Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have signed a military agreement in Mecca, prompting fresh debate over Middle East security and whether the arrangement could become an “Islamic NATO.” The pact says an attack on one country would be treated as an attack on all members, a provision compared with NATO’s Article 5. Analysts consider the alliance strategically significant, but question whether it can develop into an effective integrated military structure.

Turkey brings a strong military and advanced aircraft, drone and missile technology, while Saudi Arabia contributes major economic capacity and Pakistan is a nuclear-armed state using Chinese military equipment. Officials have indicated possible cooperation in military training, management costs and intelligence sharing. Alliance leaders say the initiative is not directed against any specific country and is intended to counter terrorism and strengthen regional security.

The agreement does not explicitly require Pakistan and Turkey to deploy troops if Saudi Arabia is attacked. Turkey’s NATO membership and Pakistan’s reliance on Chinese equipment could complicate coordination. The report says the alliance’s effectiveness will depend on how members act during an actual attack, how they share intelligence and technology, and whether their forces can operate together.

The White House wants to continue advancing a US peace plan for Gaza despite public objections from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report published on August 13, 2026. The Trump administration is seeking to avoid an open confrontation with Israel for now and instead pursue its diplomatic goals gradually. White House officials are said to be placing greater importance on Israel’s actions than on Netanyahu’s statements.

The proposed 15-point plan calls for Hamas to disarm, step away from governing Gaza, and for Israeli forces to withdraw in stages. A central dispute concerns the sequence of those commitments. Hamas says disarmament must be linked to an Israeli troop withdrawal, while Netanyahu says Israel will not withdraw forces from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed.

A White House source said Netanyahu faces difficult political conditions before an upcoming election and needs to maintain support from right-wing allies. The Board of Peace said separate discussions with Israel are continuing and that the plan remains in effect. Israel remains deeply doubtful that Hamas will fulfill any disarmament pledge, leaving the process uncertain.

US President Donald Trump has again asserted that the United States retains “full control” over the Strait of Hormuz, as shipping through the strategic waterway fell to its lowest level in a week amid the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran. In a Wednesday post on Truth Social, reported on August 12, 2026, Trump repeated a claim he had previously made to reporters.

Trump said the United States would keep control of the strait. He also claimed that the continuing US blockade of Iranian ports was being called an “iron wall” and that Iran could do nothing about it. Trump said Iran only talks and does not act, adding that it was no longer the oppressor of the Middle East, before ending his message with “All praise be to Allah!”

The report said Iran continues to exert influence over the strait and is discussing future management with Oman. Iran has said it will not permit full traffic until the US naval blockade ends, sanctions are lifted and its assets are released. Reuters reported that only eight ships transited the strait on Tuesday, compared with 130 to 140 before the war.

A Saudi Arabia-led initiative to form a 14-country multinational maritime defence alliance around the Red Sea is signalling a possible shift in the Middle East’s US-dependent security system. The alliance’s founding declaration was signed in Riyadh on July 30. Plans call for its permanent headquarters, integrated command structure, joint command and control centre, maritime operations centre and permanent secretariat to be based in Saudi Arabia.

The alliance is not yet fully operational, and key issues remain unclear, including members’ military contributions, how operations would be conducted if needed, and whether the United States would formally participate. Saudi Arabia and Egypt are founding members, despite not joining the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian launched in December 2023 to protect Red Sea security. Analysts say regional states want a greater role in making their own security decisions.

Houthi activity around the Red Sea is seen as a major reason for the initiative, particularly after attacks on Israel-linked and Western commercial vessels in 2023 and 2024. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have increased the need for Saudi oil exports through Yanbu port. Concerns also include potential Houthi control or fees in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The alliance’s effectiveness will depend on military commitments, joint decision-making and crisis cooperation.

Saudi Arabia opposed including Egypt in the Mecca Joint Defense Pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, according to the report. Turkey made significant efforts to bring Egypt into the new defense alliance, but those efforts did not succeed. The leaders of the three countries signed the agreement in Mecca on August 7.

Egypt also had reservations about joining, the report said. An Ankara source claimed that Cairo’s sensitive relationship with Israel played an important role, with concern that Egypt could face Israeli pressure if it entered the alliance. The issue has emerged as discussions continue on strengthening regional cooperation through an R-4 framework involving Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The three countries said the defense pact does not target any specific country and is intended to strengthen mutual security, defense cooperation and regional stability. Its core principle is that an attack on any one of the three members would be treated as an attack on all. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had previously raised the possibility of adding countries, while Egypt’s absence has renewed questions over whether the alliance will expand.

