Italy's August composite PMI rose to 53.6 from 52.5 in July.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry on the 2nd condemned an Iranian attack on a Bahri shipping vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and attacks against Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, and urged restraint, an end to escalation, respect for international law and a return to negotiations to resolve disputes peacefully.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reports Defense Secretary Hegseth has quietly extended U.S. force deployments in the Middle East, pushing the posture through 2027. Officials describe the change as part of an open-ended military strategy designed to preserve more options for Trump. The regional footprint now includes 19 warships, air‑defense units, fighter squadrons and paratroopers, sources said, increasing strain on personnel and families and creating a maintenance backlog that could take years to clear. An Army air‑defense unit charged with intercepting Iranian missiles and drones has had its standard deployment cycle extended from nine to 12 months, and several units rerouted from Europe and the Pacific have been deployed for more than a year.