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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
The U.S. military completed its latest round of strikes on Iran overnight, marking a 13th consecutive night of attacks, according to U.S. Central Command. Iranian state media reported that U.S. missiles had struck several locations around the capital of Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan Province. The Iranians retaliated this morning with strikes against U.S. military targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters; Qasim Nauman reports for the New York Times.
Iranian and Iraqi officials said yesterday that Iran had rejected a cease-fire proposal from President Trump that was presented by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. Iran’s top negotiator, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told local reporters that there was no need for another mediator. “The problem is not passing messages,” Ghalibaf said. “The problem is America’s outlook.” Farnaz Fassihi and Erika Solomon report for the New York Times.
Trump told Axios yesterday that he is considering restarting major combat operations in Iran, including strikes that would be bigger than those carried out during “Operation Epic Fury.” Trump stressed that he had not yet made a decision. Two U.S. officials confirmed that no new orders have been given to the military. Trump added that Israel “would join in two minutes if I ask them to,” but added that “we don’t need anybody” to launch a new operation against Iran. Barak Ravid reports.
Two of Iraq’s border crossings were attacked yesterday during the latest round of U.S.-Iranian hostilities, according to officials and videos on social media verified by the New York Times. Iranian and Iraqi media outlets reported that U.S. airstrikes had struck a rest station for police officers at the Shalamcheh border crossing. In what appeared to be a retaliatory strike, the Abdali border crossing between Kuwait and Iraq was also hit yesterday afternoon. The Iraqi government has not issued a statement on either attack. James McManagan and Sanjana Varghese report.
The United Kingdom said yesterday that its armed forces were ready to protect the country from any attacks after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a warning over allowing U.S. bombers to fly from U.K. bases. Reuters reports.
IRAN WAR – YEMEN
Trump yesterday promised “major military punishment” for Iran and its Houthi allies after the Houthis struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, adding that the United States will hold Iran responsible for Houthi actions. The price of oil hit $100 a barrel yesterday for the first time since May following the Houthi strikes. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters; Max Bearak, Shirin Hakim, and Farnaz Fassihi report for the New York Times; Gregory Svirnoskiy reports for POLITICO.
Iran flew IRGC commanders, military advisers, and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen this month, according to four sources. Two Iranian sources told Reuters that between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, including senior commanders, were on a July 13 flight from Tehran to Yemen. A Houthi media official, who said he was aboard the plane, denied that Iran had sent military experts to Yemen, adding that all passengers aboard the plane were civilians. Maggie Michael and Parisa Hafezi report.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The Defense Department yesterday lowered the number of casualties on its website from a total of 18 U.S. service members killed during the Iran war to 14. Three military officials said that one reason for the change was that the Trump administration decided to remove the four service members killed last week from the total because their deaths occurred after Trump declared a ceasefire in April. The Pentagon’s acting press secretary attributed the change to “temporary data disruptions” on the website, adding that it would be fixed soon. Helene Cooper, Lara Jakes, and John Ismay report for the New York Times.
The House of Representatives yesterday voted a second time to direct Trump to end the war in Iran or seek explicit congressional authorization to continue it. The measure passed on a vote of 214 to 208. Soon after, Republicans blocked a similar measure from consideration in the Senate. Robert Jimison reports for the New York Times.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine’s former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said yesterday that he has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s efforts to persuade him to rejoin the government in a different role. Zelenskyy had said earlier in the day that he had offered Fedorov the position of deputy prime minister for military innovation. Hanna Arhirova reports for AP News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
An Israeli airstrike yesterday killed two Palestinians in northern Gaza, medics said. Reuters reports.
WEST BANK VIOLENCE
Four Palestinians and one Israeli were killed in a shooting incident in the occupied West Bank today, according to Israeli and Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military said it had been dispatched to the area, southwest of the Palestinian city of Nablus, after reports of an attack on Israeli civilians who were hiking there. Palestinian officials said Palestinians had been attacked by the Israeli civilians and that four had been shot dead and four wounded by both civilians and Israeli soldiers. Reuters reports.
An Israeli military official said that an Israeli civilian yesterday killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank after they stabbed and wounded an Israeli during a dispute. The Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA said the military and settlers attacked a group of Palestinians from the village of Beit Furik as they were attempting to put out a fire. Reuters reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, a former ally of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina, will resign today, his spokesperson told Reuters. The spokesperson did not give a reason for Shahabuddin’s resignation, but three sources said the government had pressed him to step aside because of his longstanding ties to Hasina and after she announced that she planned to return to Bangladesh. Krishna N. Das and Ruma Paul report.
