War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi has strongly condemned renewed Iranian attacks on the territories of Kuwait and Jordan, describing them as a flagrant violation of sovereignty and international law, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, Albudaiwi says the attacks represent a dangerous escalation threatening regional security and stability.

He affirms the full solidarity of GCC member states with the two countries and their support for all measures taken to protect their security and sovereignty.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has shot down a hostile drone over the southwestern port city of Bandar Imam Khomeini, with debris falling on a residential property but causing no injuries, Al Jazeera reports citing a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency.

The IRGC’s local unit says the unmanned aircraft was intercepted and destroyed in the city’s airspace.

Debris from the downed drone crashed into a home in Bandar Imam Khomeini, but the incident resulted in no loss of life, the statement adds.

After the drone was identified, an IRGC ordnance disposal team secured the wreckage, neutralised any potential hazards, and removed it from the site, Tasnim reports.

About 100 Israeli soldiers from the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion left the Sde Teiman base in the Negev desert and abandoned their weapons following a protest regarding their commanders, Al Jazeera reports citing Israeli media outlets, such as Ynet.

According to an Israeli army spokesperson, the dispute stemmed from the battalion commander ordering the removal of symbols related to “irregular incidents involving the battalion’s veteran-junior tradition”.

“According to soldiers in the battalion, the removed symbols had accompanied them during fighting in Gaza and Lebanon and were passed down from one recruitment class to the next,” Ynet reports. “They viewed the items as representing their connection to the battalion and its traditions.”

Israeli news outlet Maariv, citing an unnamed military source, reports that due to the incident, the battalion is now unqualified to participate in combat missions it was preparing to carry out in Gaza.

Israel Hayom says the fighters and commanders left Sde Teiman carrying their personal bags, without their military equipment and weapons, and headed to their homes.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims that in an attack on Jordan’s Al-Azraq Airbase, it destroyed three US F-35 stealth fighter jets, the Fars news agency reports.

“This morning, IRGC Aerospace Force fighters, in an attack on the deployment ramp and maintenance hangar of American F-35 fighter jets at Al-Azraq Airbase using several ballistic missiles, completely destroyed three F-35 aircraft and inflicted heavy damage on three others,” it says in a post on X.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson says that talks with Oman are continuing through several rounds, while blaming the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and disruption to international shipping on US and Israeli military actions, Al Jazeera reports.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says the discussions with Omani officials, which began last week in Tehran, are ongoing and that further meetings have been held.

“What is clear is that currently, the Strait of Hormuz is closed due to American actions and the insecurity that America has imposed on this waterway,” Baghaei tells the ILNA news agency. “International shipping is being harmed and damaged solely because of American actions.”

He adds that the situation is the result of “military aggression” by the US and Israel, which began on March 28 and continues in various forms. Baqaei cites attacks on Iranian vessels, what he calls an illegal blockade of ports and transit routes, and continuing strikes against Iran.

A Qatari LNG vessel has passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time in three weeks, after one of its tankers was targeted in the waterway, Al Jazeera reports.

According to the Iranian Fars news outlet, the vessel passed through the Iranian-approved route after gaining permission from Tehran.

Ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows that the vessel sailed through the Strait of Hormuz with its transponder turned on and was entering the Gulf of Oman.

Iraq’s military spokesperson says there is no evidence that recent attacks in the region were launched from Iraqi territory, Al Jazeera reports.

Brigadier General Sabah Al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, tells the state-run Iraqi News Agency that “there is no evidence that attacks were launched from Iraqi territory.

“The government will not allow any individual actions from the inside, and at the same time will not accept any violation coming from outside the borders,” Al-Numan said.

Al-Numan explains that “The visit of the prime minister and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Ali Falih al-Zaidi, to the headquarters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and his receiving a detailed briefing on the attacks targeting PMF members in several governorates confirms that the PMF is an integral part of the national defence system.”

He adds that the security establishment is currently preparing a comprehensive plan to prevent future attacks and preserve Iraq’s full sovereignty.

Al-Numan stresses that official security forces are solely responsible for the security file and will not allow any armed presence outside the state’s framework.

The Middle East conflict has significantly tightened supplies on the spot liquefied natural gas market and the upward pressure on prices could persist if the war drags on, an executive at Tokyo Gas has said, Reuters reports.

“We will seek to optimise supply and demand through our global LNG trading capabilities,” Go Soga, an executive officer for Tokyo Gas, told reporters.

Tokyo Gas is Japan’s biggest city gas provider and one of the country’s biggest buyers of LNG. It operates an LNG trading company in Singapore in coordination with offices in London and Tokyo.

Multiple accounts on social media platform X, belonging to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, have been suspended for “violating X rules”.

Tasnim’s Farsi, Arabic, English and breaking news accounts have been suspended by the platform.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) have said that three of its members were killed in an attack by the United States on the northwestern province of Zanjan, AFP reports.

“In the brutal attack carried out by the terrorist regime of the criminal United States on 30 July 2026, three brave and devoted members of the Ansar al-Mahdi IRGC in Zanjan province… attained martyrdom,” the Guards’ provincial branch said in a statement, according to Tasnim news agency.

Two tankers carrying Saudi crude for Indian refiners have exited the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by sailing “dark” after the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipments, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, Reuters reports.

