Roundup: Trump says U.S. to hold off attack on Iran amid conflicting claims
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- U. S.
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Three children among nine killed since dawn in Gaza
Three children among nine killed since dawn in Gaza Three children are among nine Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since dawn, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. The attacks were in Gaza city, Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis.
Israeli forces claim Hamas commanders killed in Gaza
Israeli forces claim Hamas commanders killed in Gaza The Israeli military said it has killed two Hamas commanders during air strikes on Friday and Saturday in Gaza. The military said Salem Jamal Abd al-Rahman Abu Labad, a cell commander in Hamas’s Nukhba special forces, who was killed in southern Gaza on Saturday, had taken part in the October 2023 attack. In a separate air strike in central Gaza on Friday, the military said its forces also killed Muhammad Abd al-Nasser Muhammad Khatib, a commander in Hamas’s Maghazi Battalion.
Trump to cancel strikes on Iran pending rapid deal
WASHINGTON, 2nd August, 2026 (WAM) -- US President Donald Trump said that he canceled a planned military strike against Iran after Tehran and "other Middle Eastern countries" requested time to finalise the framework of a peace deal, saying Israel has joined the commitment.
Iran Vows to Continue Defensive Response against US Aggression
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Foreign Ministry stressed that Iran will continue exercising its right to self-defense against ongoing US aggression, denouncing Washington for violating the ceasefire memorandum, maintaining a naval blockade, and carrying out military attacks against the country.
Hamas, PIJ stress full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
Hamas, PIJ stress full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza A Hamas delegation met officials from Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Cairo, with the two groups stressing the need to force Israel to end its military offensive and fully withdraw from Gaza. Zaher Jabarin, Hamas's leader in the occupied West Bank, headed the group's delegation, while PIJ was represented by its secretary-general, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, Hamas said in a statement on its Telegram channel. Hamas said the two groups discussed "the escalating situation in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, the crimes and accelerated Judaisation operations being carried out by the occupation, and the intensified crimes against prisoners".
Morning recap
Morning recap Good morning Middle East Eye readers, US president Donald Trump said he would hold off on a fresh attack on Iran as long as a deal could be reached quickly to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz completely. His statement came after Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that he has informed his Turkish, Pakistani and Saudi counterparts that the Islamic Republic will act "decisively" in the event of any further US "aggression". Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that its Aerospace Force targeted the US F-35 repair hangar and ramp at Al-Azraq Base in Jordan with multiple ballistic missiles.
Iran Warns Aggression Will Carry Serious Consequences
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian foreign minister warned that any act of aggression by the US or the Israeli regime against Iran would draw a decisive and proportionate response from the country's Armed Forces, stressing that those responsible would bear full responsibility for the consequences.
Israeli settlers cut electricity poles in Nablus, report says
Israeli settlers cut electricity poles in Nablus, report says Israeli settlers cut and damaged electricity poles during a predawn attack on the village of Madama, south of Nablus, causing a power outage in parts of the community, Wafa reported. During the past two weeks, several areas in the occupied West Bank witnessed settler attacks on Palestinian homes, agricultural farms and religious places, desecration of graves and widespread arson. An Israeli police officer films Israeli activists protesting in Tel Aviv on 1 August 2026 against West Bank settler attacks.
Report: Saudi crown prince urged Trump to refrain from strikes
Report: Saudi crown prince urged Trump to refrain from strikes Saudi Arabia expressed concern over US President Donald Trump's plans for massive strikes against Iran and sought clarity on the proposed course of action, US outlet Axios reported. Citing US officials, Axios said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday and urged him to de-escalate tensions and refrain from launching the strikes. On Sunday, Trump said he had cancelled the strikes, contingent on a deal involving the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's commitment to denuclearisation.
