TOP STORIES
U.S. Sending Dozens of Refueling Planes to Israel as Iran Escalation Looms | Axios
“The Trump administration notified Israel it is sending dozens more refueling planes to the country ahead of a potential expansion of military operations against Iran, three U.S. and Israeli officials said. . . . After he was presented with several new military plans in a Situation Room meeting Tuesday, President Trump is considering a massive offensive in Iran that would be wider in scope than the current strikes around the Strait of Hormuz. . . . Among the options being considered are bombing Iranian infrastructure facilities like power plants, conducting more attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in order to bury Iran’s enriched uranium even deeper, and bombing the Pickaxe Mountain underground site that is suspected to be a facility in the making.”
U.S. Hits Iran for Ninth Consecutive Night as American Casualties Rise | CNBC
“The U.S. Central Command completed the ninth consecutive evening of strikes against Iran, at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Centcom said a post on X. The three-hour exercise targeted Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, aimed at further diminishing Tehran’s capabilities to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the strait, Centcom said. . . . The human toll continued to climb over the weekend. U.S. forces said Sunday that a third American service member was killed in recent fighting with Iran, and that it had located unidentified remains in Jordan after a service member was listed as missing in action, bringing the number of U.S. personnel killed in the nearly five-month war to 17.”
“US air strikes on Iran overnight hit a nuclear-power plant under construction, according to furious Tehran officials. During an eighth consecutive day of strikes on the country, the US attacked the partly built Darkhovin nuke facility in the southwest of the country, according to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization—an assault that came the day after two American service members were reported killed, with a third still missing.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran Rushed Out $6 Billion of Oil During Brief Truce with U.S. | Wall Street Journal
“Iran took advantage of the roughly one-month period between mid-June and mid-July when the U.S. lifted its blockade on Iranian oil to ship out roughly 70 million barrels of oil, worth a total of $5 billion or $6 billion, according to independent estimates by United Against Nuclear Iran, an advocacy group based in the U.S., and oil analysts. That gives the Iranian government a valuable buffer now that the U.S. has reimposed its blockade of Strait of Hormuz and choked Iranian exports once again. . . . Analysts say that the recent surge in Iranian ships arriving in Asian waters in July means that Iran will likely receive billions in oil revenue in the months to come. ‘If they had left the blockade on, the pinch would likely have hit about now,’ said Charlie Brown, a Singapore-based analyst with United Against Nuclear Iran. But once the blockade lifted, Iran ‘quickly surged more oil . . . so there is a big buffer again.’”
Iran Used Brief US Truce to Build $6 Billion Oil Buffer—Report | Jerusalem Post
“Estimates compiled by United Against Nuclear Iran, a US-based advocacy group, and oil analysts indicated that Tehran moved about 70 million barrels [of oil] during the window between mid-June and mid-July. . . . ‘If they had left the blockade on, the pinch would likely have hit about now,’ Charlie Brown, a Singapore-based analyst with United Against Nuclear Iran, told the Journal. Brown said that once the blockade was lifted, Iran ‘quickly surged more oil . . . so there is a big buffer again.’”
Analysts Warn Trump’s Silence on Troop Deaths May Be Omen: ‘Something Might Be Cooking’ | Raw Story
“Jason Brodsky, who served in the White House as a policy fellow and currently leads United Against Nuclear Iran as its policy director, suspected Trump’s silence on the killing of the U.S. soldiers could be a sign. ‘I think it’s interesting how relatively quiet President Trump has been after the Iranian regime killed two American troops,’ Brodsky wrote in a social media post on X to his more than 111,000 followers. ‘No Truth Social post. Something might be cooking.’”
“‘No more proportional responses,’ stated Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, after the news that the American soldiers were killed.”
