several other Gulf countries and believes Tehran’s current policies do not provide sufficient grounds for improving bilateral relations.

The discussions also covered possible coordinated diplomatic action internationally over Iran. Both sides agreed that any such move should be coordinated beforehand with President Donald Trump’s administration. Diplomats said Abu Dhabi does not trust Iranian tactics that delay negotiations, while alternative oil and gas export capacity bypassing the Strait of Hormuz has increased the overlap in Abu Dhabi’s and Tel Aviv’s strategic interests.

Iran has formally rejected Oman’s proposal for joint monitoring of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and submitted its own counterproposal, according to a report published on July 29, 2026. Tehran and Muscat are reviewing the terms of a possible final agreement on the issue.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state media that Oman’s proposal did not adequately address Tehran’s core concerns over control of the strait. He said Iran’s counterproposal calls for greater Iranian control and authority over the strategic waterway.

The narrow Persian Gulf passage has become a focal point of international conflict since US and Israeli attacks began in late February, the report said. Before the current war, about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports passed through Hormuz. Iran closed the strait shortly after the conflict began, creating a severe global energy crisis, according to the report.

Crude oil prices rose by more than 4% on Wednesday as renewed conflict in the Middle East heightened concerns that energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz could be disrupted. Iran said it had stopped three oil tankers in the strait, a waterway that normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s total crude oil and gas supply. The moves followed fresh regional tensions and increased market anxiety over the security of fuel shipments.

Oil-market volatility followed Tuesday’s airstrikes by US and Saudi warplanes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq. The US military said the groups had carried out more than two dozen drone attacks in recent days. US Central Command said the strikes targeted groups that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. Centcom had earlier said Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at US forces in the Middle East were intercepted.

The incidents came after a three-day pause in nearly two weeks of reciprocal nighttime attacks between the United States and Iran. Brent crude had climbed from about $72 a barrel in early July to more than $100 last week before easing during the pause. President Donald Trump said this week that an agreement was possible, but the latest events underscored the fragility of efforts toward long-term peace.

Iran has rejected Oman’s proposal for managing the Strait of Hormuz and said the waterway will remain closed unless its counterproposal is accepted. The report, published on July 29, said an Omani delegation visiting Tehran last Friday and Saturday proposed a regional joint consortium to manage the strait and maritime vessel traffic.

Oman’s proposal called for a 50-50 division of management responsibility, with Iran controlling one half of the strait and Oman supervising the other. Tehran rejected the plan, arguing that any management framework should be limited to Iran and Oman because they are the only coastal states with special rights over the issue.

Iran demanded full control over 50 percent of the strait and partial control over the remainder. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi described this as Iran’s counterproposal and said the strait would remain closed if Oman did not accept it. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran had directly rejected Oman’s proposal, calling its prospects of success unlikely and alleging that the United States and Saudi Arabia were pressuring Oman to advance an “unrealistic” plan.

US Central Command said Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at US forces stationed in the Middle East on Tuesday, US local time. Centcom said all missiles were successfully intercepted, but did not disclose the intended targets. The reported attack marked renewed tensions after several days of a temporary pause between the United States and Iran.

In response to what Centcom described as drone attacks directed by Iran, US and Saudi forces struck multiple logistics and weapons facilities used by Iran-backed armed groups in eastern Iraq. The command said the operation responded to more than 30 drone attacks over the past 72 hours allegedly ordered by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Saudi Arabia said earlier Tuesday that its military had shot down drones heading toward oil facilities in the country's eastern region. Saudi Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki alleged that Iran-aligned militia groups based in Iraq launched the drones. Tehran had not commented on the claims. Centcom said Iran's military and its “terrorist partner groups” must halt such attacks to avoid further US military responses.

A total of 29 vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz between July 24 and 26, according to data from maritime monitoring firm MarineTraffic cited by Al Jazeera. During the three-day period, 21 ships exited through the strait while eight entered it, the report said.

The figures cover vessel movements recorded over the same July 24-26 timeframe. The source did not specify the ships’ types, flags, destinations, cargoes, or routes. MarineTraffic was identified as the source of the maritime monitoring data.

