War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has stated that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not return to pre-war conditions, adding that if Iran is barred from selling oil in the region, then “no one will sell oil”.

“The equation of this war is clear: either all or none!” he writes on X. “In a region where we do not sell oil, no one will sell oil. If our security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe, and the security of the strait is in the absence of American forces.”

Tyre, an ancient Phoenician city in southern Lebanon hit by Israeli bombardment in recent months, has been added to the Unesco list of world heritage sites in danger.

“The site has been directly hit and has sustained damage. Furthermore, its state of conservation is a cause for growing concern, particularly given the possibility of further impacts,” the organisation said.

“Optimal conditions are no longer in place to ensure the conservation and protection of the property’s outstanding universal value,” the UN body says, adding that it was the Lebanese government that requested its inclusion on the list.

Tyre, 83 kilometres south of Beirut but barely 20 kilometres from the Israeli border, was placed on the Unesco heritage list in 1984 and contains mainly Roman-era archaeological remains.

The coastal city has been caught up in recent months in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and most of its inhabitants have fled after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders covering districts, including some archaeological areas.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has delivered a statement regarding the latest Iranian strikes across the region, Al Jazeera reports.

“Any aggression on maritime passages reflects on global energy security,” he says. “Iran continues its attacks on GCC countries and other states in violation of the principles of international law.”

The GCC chief demands that the UN Security Council and international community put an end to the Iranian aggression, adding that Tehran’s targeting of shipping and threatens freedom of navigation and the protection of civilians.

“We condemn the hostile statements of the Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia and its threat to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait,” Albudaiwi adds.

US Central Command (Centcom) says it has redirected nine commercial vessels and disabled another since a naval blockade was reimposed on Iranian ports.

Yemen’s Houthis have been recorded sending radio warnings to ships, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) tells AFP, after the rebels announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia.

“We can confirm that the Houthis were recorded transmitting a warning message to ships in the region,” the ICS says.

The White House and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office are discussing a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week, Anadolu reports citing Axios.

The proposed Oval Office session will follow Netanyahu’s reported failure to secure an appointment last week, according to the news outlet. The Israeli leader is scheduled to travel to Washington to attend funeral services for Senator Lindsey Graham.

A meeting, however, has not yet been arranged between the leaders, a White House official and Israeli source tell Axios.

Iran’s armed forces have continued to expand their missile arsenal since the war began, despite intensifying US attacks, Al Jazeera reports citing a spokesman.

Abolfazl Shekarchi says the military has manufactured missiles and attack drones throughout all phases of the US-Israel conflict, including when the memorandum of understanding took effect, state-run Press TV reports.

“Missiles are moving directly from production to operational use while replenishing our stockpiles,” Shekarchi states, adding that the US has been unable to locate Iran’s various missile production sites despite its extensive intelligence operations.

At least 53 people have been killed in US strikes on Iran since June 27, including three children, Al Jazeera reports citing the country’s health ministry.

The ministry says over 590 others have been wounded in US attacks since the fighting flared and the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding collapsed.

Israeli violations continue in southern Lebanon as the Lebanese army’s deployment in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh enters its second day under phase one of a framework formula agreement, Anadolu reports citing Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Israeli artillery intermittently shelled Ali al-Taher hill on the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, while an Israeli drone carried out a strike on the town, the agency adds.

An Israeli force has advanced to the outskirts of Burj al-Muluk on the main road linking Tall al-Nahhas to the town, where troops have raided a man’s home, searched it, confiscated his passport after checking his phone, and interrogated him before withdrawing toward Tall al-Nahhas, the agency also reports.

Another Israeli force has entered the border town of Sarbin, coinciding with bursts of heavy machine-gun fire in the area, the agency adds.

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Iran has pledged to launch retaliatory strikes on civilian infrastructure in the Middle East — including bridges and energy sites — linked to the United States if it strikes Iranian bridges or power plants, Al Jazeera reports.

“Iran has an iron will in exercising sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and will never allow [it] to become a threat to Iran again,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency reports, citing an unnamed military source as saying.