Interview with UANI Research Director Daniel Roth | NewsX
“If the U.S. strikes a bridge [in Iran], for instance, it could be lawful depending on how it’s being used. If it’s being used to move troops, missiles, military supplies, then it could very well be a lawful objective. . . . Regarding [Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas] Araghchi’s comments, he is consistently used by the regime to be the more legitimate face of Iran and he regularly accuses the U.S. of war crimes. . . . It was only back in January that the Iranian regime slaughtered en masse at least 40,000 of its own civilians. So that hypocrisy is very hard for me to see beyond.”
Interview with UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky | The DrewXperience
“I think everyone has to realize that we are never going to get a durable diplomatic outcome with this regime as long as it remains in power.”
Iran Boosts Crude Exports During Truce, Channels Oil to China | Chosun Biz
“On the 18th, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) cited United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a pressure group against Iran, as saying that from mid-last month, when the United States lifted the blockade on Iranian crude, to mid-this month, over about a month, Iran exported about 70 million barrels of crude. . . . Charlie Brown, an analyst at UANI, said, ‘If the blockade had remained in place, Iran would be starting to feel significant pressure by now,’ adding, ‘But once the blockade was lifted, Iran immediately ramped up crude exports and regained considerable buffer capacity.’”
Interview with UANI Senior Advisor Charlie Brown | Saturday Mornings with Glenn van Zutphen
“The MOU definitely was not a peace deal. It was a document to give space for negotiations, and those negotiations began but didn’t really go anywhere. . . . in particular, by Iran continuing to attack innocent, neutral shipping because that’s their leverage point as they try to control the Strait of Hormuz.”
The Iranian Deception That Fooled the US and Funded Its Military | The Week
“Analysts believe the Iranian economy is in its worst state since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and every dollar counted. Charlie Brown, a Senior Advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), believes if the blockade had continued, the pressure would have fully manifested by now. ‘Once the blockade was lifted, Iran rapidly exported more oil.’”
MILITARY MATTERS & STRAIT OF HORMUZ SITUATION
Pentagon Withheld Dozens of U.S. Military Injuries in Iran War | New York Times
“In the week leading up to the Iranian attack on Friday that killed two U.S. soldiers and left one service member missing in Jordan, Iran carried out three other strikes against U.S. forces in the country. Those attacks injured dozens of U.S. service members and damaged several helicopters, according to several U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. But the Pentagon did not disclose the earlier strikes, nor the casualties and damage they inflicted. The episode is the latest example during the Iran conflict of the tension between what the Pentagon says is the need for operational security and the government’s obligation to inform the public about the conduct of the war.”
US Strikes Cut Roads and Bridges in Southern Iran as Ground Assault Talk Grows | Iran International
“US strikes have destroyed bridges, tunnels and rail links across southern Iran in a seventh straight night of attacks, severing roads to the Strait of Hormuz coast and feeding talk in Washington and Tehran that a ground assault may follow.”
US Bombs Key Road Tunnels in Overnight Strikes on Iran | Telegraph
“The US damaged a key tunnel in Iran during a wave of overnight strikes, disrupting a critical transport route. . . . American forces struck several bridges in the vicinity in an apparent attempt to cut off the nearby Bandar Abbas, a crucial port city where roughly half the country’s trade arrives.”
Iran and US Widen Attacks, Raising Fears for Gulf Shipping and Water Supplies | Reuters
“Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Authority said on Monday that Iran had targeted the kingdom’s civil air navigation systems, but that operations and air traffic were proceeding normally. . . . The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two oil tankers had ‘exploded’ and were immobilised after attempting to transit the strait via an ‘unsafe’ route. On Sunday, the IRGC had said two ships were involved in an ‘accident’ in the same area. It was unclear whether the two incidents were related. Reuters could not immediately verify the incident. The IRGC statement gave no details about the vessels or any casualties. Separately, a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile off Oman’s coast, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said. The vessel remains adrift but the crew are safe, it said.”
Trump on US Service Members Killed in Jordan: ‘It’s a Very Sad Thing’ | The Hill
“President Trump on Saturday said the deaths of U.S. service members in Jordan is ‘a very sad thing.’ ‘We hate to see it happen. They were in service of our country. And they, every one of them will never allow, they’ll fight to the death. But never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon,’ Trump said when asked about the deaths of the service members . . .”
