War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Yemen’s Defence Minister Lt General Taher al-Aqili says the armed forces, coordinating with the Saudi-led coalition and international partners, are committed to confronting “the terrorism perpetrated” by the Houthis until its threat is neutralised and state control is established over all national territory, Al Jazeera reports.

He said the Houthis have, for over a decade, proven they “thrive only on cycles of violence, terrorism, piracy, and chaos”, exploiting Yemen’s location to threaten international navigation allegedly “in service of the agenda of its financiers and operators in Tehran”.

Al-Aqili said regional and international peace “will not prevail, except by severing the arm of the Revolutionary Guard”, and by extending state control over all national territory.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has said that “preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity and the absolute, unconditional termination of the Zionist regime’s aggression are the primary conditions for any agreement to end the imposed war against the aggressive US”.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei says that Lebanon’s Hezbollah stands as “an unyielding rock” against the aggression of the Zionist regime.

“This steadfastness has become an inspiring message for the world’s free nations’ quest for liberation from Global Arrogance,” he said in a message shared on X.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu claims Israeli forces had pushed Hezbollah back 5 to 8 miles (8km to 13km) from the Israeli-Lebanese border and destroyed about 94 per cent of its roughly 150,000 missiles and rockets, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu pointed to a new trilateral deal opening direct Israeli-Lebanese talks for the first time in decades, under which Israel is to withdraw from Lebanon as Lebanon disarms Hezbollah.

Whether the Lebanese army can hold that territory is “yet to be seen”, he said, although Israel is “willing to give it a try”.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has discussed the situation in southern Lebanon with French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call, also updating Macron on his recent visit to Washington DC, Al Jazeera reports, citing the Lebanese presidency.

Highlighting continued Israeli attacks on border villages and towns in southern Lebanon, Aoun stressed the need to halt such violations and adhere to a cessation of hostilities, the presidency statement said.

Aoun briefed Macron on his talks with Trump and other American officials, which covered Lebanon’s position, the phase after its agreement with Israel and the implementation of its provisions, it added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Tehran that any attack on Israel – direct or via proxies – would be “a terrible mistake” and would be met with a “very, very forceful” response, Al Jazeera reports.

In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said ending the war requires either Iran’s government to fall or Tehran to accept the cost of “wreaking economic chaos” and “shooting at everyone” – naming Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Israel and Jordan as its targets.

Netanyahu said he “fully backed” Trump’s diplomatic efforts but insisted Iran’s nuclear programme must end “with a deal or without a deal”.

Iran’s FM Abbas Araghchi has held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

The two ministers discussed and consulted on the latest regional and international developments, Iran’s state media IRIB reports.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it’s moving to “nip in the bud” separatist and opposition groups it accuses of trying to infiltrate the country’s northwest, casting recent military operations there as a pre-emptive strike against US-backed unrest, Al Jazeera reports.

IRGC spokesperson Brigadier-General Hossein Mohebbi said Tehran is alert to what he called an “enemy plan” to reorganise anti-government factions, including the exiled Mojahden-e-Khalq, to reignite deadly protests that swept Iran in December and January.

“What we are doing in the northwest is to nip them in the bud before they enter,” Mohebbi told the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

He said the IRGC’s focus on the Strait of Hormuz, where it has been locked in a confrontation with the United States, had not left it blind to other threats.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency has published a list of 11 US drones that it says were shot down by Iranian-made air defences in July alone.

• July 8: An MQ-9 drone was shot down in the skies of Khormoj, Bushehr province.
• July 12: A cruise missile was shot down in the skies over Jahrom
• July 15: A Lucas drone was shot down in the skies over Lar
• July 16: An MQ-9 drone was shot down in the south of the country
• July 17: An MQ-9 drone was shot down in the skies over Andimeshk
• July 18: An MQ-9 drone was shot down in the skies over Asaluyeh
• July 19: An MQ-9 drone was shot down in the skies of Ahvaz, an MQ-9 drone was shot down in the skies of Asaluyeh, and a spy drone was shot down by the 48th Fateh Brigade
• July 20: An MQ-9 drone was shot down in the skies over Kermanshah, and a missile was shot down in Rudbar-e Janoub

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz says that talks between Washington and Tehran are “happening at every level”.

Speaking to NBC News, he said, “What we are constantly seeing though, is on the Iranian regime’s side, they are divided; there is internal fighting…“

Pope Leo XIV has renewed his appeal for peace in the Middle East, warning that intensified military operations are again unleashing destruction and endangering lives.

Reciprocal US-Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure are worsening shortages of water and electricity, said the Catholic pontiff in an X post.