Traffic was comparatively higher at Bab al-Mandab, another important Middle Eastern waterway, during the same period. A total of 100 vessels transited that strait, with 51 entering the Red Sea and 49 leaving it, according to the report.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate telephone talks with the foreign ministers of Oman and Saudi Arabia on the latest security situation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. The report was published on July 28, 2026.

In his conversation with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, Araghchi reviewed bilateral relations and recent regional developments. IRNA said the same subjects were discussed separately with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

The parties emphasized the importance of establishing regional stability and strengthening joint diplomatic efforts. IRNA also said they stressed the need for greater cooperation to address insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran claims has been caused by what it described as aggressive actions by the United States.

An analysis published on July 28, 2026 says statements from both the United States and Iran that they are prepared for a prolonged conflict have raised new questions about the war’s aims and strategy. It says President Donald Trump initially appeared to seek a rapid end to fighting, continued passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and avoidance of major disruption to global energy markets. The article argues that the current rhetoric makes a longer conflict appear more likely.

The analysis suggests Washington may have expected a quick outcome but adjusted its approach after Iran demonstrated greater resilience than anticipated. It cites Iran’s military capability, large territory, mountainous terrain, population and defense infrastructure developed under decades of sanctions. Drawing on the experiences of Iraq and Afghanistan, it says the United States may be reluctant to launch another major ground operation and could instead pursue sustained economic, political and military pressure.

The article also questions whether Washington could tolerate a lasting risk around Hormuz, where existing alternative pipelines have limited capacity. It discusses a possible internationally supervised security zone and a broader coalition involving Britain, European allies and regional security partners. Turkey is described as backing diplomacy, energy security and a durable framework addressing all parties’ legitimate security concerns.

After 13 consecutive days of military attacks, major strikes between the United States and Iran have been paused for the past three nights. Washington and Tehran have returned to diplomatic talks, with both sides seeking to move beyond a memorandum of understanding toward a comprehensive and permanent peace agreement. The report says taking the first step toward a final deal has emerged as the biggest challenge.

Washington wants the strategically important Strait of Hormuz opened quickly and fully for commercial traffic. Tehran views the issue as one of its strongest bargaining tools at the negotiating table. US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States would return to severe military operations if diplomacy fails and no agreement is reached, creating uncertainty and pressure around the talks.

The memorandum of understanding was intended to create a 60-day mediation period, which could be extended if necessary, for drafting a final agreement through negotiations. However, the clock for that period has not yet begun. Analysts say more discussion and time will be needed to establish long-term and lasting peace between the United States and Iran.

US military forces have struck Iran every day for 13 consecutive nights, targeting civilian infrastructure including bridges, airports, electricity substations and drinking-water treatment facilities, according to Al Jazeera. Iran has responded by attacking civilian infrastructure in Middle Eastern countries allied with the United States, escalating an exchange that has raised concern about a wider conflict.

US President Donald Trump has warned that the conflict could be intensified further. The report says the US threat has created the risk of a large-scale Iranian retaliation, potentially pushing the entire region toward a full-scale and all-out war.

The developments have raised questions over whether the United States and Iran are heading toward another prolonged war and how their historical conflict is shaping the current situation. Boston College associate professor of sociology and international affairs Ali Kadivar discussed those issues on Al Jazeera’s UpFront program, hosted by journalist Mark Lamont Hill.

Commercial shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait fell sharply on Sunday after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities along the Red Sea coast, according to shipping data firm Kpler. Only 11 commercial vessels crossed the strait, the lowest level in several months. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz also declined, with just seven vessels transiting on Sunday.

Shipping near Yemen’s Red Sea coast has been disrupted since last week, with the impact increasing after Iran-backed Houthis moved to block Saudi oil exports, the report said. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group attacked facilities of Saudi state oil company Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday. The report said the disruption was also escalating tensions in the Iran-United States conflict.