Trump Says US Strikes Hit Iran in ‘Honour’ of American Soldiers Killed | BBC News
“President Donald Trump says the latest strikes by the US hit Iran ‘very hard,’ adding that the attacks were ‘in honour’ of three US soldiers killed in recent days—two in Jordan, one in Iraq.”
Iran Supreme Leader Accuses Trump of Violating Deal, Vows Forceful Response | Axios
“Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Saturday issued a belligerent statement accusing President Trump of violating the U.S.-Iran agreement and pledging a strong response by Iran and its proxies if the fighting continues to escalate. . . . ‘The Great Satan’s repeated violations of the memorandum of understanding signed between the presidents of Iran and the United States once again proved to everyone how worthless and unreliable the signature of the U.S. president is,’ Khamenei wrote on his Telegram channel.”
Mission in Iran War Has Pivoted Toward Ensuring Oil Flow, Trump Official Says | Guardian
“Appearing on ABC’s This Week, the US energy secretary, Chris Wright, defended the Trump administration’s strategy after being confronted with his earlier claims that the war which began in February would have ended by now. Wright argued that the mission has since shifted toward ensuring oil shipments can move through the strait of Hormuz. ‘We did a pause to try to get an agreement with the Iranian people to allow oil to flow without them attacking it,’ Wright said. ‘They’ve proven unwilling to do that, and we’ve pivoted. Now, what we’re doing is assuring that that oil and gas and other products can flow through the strait of Hormuz with or without Iranian cooperation, and we’ve continued to degrade their offensive military capabilities.’”
Iran Army Says Commandos Infiltrated Iraq, Killing 8 Kurdish Fighters | Iran International
“Iran’s army said its 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade carried out 11 cross-border operations in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, killing eight mid-level commanders of what it described as separatist groups and destroying three bases.”
Iranian Drone Attack Wounded Several Personnel, Kuwaiti Army Says | CBS News
“Iranian drone strikes wounded several Kuwaiti military personnel on Friday, according to the country’s army. In a post on X, the Kuwaiti army said the casualties were sustained when Iranian drones targeted ‘several facilities and camps’ on Friday morning.”
Strait of Hormuz Transits Drop to Lowest Level in 3 Weeks, Monitoring Outlet Says | CBS News
“The number of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz dropped to their lowest level in three weeks as violence between the U.S. and Iran ramped up again. Only eight ships passed through the strait on Thursday, according to data from maritime tracking firm Kpler. Seven of the eight vessels used the Iranian route through the strait as opposed to the U.S.-supported route along the Omani coast — a sign of concern they will be targeted by Iranian missiles or drones if they don't follow Iran's orders.”
Ships Continue to Move Through Strait of Hormuz, Chris Wright Says | Politico
“Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that despite renewed fighting with Iran, oil tankers continue to make it through the Strait of Hormuz. . . . Wright said: ‘We’re at a little under 14 million barrels a day from the Arabian Gulf region. That’s two-thirds of pre-conflict traffic, dramatically up from where we were back in March when I was last on your show. I mean, not 100% yet, but two-thirds of flow right now.’”
Jordan Is Becoming a New Focus in the U.S.-Iran War | New York Times
“The Iranian attack that killed two U.S. soldiers and left one service member missing on Friday was the fourth in five days on U.S. forces in Jordan, multiple American officials said. Taken together, the attacks have wounded dozens of U.S. service members and damaged a number of helicopters. . . . Jordan’s location allows the United States to conduct ‘more efficient air operations across Syria, Iraq and the broader region,’ said David Deptula, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who was a main architect of the 1991 Persian Gulf air war. ‘Friday’s attack was therefore not just an attack on a base,’ he said in an email on Saturday. ‘It was an attack on the U.S. regional coalition and an attempt to make the political cost of hosting American forces greater than the security benefit.’”
