Regional powers sought an off-ramp from the war with Iran as another tanker attack was reported in the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran dismissed Washington’s latest sanctions.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, a Jerusalem court acquitted a man accused of beating a Catholic nun but ordered him to undergo years of psychiatric hospitalization over the attack that drew global condemnation.
Israel’s strikes in Gaza drew a sharp rebuke from the top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the territory.
Here is an overview of recent developments concerning the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage is available elsewhere.
### Court Orders Psychiatric Hospitalization for Man Indicted in Nun Attack
A judge at a Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court acquitted a man accused of attacking a Catholic nun based on his insanity defense, ordering him committed to psychiatric hospitalization for up to six years.
The violent assault in April on a nun walking in her habit in Jerusalem’s Old City caused significant concern across Israel and its Christian communities, which have reported an increase in harassment.
Religious Freedom Data Center, an Israeli volunteer organization that tracks incidents such as verbal abuse and spitting toward visibly Christian people in Jerusalem, stated these incidents are occurring almost daily, with virtually all being committed by Jewish religious nationalists.
Jerusalem’s Old City encompasses some of the most sacred sites for Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
### Tanker Attacked in Strait of Hormuz
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization reported on Thursday receiving a report of an oil tanker struck in the strategic waterway central to the evolving diplomacy surrounding the Iran war.
The monitoring agency, operated by the British military, stated that local authorities reported the vessel was hit by an unknown projectile Tuesday in waters between Oman and Iran, causing it to catch fire.
UKMTO said the crew was reported safe and there were no reports of environmental damage.
This attack highlights the persistent dangers for vessels attempting transit through the key waterway while it remains under firm Iranian control, even as Oman and Iran are reportedly nearing the final stages of talks on managing shipping traffic in the strait.
Iran periodically fires at vessels trying to pass through the strait to enforce its control, although no immediate claim was made for Tuesday’s attack. The U.S. has also fired upon vessels while enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports.
### Faltering Diplomatic Efforts to End Iran War Continue
Pakistan announced on Thursday that it is continuing diplomatic efforts to help resolve the crisis between the United States and Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi stated at a news briefing that Field Marshal Asim Munir’s recent visit to Tehran aimed to revive the June memorandum of understanding concerning the reopening of the strait.
Andrabi also noted that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has maintained diplomatic outreach during Munir’s visit, speaking with his Turkish, Egyptian, and other regional counterparts.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry reported on X that Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is expected in Tehran on Thursday for discussions with Iranian officials regarding “ways to de-escalate tensions & create the conditions conducive to dialogue.”
Majed Al Ansari, an agency spokesperson, confirmed these discussions will also address “freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz and the necessity of returning to the prewar status quo.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump told Al Jazeera by phone Wednesday that he has “no time schedule” for concluding the conflict, which is set to reach six months on Friday. Trump informed the Qatar-based broadcaster that he believes the United States is “winning very big.”
### Iran’s Foreign Ministry Calls US Sanctions “Pure Parody”
Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, wrote late Wednesday on social media that the U.S. formed a coalition with Bahrain, describing it as a country with “virtually no meaningful economic exchange with Iran.”
In another social media post on Wednesday, Iran’s top negotiator and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf thanked China for rejecting the U.S. “economic D-Day” policies against Iran.
Qalibaf stated, “We welcome China’s principled statement rejecting illegal sanctions against Iran.”
Earlier this week, Tehran warned it would respond harshly to expanded U.S. sanctions, including measures targeting countries it views as cooperating with Washington. Since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on February 28, Iran has repeatedly targeted Bahrain and other Gulf nations with missiles and drones.
### Israel’s Gaza Strikes Receive Rebuke from Peace Board Chief
Nickolay Mladenov, head of Trump’s Board of Peace, informed the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that the disparity between agreed-upon terms and ground reality represents the greatest risk to the peace process in Gaza.
Mladenov stated, “Israeli strikes have continued since the road map was accepted, and Palestinian civilians are still being killed.”
The territory’s Health Ministry reported that an Israeli strike on a tent for displaced people Wednesday in southern Gaza resulted in one death and wounded at least four individuals. The Israeli military claimed it struck a “military operative” without further detail.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have reported an increase in deadly Israeli strikes despite a fragile ceasefire during the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war. Israel maintains that its targets are Hamas and other militants.
Israel’s deputy U.N. ambassador Noa Furman told the Security Council on Wednesday that Israel is committed to Trump’s peace plan, but stressed that Hamas’ “disarmament must come first” before Gaza reconstruction can commence.
The conflict in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel, which killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 others. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has resulted in over 73,400 deaths in Gaza.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-controlled government, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records generally considered reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, noting that women and children account for approximately half of all fatalities.