TOP STORIES
U.S. Surges Forces Toward Middle East, Giving Trump Options to Expand Iran War | Wall Street Journal
“The U.S. is surging forces, medics and weaponry to the Middle East to give President Trump more muscular military options as he considers expanding the conflict against Iran, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Houthis Claim Strikes on Saudi Arabian Oil Tankers in Red Sea as Iran Conflict Expands | CNBC
“The Tehran-backed Houthis have claimed attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to open up a new front in the Middle East conflict as the U.S. completed its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.”
Trump Vows to Bomb Iran’s Bridges and Power Plants for Each Ship Attack | Axios
“President Trump threatened Wednesday to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant, including in Tehran, each time Iran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. . . . Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran's defense doctrine is ‘eye for an eye’ and threatened countries that actively support U.S. attacks against Iran. . . . Brig. Gen. Seyed Majid Mousavi, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force, threatened that if the U.S. bombs bridges and power plants in Iran, there will be ‘power outages’ in other countries in the region that are U.S. allies.”
MILITARY MATTERS & STRAIT OF HORMUZ SITUATION
482 US Service Members Wounded in Iran War, 18 Killed, New Figures Show | CBS News
“The Defense Department has released updated casualty figures for the U.S.-Iran war, indicating that 18 American service members have died and at least 482 have been wounded in action.”
Iran Says Strategic Missile Production Never Stopped | Iran International
“Iran’s armed forces said on Wednesday that production of the country’s strategic missiles had continued throughout the 40-day war and after the memorandum of understanding was signed.”
US Military Completes 12th Straight Night of Strikes on Iran | Reuters
“The U.S. military said on Wednesday it completed its latest round of strikes on Iran at President Donald Trump’s direction, for a 12th successive night of American attacks. . . . ‘U.S. forces struck Iranian military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defense assets,’ the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.”
“The United States has informed Israel that it plans to escalate its strikes on Iran in the coming days, including the use of heavy bombers for the first time since this year’s joint US-Israeli campaign against the Islamic Republic, the Kan public broadcaster reports. According to the report, the bombers are expected to target the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site near Qom, based on repeated threats by US President Donald Trump over the past week that the area would be hit ‘pretty soon.’ The close security coordination between Jerusalem and Washington is reportedly intended to allow Israel to prepare for the possibility that Iran could respond to the intensified US strikes by escalating its own attacks, including launching missiles at Israel.”
U.S. Deploys B-1 Bomber as Attacks on Iran Intensify | Axios
“The U.S. military used a B-1 long-range bomber on Tuesday to strike Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran, U.S. officials said. . . . It was the first time the U.S. conducted a B-1 mission since fighting with Iran resumed 12 days ago. Using B-1 bombers, which can carry two dozen 2,000-lb. bombs or dozens of cruise missiles, signaled a significant escalation and expansion of the U.S. military campaign.”
US Has Intercepted 9 Vessels Since Blockade Restarted, Military Says | CBS News
“The U.S. has intercepted nine commercial vessels either trying to enter or leave Iranian ports since the blockade was restarted on July 14, according to U.S. Central Command. In the last 24 hours, the blockade redirected one commercial vessel, per the military.”
Trump’s Air War in Iran May Be Reaching Its Limits | Politico
“President Donald Trump’s latest threat to bomb Iranian infrastructure is unlikely to rattle Tehran—and instead underscores the limits of what an air war alone can accomplish. . . . Unless the administration is willing to sharply up the ante—perhaps by substantially expanding the list of acceptable targets or even deploying ground force the current cycle of attack and counter-attack will likely continue without a clear endgame or offramp from the White House. ‘We’ve seen that when the U.S. applies force hesitantly or incrementally, what it does is it prolongs conflict and it increases risk,’ said one former military officer, who, like others interviewed for this story, was granted anonymity to speak frankly. ‘If you don’t have the threat of force and are willing to follow it up, you’re not going to convince the enemy of anything.’”
Iran’s Top Negotiator Says No One Will Sell Oil If Tehran Cannot | Iran International
“Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that no country in the region would be able to sell oil if Iran could not, adding that no infrastructure would remain safe unless Tehran’s security was guaranteed.”
Greek Tycoon’s Tanker Towed Into Iranian Waters | Financial Times
“A tanker belonging to the Greek shipping tycoon George Prokopiou appears to have been towed into Iranian waters, according to satellite images, after being hit in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday night.”
DIPLOMACY
Trump Says Iran Is “Not Ready” for a Deal | CBS News
“Speaking to supporters in Georgia, President Trump said Iran is ‘not ready’ to make a deal, but will be ‘very soon.’ The president called the war a ‘skirmish.’ ‘They want to make a deal,’ he said of Iran. ‘But I say they're not ready to make a deal. Because every time they make a deal they want to change it and everything.’”
