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Turkey says new defence pact aligns with NATO commitments
Turkey said that its new defence agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia did not contradict its commitments to the NATO alliance.
"The agreement is not in contradiction with the commitments of Turkey's existing international alliances, including those at the heart of NATO," the government's anti-disinformation service said in a post on X.
The service said it was responding to "baseless claims and manipulative posts" criticising the new agreement.
'We expect a deal soon between Iran and Oman on Strait of Hormuz,' US official says
Progress is being made between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz and "we expect a deal soon", a US official told Reuters.
Once a deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments, the US will lift its blockade of Iranian ports, the official said.
"There is progress between Oman and Iran on the Strait, and we expect a deal soon," the official said. "Once the deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments, the US will lift the blockade of Iranian ports."
"As always, US actions will continue to be performance-based and tied to Iran’s implementation of its commitments," the official said.
Iran's Araqchi praises military, urges Muslim unity
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Iran's armed forces had demonstrated their readiness and strength in confronting what he called the world's most expensive military, and urged Muslim countries to unite and rely on themselves in the face of "hostile outsiders".
His post on X came hours after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca, bringing together three Sunni Muslim US partners amid a regional conflict that has seen Iranian missile fire target Gulf oil exporters.
It was not immediately clear whether Araqchi was referring to the defence agreement in his remarks.
US Treasury targets crypto exchanges in new Iran sanctions
The US Treasury targeted two major cryptocurrency exchanges with sanctions as it seeks to dismantle illegal financial networks funding Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other groups.
Houthis claim attack on camp held by Saudi-backed Yemen government
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed an attack on a military camp held by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in Marib province, as a Yemeni military source said eight personnel were killed in the province.
"The Saudi enemy continued to mobilise and incite its forces ... these forces were attacked along with their arsenals, vehicles and military equipment in the Sahn al-Jinn camp with a large number of missiles and drones," Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement, referring to the camp held by government forces.
Iraqi PM, Saudi intelligence chief discuss regional security
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met Saudi general intelligence chief Khalid al-Humaidan to discuss coordination over regional security developments, the prime minister's office said.
Zaidi said Iraq would not allow its territory to be used to launch actions or activities targeting any other country, reiterating Baghdad's commitment to protecting its sovereignty and preventing regional escalation, it added.
The meeting came a day after a senior Saudi official said the kingdom expected imminent coordinated attacks by Iraqi militias from the north and Yemen's Houthis from the south, under the supervision of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Lebanon, Israel agree shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify Hezbollah disarmament
Lebanon and Israel have agreed a shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah under a US-brokered agreement, a Lebanese official said, with the US due to pick countries from the list.
The official declined to identify any of the countries on the shortlist or say how many there were. Another Lebanese official and two foreign diplomats have previously told Reuters that Israel and the US had vetoed France.
The list was produced during meetings between Lebanon and Israel at the US embassy in Rome this week, the latest round of talks on how to implement a June 26 deal that links Israel's progressive withdrawal of troops from Lebanon to the disarmament of Hezbollah, which would be "verified" by a third party.
🎥 Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan pledge mutual defence
Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have signed a mutual defence agreement, under which an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all.
The pact comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its security partnerships after repeated attacks on its critical infrastructure amid the war in Iran.
FRANCE 24's correspondent Jasper Mortimer shares further insights from Turkey ⤵️
ADNOC says unprovoked attacks significantly impacting its operations
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said it continued to be significantly impacted by what it described as unprovoked attacks, but was taking measures to protect its people, assets and operations while meeting customer requirements as much as possible.
ADNOC said in a statement that 15 of its vessels had been attacked by missiles and drones while transiting the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the conflict, including three this week, leaving one crew member dead and 20 injured.
🎥 'She was haemorrhaging': The ordeal for pregnant women in the West Bank
FRANCE 24's correspondent Claire Duhamel travelled with a paramedic who regularly transports pregnant women to hospital.
Turkey says defence deal with Saudi, Pakistan 'not aimed at any particular country'
Turkey insisted that its joint defence pact signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan amid the US-Iran war was "not aimed at any particular country".
"The Mecca Agreement, which is not aimed at any particular country, will strengthen the shared security and collective deterrence of the three nations ... thereby making significant contributions to the preservation of peace and stability in our region," Burhanettin Duran, the Turkish presidency's communications director, posted on X.
Saudi official says defence pact with Pakistan, Turkey not tied to nuclear ambitions
A Saudi official said that the joint defence pact signed with Turkey and Pakistan was not linked to "any nuclear ambitions" and was not a threat to any country in the region.
"The agreement does not represent an effort to establish a military axis or a sectarian bloc. Nor is it linked to any nuclear ambitions or arms race, rather it is focused on building sustainable capabilities," said Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly in a post on X.
He said the deal "does not constitute a threat to the security of any country in the region, nor does it represent an escalation of tensions between any two states".
🎥 Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign defense pact
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement amid violence in the region from Houthi attacks and the US-Iran war.
Riyadh is looking to strengthen its security ties against the backdrop of war between the US and Iran, which has drawn in surrounding nations and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea.
FRANCE 24's International Affairs editor Kethevane Gorjestani shares further insights ⤵️
US employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs in July amid economic strain from the Iran conflict, unemployment dips to 4.1%
US employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs last month, and Labor Department revisions shaved 103,000 jobs off payrolls in May and June. But the unemployment rate dipped to 4.1 percent as Americans left the job market.
The June jobs numbers from the Labor Department marked a sharp reversal for the American labor market.
Hiring had rebounded this year from a lackluster 2025 in the face of the conflict in the Persian Gulf that has sent energy prices surging and put a strain on family budgets. Job growth had been solid, if unspectacular. Some businesses are having trouble filling vacancies. Others are using technology to do the work humans used to do.
Two civilians killed in Houthi attacks on Yemen government-held city
Yemen's Houthi rebels shelled residential neighbourhoods and displacement camps in the government-held city of Marib, killing at least two civilians and injuring 14 others, the health minister said.
"Shelling by the terrorist Houthi militia today, Friday, targeting residential neighbourhoods and displacement camps in the city of Marib, has resulted – according to an initial toll – in the deaths of two civilians and injuries of varying severity to 14 others," said Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh in a post on X.
Pakistan says any attack under new tri-party pact is attack on all
Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed a defence pact that would mean an attack on any member is regarded as an attack on all, Islamabad said on Friday.
"The Agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all," Pakistan foreign ministry said of the pact signed in Saudi Arabia by the three nations' leaders.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan defence pact not against any actor, official says
The defence pact signed between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is purely defensive in nature and pledges mutual support only for defence, a Turkish official said on Friday after the three regional powers inked the agreement in Mecca.
The official said the agreement was not against any specific actor and was open to other regional countries as well. The pact does not abrogate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between these states or with other states and organisations, the official added.
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign defence pact
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a defence agreement on Friday, Pakistan's foreign ministry and Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya said.
The pact, which Al Arabiya called the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", ties together the three countries amid the backdrop of the Middle East war and a revived conflict in Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour Yemen.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, Reuters)
