TOP STORIES
Trump Says Iran Ceasefire “Over” and Talks a “Waste of Time” | Axios
“President Trump on Wednesday declared the ceasefire with Iran over and that while negotiations can continue, they are a ‘waste of time.’ . . . ‘I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum,’ Trump said.”
U.S. and Iran Launch Fresh Strikes Following Attacks on Commercial Ships | Washington Post
“The United States and Iran traded military strikes overnight following attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a fresh wave of clashes that marks the latest threat to the ceasefire agreement between the two countries signed last month. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted 85 U.S. military facilities including in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday, according to semiofficial media outlet Fars. . . . The U.S. did not immediately comment on the Iranian attacks, which came after strikes were detailed by U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Late Tuesday, it said it had targeted more than 80 Iranian sites as ‘an immediate response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.’”
US Revokes General License Authorizing Sale of Iranian Oil | CBS News
“The Treasury Department on Tuesday afternoon revoked a waiver allowing Iran to sell oil and petrochemicals. … The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said the action is effective Tuesday. … The announcement comes on the heels of Iran attacking three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. ‘The Office of Foreign Assets Control is revoking GL X, which authorized the sale of Iranian oil. As President Trump and the administration have repeatedly affirmed, the MOU in effect with Iran is entirely performance-based,’ a U.S. official told CBS News in a statement. ‘Iran will only reap benefits if they exhibit good behavior. Iran's actions in the Strait were wholly unacceptable to the United States and will be met with consequences. Our negotiators continue to work in good faith towards a final deal.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Interview with UANI Director of IRGC Research Kasra Aarabi on GB News
“For fear of losing segments of the Muslim vote to the Green Party, [British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer] has refrained from clamping down on Islamist extremist networks here in the UK. He has refused to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps . . . the ayatollah’s terror army, which has plotted more than 20 terror attacks on our soil, targeting our parliamentarians, targeting our critical infrastructure, nurturing anti-Semitism. They’ve built a whole web of charities, mosques. Starmer could have shut those down, could have intervened.”
U.S. and Iran Trade Retaliatory Strikes in Contest for Control of Hormuz | Maritime Executive
“It is unclear how today’s revocation [of the U.S. Treasury Department’s General License X) would impact the millions of barrels of oil Iran has already shipped. The NGO United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) reports it has tracked 43 tankers departing with roughly $4.5 billion in cargo. Total estimates since the U.S. provided the General License in June are that as many as 55 million barrels had been shipped by Iran. TankerTrackers.com reported today that Iran is loading six million barrels of crude oil at Kharg Island.”
Millions of Barrels of Iranian Oil Left in Limbo After US Revokes 60-Day Waiver | Economic Times
“United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit organization, said it has tracked at least 19 Iranian oil and petrochemical loadings since the interim deal was signed. UANI has also identified at least 46 tankers laden with Iranian oil or fuel along the country’s coastline.”
MILITARY MATTERS & STRAIT OF HORMUZ SITUATION
New US Attacks on Iran Were Absolutely Necessary, NATO Chief Says | Reuters
“The new attacks by the U.S. on Iran were ‘absolutely necessary,’ NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday. . . . ‘When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully react,’ Rutte told reporters before a summit of NATO leaders in Ankara.”
UKMTO Increases Threat Level in Strait of Hormuz to ‘Severe’ After Attacks on Tankers | Fox News
“The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) has raised the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz to ‘severe’ following attacks on multiple oil tankers transiting the chokepoint. ‘Iranian attacks have raised the threat level to SEVERE, with deliberate hostile action likely under current conditions. Navigation interference persists, and mine-risk reporting remains relevant within and adjacent to the TSS. The recent confirmed incidents highlight that the threat environment remains heightened and warrants extreme vigilance. IRGC hailing and routing pressure continue, particularly for AIS-active vessels,’ the maritime security outfit said in a statement.”
Iran Claims Authority over ‘Parts’ of Strait of Hormuz in UN Filing: Report | Fox News
“Iran is claiming authority over sections of the Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh concerns over one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes. In a document submitted to the International Maritime Organization, Iran said parts of the strait are within its territorial waters and argued it has the right to exercise sovereignty there under international law, according to Bloomberg.”
Iranian Lawmaker Calls for Strike on Trump’s Location in Turkey: Report | Fox News
“A hardline Iranian lawmaker reportedly suggested Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s location during the NATO summit in Turkey should be hit with a missile.”