He urged all parties to halt strikes and urgently return to dialogue and diplomacy to secure lasting peace for the region.

Yemen’s Prime Minister Shaeed Mohsen al-Zandani says the Houthi militia’s continued targeting of commercial vessels and threats to Red Sea security demonstrate it’s executing an Iranian agenda, Al Jazeera reports.

In a post on X, al-Zandani said the attacks jeopardise freedom of navigation, disrupt global supply chains and trade, and undermine UN regional and international peace efforts.

“The protection of freedom of navigation and maritime security is a collective responsibility,” the prime minister said, calling on the international community to take a firmer stance to deter Houthi behaviour and dry up its sources of support.

Al-Zandani also stressed that his government will continue close coordination with the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s “legitimate government”.

US Congressman Ryan Zinke, who is currently visiting Pakistan, says that “President Trump, the Field Marshal Asim Munir and the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are working together,” adding that he sees “enormous opportunity”.

Speaking to Pakistan TV, Zinke said there was “still scope for diplomacy with Iran,” stressing that Tehran must meet key conditions including abandoning nuclear weapons ambitions and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.

The Lebanese army has said that Israeli forces are continuing their attacks in southern Lebanon, violating international law, Al Jazeera reports.

It said in a statement that Israel has destroyed or demolished more homes in areas of southern Lebanon it occupies.

Shelling and gunfire have been reported in the villages of Kfar Tebnit around Nabatieh, Haddatha and Konin near Bint Jbeil, as well as Nab’a Ibl al-Saqi, al-Mansouri, Bayt al-Sayyad and Majdal Zoun, surrounding Tyre.

It also reported Israeli forces burning olive groves and blowing up the Litani River Authority project in Markaba.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the accelerated reconstruction and rebuilding of strategic infrastructure, such as rail networks and international transit corridors, after US attacks on the country, Al Jazeera reports, citing Iran’s Mehr News Agency.

Pezeshkian was briefed on the damage during a visit to the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.

He highlighted infrastructure links with neighbouring countries as strategic priorities.

“The completion and connection of rail networks with neighbours could play an effective role in boosting economic resilience, developing international transit corridors and maximising Iran’s geopolitical capacities,” Pezeshkian said.

An oil tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with a naval mine, Reuters reports, citing Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Tasnim said the tanker struck the mine after leaving the route designated by Iran in the strategic waterway.

There was no immediate official statement from Iranian authorities regarding the incident.

The US ambassador to the United Nations has told Fox News that President Donald Trump has paused attacks on Iran to allow more room for diplomacy, Reuters reports.

“He’s giving talks some space, he’s giving it a little bit of room,” Mike Waltz told the broadcaster.

Waltz did not provide further detail on the nature of the talks, but there has been a weekend lull in the fighting between Iran and the United States.

The Pentagon paused bombing operations after 13 nights of escalating strikes and there were no weekend reports of attacks by Iran on its neighbours.

The Bahrain Grand Prix, which was cancelled in April due to the Middle East war, will be held in Malaysia in early October, Formula One organisers have announced, AFP reports.

“Formula 1 and the FIA can confirm that Malaysia will host the… Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit from October 2-4 2026,” F1 and motorsport’s world governing body said in a statement.

The original F1 calendar featured 24 races but those in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled because of the war. Upcoming events in neighbouring Qatar and Abu Dhabi also remain in doubt.

Sepang circuit, to the south of Kuala Lumpur, returns to the calendar for the first time since 2017 to host what will be called the “Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia”.

“This is fantastic news for our fans. They will continue to enjoy a full and exciting Formula 1 calendar, while also seeing the sport return to a great venue,” said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says it has received a report of an “incident” in the southern Red Sea, Al Jazeera reports.

“It has been reported to UKMTO that a tanker witnessed a splash from an unknown projectile in close proximity to the vessel,” it said in a statement, adding that the vessel and crew were reported to be safe.

“Environmental impact is unconfirmed at present. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO while authorities continue to investigate,” it said.

Iranian parliament’s deputy speaker Ali Nikzad has declared that Ukraine’s “reckless” move of allegedly attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea will not be left without a response, IRNA reports.

He emphasised that Iran will consistently uphold its lawful right to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, and that any location from which an attack on Iranian territory originates will be considered a legitimate military target.

Houthi rebels claim they downed a Saudi drone over the northwest of Yemen, a day after the Yemeni group claimed it attacked oil facilities in the Gulf kingdom, reports AFP.

The Houthi’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group “successfully shot down a Turkish-made … armed reconnaissance drone belonging to the Saudi enemy while it was conducting hostile operations”.