TOP STORIES
Iran Hatched Fresh Plot to Kill Trump, Israel Told U.S. | Wall Street Journal
“Israel shared new intelligence with the U.S. that it said indicated a fresh Iranian plan to kill President Trump, people familiar with the matter said, a finding that would mark an escalation in the war between Washington and Iran.”
“A series of unclaimed airstrikes that hit Iran after the U.S. said it finished its attacks have again raised questions of who else may be targeting the Islamic Republic. The strikes Thursday, just as Iran prepared to bury the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hit areas across southern Iran. The country’s theocracy hasn’t directly blamed anyone for the strikes, though one lawmaker issued a warning to the United Arab Emirates over allegedly providing support to the United States in its campaign against Iran.”
Traffic Slows Through Strait of Hormuz as Iran Tensions Flare | Reuters
“Liquefied natural gas tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, and 22 Japan-linked vessels have left the Gulf since Tuesday, but overall daily traffic has slowed as tensions flare in the Middle East.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
GOP Rep Warns of the ‘New Face of Warfare’, Danger of Iranian Ally near US Mainland | Fox News
“Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., showed off a recovered Iranian Shahed drone, warning that Cuba is believed to possess hundreds of them, at a United Against Nuclear Iran event in Coral Gables, Fla., on July 8, 2026.”
“Iran has reportedly armed Cuba with a fleet of 300 kamikaze drones, putting the US mainland at risk of suffering a devastating attack, Jeb Bush warned Wednesday. . . . ‘Iran has been a consistent threat to the united security interests of our country, certainly of Israel,’ Bush said during a United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) event. ‘And now, we see that it’s not just Israel and the United States, but the Gulf region as well. I also want to point out that the press reports that there are 300 of these [Shahed drones] in Cuba.’”
Jeb Bush Raises Alarm over Iranian Drones in Cuba | The Hill
“Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on Wednesday raised the alarm over Iranian drones believed to be in Cuba. ‘Iran has been a consistent threat to the united security interests of our country, certainly of Israel,’ Bush said during a United Against Nuclear Iran event, serving as the group’s chair. ‘And now, we see that it’s not just Israel and the United States, but the Gulf region as well. I also want to point out that the press reports that there are 300 of these [drones] in Cuba.’”
Jeb Bush Warns of Cuba’s Fleet of Iranian Drones | Newsmax
“Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate, praised President Donald Trump on Thursday for crippling Iran's ability to stoke instability in the Middle East. But Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, warned of a threat to the U.S. mainland from hundreds of drones supplied to Cuba from Tehran. . . . ‘Iran has been a consistent threat to the united security interests of our country, certainly of Israel,’ Bush said during a United Against Nuclear Iran event in Miami, according to the New York Post. ‘And now, we see that it's not just Israel and the United States, but the Gulf region as well.’”
Officials Raise Alarms Of Cuba-Iran Kamikaze Drones in Coral Gables | WFLA
“South Florida lawmakers and national security experts are sounding urgent defense warnings following a high-profile press conference at the Biltmore Hotel on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, where a captured Iranian kamikaze drone was placed on public display. The event, hosted by the bipartisan policy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)—chaired by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush —was organized to highlight escalating military intelligence regarding a massive advanced weapons buildup just 90 miles off the Florida coast. U.S. Representative Carlos Gimenez spoke at the event, pointing to recent declassified intelligence reports indicating that Cuba has successfully amassed a stockpile of over 300 offensive military drones supplied by Russia and Iran.”
Jeb Bush Now Sounding Alarms on Cuba Drone Menace | RedState
“President Trump's actions against Iran would seem to have drawn support from an unexpected quarter: Former Florida governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who spoke at an anti-Iranian event on Wednesday. The former governor had another warning for President Trump, though, a warning of Iranian drones in Cuba. . . . Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mark Wallace, who is now CEO of United Against Nuclear Iran, notes that these drones, which aren't exactly state-of-the-art, were delivered to Cuba some years ago, before the current US-Iran conflict, although the exact date is unclear.”
“The display of an Iranian Shahed-136 military drone in Coral Gables has reignited the debate about cooperation between Tehran and Havana, amid reports that the Cuban regime has allegedly added hundreds of these unmanned aircraft to its military arsenal. The demonstration was organized by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) during a conference held this Wednesday at the Biltmore Hotel.”
“The possible presence of Iranian-made military drones in Cuba has raised new alarm bells in South Florida, where officials and national security experts warn that cooperation between Havana and Tehran could pose a strategic risk to the United States. The issue was raised during an event at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, where an Iranian drone was displayed as an example of the type of technology that concerns local and federal officials. The warning focused not only on the existence of these devices, but also on their range, explosive capacity, and the possibility that they could be used from Cuban territory against U.S. targets. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, president of the United Against Nuclear Iran group, and Republican Congressman Carlos Giménez participated in the presentation, which sought to draw attention to an issue that, according to its organizers, should be treated as a national security threat and not as a mere diplomatic episode.
