Rabat – Iran has ruled out direct negotiations with the United States for now, but says communication has not stopped. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that messages continue to pass through intermediaries, while efforts aim to prepare the ground for eventual talks.
The cautious tone reflects a region on edge. In southern Saudi Arabia, Yemen’s Houthi movement said it struck a Saudi Aramco facility in Jizan, sparking a fire and raising new concerns over the vulnerability of energy infrastructure. The claim, if confirmed, points to a war that continues to spill across borders.
Tehran has also raised the stakes at sea. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) set out conditions for reopening a strategic waterway, calling for an end to what it describes as a US naval blockade, along with compensation for war damage. The demands tie maritime security to broader political grievances, and risk further strain on global shipping routes.
In Gaza, diplomacy faces another setback. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a US-backed “Board of Peace” plan designed to end the war, despite its endorsement by Hamas last month.
“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. He made clear that any Israeli withdrawal depends on the complete disarmament of Hamas.
“The army will not withdraw until Hamas is genuinely disarmed,” he added.
Netanyahu noted that discussions with Washington remain active, but drew clear lines. Some proposals, he said, align with Israeli priorities, while others do not. “We know how to stand firm,” he added.
The White House and Hamas have yet to respond publicly.
US President Donald Trump had presented the plan on July 30 as a “historic” pathway to lasting security. The proposal centers on dismantling Hamas’s military capacity in stages, starting with heavy weapons, production sites, storage facilities, and the group’s tunnel network.
Israel, however, insists on a broader definition of disarmament. Netanyahu stressed that all weapons must disappear, including small arms, not only major systems.
The plan also outlines a future for Gaza under a technocratic Palestinian administration, supervised by the Board of Peace. Yet the body’s limited authority raises doubts about its ability to move forward without Israeli backing.
On the ground, skepticism runs deep. Observers warn that Netanyahu’s position disrupts months of mediation efforts and clouds any clear path out of the war.
“This puts the entire sequence of steps into question,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud from Gaza City.
From Bethlehem, Nour Odeh described Israel’s conditions as a serious obstacle for mediators. “This effectively resets the process,” she said.
Despite a ceasefire announced last October, bloody massacres have not stopped. Israeli strikes continue across Gaza, and the human toll keeps rising. Gaza’s health ministry reports at least 1,250 deaths and more than 4,100 injuries since the truce began, with hundreds still missing under rubble.
The broader war has left more than 73,000 people dead and over 174,000 wounded since October 2023.
With indirect diplomacy, contested ceasefires, and expanding flashpoints from Gaza to the Red Sea, the region now stands at a fragile crossroads. Each side signals openness to negotiation, yet conditions harden, and the gap between positions remains wide.
