According to Saudi media, a further 60 days of truce between the United States and Iran have been agreed, but nothing is official yet. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Trump: “We had frank exchanges on the South China Sea, on his concerns about our relations with China, on Gaza, and on my meeting with Hamas leaders: everything was expressed. We had frank and honest discussions, and whether he acknowledged it or not, I did my duty. Trump, in private conversations, was extremely polite. He listened very attentively. Whether he agrees or disagrees [on Gaza], well, that’s none of my business. I understand that Malaysia is a small country… what we did was at least represent the conscience of Malaysians and, I think, of most reasonable people in the world.”
And again, “Iran’s tenacity, determination, discipline, and resilience are admirable. I think the only thing I would hope for is for the great powers to remain separate, leaving Iran and its neighbors to try to negotiate a solution among themselves. Malaysia is one of the few countries, probably the only one, to have passed a firm resolution in Parliament condemning Israeli and US aggression in Iran and calling for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities.”
Donald Trump on Fox News: “We will deal Iran a severe economic blow.” The United States is considering sanctions against Chinese refineries and banks involved in Iranian oil trade. “After we finally defeat Iran, I will declare the Strait of Hormuz American territory,” President Trump said.
The United Nations intervened and called on all parties to respect international law, international rights, and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, following US President Donald Trump’s declaration that he intended to declare it US territory, according to spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General.
According to Bloomberg, the United States and Iran are locked in a war that neither side knows how to win. The conflict is evolving through repeated cycles of hostilities, with neither the United States nor Iran able to gain a decisive advantage. The agency believes the most likely scenario is the continuation of a relatively low-intensity conflict, periodically interrupted by fragile ceasefires and new waves of attacks.
Meanwhile, yesterday, President Trump spoke about Iran on Fox News: “Iran should raise the white flag and surrender.” President Trump then threatened Oman: “If Oman gets in the way, we will bomb them mercilessly.”
Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – have issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s position on resolving the Gaza conflict, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Turkish President Erdoğan said in a statement to the press: “We cannot leave Gaza alone. We have done everything we owe Gaza so far and will continue to do so. Hamas is showing all the sincere solidarity it can. But Israel does not have a similarly positive approach.” Turkish President Erdoğan on Lebanon: “Lebanon is currently under constant Israeli attacks, and we must free it from these attacks as soon as possible. We have discussed this issue with the United States and will continue to discuss it with them.”
Turkish President Erdoğan on the Mecca Agreement: “I would like to put it this way: as is well known, the provisions of NATO Article 5 apply similarly to the concept of mutual defense established here.” Turkish President Erdoğan on the possibility of war with Israel: “We are not talking about war, but about peace.”
At Netanyahu’s meeting with Kushner and the Peace Council, according to Israel Army Radio: “Kushner promised the technocratic Palestinian government that he would work with Netanyahu to allow them to enter the Gaza Strip.” Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir: “There are people in Gaza who should not be alive.” He called for 30-40 killings every night, claimed to be “generous” in calling some Gazans “people,” and called for Israeli settlements throughout the Strip and the removal of Palestinians. An Israeli security official, in contrast, stated: “If we were to conduct a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip to clear the area, we could face a full-scale regional escalation, including direct Iranian intervention in the conflict.”
Elections in Israel on August 17, according to Maariv: “About four hours after polls opened for the Likud primaries, voter turnout reached 16.11% out of approximately 142,000 registered voters, with a total of 22,876 voters.” The Likud party responded to the Arab countries’ statement: “The Arab countries want to overthrow Prime Minister Netanyahu so that Yitzhak and Yair Golan can give them everything they want. This will not happen.”
Israel is also reportedly funding an online campaign to distribute materials supporting Israel’s position on the Gaza Strip and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), with the aim of influencing how artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT handle the conflict.
Israeli Minister of War Israel Katz: “The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will present a plan within two weeks to transfer responsibility for civilian law enforcement in the West Bank to the Israeli police. We will not allow violence and the usurpation of the law by unauthorized parties.”
Cyprus, Greece, and Jordan have extended their trilateral defense cooperation program. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “We condemn the settlers’ siege of Palestinian families in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, and call for an end to the acts of violence and intimidation committed by settlers against Palestinian citizens and an end to the impunity of their perpetrators. Protecting Palestinians, holding attackers accountable, and halting settlements are not political demands, but an obligation imposed on Israel by international law.”
