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US President Trump: I am very pleased to see that Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan have finally signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.

August 17th - According to the Financial Times, JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) CEO Jamie Dimon spoke with UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Healy by phone last week, warning him against raising taxes on the banking sector. The UK government is currently considering imposing new taxes on banks ahead of the October budget. Dimon stated that an uncompetitive tax system could weaken London's status as a financial center, potentially leading to an outflow of capital and financial jobs from the UK.

According to Al Jazeera, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament stated that we must reach a level of deterrence to avoid falling into a cycle of war, peace, and then more war.

Market news: Stripe is about to acquire artificial intelligence company OpenRouter for more than $7 billion.

August 17th - According to Politico, U.S. Attorney General Todd Branch said on Sunday that he is willing to disagree with the president on legal issues. He emphasized that Trump wants cabinet members to disagree with him when necessary. When asked if he could reject the president's preferred course of action if his legal opinion differed from the president's, Branch said, "I think he would expect me to tell him 'no'." However, he did not commit to the Justice Department always acting independently of the White House. "No, I would not make that commitment," he said, "and no attorney general should make that commitment."

Iranian media outlet Fars News reported that the Deputy Political Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stated that while their operations have so far been defensive, they may shift to an offensive posture in the future. The armed forces will adopt transformative strategies and take any action necessary to defend the country.

The China Earthquake Networks Center officially reported that a magnitude 3.6 earthquake occurred at 03:23 on August 17 in Longchang City, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province (29.22 degrees north latitude, 105.21 degrees east longitude), with a focal depth of 8 kilometers.

August 17 - According to the Emergency Operations Center of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health on August 16, the continuous airstrikes and attacks launched by Israel in Lebanon between March 2 and August 16 have resulted in 4,346 deaths and 12,301 injuries.

Hamas stated that it calls on the mediators and the Peace Commission to fulfill their responsibilities and compel Israel to honor its commitments and cease its aggression.

Hamas stated that its organization fully complied with the ceasefire agreement in its first phase, while Israel failed to do so.

Hamas stated that it agrees to the plan, which aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of occupying forces, and the commencement of operations of the governing council.

On August 17, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, in El Alamein, Egypt, on August 16, urging all parties to promote the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. A statement issued by the Egyptian presidential palace that day said that during the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the Palestinian issue and other developments in the Middle East, emphasizing that all parties should implement the outcomes of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit held in Egypt last October and promote the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Sisi also stated that Egypt and the United States should cooperate to resolve the regional crisis and maintain regional stability.

Hamas stated that it highly appreciates Trump's role in facilitating the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Hamas stated that their agreement to the second phase of Trump's plan depends on whether a permanent ceasefire and Israeli troop withdrawal can be achieved.

According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, Iranian Parliament Speaker Qalibaf stated that this is the most devastating defeat ever suffered by the US and Israeli regimes.

According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, Iranian Parliament Speaker Qassem Ghalibaf stated that Iran has won the war both militarily and politically. This does not mean that Iran destroyed US forces; rather, it means that the US and Israel launched an attack against us with nine clearly stated and publicly declared objectives, but failed to achieve any of them on any level.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Prime Minister spoke by phone with the Syrian Foreign Minister to discuss the latest situation in the region and efforts to ease tensions.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Prime Minister reiterated Qatar's full support for all efforts aimed at easing tensions and reaching a comprehensive agreement to achieve lasting peace in the region.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Prime Minister emphasized that all parties must adhere to dialogue and diplomacy, implement the consensus reached in the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, including ensuring freedom of navigation in the Sea of Hormuz, in order to maintain regional security, protect achievements, and enhance regional stability.