Morning recap

Good morning Middle East Eye readers. The Secretary-general of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissen Brahim Taha, expressed his approval of the joint defense agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on Friday. Bahrain, Yemen's internationally recognized government, and a former Qatari prime minister also endorsed the pact.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is open to the participation of "other friendly nations." However, the peace in the region was marred by the tragic incident in Marib, where Houthis attacked the oil-rich city, resulting in the death of two civilians. In response, the armed forces engaged in combating the attacks.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian affirmed Iran's readiness to engage in dialogue to safeguard its national interests, but emphasized that demands undermining its sovereignty or defensive capabilities will not be accepted. In other news, a US official stated that progress is being made between Iran and Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz, and they anticipate a deal soon.

The United States Central Command reported redirecting 51 commercial vessels, disabling two, and boarding two others since reinstating a naval blockade of Iran on July 14. Additionally, Israeli forces and settlers conducted numerous attacks and raids across the West Bank, injuring several Palestinians, including two ambulance officers.

Unicef reported that at least 300 children have been killed in Gaza over the past 300 days since the ceasefire in October 2025, averaging one child per day. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on August 7, with only eight confirmed crossings, a 33% decrease from the previous day, according to Kpler, a maritime traffic tracking firm.

Lastly, a top US general expressed concerns about the ongoing war with Iran and suggested that the country requires an "off-ramp" from the conflict, warning that current military options being contemplated by the Trump administration could have detrimental consequences.