These are the top headlines from Arab News, the Middle East’s leading English-language daily, on Saturday August 8th at 6am GMT.

• US official: We expect a deal soon between Iran and Oman on Strait of Hormuz
• Saudi minister: Makkah defence agreement with Turkiye, Pakistan not a ‘military axis or sectarian bloc’
• Yemeni forces target Houthi positions across multiple fronts
• UN Security Council condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, commercial shipping
• Saudi intelligence chief visits Baghdad for talks on regional security

Check out the latest updates on arabnews.com