Concerns are growing over US military weapons stockpiles after extensive use of ammunition and missiles in the months-long war with Iran, according to a report published on August 12. Long-range precision missile inventories are declining quickly, raising questions about Washington’s readiness for another potential conflict. The longer the war continues, the greater the pressure on US production capacity and efforts to replenish reserves.

US officials have declined to disclose precise stockpile levels, saying such information could pose a military security risk. The issue has nevertheless prompted discussion among members of Congress and defense experts. The Congressional Research Service previously said the United States had struck thousands of targets in the Iran war and used large numbers of missiles and other munitions. Officials say supplies are currently available for necessary operations, but the status of inventories for future conflicts remains unclear.

US forces have used various precision weapons against Iranian military bases, missile launch sites, drone bases and other military facilities. Iran’s ballistic missile and drone attacks have also required the United States and its allies to use many interceptor missiles. President Donald Trump has indicated that military pressure on Iran could continue if talks do not advance.

Four sailors were killed in a suspected Houthi attack on the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen’s transport ministry said. Three of the dead were Pakistani and one was Indonesian. Reuters said this was the first fatality in Houthi attacks on ships since the war against Iran began. On the same Tuesday, the US military attacked a Panama-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that it said was attempting to breach a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency said the Tihamah was carrying military equipment for Saudi Arabia, though Saudi authorities gave no immediate comment. The US military said the Panama-flagged vessel failed to stop despite repeated warnings. A US Navy helicopter then fired two Hellfire missiles, disabling the ship’s steering system.

Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen to shipping unless the United States accepted Iranian conditions, including releasing seized Iranian assets and ending war across the region. Reuters reported that only six ships passed through Hormuz on Monday, compared with 130 to 140 daily before the war. Oil prices rose and global stocks fell amid uncertainty over diplomatic efforts to end the five-month conflict.

Iran and Oman have reached a temporary agreement on ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report published on August 12, 2026. Former senior US diplomat Alan Eyre told Al Jazeera that the two countries agreed to a 60-day temporary “traffic separation scheme.” Under the arrangement, vessels would pass through the strait under Iranian control.

Eyre said the United States holds a “veto” over implementation of the plan. According to his account, the Iran-Oman arrangement cannot take effect without Washington’s approval. Qatar said discussions between Iran and Oman on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had reached an “advanced stage.”

Pakistan has also intensified mediation efforts aimed at ending the war. The country’s interior minister has held discussions with Iran’s president and foreign minister. Those talks took place amid indications that a possible understanding could emerge between Tehran and Washington. The report did not provide a date for the arrangement’s implementation or describe any response from the United States.

US President Donald Trump said the United States had established “full control” over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said the situation in Iran was progressing well. At the same time, US forces disabled the Panama-flagged cargo vessel Vela Nova with missiles as it was heading toward an Iranian port, further raising tensions around the waterway.

The US military said the vessel ignored repeated warnings. A US Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles, striking the ship’s engine room and leaving it disabled. US officials said the vessel had been attempting to breach a naval blockade imposed on Iran, prompting the use of military force. All 17 crew members were safe, and no casualties were reported.

Commercial shipping through Hormuz has not returned to normal despite Trump’s claim. Only six ships passed through the strait on Monday, compared with roughly 130 to 140 vessels daily before the war. Sources said Iran and Oman were discussing the waterway’s future management, while Iran and the United States remain divided over war compensation and other conditions.

Anwar Gargash, senior diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said the Middle East cannot remain indefinitely in a state of “neither war nor peace.” In a post on X on August 11, 2026, he called for clarity of vision and objectives to support regional stability and the future of its people.

Gargash said the foundations of the future cannot be built on a “fragile foundation” or on arrangements inconsistent with international law. He said the aim should be to move toward sustainable stability based on clear and common rules. He identified peaceful coexistence, respect for sovereignty and the logic of peace as essential foundations for any lasting solution.