“‘The claim by Trump that Iran has requested negotiations is completely unfounded,’ Hasan Ghashghavi, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, said in a post on X.”
PROXY WARS
Houthis Prepare to Attack Ships near Bab El-Mandeb, US-Led Naval Group Says | Iran International
“Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have completed preparations to attack ships transiting the southern entrance to the Red Sea, a maritime security group led by the US Navy said.”
INTEL
New Mossad Director Met with CIA Chief on Iran | Axios
“The new director of Israel's Mossad spy agency, Roman Gofman, visited Washington two weeks ago for talks about the war in Iran and the Iranian nuclear program, according to two sources with knowledge. . . . One purpose of Gofman’s visit was to coordinate with the White House on negotiations with Iran on a nuclear deal, an Israeli source said.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iranian Student Sentenced to 10 Years over January Protests | Iran International
“An Iranian appeals court has upheld a 10-year prison sentence against 22-year-old computer science student Ali Sanei on alleged national security charges, including ‘cooperation with Israel.’ Sanei was arrested in March after taking part in the nationwide protests in January and was transferred to Greater Tehran Prison.”
Iran Police Arrest Nine over Online Activity in Southeastern Province | Iran International
“Iran’s police said on Wednesday that they arrested nine people in the southeastern province of Kerman over online activity that authorities alleged had disturbed public opinion.”
NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Possible US Strike Justifies Shift Toward Nuclear Weapons, Iran MP Says | Iran International
“An Iranian lawmaker said on Wednesday that a possible US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would provide compelling grounds for changing the country’s nuclear doctrine, a phrase hardliners have used to argue that Tehran should pursue nuclear weapons for deterrence. ‘A possible US attack on nuclear facilities is compelling reason for a change in the nuclear doctrine,’ Ebrahim Rezaei wrote on X, adding the hashtags ‘change the nuclear doctrine’ and ‘nuclear deterrence.”
ASSASSINATION THREATS & PLOTS
Iran Should Issue Death Sentences for Trump, Netanyahu, Lawmaker Says | Iran International
“Iran’s judiciary should quickly issue death sentences under the Islamic principle of qisas against US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an Iranian lawmaker and former foreign minister said on Wednesday.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
House Adopts $95 Billion G.O.P. Budget for Iran War | New York Post
“House Republicans on Wednesday won narrow approval of their $95 billion budget plan to fund the war with Iran and impose new election restrictions President Trump has demanded, muscling through dissent in their ranks to send the measure to a skeptical Senate.”
House Democrats Ready Iran War Powers Vote | Politico
“House Democrats are preparing to force a vote on a war powers resolution this week in a last ditch effort to push back against the Trump administration’s military operation in Iran before the summer recess.”
Pentagon Briefs House Lawmakers on Iran War | The Hill
“Pentagon officials briefed the members of the Problem Solvers Caucus in the House SCIF, Rep. Nick Lalota (R-N.Y.) said in an interview with The Hill on Wednesday. Lalota described the session as ‘informative’ and ‘persuasive.’”
GOP Sen. Rand Paul Criticizes War: “The Iran War Has Not Been a Success” | CBS News
“The Iran war has not been a success,’ Paul told reporters on Capitol Hill. ‘I've been opposed to the Iran war from the beginning. I think by any objective measure, we’re worse off than we were before the war.’ … ‘If you look at the militarization of the Strait of Hormuz, that's never happened before,’ Paul said. ‘There's not an easy way to unmilitarize the strait, and so far continues to be militarized.’”
RUSSIA & IRAN
Iran Strikes on CIA Facilities Prompt Questions About Possible Russian Role | Reuters
“Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have prompted U.S. intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia assisted by providing targeting information or advanced drone technology, said four people familiar with U.S. intelligence.”
EUROPE & IRAN
UK Temporarily Withdraws Embassy Staff from Iran | Iran International
“The United Kingdom has temporarily withdrawn its staff from Iran due to ‘the security situation,’ while its embassy continues to operate remotely, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said on Wednesday.”
Iran Praises Spain, Warns Europe over Support for US | Iran International
“Spain was among a small number of European countries to adopt a ‘principled’ position on the war, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said, warning that European governments allowing the United States to use their territory or military bases would be considered parties to the aggression. ‘Europe is expected to be a driving force for diplomacy, not a follower of the aggressing force,’ Gharibabadi said on X, after meeting 25 European ambassadors and chargés d’affaires.”
GULF STATES & IRAN
Iran Threatens Power Cuts to US Regional Allies If Its Infrastructure Is Hit | Iran International
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Force commander Majid Mousavi on Wednesday said Tehran would cut electricity supplies to US allies in the region if Iranian bridges or power plants were attacked.”