Revealed: The Green Party Push to Ease Sanctions on Iran | The Spectator
“Kasra Aarabi, Director of IRGC Research at United Against Nuclear Iran, said: ‘Make no mistake: this is not an isolated incident. The new Green Party leadership and some of its members have repeatedly demonstrated a serious lack of judgment in matters of national security. The IRGC is the world’s most heavily armed antisemitic Islamist extremist organisation and it has British blood on its hands. Islamist extremists are the only ones who stand to gain from efforts to oppose the IRGC’s proscription and weaken Britain’s counter-terrorism framework.’”
Interview with UANI Director of IRGC Research Kasra Aarabi | The Sun
“They [senior Iranian regime officials] are all hardline Islamist extremists. There’s bitter infighting. They’re fighting for power and money.”
What the Politics of Tears Means for Iran’s Future | UANI Senior Advisor Saeid Golkar for Persuasion
“The regime is not only burying a former supreme leader but, more importantly, trying to convert his death into a staged affirmation of authority, legitimacy, and transnational Shia leadership. Through orchestrated processions, black banners, ritual lamentation, foreign delegations, and ceremonies extending beyond Iran into Iraq’s Shia holy cities, the regime seeks to present Khamenei not only as the leader of the Islamic Republic, but as the symbolic head of a wider Shia ummah. That is why the banners all over Iran and Iraq called him not Iran’s supreme leader, but the ummah’s martyr leader ‘Qaed Shahid Ummat.’”
MILITARY MATTERS & STRAIT OF HORMUZ SITUATION
US Official Says Recent Explosions in Iran Were Not American Strikes | Fox News
“A U.S. official and a U.S. defense official told Fox News on Thursday that recent explosions reported in Iran were not caused by American strikes. ‘The U.S. military has not carried out any strikes in Iran in the last few hours,’ a U.S. defense official said to Fox News. The clarification comes after reports of new explosions inside Iran amid heightened tensions following earlier U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets tied to threats against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
US Official: Dozens of Iranian Drones and Missiles Intercepted Since Last Night | Fox News
“Dozens of Iranian drones and missiles have been intercepted by U.S. and partner forces since last night, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.”
The Message from Witkoff and Kushner That Led to the Renewed US Strike on Iran | Israel Hayom
“Trump's decision to launch the strike came after envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reported that the Iranian negotiating partner, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, had said he could not guarantee that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would not continue firing on ships and tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz. That statement effectively ended the attempt to reach an understanding with the Revolutionary Guards over a temporary lull during the mourning period for Ali Khamenei and the continued export of Iranian oil. The request for calm during the mourning days came from Iran, and the Americans assessed that the Guards' leadership would uphold the understandings at least temporarily because of the especially large share of Iranian ships and tankers crossing the strait, generating revenue of about half a billion dollars a day.”
Konarak Naval Site Attacked in Two Waves by Warplanes, Official Confirms | Iran International
“The governor of Konarak in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province said a naval military area in the city was targeted in two waves of airstrikes by fighter jets.”
DIPLOMACY
Mediator Countries Working to Bring Iran and US Back to Negotiating Table, Sources Say | CNN
“Regional sources have confirmed to CNN that Pakistan and Qatar are working to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table. … On Wednesday night, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on all parties to exercise restraint and ‘refrain from any actions that may further undermine regional peace and stability.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Calls Turkish, Saudi and Omani Counterparts | CNN
“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls with his counterparts in Turkey, Oman and Saudi Arabia on Thursday, amid the resurgence in conflict in the region. ‘During these conversations, the ministers reviewed the latest regional developments, particularly the recent events in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as other issues of mutual interest,’ Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. ‘The parties emphasized the importance of making full use of diplomatic channels, maintaining ongoing communication and coordination to address regional issues, and preventing any further escalation of tensions,’ the statement added.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Two Political Inmates Missing After Mass Hunger Strike in Vakilabad Prison | IranWire
“According to information obtained by IranWire, Abolfazl Damenjani, a political detainee arrested during the December 2025 protests, has been on a hunger strike at Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison since July 4, alongside a group of fellow inmates, despite suffering from severe pre-existing physical ailments. . . . Family members of the Mashhad resident state that until July 4, he and another prisoner, former university professor Ahmad Rahimi, were being held in Hall 1 of the Vakilabad quarantine ward. Both have since been transferred from that ward to an undisclosed location. At least 350 prisoners held in the quarantine ward of Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison launched a collective hunger strike on July 2.”
