Responsible Statecraft

Houthi rebels killed six crew members and wounded ten in a double-tap missile strike on a cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, marking the first fatal attack on shipping since the Iran war began. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council chief reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz will only fully reopen when the US accepts Tehran’s conditions, as Pakistan’s interior minister visited Tehran for mediation talks. The IDF condemned settler takeovers of Palestinian homes in the West Bank but did not evacuate them, while Israel and Venezuela agreed to renew consular ties after a 17-year break.

President Trump demanded Iran pay compensation for Americans and protesters killed in the war, while dismissing Tehran’s own reparations demands. Colombia became the second country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Drone attacks struck Libya’s Zawiya refinery for the third time in 48 hours, and the next round of Israel-Lebanon talks was set for early September.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to renew their ceasefire and create pilot zones free of Hezbollah control, while President Trump suggested an Iran deal could be reached by the weekend despite Tehran denying progress. The US House passed a symbolic war powers resolution to limit Trump’s authority on Iran, and Kuwait released CCTV footage of the deadly Iranian drone strike on its airport.

US House Republicans abruptly delayed a vote on a war powers resolution that would have limited President Trump’s authority to strike Iran, as the administration sanctioned nine Hezbollah-linked Lebanese officials. On the ground, the IDF killed two armed suspects approaching the Israel-Lebanon border, while an Israeli strike on a Civil Defense center in Hanaweih killed four paramedics. Diplomatic signals between Washington and Tehran continued, with both sides citing progress but stuck on uranium enrichment and Hormuz tolls.