Turkey has restricted commercial vessel traffic through the Turkish Straits to the Black Sea, particularly toward Russian and Ukrainian ports, following a series of attacks on merchant ships, including Turkish-owned vessels. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on Russia and Ukraine to declare a mutual moratorium on attacks against commercial vessels, warning that the conflict has expanded to indiscriminate targeting of all merchant ships. Turkey has implemented temporary measures under the Montreux Convention while maintaining passage for civilian vessels. The restrictions affect key export hubs like Novorossiysk, and come amid escalating maritime strikes and a US-brokered deal to protect non-Russian tankers near the CPC terminal.

Background: Özgür Özel and 91 other MPs founded the New Party (Yeni Parti) after a court reinstated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as CHP leader, making it the main opposition. The party's launch has energized the opposition, attracting 91 of 135 CHP deputies and dozens of mayors, and reaching out beyond traditional CHP supporters to include Islamists, conservatives, nationalists, and Kurds. Polls show the party leading above 30 percent, surpassing the AK Party, while CHP support has collapsed. However, the party faces immediate legal threats: several mayors who joined have been arrested on corruption charges, widely seen as politically motivated, and 26 opposition mayors and hundreds of officials have been imprisoned in the past two years compared to two from the AK Party. Leader Özgür Özel is protected by parliamentary immunity, but analysts warn he may be imprisoned once his immunity is removed by a parliamentary vote, with only public opinion protecting him. With parliament about to break for summer until October, Özel has a brief window to strengthen the party and rally support.

Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, pledging that an armed attack on any one will be considered an attack on all. The pact aims to strengthen collective security, defense cooperation, and deterrence, and is open to other friendly nations. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the agreement targets no country and will enhance counterterrorism efforts, while Turkish Communications Director Burhanettin Duran called it a historic step for military interoperability and defense industry cooperation.

Background: Eight Muslim nations previously condemned Israeli settler incursions and flag-raising at Al-Aqsa, and later specifically condemned a mass incursion led by Minister Ben-Gvir on Tisha B'Av. Today, the Arab League, along with Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Malaysia, issued a joint statement after an emergency meeting in Amman, Jordan, warning that Israeli infringements on the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound could trigger a religious conflict threatening regional and international peace. The statement cited reports of Israeli authorities preventing Jordanian mosque officials from entering, halving Muslim worshiper numbers, and allowing more Jewish prayer at the site. Experts say consequences could range from protests to war, and could force countries that normalized ties with Israel to reverse course. In response, Israel's Foreign Ministry stated that Jerusalem is more open to worshippers of all faiths than ever.