Israel Threatens ‘Full Force’ Response If Iran Fires Missiles Towards It | Guardian
“‘If Iran fires missiles at Israel, we will attack them with full force,’ said the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, on Sunday. The country was prepared for ‘both defensive and offensive’ action, he added. The US is expected to send dozens of additional refuelling planes to Israel as part of a reinforcement of its force posture in the region, a US official told Reuters.”
IRGC Says Strikes Will Continue Until ‘Calm’ Returns to Hormuz | Iran International
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards will continue targeted strikes from across the country until calm returns to the south of the country, the force's aerospace commander Majid Mousavi said on Friday. ‘Our effective and targeted fire from across Iran will continue until calm returns to the southern coastline and the Strait of Hormuz,’ Mousavi said.”
DIPLOMACY
U.S. and Iran Signal Openness to Talks, Even as War Escalates | New York Times
“The top U.S. and Iranian diplomats signaled separately that they remained open to talks even as the two sides traded new strikes on Monday, more than a week into a spiraling escalation in their war.”
Iran Says It Has Suspended Commitments Under Memorandum with US | Iran International
“Iran has suspended its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding with the United States after Washington “’violated all of its obligations’ under the agreement, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Saturday. . . . He said there was no new information regarding possible talks with Washington, adding: ‘We are busy defending the country.’”
“Mediators have passed Iran a proposal to de-escalate the war with the U.S. that would offer a 10-day ceasefire to find ways to revive an interim deal reached last month, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.”
Germany, France Urge Iran to Return to Talks | Al Jazeera
“German Chancellor Merz and French President Macron have called on Iran to de-escalate and return to negotiations with the US in a joint statement, which came after a defence and security council meeting.”
“Southeast Asia’s top diplomats will express alarm over renewed hostilities in the Middle East and call for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz when they gather in the Philippine capital Tuesday for talks with Western and Asian counterparts.”
INTEL
“Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that an intelligence breach that allowed Israel to assassinate Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has likely not been patched.”
Israeli Rabbis Are the Latest Recruits in the Fight Against Iranian Spycraft | New York Times
“The white-bearded rabbi had an unusual message for his followers in Israel. Instead of presenting a teaching from the Torah, he exhorted them in a widely distributed video clip to avoid the temptation of spying for Iran. . . . Rabbi Cohen said that Israeli security officials had approached him and asked him to warn listeners that Iranian agents were recruiting people in Israel to work for them — urging them over the internet to photograph locations, acquire guns and hide them in a set location, and potentially even kill.”
TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION
“When British Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati first heard of the U.K.’s formal plans to ban support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps early this week, it gave him a sense of relief he had not felt in years. It was ‘the happiest day of my life since I was stabbed,’ he said. ‘In order to counter this threat, we need to counter the main cause of it, the root of it, which is the Iranian regime and specifically the IRGC,’ Zeraati told CBS News. ‘This is a huge step that gives huge leverage to law enforcement to track, monitor, and counter the main source of the threat, which is in Tehran. Not in Eastern Europe and all the other proxies working on behalf of the regime.’”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
“The Islamic Republic’s judiciary has opened files against 300 Iranians accused of speaking with Iran International, the Manoto Network or individuals affiliated with the two diaspora media sites, the judiciary spokesperson announced on Saturday. . . . The charges were said to include intelligence cooperation with the enemy; espionage for the enemy during wartime; moharebeh (waging war against God); efsad fel-arz (corruption on earth); encouraging and inciting people to violence and killing; destruction of public property; financing terrorism; propaganda activities against the people, against the Islamic system, and against Islam, in cooperation with the Zionist regime and the United States; and efforts to undermine and weaken Iran. Multiple of the aforementioned sentences carry the possibility of execution in Iran.”
