Trump threatens Iran with "decapitation" as ship struck in Strait of Hormuz

Qatar said on Tuesday that efforts for a diplomatic solution between the United States and Iran were ongoing but that there were no direct talks planned between the sides.

"We can confirm that the efforts are still ongoing with all parties," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters, adding that negotiations were focused on "a short-term resolution that would help us reignite the talks and go back to the mediation efforts in its totality."

Qatar has been acting as a mediator between the two countries. So have Oman and Pakistan, whose foreign ministers spoke to their Iranian counterpart on the phone Monday about ongoing diplomatic efforts, according to Iranian state media.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed Tuesday that they carried out a drone strike on an airport in southern Saudi Arabia, near the border between the two countries.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces were able to target a sensitive target of the Saudi enemy at Najran Airport with a drone, and the strike was accurate," military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree'a said in a post on X, adding that the attack was in response to alleged Saudi violations of Yemeni airspace.

"We affirm to the Saudi enemy that any violation of our airspace will not pass without a response and punishment," he added.

The Houthis' have also threatened to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait – the southern gateway to the Red Sea – to Saudi ships as part of their blockade.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel would bring "nothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises" for Lebanon, ahead of new talks in Rome.

In a wide-ranging televised address marking the Shia Arbaeen pilgrimage Tuesday, Qassem said Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun "has not acted as an arbiter, nor as a unifying figure, but has become biased and divisive, which is incompatible with his role and with Lebanon's strength."

Hezbollah officials have previously called the negotiations "appeasement."

Lebanon and Israel are set to begin the seventh round of U.S.-mediated direct negotiations in Rome on Tuesday, with the Lebanese delegation seeking additional Israeli withdrawals from southern Lebanon and a halt to Israeli military operations there.

Lebanese officials are hoping the second round of talks hosted in the Italian capital will produce results similar to those achieved during negotiations held on July 14-15, which led to the designation of the first "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, areas that Lebanese troops would control in hopes of regaining authority in areas pr