While waiting to learn the full details of yet another US-Iran agreement regarding Hormuz, drafts are beginning to circulate online. “The Iran-Oman Strait of Hormuz Interim Agreement provides for a 60-day temporary agreement on the Strait between Oman and Iran, with the possibility of extension. All ships entering the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf will transit the northern route through Iranian waters. All ships exiting the Strait and heading to the Arabian Sea will transit the southern route through Omani waters, in coordination with Iran. No tolls will be charged during the 60 days. In the meantime, the parties will work for 30 days to clear the central area of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran has confirmed that talks are ongoing, and the White House has announced that Steve Witkoff has been on the phone frequently with both his Iranian and Omani counterparts. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “Progress has been made in negotiations regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Nothing is final, and we hope to reach an agreement soon.”
Rumors persist that “over the past five months, since the start of the conflict with Iran, the U.S. military has almost completely depleted its stockpile of long-range precision-guided missiles, which would be crucial in any conflict with China. This includes most of the stockpile of ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) and PrSM (Precision-Guided Missile).” Reuters reported Hegset denying the report.
The Israeli news site Hadashot reports: “A soldier in training was shot in the neck at a base in the Jordan Valley. The wound was apparently caused by a stray bullet during an activity at the base. According to the report, the soldier is in critical condition.”
A fire was reported in Ben Shemen, east of Tel Aviv, in open and wooded areas. 14 firefighting teams and four aircraft responded to extinguish the flames. On August 5, unusual delays were reported at Ben Gurion Airport: a civilian drone entered the airspace – landings and takeoffs were suspended.
Israeli War Minister Israel Katz: “I have given instructions not to reduce the size of our forces in the settlements around Gaza until further notice.” And on the afternoon of August 5, it was learned that the IDF began launching concentrated raids in the southern Lebanon area in response to Hezbollah violations.
In an initial response to Saudi aggression against Iraq, the Iraqi Foreign Minister met with his Saudi counterpart in Amman. According to Saudi media, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iraq discussed ways to ensure that Iraqi territory is not used as a tool of aggression against neighboring countries. The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated: “We reject the continuation of (Israeli) violations in Jerusalem. Mustafa Qasemi Hasanvand, a prominent figure in the Iranian Kurdish opposition, committed suicide in the Baharka area, near Erbil, in front of the United Nations building. He was protesting the rejection of his request for political asylum and his refusal to resettle him as a political refugee in another country.
According to the U.S. State Department, “Israel” and Lebanon will discuss demilitarized zones and the disarmament of Hezbollah. But they did not specify when, or even who would be present at the meeting.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Islamabad on Friday and meet with senior Pakistani officials. Al-Mayadeen’s correspondent in Tehran said: “There is a positive atmosphere in Tehran regarding the Strait of Hormuz agreement. The agreement could be signed if the United States ceases its interference.” A senior Iranian official and two regional representatives told Reuters: “Despite President Trump’s statements, the Hormuz agreement is unlikely to be signed anytime soon, and several important issues remain to be resolved.” “Negotiations are ongoing, but it is too early to say that an agreement has been reached with Oman,” the Iranian official said.
And now a look at the military scenario in the Middle East and West Asia, updated at 3:30 PM on August 5. According to the United States, the southern route in the Strait of Hormuz remains open and accessible to all commercial vessels. Over the past three months, we have assisted more than a thousand ships (which were suffering damage) in crossing the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iranian provocations.
i24NEWS: “The Israeli decision to halt assassination operations and shift to operations focused solely on neutralizing immediate threats has been communicated to the ceasefire committee. A 14-day truce has begun as part of disarmament preparations.” Israel is reportedly without interceptor missiles.
Israeli tanks fired on homes in the Al-Da’wa neighborhood, east of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Four people were killed and one injured in Gaza Strip hospitals in the last 24 hours.
About 20 Palestinians were injured by tear gas fired by Israeli forces into a home in the village of Birqa, east of Ramallah. Israel has conducted widespread raids and arrests across all West Bank governorates.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued an “urgent” evacuation notice for the residents of the village of Mansouri in southern Lebanon due to planned attacks against Hezbollah. “Due to the terrorist organization Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is forced to use force against it,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya, IDF spokesperson for Arabic-language affairs. She urged the residents of Mansouri to evacuate at least 1 kilometer north of the village. “Anyone near Hezbollah fighters, facilities, or weapons is putting their lives at risk!” she added.
Four Israeli soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion in Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon. “The explosion caused a disaster in the 55th Brigade of the Israeli army,” local sources said, describing the soldiers’ entry into a house booby-trapped. They were transported to the hospital by helicopter. Artillery shelling was reported in Shebaa, southern Lebanon. Continuous artillery shelling was reported in the town of Majdal Zoun and the outskirts of the city of Zebqine, southern Lebanon.
Local Syrian sources reported at least nine violations by Israeli forces in southern Syria in the past 24 hours, including five incursions. Israeli drones flew over the villages of Maariya and Abidin in the Yarmouk Basin, in the Daraa countryside. Explosions were heard in Latakia, Syria.
Significant US military movements in the region, as well as the takeoff of several reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering aircraft from the Emirates and Qatar.
On the night of August 5, explosions were reported in the United Arab Emirates, in the industrial zone of Dubai. Plumes of smoke rose from the Jebel Ali port in Dubai. Widespread destruction occurred in the Marina area of Dubai’s industrial city, the cause of which is still unknown. Satellite images show a fire at a fuel storage and transportation facility near the Jebel Ali port in Dubai.
In a statement, the Houthis claimed responsibility for launching several ballistic missiles at the Saudi oil tanker “Wafa” in the northern Red Sea, off the coast of the Yanbu area. “With this strike, the total number of Saudi oil tankers hit by our forces since the beginning of the maritime blockade on July 22 last year has reached eight.” “Meanwhile, the total number of vessels blocked, forced to turn back, and then re-enter the Red and Arabian Seas amounts to 29 Saudi oil tankers.”
“The Yemeni armed forces reiterate that their operations will continue and intensify, targeting Saudi oil tankers in the northern Red Sea, in order to close all transit routes and prevent them from crossing, strengthening the blockade upon blockade equation, regardless of the consequences.” The Houthi statement concludes.
The Iranians reported that a ship in the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, “has been targeted and is catching fire.” Following the targeting of a vessel while it was sailing along the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, the White House stated: “The Strait of Hormuz is under the complete control of our navy, and the blockade we are imposing is effective.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
Follow our updates on Geopolitical Gleanings - Spigolature geopolitiche: https://t.me/agc_NW and on our blog The Gleanings of AGCNEWS - Le Spigolature di AGCNEWS: https://spigolatureagcnews.blogspot.com/