International Criminal Court member states are set to vote today on whether to dismiss the court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan for alleged sexual misconduct. For Khan to be fired, an absolute majority of at least 63 of the court’s 125 member states will have to agree in the secret ballot to be held at a meeting at the U.N. headquarters in New York. The vote is due around 3 p.m. (1900 GMT). Stephanie van den Berg reports for Reuters.
Judges at the International Criminal Court yesterday terminated proceedings against the former leader of an armed group in Darfur after prosecutors withdrew the charges against Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain. The prosecution said the evidence against Banda, who had been charged with war crimes over a 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers, had deteriorated in the time since the charges were confirmed in 2011. Stephanie van den Berg reports for Reuters.
The Philippine Coast Guard today accused its Chinese counterpart of firing water cannon at government vessels near a disputed shoal for a second day, in the third confrontation between the two countries in the South China Sea this week. Reuters reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The United States will impose tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on its major trading partners under a new set of duties designed to combat forced labor at 12:01 a.m. ET, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s office announced yesterday. The new levies target 60 economies, or more than 80 countries, that Greer’s office says represent about 99% of U.S. trade. Gavin Bade reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Trump said yesterday that the new U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal “is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” referring to a series of agreements that normalized relations between Israel and other states, including Bahrain and the UAE. There was no mention of any such condition in the administration’s announcement on Wednesday that the deal had been signed. When asked by reporters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was definitive on Trump’s terms. “If they don’t join the Abraham Accords, the deal is off.” David. E. Sanger and Karoun Demirjian report for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Internal documents obtained by the New York Times show that ICE plans to open a detention center at the long-dormant Rivers Correctional Institution in Winton, North Carolina, by the end of the year. While ICE has been retreating from plans to buy up warehouses around the country, it continues to partner with private companies like GEO Group to repurpose existing prison complexes for immigration detention. Eduardo Medina and Hamed Aleaziz report.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A 51-year-old man stabbed two people near Central Park in Manhattan yesterday afternoon, the police said. The first victim was a 57-year-old Asian man and the second victim was a 50-year-old Jewish man. It remains unclear what led to the midday attack, but Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that Raul Morales shouted “Allahu akbar” as he attacked both men, according to witness accounts. Tisch added that his mental state might have played a role in the attacks and said the department was evaluating whether the attacks had been intended as hate crimes. Maia Coleman, Chelsea Rose Marcius, Stella Raine Chu, and Yair Rosenberg report for the New York Times.
A federal judicial panel yesterday allowed Tennessee to use a new congressional map that divides a majority-Black district in Memphis, rejecting an effort to block the plan ahead of the state’s primary elections in August. Finya Swai reports for The Hill.
The Justice Department on Tuesday asked New Jersey to provide the identities of about 6,600 noncitizens mistakenly added to the state’s voter rolls, and said it is considering criminal prosecutions for those who illegally voted. A spokesperson for New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill (D) said that she will “use all the legal tools available to her to protect New Jerseyans’ personal information.” Daniel Han reports for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has let go of more than 200 personnel since June 1, according to data shared with Congress this week. The ODNI had about 2,000 employees at the start of Trump’s second term. It is now little more than half that size, according to congressional aides. Warren P. Strobel reports for the Washington Post.
The Education Department yesterday ended decades-old rules that have allowed statistical disparities to be used as proof of racial discrimination. The department said that eliminating the data analysis will ensure that schools can address discipline problems without fear of drawing a federal investigation. A statement signed yesterday by 60 civil rights and education groups predicted the change will enable discrimination against students of color to go unaddressed. Laura Meckler reports for the Washington Post.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
The Trump administration yesterday withdrew subpoenas that would have compelled three New York Times reporters to testify about their sources for articles about Trump’s new Air Force One. The move came after a federal judge sharply criticized the Justice Department for failing to follow legal procedures and treating subpoenas as a first rather than a last resort. Michael R. Sisak, Eric Tucker, and Larry Neumeister report for AP News.
The Trump administration yesterday dropped its attempts to subpoena a list of Jewish people at the University of Pennsylvania, according to a court filing. The documents show that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the university reached an agreement that the agency will not enforce its subpoena and the university will file a stipulation of dismissal. Cheyanne M. Daniels reports for POLITICO.
A coalition of mostly Democratic-led states yesterday asked a federal judge to block the Department of Homeland Security from withholding certain disaster-related funds until states adopt election administration practices favored by the Trump administration. DHS announced on July 10 that it would withhold 20% of FEMA grant awards meant to help states prepare for potential terrorist attacks and other threats until those states submit plans to use equipment that accepts hand-marked paper ballots rather than electronic voting systems that use bar codes and QR codes to count votes. Luc Cohen reports for Reuters.
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