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Former Acting Director of the State Department's Office of Iran Affairs, Joe Hood, stated that while the conflict between Iran and the United States has temporarily subsided, this situation will not last long, as both sides are rearming, replenishing their equipment, and preparing for the next move. Hood stated that the memorandum of understanding signed in June was doomed to fail because "the text was poorly written," giving Iran the opportunity to interpret it as claiming sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and the future situation in Lebanon. He added that if professional diplomats had been involved at the time, the agreement would never have been drafted in the same way, nor would it have left Iran with so much room for interpretation. Hood stated that there are currently no signs that the two sides will restart the memorandum of understanding or reach a new agreement, as they are currently deadlocked. He believes that Iran's insistence on sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz is the main obstacle to negotiations, and predicts that if Iran allows ships to pass freely again, Trump will respond by lifting the naval blockade and rescinding oil sanctions.

According to CNN: US Special Envoy Jared Kushner is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an attempt to push forward the Trump administration's stalled Gaza peace plan. Kushner met with Hamas representatives the previous day.

Invesco Nasdaq Technology ETF: Trading in this fund will be suspended from the opening of the market on August 18, 2026, and will resume at 10:30 on August 18, 2026. Redemption services will continue as usual during the suspension period.

A blog post published by the European Central Bank on Monday stated that excessive optimism surrounding US tech stocks may face a market correction, and given the limited buffer space in current fiscal and monetary policies to offset potential economic shocks, a correction could have widespread consequences. The post pointed out that valuations of large tech companies are currently far above historical averages, and a market correction is highly likely. Due to overly optimistic market sentiment, stock price declines are often more severe than in rational scenarios. A more serious scenario is not a stock market correction in isolation, but rather a simultaneous stock market correction and broader market turmoil, which policymakers will find difficult to mitigate. The post also noted that the specific timing of the market correction "cannot be known in advance," as such "boom-bust" patterns are typically only identifiable in hindsight.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi: I will begin my visit to Saudi Arabia and Oman today. I will exchange views with these two important countries on the situation in Iran and on efforts to de-escalate the situation. We will have further in-depth discussions on ensuring freedom and safe navigation, and frankly explain Japan's position. We will also reaffirm our cooperation in ensuring a stable energy supply with Saudi Arabia, one of Japan's largest sources of crude oil, and Oman, a significant source of both crude oil and liquefied natural gas for Japan.

According to Interfax news agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian troops have taken control of another settlement in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

According to RIA Novosti, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian troops have taken control of Novosoloshin in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine.

BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company by market capitalization, will release its full-year results before the Australian stock market opens on Tuesday. According to analyst forecasts compiled by Visible Alpha, BHP Billiton's underlying profit for the 12 months ending in June is expected to be US$12.66 billion, up from US$10.16 billion in the same period last year. Rising prices of major commodities such as copper, iron ore, and coking coal will boost the company's earnings. Copper growth will remain a key focus for the market as the mining giant seeks to increase its exposure to this industrial metal. BHP Billiton previously stated that copper became the largest contributor to the company's overall profit for the first time in the first half of fiscal year 2026. BHP Billiton plans to organize investor tours of its South Australian copper mine later this year, which the company considers a key area for future growth.

The Indian government has signed a contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to provide aircraft systems for the Indian Navy.

The 60-day deadline for negotiations between the US and Iran to reach a final agreement expired on Monday, but neither side implemented the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad on June 18. Mohammad Mahdi Maleki, an expert on Iranian regional affairs, told The New Arab that the memorandum of understanding was initially seen as a potential diplomatic breakthrough, but it gradually crumbled after the US reimposed the blockade and sought to open new sea lanes. Maleki stated that the agreement originally planned to achieve a ceasefire in Iran and a wider region (including Lebanon), reopen the Strait of Hormuz for one month, return Iranian assets, and begin negotiations on sanctions. However, the US violated the clause allowing Iran and Oman to discuss shipping management in the Strait of Hormuz after 23 days. Iran closed the waterway again after the US guided ships through the "southern corridor" with tracking systems disabled. Subsequently, Iran set six conditions for any resumption of negotiations, including a permanent cessation of attacks on Iran and its regional allies, lifting of the maritime blockade and sanctions, withdrawal of US troops from the region surrounding Iran, reparations for the war imposed on Iran, and the unconditional unfreezing of frozen Iranian assets. The former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council stated earlier this month that the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen until Washington “corrects its behavior.” Maleki stated that given the continued escalation of US actions and excessive demands, the likelihood of a limited military escalation is currently higher than the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough. He added that regional countries are continuing both public and behind-the-scenes efforts to revive the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, but the chances of success remain slim.

Baidu (09888.HK) will announce its second-quarter results on Tuesday. According to a FactSet survey of 11 analysts, Baidu's second-quarter net profit is expected to be RMB 2.82 billion, a significant decrease from RMB 7.32 billion in the same period last year; second-quarter revenue is expected to be RMB 31.34 billion, lower than RMB 32.71 billion in the same period last year. Fitch Ratings points out that emerging AI search and competition from various chatbots may put pressure on the monetization capabilities of Baidu's search business. Baidu's declining profitability reflects the weakening of its traditional businesses and relatively low profit margins in non-marketing businesses. Citigroup expects Baidu's core business revenue to decline by 3.6% year-on-year in the second quarter, with advertising revenue declining by 20% year-on-year, while revenue from Baidu's AI cloud infrastructure business is expected to increase by 60% year-on-year.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghae: Fundamentally, the problem between us and the United States is not about mediation; the problem lies in the American way of thinking, its misjudgments, and its clinging to methods and means that have been proven to fail countless times, while the US administration continues to repeat the same mistakes. The result will inevitably be no different from the past.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bagaei: Admitting mistakes can be a prerequisite for making the right decisions, but I doubt whether US policymakers have that courage.

Market news: Apple (AAPL.O) will implement several adjustments across the European Union. Apple will modify its advertising transparency consent tool, which was previously under review by the German competition regulator.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bagaei: It is regrettable that the United States has repeatedly broken its promises, just as it did in the Oman issue, and this time it has also damaged Pakistan's mediating role.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghae: As neighboring countries, Iran and Pakistan continue their bilateral relations. Pakistan is striving to use its capabilities to mediate between Iran and the United States.

U.S. S&P 500 E-Mini futures rose 0.18%, Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.54%, and Dow Jones futures fell 0.09%.

The Central Bank of Türkiye conducted a one-week gold-for-lira seller swap auction using traditional methods, with a scale of 4 tons.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bagaei: Two French embassy staff members have been banned from returning to Iran.

According to Interfax news agency: Ukrainian drones attacked industrial facilities in Russia's Astrakhan region.