Overview

• The Shia Coordination Framework is reported to be divided between members pushing to defy US objections to the PMF and others warning of possible US sanctions or strikes.
• The United States has formally opposed the Popular Mobilization Authority Law, which analysts say would entrench PMF structures within Iraq’s state apparatus.
• UN Security Council members discussed a French draft to extend UNIFIL’s mandate to August 31, 2026, with a signaled conditional drawdown tied to Lebanese state control and a political arrangement, and a vote is expected on August 25.
• Lebanon’s finance minister says a $250 million World Bank loan approved in June is set to be signed early next week to launch reconstruction, with parliament scheduled to vote in early September.
• Iran’s leadership intensified pushback on reformists as Ali Khamenei’s official site likened their calls for change to a foreign influence campaign, while separate imagery showed Houthis repairing Hudaydah Port and resuming limited traffic.