Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Secretary-general of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissen Brahim Taha, has welcomed the joint defence agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on Friday.

Bahrain, Yemen’s internationally recognised government and a former Qatari prime minister also welcomed the pact.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was open to the participation of “other friendly nations”.

Two civilians were, meanwhile, killed as Houthis struck the oil-rich city of Marib again on Friday. On Saturday, the armed forces said they responded to the attacks.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is prepared to pursue dialogue to protect its national interests but will not accept demands that undermine its sovereignty or defensive capabilities.

Here are the latest developments: 

•    A US official has said progress is being made between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz and "we expect a deal soon".

• United States Central Command said that it has redirected 51 commercial vessels, disabled two, and boarded two others since it reinstated a naval blockade of Iran on 14 July.

• Several Palestinians, including two officers of an ambulance, were injured in a series of attacks and raids carried out by Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank.

• At least 300 children — an average of one child every day — have been killed in Gaza in the 300 days since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025, according to Unicef.

• Israeli artillery shelled the vicinity of the town of al-Mansouri early Saturday morning

• Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained subdued on 7 August, with eight confirmed crossings, down 33% from the previous day, according to maritime traffic tracking firm Kpler.

•    A top United States general has said that the country needs “an off-ramp” from the war with Iran, fearing that the military options currently being considered by the Trump administration could backfire.