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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
The United States intensified its strikes on Iran overnight, hitting targets around Tehran and other areas in northern Iran, Iranian state media said. U.S. Central Command said its fifth consecutive day of strikes aimed at Iranian command centers, air defense sites, and missile and drone capabilities. U.S. forces also yesterday fired on a Curaçao-flagged oil tanker, as it was accused of trying to break the blockade of Iranian ports. Iran retaliated this morning with missile and drone strikes targeting U.S. allies in the region and warned that attacks may escalate. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News; Eric Schmitt, Farnaz Fassihi, and Alan Yuhas report for the New York Times.
President Trump is leaning toward expanding U.S. military operations in Iran after days of briefings from his top aides, U.S. officials said. Options include stepping up airstrikes, sending ground forces to seize Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz, and bombing a fortified site at Pickaxe Mountain that could be used for covert nuclear work. The officials added that Trump has not made a final decision on next steps in the war. Three U.S. officials told Reuters that the recent wave of U.S. strikes has targeted Iranian military capabilities that the United States would want to destroy before executing more complex operations against Iran. Alexander Ward and Laurence Norman report for the Wall Street Journal; Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali report.
Iran’s lead negotiator Brig. Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said yesterday that Iran is “in an essential and existential war with America,” while signalling that the door to negotiations was not closed. Ghalibaf issued a long statement saying Iran would defend itself on the battlefield, adding, “We must also use the tools of diplomacy and negotiations to achieve and realize our national interest.” Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
In a statement published on social media this morning, Iranian army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia warned that if Trump carried out his threat to attack Iran’s infrastructure, Iran would strike and crush all infrastructure across the Gulf region. He added that “under no circumstances and in no way will we allow America…to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz. This is Iran’s invincible red line.” Chloe Taylor reports for CNBC; Reuters reports.
Trump said on social media yesterday that Tehran made a goodwill gesture by releasing an American citizen wrongly detained in Iran since 2024. Human rights lawyer Jared Genser released a statement identifying the detainee as his client Dena Karari, a U.S.-Iranian citizen who runs a nonprofit and was charged with espionage. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.
Crude oil loading was suspended at all Iraqi terminals today after a drone crashed into an oil tanker at the Basra terminal, four Iraqi oil and security sources told Reuters. It was not immediately clear who launched the drone. Aref Mohammed reports.
IRAN WAR – LEBANON
After two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Rome, Israel and Lebanon took steps towards implementing “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces would withdraw and turn over control to the Lebanese army, the U.S. State Department said yesterday. The statement said that the talks were “productive” and the parties “agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process to be finalized and implemented in the coming days.” Abby Sewell reports for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed yesterday that he was leaving his role after just six months as defense chief. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has yet to provide a reason for Fedorov’s departure. Some in Ukraine have linked the dismissal to tensions between Fedorov and the more conventionally minded Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Protests against Fedorov’s departure erupted in several Ukrainian cities yesterday. “This is the worst mistake Zelenskyy has made during his entire presidency,” a Ukrainian soldier told BBC News. Andrew E. Kramer reports for the New York Times; Laura Gozzi, Anastasiia Levchenko, and Sarah Rainsford report.
Ukraine said it has hit more than 110 Russian vessels in nine days in the Sea of Azov. “I cannot stress enough how unprecedented this is,” a senior analyst at maritime security agency Ambrey said. “We have never seen anything so concentrated on a global scale.” The New York Times was unable to verify Ukraine’s claim. Russia has acknowledged only a handful of attacks on its ships. Alice Hancock and Christopher Miller report for the Financial Times; Nataliya Vasilyeva, Marc Santora, and Cassandra Vinograd report.
SUDANESE CIVIL WAR
A Reuters investigation has found that companies owned by U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Steven Shaulis operated a fleet of ageing Boeing aircraft that flew to key logistics hubs used by the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary during the war. Alexander Dziadosz, Reade Levinson, and David Lewis report.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Venezuela’s interim government announced yesterday that it will start holding formal talks with some members of the opposition from Aug. 1. An opposition statement said the talks would lay down “a route map towards democracy.” Vanessa Buschschluter reports for BBC News.
More than 500 people are feared dead after reports that two boats carrying Rohingya passengers have capsized in the Bay of Bengal, U.N. officials said today. Kristen Gelineau reports for AP News.
2,011 cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including 754 deaths, according to data released yesterday. Health workers at Bunia General Hospital, the region’s largest medical center, went on strike yesterday over payment issues. AP News reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Senior Pentagon officials have examined a range of options for possible action against Cuba in recent weeks, including an Army-led air assault involving thousands of U.S. soldiers to be carried out by the 101st Airborne Division, according to multiple U.S. officials. Officials added that no decision has been made and that current military priorities remain focused on the renewed conflict with Iran. James LaPorta, Margaret Brennan, Jennifer Jacobs, and Eleanor Watson report for CBS News.