US President Donald Trump tells reporters that Iran is “going to pay a big price”, as he flies to a ceremony for American troops killed in fighting with Tehran.

“Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, they won’t have a nuclear weapon,” says Trump. “So we’re going to honour them — one of the hardest things to do. For me it’s one of the hardest things to do as a president.”

Oil prices have surpassed $95 per barrel as tensions intensified in the Middle East, Reuters reports.

Brent crude prices were last up around 3 per cent and touched their highest in six weeks on concerns about supply disruptions.

That came after four oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea following threats of attack from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, dampening hopes that the end to the recent spike in tensions could be imminent.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed, while the S&P 500 fell 0.1pc and the Nasdaq Composite dropped about 0.4pc.

US President Donald Trump has reiterated that the Iran war is popular with the American public during a press talk with reporters.

“Americans aren’t against the war,” Trump says, citing a poll. “They don’t want high gasoline prices, but they’re not against the war.”

He has not specified which poll he is citing.

Italy’s foreign minister has told parliament that a new round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place in Italy on August 4, Al Jazeera reports.

Antonio Tajani’s announcement comes after talks between the two countries were held in Rome last week.

US President Donald Trump has threatened that for every ship struck by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, Washington wil destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant.

“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by missile, rocket, drone or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant, including those located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran,” he writes on Truth Social.

Sudan has expressed support for Saudi Arabia after Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced that a maritime blockade would be imposed on the kingdom’s ports, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the Sudanese foreign ministry says it is “deeply concerned” by the Houthi announcement, warning that it endangers navigation in the Red Sea and the security and economic interests of countries bordering the waterway.

The ministry adds that the threat could also undermine stability in the Gulf and Red Sea regions and urges the Houthis to refrain from targeting Saudi ports or others along the Red Sea.

Sudan has also voiced full support for Saudi Arabia’s right to take all necessary measures to protect its ports and safeguard its national security.

Shipping monitor MarineTraffic’s data shows that only nine vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, compared to 29 crossings in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea

“Over 20 to 21 July, Hormuz recorded 22 crossings, with 16 using the Iranian Unilateral Scheme, while Bab el Mandeb handled 73 crossings,” the monitor adds.

“Vessel behaviour is also shifting, with four verified U-turns near the Gulf of Aden following heightened security threats. Combined with 61 confirmed maritime incidents reported by the IMO, the data suggests that geopolitical risk is increasingly influencing routing decisions, even as commercial traffic continues.”

Pakistan has warned against “any hostile act” on its vessels or maritime interests, stating that it will be regarded as a “grave threat” to national security.

“Consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, Pakistan reserves its right to take all necessary measures, including lawful use of force, in the exercise of self-defence to protect its maritime assets and national interests,” the Foreign Office has said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency issued a brief warning calling for residents of the eastern city of Dammam to take shelter, only to lift the order minutes later, according to AFP.

“An alert has been issued by the National Platform for Early Warning in Emergency Situations in the city of Dammam to warn of danger,” the agency said in a statement posted online.

The warning was called off just moments later, and came as air raid sirens were activated in nearby Bahrain.

Bahrain says it intercepted Iranian air attacks today, according to a statement from the military.

“Iran continues its systematic hostile approach through its criminal attacks targeting civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” the statement, posted on X, reads.

“The General Command explains that, with firm resolve and a high state of combat readiness, the Bahrain Defence Force’s air defence systems successfully confronted, intercepted, and destroyed a number of treacherous Iranian aerial attacks today,” it adds

Bahrain’s military states that all of its branches and units are at the highest level of readiness and urges everyone to exercise caution and avoid approaching debris from intercepted Iranian projectiles.

The Iranian news agency Tasnim has reported a US missile strike on the island of Larak in the Strait of Hormuz, saying residents heard a loud explosion there, according to AFP.

“At 2:48 pm, the island of Larak was targeted by an American missile,” Tasnim says. “The competent authorities are currently carrying out an investigation to determine the scale of the attack, the exact point of impact and the extent of the potential damage.”