Oil Pipeline

US forces sank two IRGC boats attempting to seize an American surface drone in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran's IRGC claimed it shot down a third US MQ-1 drone over the waterway. Israeli strikes killed Hamas and Islamic Jihad commanders in Gaza, and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia drew fresh condemnation as satellite imagery revealed major damage to the East-West oil pipeline.

A planned Oman meeting on Strait of Hormuz arrangements was postponed at Saudi Arabia's request, while Iran's IRGC claimed it destroyed a U.S. MQ-1 drone over the strait. Israeli strikes continued in Gaza and southern Lebanon, and Houthi forces claimed attacks on Saudi Arabia as Yemeni government forces advanced in Taiz.

An Iranian commercial vessel was struck near the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member and wounding three, as Tehran ruled out reopening the waterway despite plans for a Muscat meeting on new maritime arrangements. Houthi forces massed around Marib after seizing Yemen's Red Sea coast, while Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors are set to meet in Washington next week to discuss the trilateral framework.

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline after drones launched from Iraq struck the system, with Baghdad firing a military commander and ordering an investigation. The Houthis completed their seizure of Yemen's Red Sea coast, capturing Perim Island and halving ship traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Israel-Lebanon talks scheduled for Rome next week were postponed to October, with ambassadors to meet in Washington instead. US officials linked Chinese satellite imagery to Iran's July attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three American troops.

Hezbollah launched explosive drones at northern Israel and rockets at IDF troops in southern Lebanon, while the IDF struck Hezbollah infrastructure in Tyre and destroyed a rocket launcher used in an overnight barrage on Kiryat Shmona. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the full annexation of the West Bank and the elimination of the Area A/B/C division. Iran’s foreign minister expressed distrust of the US at a BRICS meeting in India, and the UAE announced the acceleration of a second oil pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz by 2027.