Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Israel on Sunday rejected the Gaza deal announced last month by US President Donald Trump, even as details emerged of a possible temporary arrangement between Iran and Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck the government-held port of Mokha on the Red Sea coast and said they had also targeted an Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia.
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The developments added to tensions across the region, with fears over key shipping routes, uncertainty over Gaza ceasefire efforts and continuing friction between Iran and the United States. Washington also said it was moving to increase weapons production as its stockpiles came under pressure from the fighting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a Cabinet meeting that Israel’s military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed” and that “Israel rejects the 15-point document” announced by Trump, though discussions with Washington were continuing. Trump had said Israeli forces would withdraw as Hamas completed disarmament. Israeli forces now control more than half of Gaza, the Palestinian enclave of about 2 million people that has been largely destroyed. Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim said, “We remain committed to the road map,” and added that the group expected mediators and the US to pressure Netanyahu, who is also facing domestic tensions ahead of elections scheduled for October 27. The war in Gaza began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and a fragile ceasefire remains in place.
In Yemen, the government-allied National Resistance Forces said at least seven people, including four troops and three civilians, were killed in the Houthi attack on Mokha, while 15 civilians were injured. Fayed al-Noman, assistant undersecretary in the information ministry, said the rebels fired missiles and drones, causing severe damage to port buildings, piers, commercial goods and food supplies. The military later said missiles landed in several areas, including near a television channel. Mokha is a main port under Yemen’s internationally recognised government and has been renovated to handle shipping avoiding the Houthi-held port of Hodeida. The Houthis said they had targeted military forces and warehouses. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had also targeted an Aramco refinery in Jazan with a drone in response to what he described as Saudi drones breaching Yemen’s airspace over Hajjah and Saada provinces. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry reported a fire at a facility belonging to the Aramco refinery and said there were no casualties, but did not state the cause.
Two people familiar with the talks said Iran and Oman, which sit on either side of the Strait of Hormuz, were working to finalise a temporary deal to reopen the waterway, with ships entering near Iran and exiting near Oman. They said vessels would move through without fees or tolls during the interim period. The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the arrangement was meant to restore the separate interim deal between the US and Iran and had the backing of Gulf Cooperation Council members. They added that it was expected to be announced jointly by Iran, Oman, the United States and the UN’s International Maritime Organisation, though the terms could still change. Iran signalled progress on a plan to manage the strait, but a lawmaker said vessels linked to “hostile countries” would be barred. State broadcaster reports said parliament’s National Security Committee had approved the “general outlines” of the plan and cited a member of parliament’s presiding board as saying countries that had “caused damage” to Iran could not transit until they compensated for it. Fars and Tasnim later reported that the US and Israel were among the countries being referred to as hostile.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations with Oman on “new maritime routes” were in the final stages, but added, “this, however, does not mean that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen.” He said that would require conditions that had been conveyed through intermediaries. On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the strait would not reopen until the US “corrects its behaviour” and demanded that Washington never threaten Iran again, permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies, lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdraw its military from the area, compensate Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and “unconditionally” release frozen assets. Araghchi also said an “exchange of messages through intermediaries” with the US was continuing, but said that did not amount to negotiations, which could not resume until violations of the interim deal ended and the US “has remedied” the provisions it violated. US Central Command said its blockade had redirected 53 commercial vessels, disabled two and boarded two through Saturday.
Separately, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department was focused on increasing munitions purchases to provide “the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands”. He said the effort was part of a broader modernisation drive that began before the war with Iran, which started with US and Israeli attacks on February 28. An analysis by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies said the conflict had further reduced already diminished US stockpiles of advanced missile interceptors, causing concern among allies such as Ukraine and Taiwan. Taken together, the latest developments showed pressure building across Gaza, Yemen and the Gulf, with military action and diplomatic talks continuing side by side.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