DIPLOMACY
Iran Won’t Negotiate with US Until Israel Stops Strikes in Lebanon, Foreign Minister Says | CBS News
“Iran will not resume negotiations with the U.S. until Israel stops its attacks in Lebanon and will not sign any final agreement until Israel fully withdraws from Lebanese territory, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday.”
‘US Will Lead Negotiations to Failure,’ Iran Supreme Leader’s Adviser Says | Al Jazeera
“Mohsen Rezaei, adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, told Iran’s state television that US efforts to create an alternative route in the Strait of Hormuz will lead to the failure of negotiations between the two states. . . . The official, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, was also cited by the broadcaster as pushing for ‘the withdrawal of the United States from the region,’ and demanding retaliation against those responsible for the killing of Iran’s former leader.”
HOSTAGES
British Couple Jailed in Iran Spend over 50 Days on Hunger Strike, Health Deteriorates | IranWire
“For over 50 days, Lindsey and Craig Foreman, a British couple detained in Evin Prison, have been on a hunger strike to protest their holding conditions, the severing of contact with their family, and the denial of their basic rights. Lindsey is experiencing severe physical complications and has lost over 14 kilograms, while Craig has lost approximately 16 kilograms.”
HUMAN RIGHTS
Baha’i Woman Sentenced to 5 Years in Iran for ‘Promoting’ Her Faith | IranWire
“Mitra Bandi Amirabadi, a Baha’i citizen residing in Yazd, has been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Yazd Revolutionary Court to five years of discretionary imprisonment and 10 years of deprivation of social rights. According to the verdict, three years of her prison sentence have been suspended for a period of three years. Based on the ruling, Mitra Bandi Amirabadi was convicted on the charge of ‘deviant propaganda activity contrary to the sacred religion of Islam through the promotion of the Baha’i faith,’ under Article 500-bis of the Islamic Penal Code.”
Kurdish Couple Arrested by Intelligence Forces, Taken to Unknown Location | IranWire
“Rashed Emami and Shler Modirzadeh, a married couple residing in Paveh, were arrested on Monday, July 6, by Intelligence Department forces in the city and transferred to an unknown location. . . . As of now, no information has been released regarding their place of detention, the reasons for their arrest, or any potential charges against them.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS & IRAQ
Thousands March as Khamenei’s Funeral Procession Crosses Into Iraq | Reuters
“Mourners marched through Iraq’s holy city of Najaf on Wednesday, following the coffin of slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as his six-day funeral procession, which drew huge crowds in his home country, pressed on across the border. People carrying large portraits of the late leader gathered along the route and chanted ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ as Khamenei’s coffin was driven on a large truck through the streets.”
EUROPE & IRAN
UK Summons Iranian Diplomat over Attack on Journalist ‘On Behalf of Iranian State’ | Al Jazeera
“The UK Foreign Office has summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat in the UK following the sentencing of two Romanian nationals for their role in an attack on journalist Pouria Zeraati in 2024. ‘The summons follows the sentencing of two Romanian nationals for their role in the attack on Iran International journalist Pouria Zeraati in March 2024,’ a Foreign Office spokesman said. ‘The judge concluded that this attack was carried out in the interests of, and on behalf of, the Iranian state.’”
Trump Says He Was ‘Testing’ NATO Allies with War Against Iran | Fox News
“President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was ‘testing’ NATO allies with Operation Epic Fury against Iran. ‘We weren't treated well. Because we did something in Iran. We don't need anybody’s help. I didn't even want the help. But before I asked, they said they wouldn't be there,’ Trump said in Turkey ahead of a two-day NATO summit.”
GULF STATES & IRAN
Saudis Condemn Tuesday’s Attack on Tanker by Iran | CBS News
“Saudi Arabia condemned an Iranian strike on one of its vessels, the Wedyan, while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The Saudis said the strikes were ‘an assault on the security and safety of international navigation, and on the security of global energy supplies.’”
Gulf Cooperation Council Leader Condemns “Brutal Iranian Attack on the Qatari Tanker” | CBS News
“The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional bloc made up of six Persian Gulf states, condemned the ‘brutal Iranian attack on the Qatari tanker 'Al-Rukayyat,'’ which he said had endangered the ship's crew. GCC Secretary-General Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi called the strike on the liquid natural gas (LNG) tanker off Oman's coast ‘a dangerous escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region.’ In his statement, Al-Budaiwi called on the international community to adopt a ‘firm and deterrent stance against these repeated Iranian attacks in order to safeguard regional and international peace and security and prevent the recurrence of such hostile acts that threaten the stability of the region.”