The Suezmax tanker Amazon, chartered by Indian Oil Corp, loaded 1 million barrels of oil and Aframax Rodos lifted 700,000 barrels of crude for Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port around July 20 and briefly turned north towards the Suez Canal.

However, the Amazon and Rodos then switched off their Automatic Identification System transponders around July 22, preventing public tracking of their moves, and headed south to exit the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the sources said.

The tankers are the first evidence of vessels carrying Saudi crude for India going dark by turning off their transponders, which the sources said is normal practice in war zone areas, since the blockade began.

“The owner had shut the transponders on the vessels for safety purposes, and the vessels are now heading to India,” one of the sources told Reuters.

The authority overseeing the Egyptian port of Damietta has said that its operations were ongoing despite a fire breaking out there the day before that authorities blamed on a drone attack, according to AFP.

“The Damietta Port Authority confirms the continued full operational efficiency of the port, with all terminals and berths experiencing regular vessel arrivals and departures, along with ongoing loading, unloading, and cargo handling of all types,” the Damietta Port Authority said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned “Iran’s continued flagrant aggression” against Jordan after the latter said it intercepted five missiles from Iran.

In a statement, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said it reaffirmed its “solidarity with Jordan and its brotherly people in all measures they take regarding these Iranian attacks, which constitute a violation of international law and the principles of good neighbourliness”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested that predicting Iran’s actions regarding global commerce in the Strait of Hormuz was not possible, AlJazeera reports, citing ABC News.

“I thought they could do it, but I thought they’d also have to consider what would be the consequences if they do it, and nobody could predict that with accuracy,” Netanyahu tells the US media in an interview.

“Everybody in the world today understands what a grave danger Iran poses to the peace of the world.”

Netanyahu argued that the waterway will lose its strategic power if energy flows are rerouted.

“I don’t think the straits are going to be that powerful a leverage because people will move the energy pipelines out of the straits to the Red Sea, from there to Israel in the Mediterranean. We can unblock this chokehold, and we will,” he said.

Lebanese Army Commander General Rudolph Haykal has pledged to complete deployment in all areas of southern Lebanon from which Israeli forces withdraw, AlJazeera reports.

According to the report, Haykal made the remarks in an address to soldiers while marking the army’s 81st anniversary.

Haykal honoured the fallen, wounded and retired personnel and praised serving troops for their sacrifices, it said.

“The army remains committed to fulfilling all its missions despite the significant difficulties stemming from limited resources, the magnitude of the tasks, and the delicate circumstances,” the report quoted Haykal as saying.

“The army is also completing its deployment in the south in accordance with existing agreements and in line with national principles and requirements.”

He further said that the army was continuing efforts to ensure the safe return of residents to their villages and towns, and was prepared to deploy in all occupied areas from which Israeli forces withdraw. “However, the occupation persists in its ongoing attacks and violations to obstruct the army’s efforts,” he added.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said that they would punish the “aggressor” today, Iran’s Fars news agency reports, citing the army’s public relations, according to AlJazeera.

The IRGC’s comments come after the US announced that it had launched “powerful” attacks on Iran overnight with explosions heard in Qeshm, Kish, Bandar Abbas, Abadan and Bushehr.

The Egyptian government has said that a fire the day before at the port of Damietta was caused by a drone attack, after authorities reported two gas ships were damaged by the blaze, according to AFP.

The presidency of Egypt’s council of ministers said in a statement that after a preliminary investigation into the incident, “it appears that it resulted from a drone attack, with no party claiming responsibility”. It added that the inquiry was ongoing.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence has said that an Iranian strike, targeting a company, killed one employee and caused extensive damage to its building.

In a post on social media platform X, the ministry’s Spokesperson Colonel Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan said the building belonging to a Chinese company was located in the north of the country.

He added that the relevant authorities immediately initiated the response measures and began dealing with the situation in coordination with the agencies concerned.

The United Arab Emirates has “strongly condemned” drone attacks launched from Iraqi territory that targeted oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.

In a statement published today, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attacks constituted a “blatant violation” of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to its security and stability, without specifying the timing of the incidents or whether they caused casualties or damage.

Israel’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has said Israeli troops will not withdraw from occupied territory in southern Lebanon until the country’s security is assured, Al Jazeera reports.

He made the comments yesterday while visiting occupied territory in southern Lebanon, according to an Israeli military spokeswoman.

“In Lebanon, we have taken control of areas and continue to cleanse them of terrorist infrastructure,” he was quoted as saying. “And if necessary, we will expand the scope of our operations to include additional areas.”

He added: “We will not withdraw from the areas we have taken control of until long-term security is ensured.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the US and Iran to cease fighting and return to diplomacy, Al Jazeera reports.

“The Secretary-General has been worried for some time that if the parties do not return to negotiations, you could have a widening of the conflict, and that seems to be what has been happening in recent hours,” Deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq told reporters in New York.

“These are not positive developments, and he wants to make sure that the parties can cease fighting and again return to the diplomatic efforts, including the mediation efforts being pressed forward by Pakistan, Qatar and others.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that two oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz with US support turned back after one of them caught fire, AFP reports.

“Last night, two oil tankers, encouraged by American aircraft, attempted to leave through the unsafe southern route of the Strait of Hormuz,” the Guards said in a statement.

“After a major fire broke out on one of them, both vessels quickly turned back.”