Gulf-Iran Diplomacy: Iran’s foreign ministry rejected a US-GCC statement after Rubio’s Manama push to harden the Gulf stance on missiles, drones and Strait of Hormuz navigation, while warning Tehran is still pressing its own control claims. Hormuz Shipping Risk: Iran reportedly struck a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel near Oman, and the UN paused escort operations after the attack; the dispute also reignited arguments over whether the Strait will be “toll-free” or effectively controlled by Iran. Crypto & Compliance: Coinbase’s Base said it now hosts 25+ local-currency stablecoins, while CoinEx hit back at a Wall Street Journal report alleging $3.84bn in Iran-linked flows, citing compliance steps and denying ties to sanctioned Iranian entities. Capital Markets: Nasdaq Dubai welcomed a $500m Arab Energy Fund sukuk listing; Qatar’s QSE ended the week down 2.18% ahead of Q2 earnings. Banking/Policy: Nigeria’s central bank ordered banks to freeze terrorism-financier accounts after US sanctions on an ISIS-linked financier and BDCs. Energy/FX Spillovers: Oil slid over 2% as supply outlook outweighed tensions; the US dollar strengthened into H2, and Egypt signed an MoU for its first wind turbine factory plus a 2GW Gulf of Suez wind project.