Seven of the 11 vessels crossing Bab al-Mandab were oil tankers. In Hormuz, three vessels crossed on Saturday with their tracking transponders switched off. Supply disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict pushed crude oil prices in markets across the Middle East, Europe and Africa to their highest level in two months last week.

Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Tehran and Washington cannot reach any agreement unless Israel stops its attacks on Lebanon. In a post on X on July 27, he said Iran had set protection of Lebanon’s territorial integrity and the complete, unconditional end of what he called the Zionist regime’s aggression as key conditions for any deal aimed at ending a US-imposed war.

In multiple posts, Khamenei voiced support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, its former leader Hassan Nasrallah, and people in southern Lebanon, described as the main targets of Israeli attacks. He said the Islamic Republic of Iran considers protecting the “oppressed but strong mujahideen,” referring to Hezbollah fighters, a strategic responsibility.

His remarks came amid reports of moves to halt exchanges of attacks between Iran and the United States and resume diplomatic activity. Tehran has repeatedly said Israel must end attacks in Lebanon as a condition for ending the war between Iran and the United States. Iran included that demand in the first clause of a memorandum of understanding signed with Washington in June, but the arrangement later collapsed over disagreements concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflict involving Iran spread into new areas as the United States paused strikes inside Iran, according to a Reuters report published July 27. Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed attacks on Saudi oil facilities along the Red Sea coast, while Iran accused Ukraine of attacking one of its commercial ships in the Caspian Sea. The reported developments added pressure beyond the Persian Gulf.

After 13 consecutive nights of bombing, US forces did not launch new attacks on Iran on Saturday, though the US military said its naval blockade against Iran remained in place. Senior White House officials said President Donald Trump prioritised a diplomatic solution. The New York Times reported that escalation risks, pressure on US weapons stocks, Gulf allies’ dissatisfaction and risks to the global energy economy contributed to reducing military action.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group struck Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu. Reuters-verified video showed thick smoke from the direction of the Jizan refinery, while Aramco did not comment; Saudi forces intercepted two missiles fired at Yanbu. Iran said one sailor was killed and another wounded in the Caspian incident, and summoned Ukraine’s acting ambassador. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed an attack on the Iranian ship and alleged Russia was supplying Iran with satellite information.

Iran announced it was temporarily suspending retaliatory military operations against US allies in the Middle East after the United States stopped attacks on Iran for the past two nights. The announcement, reported on July 26, came after Washington temporarily paused a war that had been nearing five months. Iranian army spokesman Mohammad AkraminIA said Iran's strategy had been to strike back in response to hostile or offensive actions.

The conflict, centered on the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, had disrupted diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran. It later expanded beyond a major energy corridor to attacks involving US bases in the Middle East, regional shipping and US-allied Gulf countries. The reported pause has raised hopes of a return to diplomatic talks, while US media reports said pressure to maintain supplies of defensive weapons, including Patriot interceptors, may have contributed to the halt.

CNN, citing a Pentagon source, reported that US military operations against Iran were currently paused. President Donald Trump nevertheless threatened much larger attacks if necessary on Friday. The New York Times reported that plans to escalate had been put on hold because weapons stocks were declining. At a White House meeting, Vice President JD Vance and General Dan Caine voiced concern about the risks of wider conflict, and Caine warned Trump about possible consequences.

US President Donald Trump has temporarily halted a major military operation against Iran because stocks of weapons, including Patriot missile-defense interceptors needed to counter Iranian attacks in the Middle East, are rapidly declining. Trump reviewed the issue with senior advisers and cabinet members on Friday, according to a report published July 26.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine warned at the meeting that while a new large-scale strike was possible, it could seriously damage the defensive capability of US forces. The White House said Trump still prioritizes a diplomatic solution, but all options remain open if Iran attacks the Strait of Hormuz or US allies.

Several administration officials believe recent strikes have not militarily deterred Iran and that further attacks could strengthen internal unity there rather than return Tehran to talks. After nearly two weeks of conflict, the intensity of attacks between the United States and Iran eased somewhat on Saturday, while fighting continued in Yemen. Washington also imposed sanctions on nine entities and four individuals linked to Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani's business network.