Trump climbs down on Iran strikes after Saudi alarm and threats from Tehran
President claims delay is ‘subject to being able to rapidly make a deal’ as intervention by Saudi crown prince is revealed and Iran warns neighbours Donald Trump said on Saturday night that the US would hold off on any new strikes on Iran provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is quickly reached – marking the president’s latest climbdown from extravagant threats to hit the Tehran regime hard. The Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday to express concerns about his strike plans, it was reported. Trump’s reversal also came after Iran threatened to retaliate decisively against its neighbours in the event of US strikes, while Kuwait reported being hit by Iranian drones on Saturday and two ships were attacked off Oman in the strait of Hormuz.
"Perimeters of a deal has been agreed to": Trump cancels planned attacks on Iran, brings Israel into fold
Washington, DC [US], August 2 (ANI): US President Donald Trump has announced the cancellation of a planned attack on Iran, subject to being able to rapidly make a deal with the Persian Gulf country, while noting that Israel has joined him in this commitment. Trump said there have been urgent appeals from Middle Eastern Countries to hold off any attack as 'perimeters of a deal has been agreed to'.
Saudi Crown Prince MBS urges Trump to reconsider 'large-scale attack' on Iran, reports Axios
Washington, DC [US], August 2 (ANI): Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has urged US President Donald Trump to reconsider plans for large-scale military strikes against Iran, amid escalating tensions in West Asia, according to an Axios report citing sources familiar with the matter.
Two children among eight Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza
Two children among eight Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza Overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza killed at least eight people, including two children, despite Hamas saying it agreed to the latest stage of a deal to end the war. Gaza civil defence officials said in one attack near the central Gaza Strip, a man and his wife were killed and several others were wounded when an Israeli military helicopter struck an apartment, AFP reported. An elderly man and a child were killed in another attack on an apartment west of Gaza City, and three people, including a child, were targeted when a strike hit another apartment northwest of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
10 more US refuelling planes to join 30 already stationed in Israel
10 more US refuelling planes to join 30 already stationed in Israel The US military is expected to deploy about 10 additional aerial refuelling aircraft to Israel in the coming days, Israeli media has reported. The aircraft will join more than 30 refuelling planes already stationed at the Ben Gurion airport in the country’s capital, according to Israeli news outlet Ynet.
Fire breaks out in Iraq’s Kurdish region after drone attack
Fire breaks out in Iraq’s Kurdish region after drone attack A fire has broken out in the Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah in the northern Kurdish region following a drone attack, Iraq’s Shafaq News reported. Although the drone, targeting the Peshmerga’s 70th Brigade headquarters, was intercepted, the wreckage of one interceptor target caught fire after falling near the headquarters, according to Shafaq News.
Trump says he is cancelling strikes on Iran subject to 'rapidly' making deal
The US president's message came amid media reports that he was planning new, intense strikes on Iran over the weekend.
Trump says cancelled attack on Iran subject to Hormuz opening, end to 'nuclear threat'
Trump says cancelled attack on Iran subject to Hormuz opening, end to 'nuclear threat' US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had cancelled a military attack on Iran after Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries requested "to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to". In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the proposed agreement would include the "immediate, complete, and total" reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to "Iran's nuclear threat". Trump said the United States had been "locked and loaded" and ready to launch military action against Iran "at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II".
Iran vows all means to defend country, continue strikes
Iran vows all means to defend country, continue strikes Iran’s foreign ministry said the country would use all means to “legitimately defend the nation’s rights and security”. In a statement carried by IRNA, the ministry said the defensive strikes by the “brave Iranian armed forces will continue with full might” as “the American enemy is committing acts of aggression against Iran through a continued naval blockade of Iranian ports”. The statement said the US was “persisting in its bad faith regarding the implementation of the agreement to end the war” through “brutal attacks on various regions of the country, intensified economic pressure, and illegal threats”.
Iran warns against further US attacks in talks with Pakistan and Turkey
Washington DC [US], August 2 (ANI): Iran on Saturday cautioned the United States against any 'adventurous action', declaring that it would respond decisively should American forces launch fresh strikes on Iranian targets, thereby heightening tensions across the Middle East.
