IRAN - Iran has been invited to join the Mecca Agreement for Mutual Defense, the new security alliance established by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan earlier this month, Al Mayadeen reported on Saturday, citing a senior Iranian official. The invitation has not yet been officially confirmed by Iran's Foreign Ministry or by any of the three countries that are parties to the agreement. Mehdi Rahimi, head of the Iranian parliament's Khaneh Mellat news agency, told the channel that "Iran has received an invitation to join the Mecca Agreement, and the matter is under review." Rahimi added that countries in the region "are moving toward seeking a regional security umbrella," and claimed that this represented "a victory for Iran, because it has been calling for this for a long time."

MIDDLE EAST - The trilateral Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani defense agreement, more than a year in the making, sends a clear message: threatening the security of the Gulf ultimately means threatening the security of the entire region. The signatories have chosen to act because they believe the region must move toward progress and away from chaos. The agreement is significant in its form, timing, and location. It was signed in Mecca, conveying, as the Gulf saying goes, that the matter has fully matured and that there is no longer room to accept the current reality of destructive wars. Iran must understand that its expansionist project is surrounded by increasingly irrational assumptions. Collectively, the three signatories possess formidable resources and capabilities, with combined GDP estimated at $3.3 trillion. Pakistan overlooks the Arabian Sea, while Turkey’s presence in Somalia gives it access to the Red Sea. All three wield significant economic and international influence.

CANADA - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced retaliatory tariffs on the United States on Saturday, after walking away from a "bad deal" on trade in a deepening rift between the longtime allies. Negotiations between the neighboring countries broke down Friday in Washington, putting into force new 50-percent US tariffs impacting about $20 billion worth of goods, or 5.5 percent of Canadian exports to the United States. Impacted products range from hockey sticks to cement. "You're at war when you get attacked. We got attacked," Carney said. Canada has been seeking relief from Trump's tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum, which have battered the country's economy, forced job losses and strained what was once an iron-clad trade relationship.

GERMANY - Volkswagen’s chief executive has warned that the crisis facing the German carmaker is “more than critical”, urging employees to brace for “the biggest upheaval in their history”. Oliver Blume said US tariffs, the war in the Middle East and mounting competition from China had all contributed to a downturn that threatens to worsen in the coming years. In an internal memo seen by The Telegraph, he said that Volkswagen’s current profits were “by no means sufficient” for it to continue investing in “new technologies, new products and our locations”. He added that “we have to assume that risks will get worse, worldwide”, claiming that “we are in the biggest transformation in the history of the global automotive industry”. His comments form part of efforts to win over staff as part of a controversial turnaround plan, which could include closing four of its German factories and laying off as many as 100,000 workers.

USA - As a record-breaking El Niño builds in the Pacific and large swaths of the globe’s oceans are affected by marine heat waves, a significant record has fallen. According to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, average global sea surface temperatures have reached a new high, rising to nearly 70 degrees Fahrenheit late last week — potentially for the first time in millennia. This mark surpassed the previous record set in March 2024. “August 21st likely marked the warmest Sea Surface Temperatures have been for the entire Holocene period, and possibly even as far back as the last Interglacial 125,000 years ago,” wrote University of Ottawa professor Ryan Katz-Rosene on X. The unusual ocean warmth has fueled powerful storms in the Pacific, such as Hurricane Lala near Hawaii, helped create a reservoir of extra moisture that has contributed to recent rainfall extremes across the United States and boosted summer heat across Europe.

IRAN - Iranian TV has targeted another member of Donald Trump’s close family with a report suggesting how they might be assassinated. Last month, a propaganda clip titled ‘How to Kill Melania Trump’ appeared to provide tips about the US First Lady’s whereabouts and designer stores she frequently visits. That video ended with an apparent threat towards the President’s youngest son, saying: ‘This is just the beginning. Barron Trump, wait for us.’ According to the report, a bounty of $10,000,000 (£7,300,000) has been placed on the head of the president’s son.

SCOTLAND - The SNP has vowed to impose legal caps on the prices of dozens of staple products at supermarkets in a move derided by retailers as a “potty gimmick”. Launching the nationalists’ manifesto for the Holyrood elections on Thursday, John Swinney said he would deploy public health powers to force large shops to offer up to 50 products at a cost set by the state. The first minister declined to provide details on the maximum prices he planned to impose, but said the policy would apply to items such as bread, milk, cheese, eggs, rice and chicken.

UK - Britain could face shortages of chicken, pork and other supermarket goods this summer if the war in Iran continues, a secret government analysis has found. Officials have drawn up contingency plans for a “reasonable worst-case scenario” amid fears that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will lead to shortages of carbon dioxide, which is critical to the food industry. Senior officials — including from No 10, the Treasury and Ministry of Defence — have secretly rehearsed scenarios looking at the potential impact on British industry in an event codenamed “Exercise Turnstone”. The Times has been told the reasonable worst-case scenario prepared for the session, run by the government’s emergency committee, Cobra, was set in June 2026 and assumed that the strait had not reopened and a permanent peace deal had not been reached. Farming and hospitality would likely be hit earliest and hardest, given CO2 is used to help increase the shelf life of food such as salad, packaged meats and baked goods.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - The United Arab Emirates halted all trade with Iran “until further notice” on Wednesday after accusing Tehran of firing ballistic missiles toward the country. The UAE imposed the punitive measure after two incoming ballistic missiles splashed down in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday night — triggering nationwide warnings and forcing residents to flee for safety for the first time in weeks. The Emirati Foreign Ministry then announced that the UAE will suspend all trade and financial transactions with Iran “until further notice,” while remaining committed to “dialogue, cooperation, and regional integration.” The Iranian Foreign Ministry, however, denied that Iran had launched any such missiles toward the UAE, according to ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei. The UAE regularly came under intense fire from the Islamic Republic early in the conflict. The move further economically isolates Iran, which is already suffering under US sanctions and a blockade.

IRAN - Iran’s supreme leader is under mounting pressure over the war — as the regime’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz weakens, cash finally starts to get tight and top political leaders publicly urge the Islamists in charge to find a way out of the conflict. The latest phase of the conflict has seen more and more ships quietly slipping through Hormuz, with nearly 200 vessels sailing through the strait last week, according to data from the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center. The flow represents a 400% spike in the last two weeks, with maritime analysts Kpler noting that the traffic finding safe passage — aided by US Navy escorts — effectively means Iran has lost partial control of the strait. And while more ships and oil are getting out, Iran’s own oil exports have dropped to near zero, under the renewed American blockade on its ports and President Trump’s “economic D-Day” measures.