Gulf official says 50-50 chance of Iran-Oman deal on Strait of Hormuz by Friday

This Jan. 2, 2016 photo shows the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street off Cape Town, South Africa. The oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, July 30, 2021, as details about the incident remained few. (Johan Victor via AP)

Gulf official says 50-50 chance of Iran-Oman deal on Strait of Hormuz by Friday

CNN-August5th2026

Here’s the latest

• Hormuz deal: A senior Gulf official said there is a “50-50” chance Iran will reach a deal on the Strait of Hormuz by Friday. President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened “very soon,” while Iranian state media said any potential agreement with Oman over the strategic waterway has “no connection” to its reopening.

• Attacks on shipping: A vessel in the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandeb Strait has sunk after being attacked by an uncrewed surface vessel, according to the UK’s maritime agency. It did not state who was responsible for the attack, but the Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly threatened to disrupt shipping through the strait, a key chokepoint at the southern end of the Red Sea.

• Missile stockpiles: The US military has burned through nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system, with stockpiles of key air defense systems particularly depleted during the war with Iran, sources say.

Israel launches fresh strikes on southern Lebanon amid ceasefire talks in Rome

By Kara Fox, Dani Karni, Ibrahim Dahman and Charbel Mallo

Israel issued its first evacuation order in southern Lebanon since June and launched fresh strikes in the area, underlining the fragility of a ceasefire between the two countries, as well as concerns that the move could reopen a front in Israel’s broader conflict with Iran.

It comes as Lebanese and Israeli officials are meeting for talks in Rome this week to cement the terms of the June ceasefire — and as the US and Iran could finalize a deal as early as this week.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered residents of the southern Lebanese village of Mansouri to leave on Wednesday afternoon, later saying that it had begun carrying out what it described as “precise strikes” against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in response to a “complete violation of the ceasefire.”

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes launched two air raids on the outskirts of Mansouri, south of Tyre, which coincided with shelling outside the town of Majdal Zoun. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said one person was killed and 12 others were injured in an airstrike on the area of Tebnin.

During the war between Israel and Hezbollah, evacuation warnings for communities in southern Lebanon became a near-daily occurrence as Israeli forces targeted the area. Wednesday’s evacuation order is the first from the IDF since June 10 and since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect.

Under the June 27 ceasefire agreement, Israel said it would withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon, transferring the sites to the Lebanese military.

The latest negotiations, which Iranian-backed Hezbollah opposes, are expected to wrap up in Rome on Thursday. It is the seventh round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.