President Joseph Aoun welcomed the parliamentary initiative and the petition calling for an extension of the mandate of international forces in the South: “UNIFIL’s presence in the South is important in many respects. […] Our first option is to extend UNIFIL’s mandate. If it is not extended, our second option is to adopt a formula that guarantees the continued presence of international forces in the South, respecting the necessary legal framework and ensuring that these forces operate alongside and in coordination with the Lebanese Army, supporting stability and carrying out their assigned tasks.” Israel rejects UNIFIL’s presence and has been lobbying for its closure for nearly a year.
Exporters have established clandestine oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reports. Tankers transit the shipping lane with their transponders turned off, then transfer the oil to larger vessels in the Gulf of Oman. The volume of these clandestine shipments has already exceeded 4 million barrels per day. According to analysts, they are helping to keep Brent prices around $80-90 a barrel.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was almost completely blocked over the weekend following renewed attacks on oil tankers. Kpler data shows that only five merchant ships transited on Saturday and none on Sunday, compared to 31 the previous weekend.
The chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Ebrahim Azizi, told Trump: “Instead of continuing to issue empty threats over the Strait of Hormuz, the American president [Trump], should focus on his own security, so he doesn’t have to seek refuge in food trucks.”
Another person executed in Iran on espionage charges. In December 2025, the accused allegedly drove his car at high speed into a group of police officers during nationwide protests. Seven officers were injured. He then set fire to the car and fled. He was later tracked down and charged with espionage for the United States and Israel.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry cited Dostoevsky, accusing US policy of “excessive reliance on lies.” “This passage from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov perfectly describes the situation in which the US government and foreign policy find themselves toward Iran and the region, due to their extreme reliance on ‘lies’: ‘He who lies to himself and listens to his own lies reaches the point where he no longer discerns any truth, either within himself or around him, and thus begins to disrespect both himself and others,'” the statement reads.
Iranian banks are preparing for the scenario of a termination of banking relationships, and the date for salary payments is being finalized.
And now a look at the ongoing military scenarios in the Middle East and West Asia, updated at 3:00 PM on August 17. The United States Army Central Command (CENTCOM) has issued a “clarification” to refute what it calls several false reports regarding the situation aboard the Abraham Lincoln-class aircraft carrier (CVN-72), including reports of the deaths of seven sailors in an onboard brawl and reports of increased suicidal thoughts among the crew. According to the Navy, no members of the Abraham Lincoln’s crew were killed during the current voyage, and the sailor who fell overboard on August 3 was quickly and safely rescued.
According to the New York Times, however, the Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)’s prolonged deployment at sea and reports of supply problems are likely due in part to the loss of the U.S. Navy’s logistics center in Bahrain at the start of the war with Iran. Iranian missile and drone attacks caused severe damage to the Naval Support Activity Bahrain complex, home of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, forcing the Navy to shift much of its regional logistics support to Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, located approximately 3,500 kilometers from aircraft carrier battle groups operating in the Gulf of Oman. The island subsequently became a target for Iran: on March 20, two ballistic missiles were launched toward Diego Garcia, one of which missed its target and the other was intercepted by a U.S. Navy ship. The Navy is currently replacing the Lincoln with the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73), which is already en route to the Middle East.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) published a map of the Middle East that includes the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as part of Israeli territory. The map was subsequently amended and the territories are no longer classified as a single region.
Israeli statement: A military helicopter landed a short while ago at Ziv Hospital in Safed, northern Israel. The injured were on board from southern Lebanon.
A fire broke out on the grounds of the town of Beit Anan, northwest of Jerusalem, following the IDF’s launching of gas canisters during their raid on the town. Israeli settlers have been trapping Palestinian families in their homes for nearly a week. Families in Qusra have been left without water, electricity, and safe access to the outside world. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has called those responsible for the siege “Israeli terrorists.”
Israeli media have published new photos of the Eibal settlement, built on Mount Eibal in Nablus. Palestinians complain: “In less than a month, the settler militias have been provided with everything. While we can’t even provide a bottle of water to the besieged residents in their homes in the town of Qusra.” War Secretary Katz: “I have agreed with the commander of the Army Central Command to accelerate the process of organizing settlement outposts in the West Bank.”
