US and Iran expected to stop fighting, Iraq expands anti-corruption drive and Saudi helicopter crash

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, the US and Iran are expected to pause military operations as technical negotiations continue on their interim agreement. Tension in the Strait of Hormuz remains, as Tehran insists it alone will oversee security in the waterway, underlining the fragile nature of the deal. We also look at renewed Iranian attacks in the Gulf as Tehran launched missile and drone strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait. The UAE and Oman have strongly condemned the aggression, while Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned it could tighten enforcement in the strait as a response to any further escalation. In Lebanon, the newly signed, US-brokered peace agreement is already under pressure after fresh clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the southern border. In Iraq, Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has expanded his anti-corruption campaign with the arrest of dozens of legislators and officials as investigations gather pace. And in Saudi Arabia, at least 14 people were killed in a Saudi Aramco helicopter crash near Ras Tanura. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident and regional leaders have offered their condolences. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.