President Donald Trump said peace talks with Iran will take place on Monday after calling off what he described as World War II-level strikes.“Obviously they don’t want to be attacked. They knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. “Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon.”Trump said a deal will be reached with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz and an agreement to denuclearise Tehran will follow. He said Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar had asked him to call off the strikes."When the allies ask to call it off, you’ve got to sort of say, well let's see," he said. "The reason they asked is they think there's a deal, there's a deal on Hormuz and there will be a deal on the nuclear – or you might call it the denuclearisation of Iran, I call it the denuclearisation of Iran."His comments followed a Truth Social post on Saturday in which Trump wrote that the US military was “locked and loaded” for what he cast as an unprecedented campaign against Iran. How Trump’s Saudi deal could spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle EastRiyadh has previously said it will only seek to acquire a nuclear weapon if its rival Iran develops one. With Trump’s war failing to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme, experts tell Suha Kidwai the new agreement could plunge the region into further instability.More here.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 August 2026 06:25Trump says 'there's a deal' on HormuzUS president Donald Trump said a deal will be reached with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz and an agreement to denuclearise Tehran will follow. He said Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar had asked him to call off the strikes."When the allies ask to call it off, you’ve got to sort of say, well let's see," he said. "The reason they asked is they think there's a deal, there's a deal on Hormuz and there will be a deal on the nuclear – or you might call it the denuclearisation of Iran, I call it the denuclearisation of Iran."Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 August 2026 06:08Saudi prince played role in Trump's decision to halt Iran strikes – reportUS president Donald Trump suggested that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a particularly important role in him turning away from escalating the fight, according to reports.The US president spoke by phone with the de facto leader of the kingdom on Saturday before announcing he was halting strikes that he later boasted would have one of the biggest US operations since World War II.The crown prince conveyed that an escalation in fighting could have a severe impact on the global economy if Tehran responded to a new US bombardment by targeting some of the America's Gulf allies, according to a person briefed on the call who was not authorised to comment publicly and requested anonymity.Saudi officials, the person added, have underscored in their engagements with the Trump administration that the kingdom is in a good position to defend itself against further potential Iranian strikes — as are fellow energy titans Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — but that Kuwait could be more vulnerable to attacks by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 August 2026 06:00Blast near tanker off Oman coastThe UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said there has been an explosion in close proximity to a tanker off the coast of Oman.The UKMTO yesterday said the incident took place about 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman. The ship and its crew were safe, the UKMTO added. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 August 2026 05:40Minister says Israel closely coordinating with USIsrael's energy minister Eli Cohen said there was close security and ⁠intelligence coordination between Israel and the US on everything happening in the region.But he added: "With or without an agreement, ⁠and regardless of any external commitments, if Iran attempts to renew its nuclear program or advance its ballistic missile industries, we will be there. We will take action, and we will ‌strike."US president Donald Trump and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu met on Tuesday in ​Washington, with an Israeli official saying they had explored all possible paths ‌to curb Iran's nuclear program, including diplomacy, economic pressure and force. ​Tehran denies it is seeking a nuclear weapon Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 August 2026 05:20Iranian minister calls Saudi and Pakistani officialsIran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi held phone calls with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir to discuss diplomatic efforts, Iran's state media reported.Local media reported earlier that negotiations between Tehran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz were in their final stages, citing Iran's Araqchi.Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said negotiations were focused on agreeing on a new route through the strait, adding that it had "no link to the Strait of Hormuz being opened or closed. That is a separate discussion." Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 August 2026 05:00Oil slumps to $82 a barrelOil prices skidded and stocks ​wobbled this morning as hopes of peace in the Middle East grew.Brent crude futures sank more than 6 per cent to $82.41 after US president Donald Trump said talks with Iran will happen today. He had earlier called ​off an imminent attack on Iran to reach a deal to reopen the Strait of ​Hormuz and resolve the impasse over Tehran's nuclear capabilities. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 August 2026 04:40Trump says Gulf leaders' input weighed heavily in decision to hold off strikesUS president Donald Trump said he decided to hold off on ordering American forces to carry out new strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.Trump added that a plan was in place for US forces to carry out "the biggest attack since World War II". But he decided to scrap the plan and give diplomacy more time to play out after hearing from key Gulf leaders — including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — as well as at the request of unnamed Iranian officials."I said to the crown prince, 'What would you rather do? Would you rather us do this or not?"' Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew back to Washington. "They said we would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack, because you don't know where these attacks lead." Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 August 2026 04:20Trump declines to provide deadline for negotiations with IranWhile speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, President Trump declined to provide a deadline for negotiations with Iran."We'll just see how it is. We're ready to go any time we want. Would I rather make a deal? I'm not looking to kill people,” Trump said. “We don't want that."Brendan Rascius3 August 2026 04:00Iranian president says MOU will remain 'center of gravity'On Sunday, before President Trump announced negotiations would take place on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the June memorandum of understanding would be the focal point of Iran’s foreign policy.“I believe this memorandum will be the center of gravity of our foreign relations in the future,” Pezeshkian wrote on X on Sunday, according to a translation. “We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed. The security of the country, the region, and our allies will be enhanced by this memorandum.”Brendan Rascius3 August 2026 03:35