Israeli forces carried out artillery shelling against Ali Al-Taher, Hadatha, Bani Hayyan, Beit Yahoun, Wadi Al-Hujeir, the outskirts of Al-Qantara toward the valley, and Burj Matlin northeast of Kfarshouba. Air strikes hit the area between Ali Al-Taher and Al-Dabsha, Douhat Kfarman, and Al-Qantara toward Deir Syriane. Israeli tanks bombarded Al-Mansouri with several rounds. Machine gun fire and combing operations targeted Taybeh, the outskirts of Kfarshouba, Hadatha, and the area around Ali Al-Taher, with helicopter activity also reported near Ali Al-Taher. Hostile drones dropped a sound bomb on Kafra and explosives on Harash Ali Al-Taher, while flash bombs were reported in Douhat Kfar Rumman. A hostile explosion was also reported in Majdal Zoun. Israeli military vehicles were observed moving within Al-Qantara and Hadatha, as well as in the Al-Shamis area north of Kfarshouba. Two Merkava tanks and a D9 bulldozer reportedly infiltrated near Kfarshouba, in the Al-Shamis area, northeast of the city.
The Municipality of Tallousa condemns: “the demolition, destruction, and bombing operations carried out by Israeli forces in our city and other villages, targeting citizens’ homes, public and private institutions, infrastructure, and places of worship. The latest of these attacks occurred yesterday in our city of Tallousa, with a massive explosion hitting the town hall and the religious seminary, demonstrating Israeli hatred. The Municipality believes that this enemy’s actions are not limited to the destruction of buildings, but aim to exterminate all life in the city and the region, in the belief that the residents will not return.”
According to the Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Masrour Barzani, the office of the Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan and the headquarters of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) intelligence agency were attacked by Iranian drones, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Iran and the Kurds.
According to the Washington Post: “Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain are discussing the withdrawal of U.S. military bases from their territories due to the conflict with Iran. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain acknowledge that Donald Trump is responsible for the escalation of the conflict.”
Intense firefights erupted between forces close to Saudi Arabia and Ansar Allah over the weekend: on the evening of August 14, six ballistic missiles were launched by Ansar Allah toward the PLC-controlled port of Mokha in southwest Yemen. Iranian satellites are providing navigation for Yemeni ballistic missiles aimed at Saudi-backed targets.
On the evening of August 16, the Yemeni military released a video showing a drone being used to drop bombs on Iranian-backed Houthi positions in Jabal al-Aqsha, Al-Jawf province. The Houthis released 850 prisoners from penitentiaries in Saada, Hajjah, and Sana’a in exchange for their participation in frontline fighting across the country, military sources told Al Arabiya English. According to sources, the militia is also preparing to free approximately 1,400 additional prisoners from Dhamar and send them to the front.
On the morning of August 17, Yemeni Houthi/Ansar Allah forces reportedly fired five ballistic missiles toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait, attempting to hit ships. Saudi-aligned Yemeni media reported that a vessel in Bab al-Mandab, owned by an individual identified as “Amir Khan,” was targeted by Ansar Allah. An explosion occurred in Al-Mokha, resulting in casualties. Attacks are reportedly ongoing, with Saudi forces among the main targets. Two explosions were heard on Electricity Street in Al-Mukhtar (Sheikh Othman in Aden). Attack on Saudi-linked militia gatherings
Iran reportedly attacked two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz using drones. This is the first known instance of such a tactic being used against commercial vessels in this strategically important waterway.
Iran has claimed that Qatar is secretly holding three Iranian pilots captured after their Su-24 bombers were reportedly shot down in March. Iran claims the pilots have been denied access to their families for six months. Majid Mousavi, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force and Space Forces, recently issued threats to Qatar regarding the “captured Iranian pilots” issue: “Qatar must know that Iran will not abandon its brave pilots. It must allow the arrival of a team of experts on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran as soon as possible. Such behavior will cost Qatar dearly, and any delay or obstacle will fall on its shoulders.”
While Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff for Missing Persons claim that three of the four crew members of the Su-24 intercepted over Qatar on March 2 survived, they ejected and are being held by the United States in Doha. Tehran has requested the ICRC’s intervention. Qatar denies this, stating that attempts to contact the pilots have failed and that only the remains of one pilot have been found and returned to Iran.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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