The Trump administration yesterday announced a new 25% tariff on many Brazilian imports, citing alleged unfair trade practices, with exemptions for key exports such as oil, beef, coffee, oranges, and aircraft parts; the tariff will replace earlier measures that were struck down by the Supreme Court. Ana Swanson and Ana Ionova report for the New York Times.
China is now viewed more positively than the United States in 25 out of 36 countries around the world, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center, a U.S.-based think tank. Tessa Wong reports for BBC News.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Trump said yesterday that ICE must not abandon vehicle stops, a day after the agency temporarily paused the tactic in most cases following two killings by ICE agents. “Once we [halt the practice], we are playing right into the criminal’s hands. The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch,” Trump said on social media. Myah Ward reports for POLITICO.
The FBI is investigating whether drugs were inside a van last week when ICE agents killed the driver, Lorenzo Sagado Araujo, in Houston, according to a search warrant application signed by a federal judge on Tuesday. The warrant stated that the FBI is gathering all facts related to the incident, “including what may have caused the occupants of the vehicle to flee.” J. David Goodman reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with Iranian officials in Washington, according to a court filing yesterday by the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund. A lawyer for the group said an Iranian official reported receiving regular dossiers on Iranian detainees from ICE for months last year. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.
A report by Human Rights Watch and the ACLU published yesterday says that detainees at the Camp East Montana ICE facility in Texas have experienced widespread physical abuse, poor living conditions, inadequate medical care, and restricted access to lawyers and family, based on interviews with 71 detainees. Michael Biesecker reports for AP News.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
House Democrats split nearly evenly yesterday on an amendment to cut off U.S. aid to Israel. The amendment failed 104-314-10, with 103 Democrats voting in favour. The vote reflects a significant shift in Democratic attitudes towards Israel. Emily Brooks reports for The Hill.
Todd Blanche’s nomination as U.S. attorney general faces uncertainty after a contentious Senate confirmation hearing, where Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) questioned his role in a $1.8 billion compensation fund and his independence from Trump. Following the hearing, Cornyn said he had not made up his mind yet on whether to support the nomination. Glenn Thrush, Devlin Barrett, Michael Gold, and Alan Feuer report for the New York Times.
Jay Clayton, Trump’s choice to be the next director of national intelligence, was pressed yesterday by Democrats on election matters in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Clayton repeatedly declined to say that former President Joe Biden had won the 2020 election or to disagree with actions taken by Trump. Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times.
AIR FORCE ONE
The New York Times filed a motion yesterday to quash subpoenas issued last week by the Trump administration to several of its journalists. The subpoenas seek to compel the journalists to testify about their confidential sources following articles that disclosed security concerns about the new Air Force One jet. Michael M. Grynbaum reports.
The FBI has sought to speak with several people who traveled aboard the new Air Force One jet with Trump last week, including asking some to turn over their phones, as part of a leak investigation into reporting by the New York Times, sources said. Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush report for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Pentagon will screen the testosterone levels of soldiers 30 and up, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced yesterday. Soldiers diagnosed with testosterone deficiency would be offered hormone therapy but would not be forced to undergo it, Hegseth added. He did not address whether women would also be subject to hormone testing. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.
“I say this with all candor, like we absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files, like we just did,” Vice President JD Vance said in a taping of “The Joe Rogan Experience” released yesterday. Vance pointed to then-Attorney General Pam Bondi as the official most responsible for inflating expectations surrounding the Epstein files, saying she “overstated what we had and what we didn’t have.” Ben Johansen reports for POLITICO.
The Trump administration fired a federal prosecutor yesterday, less than an hour after he was appointed by federal judges to lead the U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle. Danny Hakim and Jonah E. Bromwich report for the New York Times.
The White House is considering releasing sensitive intelligence related to China and its ability to interfere in U.S. elections, according to four sources. The sources added that the intelligence did not show Beijing had manipulated or changed votes. Trump may disclose the intelligence in a speech that he is due to deliver this evening, which is expected to outline information about alleged vulnerabilities in U.S. voting infrastructure. Erin Banco, Jonathan Landay, and Phil Stewart report for Reuters.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
Two human rights groups filed a lawsuit yesterday against the Trump administration, arguing that sanctions against the International Criminal Court over its Gaza war investigations have unlawfully restricted their advocacy and interactions with Palestinian rights groups. Eric Tucker reports for AP News.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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