After calling off a fresh round of strikes against Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that new talks to wind down the war would start Monday (August 3, 2026), even as Iranian officials claimed their diplomatic efforts were focused on neighbouring nations.

Aslo Read: West Asia updates on August 3, 2026

Talks between the U.S. and Iran are critical to ending the monthslong conflict and reviving stalled cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed before the war.

But Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it’s focused on negotiations with Oman, not the U.S., prompting Mr. Trump to criticise the country’s leadership, which has grown increasingly divided over the war’s endgame.

Mr. Trump, who has made a habit of threatening strikes on Iran only to dangle the prospect of a last-minute diplomatic reprieve, said Monday (August 3) that whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking.”

Elsewhere, Israel struck the Gaza Strip over the weekend, days after the U.S. and Hamas said a deal was reached for the militant group to disarm, a potential step toward ending the war in Gaza.

Hospitals in Gaza said at least 17 people were killed in the weekend strikes, including children. A strike on a residential apartment in southern Gaza killed three family members, including a 4-year-old child, according to Nasser Hospital, where the bodies arrived.

The Israeli military said the strikes targeted militants.

Published - August 03, 2026 11:23 pm IST