SAUDI ARABIA, TURKEY, AND PAKISTAN SIGN MUTUAL DEFENCE PACT IN MECCA

Three of the most strategically significant Muslim-majority states agreed that an attack on any one is an attack on all three 3BBM Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign defence pact 5CNN Saudi Arabia turns to Muslim military heavyweights in landmark defense pact as Iran war closes in. Turkey brings NATO's second-largest military, Pakistan brings nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia brings geography and money. This happened because Riyadh has watched US attention, patience, and interceptor stockpiles all shrink at the same time and decided to buy insurance. The catch is that neither Ankara nor Islamabad signed up to fight Iran; they signed up to deter attacks on Saudi Arabia, which is a meaningfully different commitment and a fine line to walk. The alliance includes an expansion clause for other regional states 5CNN Saudi Arabia turns to Muslim military heavyweights in landmark defense pact as Iran war closes in, which is how NATO started, and its first real test may come within days.

The framework under SNSC review would give Iran operational control of inbound strait traffic and Oman control of outbound, with no mandatory tolls 2TOI Iran said awaiting council’s approval for Hormuz deal with US and Oman. A separate parliamentary bill would ban US and Israeli vessels entirely and impose cargo fines up to 20 percent of cargo value 2TOI Iran said awaiting council’s approval for Hormuz deal with US and Oman 14CRD Proposed Iran-Oman deal for Hormuz 'unfeasible' for intl shipping firms: Report. Washington says it will only accept a deal with no fees and no permissions required 2TOI Iran said awaiting council’s approval for Hormuz deal with US and Oman. Iran's deputy foreign minister said nuclear talks are still two to four months away after any reopening 9GDN Iran plots to deal Trump a blow in midterms by keeping him entangled in war, which lands well past the US midterms. Those two positions are not close, and the paperwork multiplying around this deal should not be mistaken for progress.

Coordinated Houthi strikes hit military camps in Marib and Hadramout provinces, then the same day shelling injured 11 civilians in southern Saudi Arabia 13GDN Houthi strikes kill dozens in Yemen, officials say, as Saudi Arabia warns of further attacks. Saudi intelligence now says it has confirmed warnings of imminent coordinated attacks from Iraqi militias to the north and Houthis to the south, targeting ports, airports, and energy infrastructure 12CNN Iran says Hormuz deal close but US must meet commitments before strait reopens 13GDN Houthi strikes kill dozens in Yemen, officials say, as Saudi Arabia warns of further attacks. The Mecca defence pact was signed directly into this environment; the sequencing is not coincidental. If the strikes materialise in the next 48 hours, the alliance faces its first test before the ink dries.

The Associated Press documented that officials described a concentrated surge of casualties as "minor concussions" while medical specialists warn of long-term neurological damage including CTE 4TTM Iranian attacks leave hundreds of US service members with enduring brain trauma. A drone strike in Kuwait killed six US soldiers in the same period. Senator Tammy Baldwin is pressing for a formal investigation into screening delays 4TTM Iranian attacks leave hundreds of US service members with enduring brain trauma. This is the part of the war US official communications have been least willing to engage with honestly, which is not nothing when the public case for continued involvement rests partly on the claim that costs are manageable.

A technical meeting of more than 30 states met Thursday, but the UK and France remain unwilling to commit vessels to active Hormuz operations 11AJE ‘De-escalation’: Europe hesitates as US pushes for Hormuz naval mission. Analysts at RUSI and the Center for American Progress were blunt: neither London nor Paris wants to put sailors between the US Navy and the IRGC in a war their publics oppose 11AJE ‘De-escalation’: Europe hesitates as US pushes for Hormuz naval mission. The coalition has a website. It does not have a fleet. Meanwhile, the US interceptor shortage is already creating measurably greater danger for personnel in the region and straining Pacific Command 10AJE Trump says war ‘can’t go much longer’, what’s the latest on talks?, which is a problem that European governments relying on American precision-strike as a NATO backstop should probably be reading more carefully.