His comments came amid continuing tensions between the United States and Iran. Diplomatic efforts to restore a memorandum of understanding between the two countries remain unresolved, while both sides have warned about the possibility of renewed conflict. Against that backdrop, the UAE diplomat emphasized clear rules, mutual respect and diplomatic solutions as necessary for long-term stability in the Middle East.

John Mearsheimer, an international relations theorist and professor at the University of Chicago, said Iran’s ballistic missiles have demonstrated high effectiveness in attacks on US military bases and facilities in the Middle East. In comments published on August 11, 2026, he said this capability would be a major reason for a reduced US military presence in West Asia.

Mearsheimer said neither the United States nor other countries in the region have an effective solution for defending against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones. He asserted that their attacks had severely damaged or completely destroyed nearly all bases in the Middle East. He also said evidence showed US forces had withdrawn from bases in the Persian Gulf region, first to Jordan, then to Israel, and ultimately to Europe.

According to Mearsheimer, the United States is unlikely to return to the region even after the ongoing conflict ends because of the continuing missile threat and Persian Gulf countries’ reluctance to host US forces. He described current US policy as ensuring a “devastating defeat” and said Iran had resisted what he called a US-imposed war through geographic advantages, military strategy and support from Russia and China.

International oil prices rose on Tuesday after talks between Iran and the United States over reopening the Strait of Hormuz reached an impasse. Efforts to restore traffic through the important waterway were further complicated by a hard-line position from US President Donald Trump, according to the report published on August 11, 2026.

Iran presented its conditions for reopening the strait, while Trump responded by demanding that Iran provide compensation for casualties from past wars, attacks and protests. The opposing demands increased tensions between the two countries and made the prospect of quickly reopening one of the world’s key energy transport routes uncertain.

Brent crude rose to about $88 a barrel on Tuesday, while US West Texas Intermediate crude reached $82.45 a barrel. Both benchmarks were at their highest levels since July 31, following an increase of nearly 5 percent on Monday. The report said a prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz could place further pressure on global oil supplies and prices because substantial volumes of energy are transported through the route.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement” at Al-Safa Palace in Mecca on August 7, 2026. Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the signing. According to a joint statement cited by the report, the agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression.

The agreement says an armed attack on any one of the three states will be regarded as an attack on all three. Specific military obligations have not been disclosed. Turkish officials described it as entirely defensive and not directed at any particular country, while the arrangement was left open to other regional states. The report says it builds on a Saudi-Pakistan strategic mutual defense agreement signed in 2025.

The report compares the pact’s collective-defense principle with NATO’s Article 5 but says it is not yet a full military alliance. It lacks an integrated command structure, permanent headquarters, joint exercises and automatic-response obligations. Each state will decide based on its own interests. The report also says Pakistan sent about 8,000 troops, JF-17 squadrons, drones and air-defense systems to strengthen Saudi defense in April 2026.

A recent mutual defense agreement among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, known as the Mecca Pact, could strengthen India and Israel’s strategic partnership, according to a report published on August 10, 2026. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone last Thursday about recent developments in West Asia and reviewed progress in their “special strategic partnership,” Modi said in posts issued in English and Hebrew.

The day after the call, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a broad defense agreement in Mecca. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it includes a provision modeled on NATO’s Article 5, treating an attack on one member as an attack on all. Analysts cited in the report said the emerging alignment complicates expectations of drawing Saudi Arabia closer to Israel within a US-led regional security framework.

India’s Foreign Ministry rejected reports of an urgent new India-Israel mutual defense pact as false, while spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi was closely monitoring the Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan arrangement. The report said cooperation between India and Israel could deepen on IMEC, defense technology, intelligence sharing and regional security.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called for the restoration of free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz during a telephone conversation with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on August 10. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo after the call, Takaichi said she had urged the resumption of unrestricted and secure maritime traffic through the strategically important waterway.

According to Kyodo News, Sultan Haitham responded that Oman would consult countries using the Strait of Hormuz and respect their views. The two leaders also exchanged views on the regional situation, Muscat Daily reported. Takaichi praised Oman’s continuing efforts to promote dialogue, reduce tensions, and maintain international peace and security.

Oman and Iran are currently holding discussions over navigation through the strait, including efforts to normalize commercial shipping. The leaders also discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation between Japan and Oman in areas of mutual interest. The report said stalled talks between the United States and Iran have added uncertainty to efforts to normalize future navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.