38-Year-Old Engineer Re-Arrested Months After Participating in January Uprisings | IranWire
“According to information obtained by IranWire, Hossein Alizadeh, a protester previously active during the December 2025 demonstrations, was arrested in front of his home in Islamshahr on July 4. He has been transferred to an undisclosed location. . . . He was previously arrested during the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ uprising and again following the December 2025 protests, facing security charges such as ‘spreading falsehoods,’ ‘assembly and collusion,’ and ‘propaganda against the regime.’”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iranian Oil Tankers Are Rushing Out of the Strait of Hormuz | CNN
“Intensifying attacks in the Persian Gulf over the past two days and President Donald Trump’s threat to reimpose a US-led naval blockade are motivating Iran to get its oil tankers out of the Strait of Hormuzquickly. Iran shipped out 10 million barrels of crude and fuel overnight, according to TankerTrackers, a maritime shipping tracker. That’s a significant ramp-up: Before Thursday, Iran managed to get a total of 60 million barrels of oil out over the past three weeks, according to Windward Intelligence.”
US Moves Double-Digit Number of Ships Through Strait of Hormuz in 24 Hours | Fox News
“The U.S. military has helped move ships through the Strait of Hormuz in the ‘double digits’ over the last 24 hours, a U.S. official told Fox News, as commercial traffic remains strained amid renewed fighting with Iran. Kpler has identified six vessels crossing the strait so far Thursday, down from 25 on Wednesday. A U.S. official said the military’s effort to help commercial shipping pass through the waterway has not stopped. U.S. forces are not physically escorting ships, but remain in near-constant communication with commercial shipping vessels.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Slain Iranian Leader Buried as Successor Remains Out of Sight | Reuters
“Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried in the country's holiest shrine, state media said early on Friday, after huge crowds gathered for his funeral with his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei still hidden from public view.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Remains Absent, a Void at the Top of the Regime | New York Times
“Iran is grappling with a devastated economy, a restive population and the ever-present threat of a return to all-out war. And yet, there is a looming absence at the top of the government, with Iranians still waiting to see or hear directly from their supreme leader. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed to the role in March, days after U.S.-Israeli strikes at the outset of the war killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but he hasn’t been seen in public since. That has led some to wonder not only about the health of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured in the attack, but also whether he is really running Iran at this pivotal moment for the country.”
EUROPE & IRAN
Iran Summons British Ambassador After London Calls in Senior Diplomat | Iran International
“Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran on Thursday, two days after Britain called in Iran's most senior diplomat in London following the conviction of two Romanian men over the stabbing of an Iran International journalist. Iran’s foreign ministry said it handed the ambassador a protest note rejecting what it called ‘groundless and false’ British statements that Tehran had sought to carry out security-related activities in the United Kingdom.”
Merz Tells Netanyahu US-Iran MOU ‘Best Chance for Stability’ | Al Jazeera
“Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US–Iran MoU is the ‘best chance’ for stability in the region, according to a statement released by German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius.”
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
IDF Troops to Withdraw from Lebanon Pilot Zone in Coming Days, Says US Official | Times of Israel
“The withdrawal of Israeli troops from the first of two pilot zones in southern Lebanon is slated to move ahead in the coming days, a US official tells The Times of Israel, as Washington aims to advance negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. . . . ‘We will soon begin outreach to international partners to help the Lebanese government effectively restore sovereignty in these (pilot) zones and across their country more broadly,’ the US official adds, suggesting that the international community will be called on to help stabilize Lebanon either through money or the deployment of peacekeeping troops.”
GULF STATES & IRAN
“The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) strongly condemned Iranian attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and in the waters of GCC member states, calling the strikes a threat to international security and global energy supplies.”
MISCELLANEOUS
A Top Mamdani Official Tried to Meet with Iran | City Journal
“The top official in the Zohran Mamdani administration’s Office for International Affairs made plans to meet with Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations. Commissioner Ana María Archila was scheduled to meet with Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, at 2 United Nations Plaza, alongside two other senior officials in the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs on July 7 at 11 a.m.—this according to screenshots of a calendar invitation reviewed by City Journal and confirmed by a source connected to the international affairs community and another familiar with Archila’s office. Another official within the State Department also confirmed awareness of the Mamdani administration’s impending engagement. The meeting between Archila and Iravani was called off after the State Department—which was not informed ahead of time—met with the Mamdani administration to clarify acceptable conduct, according to the State Department official. City Journal learned that Commissioner Archila allegedly did not inform Mayor Mamdani of the meeting; she was reprimanded for the move and directed to cancel the meeting according to the source familiar with the office.”