TOP STORIES
Iran Releases Video on ‘How to Kill Melania Trump’ | Times of London
“Iranian media has released a video claiming to show how best to target Melania Trump in an assassination. Tasnim News Agency, which is close to Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, published a video that began with a slide reading, ‘Where to Kill Melania?!’ with the first lady’s profile drawn in blood. The video goes on to encourage ‘global freedom fighters’ to assassinate her, and ends with a warning to her son: ‘Barron Trump, wait for us!’”
Oman Presented Regional Mechanism for Hormuz to Iran, Source Says | Reuters
“Oman has presented a proposal to Iran for a joint regional mechanism to manage the Strait of Hormuz with voluntary fees, a Gulf source told Reuters on Tuesday. Under the Omani proposal, which has regional backing and was presented to Iranian officials over the weekend in Tehran, Iran would not exercise sole control of the vital waterway, the source added. The proposal is based on the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Indian and Pacific Oceans and is jointly managed by the states bordering it: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Under the proposal, those who use the Strait of Hormuz would voluntarily contribute to a fund that finances the cost of managing navigation, environmental protection and search and rescue, among other services.”
U.S. Officials Believe Sanctions Could Hurt Iran More than Bombs | Axios
“President Trump’s economic assault on Iran has drawn a fraction of the attention devoted to his bombing campaign, even as senior U.S. officials believe it may ultimately do more damage to the regime in Tehran. . . . ‘The Iranians want to stop being bombed and they want money,’ a senior administration official said. ‘But that’s almost in reverse order. They really want the money first.’ . . . ‘Intelligence is picking up that the Iranians are complaining they can’t pay their fighters,’ a U.S. official said. ‘Why? Because of the financial pressures. Because of Treasury. Because of what [Treasury Secretary] Scott Bessent is doing.’ ‘They’re in danger of runs on banks. There are gasoline shortages in this giant oil-rich country,’ the official added. ‘They’re more scared of Treasury than the War Department.’”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Why Trump Is Suddenly Threatening Iran’s Last Untouched Nuclear Site | Fox News
“President Donald Trump vows to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, prompting a discussion with Mark Wallace, CEO of United Against Nuclear Iran. Wallace highlights the threat posed by Iran’s hidden ‘Pickaxe Mountain’ nuclear facility, which may contain centrifuges and enriched uranium. He emphasizes the need to neutralize this site and discusses the Iranian regime's use of nuclear ambitions as leverage against the West.”
As the US Pauses the War with Iran, Is Trump Really Running Out of Weapons? | BBC News
“‘A lot of commentary portrays Iran as having an almost unlimited amount of weaponry,’ says Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran. ‘I think we have to realise that there are limitations there, and that the US has degraded their defence industrial base to a very significant extent,’ he says. He adds that Iran’s ‘capacity to produce, at scale, the kinds of missiles, drones and other weapons systems’ it needs has been largely destroyed.”
“An Islamic charity accused of being an outpost of the Iranian regime in London has the right to bring workers into Britain. The Islamic Centre of England in Maida Vale appears on a Home Office list of organisations with approval to sponsor skilled worker visas. . . . Kasra Aarabi, director of research on the IRGC at United Against Nuclear Iran, a non-profit organisation, called its inclusion on the Home Office list ‘truly appalling.’ He added: ‘This is no ordinary mosque or charity. It operates as the UK office of the Iranian regime’s supreme leader. The situation is far worse than has been reported.’”
Iranian Oil Hoard Swells off Malaysia on Weak Chinese Demand | Straits Times
“The US blockade ‘is disrupting the logistics cycle, as many Iranian-flagged tankers at the EOPL are now also unable to return to Iran to reload,’ said Charlie Brown, an adviser to non-profit group United Against Nuclear Iran. That limits ‘Tehran’s ability to replenish those offshore stocks,’ he added.”
Interview with UANI Director of IRGC Research Kasra Aarabi | GB News
“Many of the mosques, cultural centres & charities in the UK are linked to Islamist extremists: from the Iranian regime to the Muslim Brotherhood. They’ve been radicalising & nurturing antisemitism in plain sight. The UK government should have a zero tolerance policy—shut them down.”
Interview with UANI Director of IRGC Research Kasra Aarabi | TalkTV
“You have a situation where the borders have been opened to Islamist extremists. Even here in the United Kingdom, there was a report that the Islamic Centre of England—that’s the official office of the Iranian regime’s supreme leader in the United Kingdom; why he has an office baffles me, this is someone who is ordering terror plots on our soil—but the Home Office has been giving privileges to that centre, to the ayatollah’s office in the UK, to bring imams over to Britain.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
Saudis Blame Iran-Backed Militias Based in Iraq for Drone Attacks | New York Times
“Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted and destroyed several drones launched by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias on Monday in the kingdom’s first direct military response to such attacks from Iraq since the U.S.-Iran cease-fire collapsed. The Saudi defense ministry said the drones had targeted petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh regions.”
