Iran’s president says Tehran doesn’t want war expansion
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has said this morning that Tehran is defending its borders but does not seek an expansion of the war with the US.
“Conflict, whether in a neighbourhood, a city, a country or between countries, is a disease that has emerged. We will defend our boundaries, but we are not seeking to expand the war or continue it,” he said, according to state media.
“We must work under these circumstances to build a healthy society so that the enemy is not tempted to enter it, tear apart our social fabric and destroy it,” he added.
Alex Croft4 August 2026 17:29
Syrian and Iraqi leaders discuss security concerns
Syrian interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa and Iraq’s Kurdish regional president met yesterday in Damascus to discuss ways of improving mutual cooperation and contributing to regional security.
The meeting between al-Sharaa and Nechirvan Barzani came amid regional tensions as Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups carried out multiple drone strikes targeting American interests across Iraq, including the country’s Kurdish region.
Syrian state media reported last month that authorities at the country’s border with Iraq thwarted an attempt in June to smuggle weapons believed to have been headed to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Hezbollah denied the charges.
Alex Croft4 August 2026 17:00
In pictures: Mass funeral for Palestinians whose bodies were recovered after nearly three years
Hundreds of Palestinian mourners have attended a funeral ceremony for 112 members of the extended Al-Hassayna family.
Their remains were recently recovered from the rubble of residential buildings in the al-Sabra neighbourhood which were struck by Israeli bombardments in November 2023.
(AFP/Getty)
(AFP/Getty)
Harriette Boucher4 August 2026 16:46
Gaza official urges Israel to halt attacks
A top official overseeing Gaza’s postwar transition met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in part to press him to halt military attacks on the territory.
Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza on the Board of Peace, also discussed with Netanyahu the need to decommission all weapons in the enclave, the international body established by the US said in a statement.
An Israeli strike last evening hit a car in Gaza City, killing two men, according to Shifa Hospital.
Over the weekend, Israeli attacks left at least 17 people dead, including children, according to hospitals in Gaza.
A Palestinian child walks past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip (AFP/Getty)
Alex Croft4 August 2026 16:31
Trump’s Iran desperation is revealed in crowd-sourcing memo seeking ‘creative’ ways to punish the enemy: report
The U.S. military has asked combat experts to think outside the box in a desperate bid for new ideas to end President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, according to a report Monday.
In an email last week, an officer in the intelligence branch of U.S. Central Command asked a broad group of military analysts for suggestions, CNN said, citing an unidentified source.
“We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran,” the email reportedly read.
Military officials said the effort to crowdsource a solution to the war by email was highly unusual, CNN reported.
Alex Croft4 August 2026 16:01
Rubio: Progress made in Iran-Oman discussions but no final agreement
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Tuesday there has been progress made in discussions with Iran and Oman on getting more ships through the Strait of Hormuz but no final agreement has been reached.
“There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly,” Rubio told reporters at the State Department.
Alex Croft4 August 2026 15:30
Garamendi accuses Trump of hiding Iran war details
Democrat John Garamendi has accused US president Donald Trump of shielding details of the Iran war by using classified briefings.
“Trump is the biggest liar on the Iran war. When he wants to tell the truth he usually gives updates to Congress in classified hearings,” he wrote on X.
“That way members of Congress aren’t allowed to share the truth.”
Alex Croft4 August 2026 15:06
US has exhausted ‘virtually all’ long-range missiles during Iran war amid fears of wider conflict
The US Army has significantly depleted its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month conflict with Iran, according to three individuals familiar with the data. This raises serious concerns regarding the military’s readiness for potential future engagements.
The depleted munitions primarily consist of the Army’s crucial surface-to-surface weapons: the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). Two of the sources indicated that “virtually all” of these specific weapons have now been utilised.
The extent of this depletion of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles, vital for delivering accurate strikes from a safe distance, has not been previously reported, highlighting a significant development in the military’s operational capacity.
Alex Croft4 August 2026 14:39
Watch: Trump claims US and Iran are “in talks” while the Strait of Hormuz is set to open tomorrow Trump says US and Iran are “in talks” while the Strait of Hormuz is set to open tomorrow
Alex Croft4 August 2026 14:15
Tehran ‘unlikely to change position’ on Strait of Hormuz
As we reported earlier, Tehran is proposing total control over inbound shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with Oman.
We can now bring you some more on the proposals.
Iran would retain the ability to intervene in shipping if necessary, under a temporary plan being discussed with Oman to reopen the strategic waterway, a senior Iranian source told the Reuters news agency.
The source, who is involved in the talks, said this is “the general idea currently being discussed”, and specified that the outbound lane would follow a route between Iran and Oman, with exit clearance granted through Oman after notifying Iran.
“Tehran is unlikely to change its position,” the source added, saying that Tehran has already shown flexibility by moving from its initial position of seeking full control over traffic in both directions in the strait.
Last month, Iran rejected an Omani proposal for an equal division of transit routes between the two countries, which Tehran said failed to address the country’s security concerns until long-term regional stability is achieved.
Control of the strait, the narrow waterway between the Gulf and the Indian Ocean that is the main route for about a fifth of world oil supplies and other vital goods, has been a main sticking point in efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Alex Croft4 August 2026 13:50