Iran Cleric Says Country’s Hijab Situation Is ‘Unacceptable' | Iran International
“‘The current state of hijab in society is unacceptable. People from different walks of life have raised their voices, and officials, the Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and cultural institutions must act with seriousness, planning and prudence against corruption and indecency,’ Mohammad Reza Naseri, Friday prayer leader in Yazd, said during prayers on Friday.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran’s Currency Tumbles on Renewed Conflict | Financial Times
“Iran’s currency has fallen to a record low as the US seeks to increase pressure on the country’s battered economy and strikes threaten to reignite all-out war between Tehran and Washington.”
Trump Calls for Congress to Add Iran to Russia Sanctions Bill in Graham’s Honor | The Hill
“President Trump on Sunday called on Congress to add Iran to a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill to honor the bill’s late author, former Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
“An Israeli security source cited by the Saudi al-Hadath outlet says Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei ‘is not in Iran.’ . . . The source tells al-Hadath that Khamenei’s messages are written by new Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Ahmad Vahidi and other members of the IRGC. ‘Iran’s internal divisions are deep and threaten the existence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,’ the source is cited as saying. The Israeli source also says that the US does not want Israel to participate in strikes on Iran, even if Tehran attacks Israel.”
Cleric Says Talks with US Defy Mojtaba Khamenei’s Position | Iran International
“An Iranian cleric said any negotiations or agreement with the United States would run counter to the position of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, urging officials to abandon hopes of talks after the recent war.”
Khamenei’s Advisor Threatens Full-Scale Offensive If US Attacks Continue | Iran International
“Iran will enter a phase of ‘full-scale offensive operations’ if the United States continues its attacks for another two or three days, Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Friday on Iranian state television. Rezaei said Iran would recognize ‘no political boundaries’ in its attacks and warned that the United States should expect waves of Iranian missiles and drones. He said Tehran had so far refrained from launching a ground offensive and carrying out heavy attacks beyond its borders because it wanted to avoid triggering wider international security crises. Rezaei also said Iran would not abandon seeking revenge for the killing of its leader, adding that the country’s future security and stability depended on carrying it out.
Iran MP Calls US Bridge Strikes Possible Prelude to Ground Assault on Islands | Iran International
“An Iranian lawmaker said the US strikes that hit several bridges in southern Iran on Thursday may have been a prelude to a ground assault on Iran’s Persian Gulf islands, the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency reported Friday. Amirhossein Sabeti said the strikes were intended to destroy transport infrastructure and facilitate ‘the occupation of some Iranian islands and key sites by separatist groups or airborne forces,’ while disrupting Iranian military movements.”
Iran Lawmaker Threatens Infrastructure of US Allies over Bridge Strikes | Iran International
“Iran’s armed forces should target the infrastructure of countries cooperating with the United States, the head of the Iranian Parliament’s Construction Committee said on Friday.”
‘US Invasion of Iran Could Trigger Iranian Ground Attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain' | Iran International
“Iran could launch ground attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain if the United States launches a ground invasion of Iran, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of parliament’s National Security Committee, warned on Friday.”
Khamenei Adviser Calls Iraqi PM’s US Visit ‘Regrettable' | Iran International
“Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, criticized Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's visit to the United States, calling it ‘regrettable,’ and damaging to Iraq's standing on Friday.”
Iranian Sunni Cleric Killed by Unknown Gunmen in Country’s Southeast, State Media | Reuters
“Molavi Mohammad Anvar Rigi, a Sunni Friday prayer leader in the southeastern Iranian border town of Mirjaveh, was killed on Monday by unidentified gunmen, Iran’s state media reported, citing local authorities. Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of the country's poorest provinces and with a large Sunni Baluch population, has long experienced Islamist or ethnic militants fighting security forces or other figures aligned with Tehran.”
PROPAGANDA
Former Nurse Is Behind Viral Lego Propaganda Videos Praising Iran and Mocking US | New York Post
“A former neonatal nurse in Wisconsin is behind the LEGO-style style videos praising Iran and depicting death against the US, The Post has learned. Mahdi Hemmat, who claims to be Iranian-American, worked until last year as a neonatal transport nurse at the Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee, describes himself on Instagram as a ‘LEGO journalist . . . covering the information war brick by brick.’”