Trump to Axios: I’m Ready for “Strong Military Action” If Iran Talks Fail | Axios
“President Trump told Axios on Monday that he decided to pause U.S. strikes on Iran in order to give negotiations another chance, but stressed that he could order a return to expanded military operations if diplomacy fails. . . . The current negotiations are focused on a new deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and relaunch talks on a comprehensive nuclear deal. The talks are being conducted mainly between Iran and Oman. But Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt and Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are actively involved. . . . Asked how long he’s willing to give diplomacy, the president said: ‘Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all.’”
“Iran's foreign minister discussed issues related to the security of the Strait of Hormuz in separate phone calls with his Saudi and Omani counterparts on Monday evening, according to a statement published on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.”
Houthis Pushing to Model Iran’s Hormuz Control in Red Sea, Yemeni FM Says | Reuters
“Yemen’s Houthi Movement aims to replicate Iran’s Hormuz Strait strategy in the Red Sea by disrupting shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb and has been emboldened by an insufficient international response, Yemen’s top diplomat said on Monday.”
How Iran Adapted Its Missile War with Trump | Financial Times
“Soon after the US launched its joint attack with Israel on Iran in late February, defence secretary Pete Hegseth declared that among its aims were to ‘destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production.’ Yet five months later and after hundreds of US attacks, Iran has been able to sustain the effectiveness of its missile force, continuing to launch apparently precise strikes on targets across the region.”
Bab el-Mandeb Shipping Rises amid Hopes of Resolution in US-Iran War | Reuters
“The number of vessels passing through Bab el-Mandeb rose to 28 on Monday, a four-day high, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low, according to Kpler shipping data, amid optimism about a potential resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict. Traffic was still below the month’s peak of 46 vessels recorded on July 14, the data showed.”
DIPLOMACY
Trump Says US Is Talking with Iran Right Now | Reuters
“U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that the United States is having ‘good talks’ with Iran ‘right now.’ Trump, on Air Force One on his way to Michigan, said he has ‘plenty of time’ to deal with Iran. ‘There’s a good chance that something could happen,’ Trump said about a potential deal with Iran.”
Why Iran Is in No Rush to Return to Talks with United States | New York Times
“For the past several days, Iran’s skies have been free of the sound of explosions and airstrikes after nearly two weeks of renewed fighting with the United States. But Iranian officials have said they have not agreed to a cease-fire, and that they are in no hurry to talk directly to the Americans. Instead, Iranian officials have emphasized that they are in a position of strength, with military officials boasting about their success on the battlefield and diplomats dismissing U.S. claims that they are eager to return to negotiations. The rhetoric coming from Tehran is an indication that Iran’s leaders appear comfortable with the limbo state of its war with the United States, believing that they can handle a return to conflict and that they have leverage over President Trump. The outcome that Iran seems to be prioritizing is recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz, a concession that the United States has been unwilling to make.”
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in a First Encounter Since the Iran War Began | NPR
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday is the first since the two leaders launched a joint war against Iran and a chance for Netanyahu to smooth out strains in their relationship. . . . ‘We have a little difference,’ Trump said Monday when asked by reporters if he and the Israeli prime minister were on the same page with Iran. ‘But pretty close, yeah.’”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Publicly Executes Two Isfahan Protesters Despite UN Calls to Stop | Euronews
“Iranian authorities have executed two protesters in public in Isfahan’s Shahid Alikhani Square, where heavy security forces were deployed overnight amid reports of clashes between guards and civilians who gathered near the site. According to Iran’s judiciary-linked Mizan news agency and state-affiliated Fars news agency, the two men—Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi and Abolfazl Sepahi Badjiani—were executed early morning on Tuesday in the Malekshahr district of Isfahan. The two were among 12 young men sentenced to death in a case linked to protests that erupted in the same square on 8 January.”
Prisoners at Iran’s Largest Jail Sew Lips Shut in Hunger Strike as Executions Soar | Guardian
“Prisoners at Iran’s largest jail have sewn their lips shut as hundreds of them joined a mass hunger strike amid a surge in executions over drug offences and charges linked to anti-government protests. The hunger strike, involving at least 1,500 death row prisoners at Ghezel Hesar prison near Tehran, began two weeks ago after six men convicted on drug-related charges were transferred to solitary confinement before their possible execution, according to Iranian rights groups.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
US War Knocked Out 230 Mln Cubic Meters of Gas Capacity, Iran Government Says | Iran International
“Iran lost 230 million cubic metres of natural gas production capacity in strikes during its war with the United States, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Tuesday. . . . Executive Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said on Monday that the lost volume is significant compared to Iran’s total daily production of about 650 million cubic meters, worsening energy imbalances in the country.”
CHINA, AFGHANISTAN & IRAN
Iran Advances Plan for Free Trade Zone with Afghanistan & China | Afghanistan International
“Iran is pursuing a plan to establish a joint free trade and industrial zone with Afghanistan and China, according to the director-general of economic and finance affairs in South Khorasan province.”